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pictionid73384858 - catalogkemp00421 - title--f-16 various models - filenamekemp00421.tif ---Image from the Robert Kemp Collection, graciously donated by Willis and Claudia Allen of Allen Airways Flying Museum. Note: This material may be protected by Copyright Law (Title 17 U.S.C.)--Repository: San Diego Air and Space Museum
FCH-150 Hydrogen Fuel Cell Commercial Aircraft - IO Aircraft - Iteration 2
Iteration 2, Some refinements. Similar size as a 737 Max 10 apx 1/2 the operating costs - Wings and Canard fold to 100' Span, Fuselage Length 150', Configuration (Current) 184 Econ and 1st class, 5,000+ NM Range, Does not use liquid hydrogen. Uses 8,000 PSI Compressed H2 or CNG for 95% fuel weight reduction. Airframe, 3D Printed Graphene (technology already developed), kevlar and carbon fiber. Almost no metal used in the airframe 50%+ airframe weight reduction & 10+ X the strength.
I focus on Hypersonics and vtol, not this one. This applied many of those technologies to create the foundation of a true zero carbon commercial aircraft.
LengthL 150ft | Span 120.6ft | Cruise M.88-.92
Cruise: 35,000-38,000ft | Ceiling 41,000-45,000ft
Range: 5,000+ NM
Estimated Empty Weight: 65,000 LBS
Estimated T/O Weight (Full Fuel and Passengers/Baggage) 134,000 LBS
Estimated MTOW: 195,000
Fuel: 30,000 Gallons 8,000+ Max PSI Compressed Hydrogen or Natural Gas Using High Pressure Conforming Tank Technology, 500,000PSIA Integrity
Fuel Weight: Apx 9,000 LBS (Compared to 180,300 LBS if Liquid Fueled)
Current Passenger Configuration: 184 / 12 1st Class & 172 Main Cabin
Operating Costs: $2,500 - $3,500 hr
Estimated Maintenance Costs, Apx 1/2 Compared to 737's, A320's, etc
Estimated Unit Price in Production: Apx $105 Million
Reduction in Operating/Maintenance Costs Over the Life Cycle of the Aircraft, $20-$50 Million or greater.
Motors, zero maintenance required for greater then 5,000 operating hours.
-----------------------------------
100% viable Electric Commercial aircraft, in a 737 MAX class. Compressed Hydrogen Fueled (Not liquid [obsolete]), 100% electric. NO carbon foot print. Even the hydrogen can be generated on the ground via water electrolysis on top of terminals. Also saving operators $20-$50 million or more, over an aircraft's life cycle.
Non, zero carbon, could use CNG, then reformation to extract the Hydrogen.
Ready to build today, all tech is already developed. Makes ALL commercial aircraft in existence obsolete. PLUS all hybrid aicraft on the drawing board right now with Boeing, Airbus, etc.
Airframe is 3D printed Graphene wafering, 33X stronger then titatnium; and carbon fiber/kevlar.
Specs:
Length: 150 ft | Span: 120.6 ft | Cruise M.9-.92)
Ceiling: Estimate 45,000 ft. Cruise: 38,000 ft
Range: 5,000+ NM
Estimated Empty Weight: 65,000 LBS
Estimate T/O Weight (Full fuel and passengers): 134,000 LBS
MTOW Estimate: 195,000 LBS
Fuel: 30,000 Gallon 8,000 PSI Max Compressed Hydrogen or Natural Gas Using High Pressure Conforming Tank Technology
Fuel Weight: Apx 9,000 LBS (Compared to 180,300 LBS if Jet A liquid)
Current Passenger Configuration: 184 passengers; 172 Main Cabin & 12 1st Class
Operating Costs, apx $2,500-$3,500 hr.
Estiumated Maintenance Costs: Apx 1/2 current commercial aircraft.
Estimate Unit Price in Production: Apx $105 million
Reduction in Operating Costs Over the Aircrafts Life Cycle: $20-$50 Million (Or More) in Savings.
