Hooligans F-16s Mothballed

idesof · by **idesof** » 21 Nov 2006, 15:54

Regarding the story <A href="news_article2059.html">Hooligans F-16 ADFs mothballed</a>, are these the last F-16A models remaining in a USAF combat unit? If so, this is quite a milestone.

I remember the days when I followed the F-16 program closely in its early days, and how I would search books and magazines for pictures of the F-16C when it started coming on line (or F-16As with the big tailplane). I would get so excited over finding a C model viper, especially if I saw one at an airshow.

How times have changed. Now I love seeing F-16As that remain in USAF service, and they're almost all gone now. I was actually quite surprised to have read this story, as I assumed they had all long since retired. It is almost inconceivable to me that the F-16 today is almost as old a design as the Phantom was when I first became an airplane fanatic. It could even be said that all F-16As are relics of the Cold War. In that sense, the F-16 has more in common with the Phantom that it does with the F-35. Sort of puts things into perspective. Can't wait to get back out to the boneyard, to the Pima County Air Museum, and come upon an F-16 with the same reverence an awe I had in the past for a mothballed B-52 or F-4. :salute:

LinkF16SimDude · by **LinkF16SimDude** » 21 Nov 2006, 23:00

Yep...the last of the "operational" breed, AFAIK. Tucson still has some as trainers and I think NASA/Dryden uses A/B's as chase/support jets. Don't know if Flight Test Ops or the TPS at Eddie use any of the older jets.

J.J. · by **J.J.** » 21 Nov 2006, 23:02

The current link of the original news source (KXMC TV) is http://www.kxnet.com/getArticle.asp?s=r ... leId=69039

Associated is a short video clip from which the photos were extracted (Note: The clip starts with advertising):
http://www.kxnet.com/video.asp?ArticleI ... deoId=3122

Also associated are the following three pics:

Lieven · by **Lieven** » 27 Dec 2006, 13:08

One of the ADFs has now been flown to McChord Air Force Base Museum in Washington state while another one will be displayed at the North Dakota Air National Guard base in Fargo.

See the F-16.net news article: <a href="news_article2112.html">Two F-16s that flew 9/11 to be displayed</a>

Does anyone know the serial numbers of the 2 jets going to the museums?

On the below picture, shot in the hangar, I think I see 81-0795[/serial] and [serial]81-0820

Jon · by **Jon** » 27 Dec 2006, 15:14

From the BRAC post:

http://www.f-16.net/f-16_forum_viewtopi ... t-105.html

Last F-16 to go to AMARC from the 178th FS is scheduled for January 16, 2007

From Jake Melampy: One of the two museum vipers [serial]82-0926[/serial]

Here are the ones we know have gone to AMARC:

November 1st arrivals:
[serial]81-0773[/serial] AAFG0512 GROW19
[serial]81-0791[/serial] AAFG0514 GROW7
[serial]82-0907[/serial] AAFG0511 GROW20
[serial]82-0950[/serial] AAFG0510 GROW17
[serial]82-0992[/serial] AAFG0513 GROW18

November 20th arrivals:
[serial]81-0665[/serial] AAFG0515
[serial]82-0903[/serial] AAFG0516
[serial]82-0967[/serial] AAFG0517

December 5th arrivals:
[serial]81-0777[/serial] AAFG0518
[serial]82-1012[/serial] AAFG0519

December 13th arrivals:
[serial]81-0803[/serial] AAFG0521
[serial]82-0961[/serial] AAFG0520

LinkF16SimDude · by **LinkF16SimDude** » 27 Dec 2006, 15:22

In an ARC thread started by Jake, someone posted this link to a news article that said 3 Fargo F-16s were up on 9/11. One has gone to McCord, one stays at Fargo, and the report said the third "is being used by another Air National Guard unit for training".

No mention of the 3rd tail number but I can only guess the "other unit" would be Tucson, unless the jet's being used as a ground trainer at some tech school. ICBW tho. Anybody have any leads?

JakeMelampy · by **JakeMelampy** » 27 Dec 2006, 16:46

LinkF16SimDude wrote: the report said the third "is being used by another Air National Guard unit for training".

Although Tucson had recently adopted a bunch of ADF jets from Duluth and Fargo, most of them have now been retired. The few remaining ADFs in service with the 162FW are B-models. A buddy of mine out at Edwards has told me that there are a few ADFs in service there as chase/test aircraft, but I won't be able to verify it myself until I go out there over the upcoming summer.

I "think" I heard somewhere that a few 119FW jets just went down to Sheppard for use as ground trainers. Maybe this is where the third jet went?

Jake

mohody · by **mohody** » 27 Dec 2006, 17:32

82-0926[/serial] is staying here, [serial]81-0789[/serial] went to Sheppard, and [serial]82-0929 went to McChord yesterday. Yes, we are the last USAF combat unit to fly the ADF.

MechFromHell · by **MechFromHell** » 27 Dec 2006, 17:51

We have about 6 or 7 of them down here at Sheppard. I use them nearly every day to train newbies. :evil:

Lieven · by **Lieven** » 27 Dec 2006, 20:27

Thank you for all the information. We will update our news article and database accordingly.

Jon · by **Jon** » 27 Dec 2006, 21:51

mohody wrote:[serial]82-0926[/serial] is staying here, [serial]81-0789[/serial] went to Sheppard, and [serial]82-0929[/serial] went to McChord yesterday. Yes, we are the last USAF combat unit to fly the ADF.[/quote]

Quick questions:

Is [serial]82-0926[/serial] still active, if not when did it retire?

[serial]81-0789[/serial] went to Sheppard, but is this one of the three F-16s that scrambled on 9/11? Just really want to confirm this because I thought there were only two F-16s from the 178th FS that scrambled from Langley that day.