Working on an F-16 Mini-Documentary

Hi everyone! First post here - I am working on a series of airplane bios for YouTube and would like to produce one on the F-16 . I've been a fan of the Viper forever, I still think the airplane looks futuristic and feel it is the one of the most capable all around fighters in the Air Force today.

Anyway, aside from performance, history, and the whole Fighting Falcon/Viper name I'd love to know what things I should include or touch on. I plan to have the video run 10 to 15 minutes.

Thank you!

I would definately include the fact that it's basically the only fighter airplane that combines sophisticated avant-grade design qualities (soft and gentle yet aggressive lines and curves) with its astonishing useful properties like pilot comfort and cockpit ergonomics, jaw dropping maneuverability and the ability to carry heavy payloads - everything that comes in handy in war time.

You can also check out an article I helped to write on the occassion of the 10th anniversary of Vipers in polish Air Force. Lots and lots of fun facts in there Cant wait to see your work done!

http://www.hesja.pl/teksciwo,369,aviaph ... art-2.html

Patriot thank you excellent points and and I will definitely reference your article!

Working on building the script now - I will post the link here when done.

Hi everyone! First post here - I am working on a series of airplane bios for YouTube and would like to produce one on the F-16 . I've been a fan of the Viper forever, I still think the airplane looks futuristic and feel it is the one of the most capable all around fighters in the Air Force today.

Anyway, aside from performance, history, and the whole Fighting Falcon/Viper name I'd love to know what things I should include or touch on. I plan to have the video run 10 to 15 minutes.

Thank you!

Great idea.

I'd like to hear about how even today, F-16's can hang with thrust vectoring Flankers, canard equipped Eurofighters etc... An F-15 pilot said this to me once, "The F-16's exceptionally high thrust to weight ratio, maneuverability, small size, small RCS is tough to beat. And now that they have BVR AMRAAM's and the 9x, you have to get up real early to even keep things close. It's a very, very difficult aircraft to fight - in any arena".

And although I'm sure the Flanker vs. F-16 encounters seen over Nevada results we'll never know, I'd at least try and ask the question: How does it compare? It's such a hot rod, and as recent events over India/Pakistan have shown, it can still tangle with the best of them.

mixel, totally agree! And I guess, the F-16 is the only combat aircraft ever made which was built purely for turning and the ability to turn was the 1st requirement the entire aircraft was shaped arround.

pilotphotog, whats your yt channel name?

mixel, totally agree! And I guess, the F-16 is the only combat aircraft ever made which was built purely for turning and the ability to turn was the 1st requirement the entire aircraft was shaped arround.

Sustained turn at that. The Eagle was the first plane built with Ps as a requirement, the Viper was the first plane built around Ps.

As F-16.net editors know, I'm a military aviation accidental fan.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103626/pl ... _ql_stry_2

IMO, although even 15 minutes will be too short to mention the dark side of the F-16 early years, maybe at least you can include in the credits, a "To absent friends" sort of tribute to fallen F-16 pilots?

sort of tribute to fallen F-16 pilots?

Wasnt the majority of them "g-locked" ? The aircraft holds g so well many pilots just went "asleep" during flight. Too bad they didnt came up with Auto-GCAS from the early on.

Sustained turn at that. The Eagle was the first plane built with Ps as a requirement, the Viper was the first plane built around Ps.

Whats the "Ps" ?

Whats the "Ps" ?

"Pee sub-ess", Specific Excess Power. Given by the equation (Thrust[lb] - Drag[lb]) * V[ft/s] / W[lb]. It measures rate of climb available under a given condition. If you omit the speed, V, then you get acceleration in G available under a given condition.

] Auto-GCAS from the early on.

I'm a civilian chickenhawk, but not a peacenik.

Back when I played flight sims, when the plane was uncontrollable, I just toggled on auto-pilot, and it tried to recover to level flight.
This activation was manual, so I hope the automatic GCAS will save lives in the real world.

ISTR back then, human error was a F-16 accident major cause.
With the early glass cockpit, pilots either mistrusted the data from the digital instruments, or took too much time to decide whether to believe the digital or mechanical instruments; and they CFIT.
To be fair, each new aircraft has this human-interface problem, whether WWII USMC Corsair, or modern JASDF F-35.

ROKAF also lost a few KF-16 because of mechanical unreliability, with engines that stalled or even caught fire in mid-air.

https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/ap ... 11/166713/

Janet Harduvel, Individually, and As the Personal representative of the Estate of Theodore (Ted) Harduvel, deceased, and on Behalf of His Minor Child, Christina harduvel, Plaintiff-appellant, Cross-appellee, v. General Dynamics Corporation, Defendant-appellee, Cross-appellant. jet Electronics and Technology, Inc., et al., Defendants, 878 F.2d 1311 (11th Cir. 1989)

You could add that the designer have the back-up plans for FBW system, (if does not worked) it was that the wings can be moved little further aft to be able to fly like any plane (positive stable ).