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boeing, airbus, embraer, ge aviation, rolls-royce, dassault aviation, bae raytheon, collins aerospace, lockheed martin, bombardier, Gulfstream Aerospace, safran, ge aviation, united technologies, united airlines, virgin airlines, All Nippon Airways, Delta Air Lines, british airways, southwest airlines, ryanair, virgin atlantic, qatar airways, emirates, lufthansa, etihad airways, KLM, Guillaume Faury, Greg Hyslop, Lynne Hopper, Paul Perera, Bruno Clermont, Tim Deaver, Paul Eremenko, Jean-Brice Dumont, Dirk Hoke, Marillyn Hewson, Richard Ambrose, Charles Woodburn, Philippe PETITCOLIN, Stéphane CUEILLE
F-111F. C.N. 24. 493rd TFS at RAF Lakenheath. Withdrawn from service to AMARC 6 November 1995 as AA FV0226. Scrapped in June 2012. Photo Credit's: Unknown to me (Kodachrome Slide dated August 1980)
USAF F-16C 92-3884 14th Fighter Squadron, 35th Fighter Wing, 5 Air Force based at Misawa Air Base, Japan - Pitch Black 2016
USAF 27th FW F-111F 70-2404/CC from 523rd FS 'Crusaders' based at Cannon AFB, New Mexico at RAF Fairford to participate in the exercises Salty Hammer and Central Enterprise in June 1995.
General Dynamics F-16CM Fighting Falcon Block 50 (AF 00-0220) 20th Fighter Wing/79th Fighter Squadron "Tigers"
What would become arguably the most successful fighter aircraft since World War II started modestly, and like many late 20th-Century fighter designs, as a result of lessons learned in the Vietnam War. Among those lessons was that large, heavy fighters were not always the answer: the F-4 Phantom II, while a superlative aircraft, had often found itself outclassed by smaller, more nimble North Vietnamese MiG-17s and MiG-21s. The call for the US Air Force to develop its own lightweight fighter was spearheaded by fighter pilot and air combat theorist John Boyd. At first, Boyd’s proposals were dismissed by the USAF, who feared losing funding for the F-15 Eagle then in development. Boyd and others were able to convince the USAF of the usefulness of a light, cheap fighter as a complement to the heavy, expensive F-15, and finally the USAF agreed to issue a requirement for a Lightweight Fighter (LWF)—though with no guarantee that it would actually buy it.
Both General Dynamics and Northrop responded with designs, which would become the YF-16 and YF-17 Cobra. The first YF-16 was rolled out in December 1973, and first flew in January of the next year—accidentally, as the prototype veered off the runway and the test pilot felt it safer to takeoff rather than try to steer it back. The YF-16 won the flyoff against the YF-17, and the USAF selected it to go into service as the F-16 Fighting Falcon. Simultaneously, the YF-16 won a flyoff for the Multinational Fighter; the MNF was planned to be the successor to a number of aircraft in NATO service, and the competition between the YF-16, YF-17, France’s Mirage F.1M, and the SEPECAT Jaguar was fierce. Once selected, production of the F-16 would be vastly expanded, with it not only being produced in the United States, but also in the Netherlands and Belgium as well (to be followed later by Turkey and South Korea). In a short time, the F-16 had come a long way.
Production F-16s differed from the prototype by being slightly larger and heavier, though the initial production batch retained the “small tail” tailplanes of the prototype. Though heftier than the prototype, the F-16 retained the basis of Boyd’s ideal lightweight fighter: it was extremely maneuverable, to the point that a number of early F-16s crashed as the aircraft could take more than the pilot. Its maneuverability is due both to a favorable thrust-weight ratio and its deliberately unstable design: the F-16 was one of the first fighters to employ a wholly-fly-by-wire control system, with the hydraulic controls of older fighters being replaced by microprocessors controlled by a central computer. The microprocessors are able to make the dozens of decisions per second required by the design. For this reason, the F-16 is also known as the “Electric Jet.” General Dynamics had attempted to mitigate these effects on the pilot by reclining the ejection seat backwards and moving the control stick to the side. The pilot also has superb visibility due to the F-16’s bubble canopy.
The Fighting Falcon’s baptism of fire would not take long. Israel, which had been among the first to purchase the F-16, scored the type’s first air-to-air kill over Lebanon in 1981, as well as its first significant strike mission, the raid on Iraq’s Osirak reactor. In the following year, Israeli F-16s scored possibly as many as 30 victories over Syrian MiGs during the 1982 Lebanon War. Pakistani F-16s were to see limited action during the Soviet-Afghan War, shooting down 10 Afghani and Soviet aircraft that strayed into Pakistan’s airspace. For the United States, the F-16 would see its first action in the First Gulf War, though here the USAF used the Falcon’s large payload in strike missions; USAF F-16s saw no aerial action during this conflict.
By the early 1990s, the USAF relegated its F-16A models to the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, reequipping its units with later mark F-16Cs. Many of the ANG’s F-16As were upgraded to ADF standard. The last USAF F-16A left service around 2000; aircraft not placed in storage at AMARC in Arizona have been sold to other nations, while some are scheduled for conversion to QF-16 drones.
F-16As are among the most prolific fighters in the world, in service worldwide, flown by ten nations, three of which are in NATO. These aircraft (save those flown by Venezuela) have been significantly upgraded to F-16 MLU (Mid-Life Upgrade) standard, making them equivalent to F-16Cs. Besides Israeli and Pakistani kills in the type, a Dutch F-16AM shot down a Serbian MiG-29 during the Kosovo War in 1999. Other NATO F-16AMs have seen service over Bosnia, Kosovo, and Afghanistan. These older models of F-16s will remain in service until probably 2020 at least, to be replaced by the F-35A Lightning II.
Finding this F-16 was a bit of a surprise. It is an early Block 10 F-16A, 79-0345, which joined the USAF in 1980 as part of the 56th Tactical Training Wing at Luke AFB, Arizona. 79-0345 was transferred to the 162nd Fighter Wing (Arizona ANG) in 1989 when the 56th TTW began upgrading to the F-16C, and it would remain with the 162nd for the rest of its career. 79-0345 was retired in 1994 as the older, high-time F-16As began hitting the end of their service lives.
However, it was not the end of the line for 79-0345. Peachtree City, Georgia had named their regional airport "Falcon Field," and wanted to have a Fighting Falcon as a gate guard and war memorial. The USAF provided 79-0345, and it was placed on a plinth in 1998. It was repainted in the colors of the 56th TTW, its first assignment.
Though maintained in good shape, 79-0345 is slightly inaccurate in that the tail code data block uses the wrong font, and there are no squadron tail markings. It is displayed with two AIM-9 Sidewinders and two underwing drop tanks. One of my uncles lives near Peachtree City and knew about the F-16...but not about the Commemorative Air Force's Dixie Wing right next door!
Volkel, 7 October 2010.
A spectacular take-off at Volkel during the Tiger Meet of 2010. A photo day was held, but the weather was
F-111F. C.N. 32. 493rd TFS at RAF Lakenheath. Flew in Operation Eldorado Canyon. Withdrawn from service to AMARC 26 October 1995 as AA FV0223. To HVF west yard 7 September 2010. Scrapped in 2012. Photo taken in 493rd TFS (yellow) area. Construction of TabVee's is going on in the background. Slide dated May 1979, a year after I left Lakenheath. Photo Credit's: Unknown to me (Kodachrome Slide)
General Dynamics F-16C "Fighting Falcon" 91-0376 (SW)
0376 (MSN CC-80)
1993: TOS USAF.
1993: 363rd Fighter Wing, Shaw AFB, SC
1994: 78th FS, 20th FW, Shaw AFB, SC.
1994: 79th FS, 20th FW, Shaw AFB, SC.
1999: Deployed to Aviano AB, Italy for combat missions over Yugoslavia during Operation Allied Force
2003: 77th FS, 20th FW, Shaw AFB, SC.
2012: Deployed to the Middle East to fly combat missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
2015: Active with 13th Fighter Squadron/35th Fighter Wing at Misawa Air Base, Japan.
91-0376
SW
F-16CM-50-CF
CC-74
77th FS
Active
Dec 2006
Oct 2020
'20 FW'
Willard Martin (b. 1917) held various jobs before he was hired by Convair San Diego as a metal worker. For the next 30 years, Martin worked at Convair, eventually serving much of his career as the Operations General Supervisor, a task that involved supervising experiment department operations, engineering test lap support, model shop operations, mockup and wind tunnel support. In addition, he managed all instrumentation fabrication, installation and field support operations for the Cruise Missile Program and others. In 1976, he was elected by members of the National Management Association, General Dynamics Convair Chapter, as Director of Public Relations from 1976 to 1977.
Repository: San Diego Air and Space Museum Archive
F-111F. C.N. F-91. 494th TFS at RAF Lakenheath. Photo taken at Cambrai, France, 20 May, 1989. Crashed December 12 (13) 1979 at Lakenheath (rebuilt). Withdrawn from service to AMARC 18 October 1995 as AA FV0215. Departed AMARC to HVF West Yard 23 November 2010. Scrapped in June 2012. Photo Credit's: Unknown to me (Reprint Scan) Dust and lint are on the photo.
247 cn 6D-106 -
General Dynamics F-16AM Fighting Falcon -
RJorAF 1 Sqn. -
Royal Intl. Air Tattoo RIAT '24 (Arr Day 1) -
RAF Fairford,
17-Jul-2024 Gloucestershire, England, GBR.
F-111F. C.N. 30. 495th FS at RAF Lakenheath. Withdrawn from service to AMARC 8 April, 1996 as AA FV0268. Scrapped in June 2012. Photo Credit's: Unknown to me (Kodachrome Slide)
Tail of F-16AM FA 110 painted to commemorate the 70th anniversary of 349 Squadron, Belgian Air Force. Seen at RAF Waddington in July 2013.
Kleine Brogel, 17 July 2007.
The Danish F-16s don't have much time left. I photographed my first one 43 years ago this year. What a service life!
88145973 :Piction ID--Short air-launched cruise missile adapted from ship-launched version---Please tag these photos so information can be recorded.---- Digitization of this image made possible by a grant from NEH: NEH and the San Diego Air and Space Museum
RTAF 90032 Lockheed Martin F-16B Fighting Falcon Block 20 MLU of 403 Sqn - Pitch Black 2016
Registration: Kh19-?
Code: 40301
Serial No: 90032
Aircraft No: 90-7032
LM Aero T/V: HP-1
86916842 :Piction ID--Convair 990 - front view 12/07/1962---Please tag these photos so information can be recorded.---- Digitization of this image made possible by a grant from NEH: NEH and the San Diego Air and Space Museum
Beginning in the early 1960s, the USAF sought a replacement for the F-105 Thunderchief: while the F-105 was a good aircraft, it needed long runways that would be vulnerable in wartime and was not as long-ranged as the USAF might like. Simultaneously, the US Navy noticed that Soviet antiship missiles were becoming more advanced and longer-ranged, which would put their current fleet defense aircraft, the F-4 Phantom II, at a disadvantage. The Navy was especially interested in the AIM-54 Phoenix that provided very long-range capability. Though the two services wanted vastly different aircraft, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara ordered that both seek a common aircraft to save money and development time, as had been done with the F-4; McNamara’s order came over the objections of both USAF and Navy researchers. Nonetheless, the Tactical Fighter Experimental (TFX) project began work in 1961.
Immediately, TFX ran into trouble. The Navy wanted side-by-side seating with a maximum speed of Mach 2 and a fuselage length adequate for carrier operations; the USAF wanted tandem seating with a maximum speed of Mach 2.5 and a long fuselage for better performance. About the only things the two services could agree on was the need for two engines and variable sweep wings, which would satisfy both services’ need for shorter distance takeoffs and landings. Only Boeing and General Dynamics’ proposals reached mockup stage, and McNamara personally ordered the General Dynamics design based on its better commonality of parts, despite the services preference for the Boeing version and the fact that General Dynamics had never built a naval fighter before. The new aircraft was designated F-111, in theory making it the last of the Century Series.
The problems with the F-111 now compounded. The F-111B carrier defense fighter was inadequate in every way, lacked the performance the Navy wanted, and it was too heavy for carrier operations. The F-111B was cancelled in 1967—though its AWG-9 fire control system and the Phoenix missile would live on in the F-14 Tomcat. The USAF’s F-111A had somewhat easier development, flying first in December 1964. Wing cracks and intake issues were addressed, and the F-111A entered USAF service in July 1967, then deployed to Vietnam under Project Combat Lancer in 1968.
Combat Lancer was a miserable failure: of six F-111As sent to Vietnam, three were lost in a month. The F-111 was grounded and in danger of cancellation until the USAF discovered the problem: the “box” that contained the wing sweep mechanism was flawed, as were the tailplanes, which could lock downwards without warning. The latter was traced to a glitch in the terrain-following computer, but the wing box problems were known by General Dynamics before delivery—and ignored to meet contract requirements. The troubles of the F-111 led to derisive nicknames from its crews, such as the “Supersonic Edsel,” “McNamara’s Folly,” and “Aardvark,” due to its long nose and propensity to stick it into the ground. The latter nickname stuck and became the informal name for the aircraft, though it would not be until 1995 that the USAF officially named the F-111 Aardvark.
Following personnel changes at General Dynamics and yet more rework to the design, F-111s returned to Vietnam in September 1972, with some trepidation. This time, however, the F-111 finally proved itself: operating without tanker or jamming support, F-111s would attack North Vietnamese targets alone, at night and often in bad weather, moving so quickly and so low that North Vietnamese air defense could not react in time. Though clearly the Aardvark was no fighter, as a strike aircraft it had few peers. Its terrain-following radar was the best in the world, and it combined high speed penetration with a good bombload.
The USAF began subsequent improvement of the design. The F-111D had an even more advanced fire control system, the first USAF aircraft to use a microprocessor computer, and better Triple Plow II intakes, which spared the Aardvark the catastrophic engine failure that plagued the other user of the TF30 engine, the F-14 Tomcat. The F-111D’s computer was plagued with trouble, so the USAF then fielded the F-111E/F variants, which had simpler fire control but better avionics; the F-111F was optimized for precision attack, equipped with the radar of the FB-111 and the AVQ-26 Pave Tack laser designator.
While the early F-111As were converted to EF-111A Raven ECM aircraft and the F-111D ended up being simply retired rather than fixed, the “simple” F-111E/Fs proved to be superb in USAF service. Australia was the only export customer for the Aardvark, flying F-111Cs from 1973; the United Kingdom cancelled its order of F-111Ks in 1968.
In 1986, F-111s spearheaded Operation Eldorado Canyon, which crippled the regime of Moammar Qaddafi in Libya, while during the First Gulf War of 1991, Aardvarks completely destroyed oil facilities at Kirkuk, used laser-guided bombs to destroy over 1500 Iraqi tanks, and completed nearly 80 percent of all precision attack sorties of the war—ahead of the newer and more advanced F-15E Strike Eagle and Tornado IDS.
This impressive effort was to be the Aardvark’s last. Though it remained in service until 1996, when it was retired from the USAF, it did not participate in any further combat operations. Replaced by the F-15E Strike Eagle, the F-111 left its mark on history and the USAF. A few ex-USAF F-111Gs were passed on to Australia, who continued to operate the Aardvark until finally it was retired for good in 2010. 563 were built, and 57 have been preserved in museums.
70-2408 is one of the few preserved F-111Fs; most Aardvarks on display are A or E models. This aircraft served most of its career (if not all) with the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing at RAF Lakenheath, UK, and would serve in two conflicts: Operation El Dorado Canyon in April 1986 against Libya, and the First Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm), where it operated from Taif, Saudi Arabia. When the 48th reequipped with F-15E Strike Eagles, 70-2408 either went into storage or served briefly with the 27th TFW at Cannon AFB, New Mexico. It was retired in the mid-1990s and placed on display at Santa Fe Municipal Airport.
For awhile, 70-2408 was not looking too well, with fading paint and rust on the airframe. It was recently refurbished, and looks much better. It wears the overall gunship gray used by the F-111 fleet in the twilight of its career, and carries "boss bird" markings for the 27th on the tail. The name "City of Santa Fe" is carried on the nose, below a subdued New Mexico state emblem. Under the cockpit is a list of all F-111 crews lost in action.
Finding 70-2408 is a little difficult: surprisingly, it's not at the entrance to the airport proper, but about halfway to the terminal, on a small turnout. I had seen this aircraft on Google Earth, and missed it due to time constraints on my first trip down to Phoenix in July 2020. When I got to make an unexpected second trip down in August and came back through New Mexico, I made sure to make a stop at Santa Fe to get this bird.
August 2020 was also a bad fire season in the American West; just above the nose of the F-111 is a firefighting CH-46 coming in for the day. (I wasn't able to get a picture before it landed.)
349 Squadron, Belgian Air Force F-16A FA-25 painted to commemorate the unit's 50th anniversary, in storage at Weelde in June 1999.
F-111F. C.N. 33. 493rd TFS at RAF Lakenheath. Flew in Operation Eldorado Canyon. Withdrawn from service to AMARC 8 April 1996 as AA FV0271. Scrapped in June 2012. Photo Credit's: Unknown to me (Kodachrome Slide)
While the F-16A had proven a success, its lack of long-range missile and true all-weather capability hampered it, especially in projected combat against the Warsaw Pact over Central Europe. General Dynamics began work on the upgraded F-16C/D version, with the first Block 25 F-16C flying in June 1984 and entering USAF service that September.
Externally, the only ways to tell apart the F-16C from the F-16A is the slightly enlarged base of the tail and a UHF radio antenna at the base of the tail. The intake is also slightly larger, though later marks of the F-16A also have this feature. Internally, however, the F-16C is a significantly different aircraft. The earlier APG-66 radar was replaced by the APG-68 multimode radar used by the F/A-18, which gave the F-16C the same capability to switch between ground-attack and dogfight mode and vastly improved all-weather capability. Cockpit layout was also changed in response to pilots’ requests, with a larger Heads-Up Display and movement of the radar display to eye level rather than between the pilot’s legs on the F-16A. The F-16C would also have the capability to carry the AIM-120 AMRAAM, though it would not be until 1992 that the missile entered service. Other small upgrades were made throughout the design, including the engine.
The Block 25 initial production was superseded by the Block 30 F-16C in 1987, which gave it better navigation systems, and the capability to carry the either the General Electric F110 or the Pratt and Whitney F100 turbofan. The Block 40/42 “Night Falcon” followed in 1988, equipped with LANTIRN night attack pods, followed by the Block 50/52, which was a dedicated Wild Weasel variant. In USAF service, the latter are semi-officially known as F-16CG and F-16CJ variants.
The F-16C had replaced the F-16A in nearly all overseas USAF units by the First Gulf War in 1991, and as a result, the aircraft was among the first deployed to the theater in August 1990. During the war, the F-16C was used mainly in ground attack and strike sorties, due to delays in the AIM-120, but it performed superbly in this role. USAF F-16s finally scored kills in the F-16C, beginning in 1992, when an Iraqi MiG-23 was shot down over the southern no-fly zone; the victory was also the first with the AMRAAM. Four Serbian G-4 Super Galebs were shot down over Bosnia in 1994. F-16Cs had replaced the F-16A entirely in regular and Reserve USAF service by 1997, and further service was seen over Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya by 2012. Subsequent upgrades to USAF F-16Cs with GPS allow them to carry advanced precision weapons such as JSOW and JDAM.
Whatever the variant, the F-16 is today the most prolific combat aircraft in existence, with 28 nations operating the type (17 of which operate F-16Cs). Over 4450 have been built, with more in production; the F-16C is also license-produced by Turkey and South Korea. It also forms the basis for the Mitsubishi F-2 fighter for Japan, though the F-2 is significantly different, with a longer nose and larger wing. Though the USAF projects that the F-16C will be replaced by the F-35 beginning in 2020, it will likely remain in service for a very long time.
Having seen this aircraft on aviation websites and on decal sheets, it was a pleasant surprise to finally see it in person at the 122nd Fighter Wing's airpark at Fort Wayne, Indiana. This is 84-1264, a F-16C that joined the USAF in 1985, assigned to the 50th Tactical Fighter Wing based at Hahn, West Germany. When Hahn closed at the end of the Cold War, 84-1264 was transferred to the 122nd FW (Indiana ANG) at Fort Wayne. It would remain with the wing for nearly 20 years, and saw combat during the Second Gulf War (Operation Iraqi Freedom) in 2004.
In 2009, to honor the 122nd FW's predecessor, the 358th Fighter Group ("Orange Tails") of World War II fame, 84-1264 was painted in the same scheme as one of the 358th's P-47 Thunderbolts. The result was striking: an all-orange tail and ventral fins, invasion stripes on the rear fuselage and wings, and the group's orange-and-white nose marking. The wing did not stop there: the most famous P-47 of the 358th was "Tarheel Hal," which covered the nose with a starry field of blue; this was replicated on 84-1264. The 122nd kept its Indiana tail stripe and added "358th Fighter Group" to the base of the tail.
The scheme was kept for a year until the USAF decided to retire the earlier Block 25 F-16Cs, and 84-1264 was taken out of service. Thankfully, it was kept in its heritage scheme and placed on display in the airpark. As I said before, it was a rather neat surprise to see this one-of-a-kind F-16 on an overcast morning in May 2017.
86699179 :Piction ID--Convair 990 - front starboard view 03/28/1962---Please tag these photos so information can be recorded.---- Digitization of this image made possible by a grant from NEH: NEH and the San Diego Air and Space Museum
FA-86 General Dynamics F-16AM Fighting Falcon, Belgian Air Component, 348 Sqn
RIAT 2022 - RAF Fairford 18th July 2022
General Dynamics F-111D, USAF 68-0092. Online sources indicate that this "Aardvark" was withdrawn to storage in 1992, and transferred out in 2001.
This is the upper support / fixed point from which the left wing pivoted. The F-111 was a variable-sweep, or "swing wing" aircraft, which changed its wings' angle of sweep in accordance with flight conditions.
Yanks Air Museum
Chino, California
General Dynamics F-111 (Wikipedia)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Dynamics_F-111_Aardvark
Yanks Air Museum (museum web site):
Iteration 2, Some refinements. Similar size as a 737 Max 10 apx 1/2 the operating costs - Wings and Canard fold to 100' Span, Fuselage Length 150', Configuration (Current) 184 Econ and 1st class, 5,000+ NM Range, Does not use liquid hydrogen. Uses 8,000 PSI Compressed H2 or CNG for 95% fuel weight reduction. Airframe, 3D Printed Graphene (technology already developed), kevlar and carbon fiber. Almost no metal used in the airframe 50%+ airframe weight reduction & 10+ X the strength.
I focus on Hypersonics and vtol, not this one. This applied many of those technologies to create the foundation of a true zero carbon commercial aircraft.
LengthL 150ft | Span 120.6ft | Cruise M.88-.92
Cruise: 35,000-38,000ft | Ceiling 41,000-45,000ft
Range: 5,000+ NM
Estimated Empty Weight: 65,000 LBS
Estimated T/O Weight (Full Fuel and Passengers/Baggage) 134,000 LBS
Estimated MTOW: 195,000
Fuel: 30,000 Gallons 8,000+ Max PSI Compressed Hydrogen or Natural Gas Using High Pressure Conforming Tank Technology, 500,000PSIA Integrity
Fuel Weight: Apx 9,000 LBS (Compared to 180,300 LBS if Liquid Fueled)
Current Passenger Configuration: 184 / 12 1st Class & 172 Main Cabin
Operating Costs: $2,500 - $3,500 hr
Estimated Maintenance Costs, Apx 1/2 Compared to 737's, A320's, etc
Estimated Unit Price in Production: Apx $105 Million
Reduction in Operating/Maintenance Costs Over the Life Cycle of the Aircraft, $20-$50 Million or greater.
Motors, zero maintenance required for greater then 5,000 operating hours.
-----------------------------------
100% viable Electric Commercial aircraft, in a 737 MAX class. Compressed Hydrogen Fueled (Not liquid [obsolete]), 100% electric. NO carbon foot print. Even the hydrogen can be generated on the ground via water electrolysis on top of terminals. Also saving operators $20-$50 million or more, over an aircraft's life cycle.
Non, zero carbon, could use CNG, then reformation to extract the Hydrogen.
Ready to build today, all tech is already developed. Makes ALL commercial aircraft in existence obsolete. PLUS all hybrid aicraft on the drawing board right now with Boeing, Airbus, etc.
Airframe is 3D printed Graphene wafering, 33X stronger then titatnium; and carbon fiber/kevlar.
Specs:
Length: 150 ft | Span: 120.6 ft | Cruise M.9-.92)
Ceiling: Estimate 45,000 ft. Cruise: 38,000 ft
Range: 5,000+ NM
Estimated Empty Weight: 65,000 LBS
Estimate T/O Weight (Full fuel and passengers): 134,000 LBS
MTOW Estimate: 195,000 LBS
Fuel: 30,000 Gallon 8,000 PSI Max Compressed Hydrogen or Natural Gas Using High Pressure Conforming Tank Technology
Fuel Weight: Apx 9,000 LBS (Compared to 180,300 LBS if Jet A liquid)
Current Passenger Configuration: 184 passengers; 172 Main Cabin & 12 1st Class
Operating Costs, apx $2,500-$3,500 hr.
Estiumated Maintenance Costs: Apx 1/2 current commercial aircraft.
Estimate Unit Price in Production: Apx $105 million
Reduction in Operating Costs Over the Aircrafts Life Cycle: $20-$50 Million (Or More) in Savings.
#hybrid #sustainability #hydrogen #hydrogenfuelcell #commercialaircraft #airbus #boeing #comac #innovation #lockheed #raytheon #bae #bombardier #northopgrumman #generaldynamics #utc #ge #afrl #onr #afosr #ReactionEngines #spacex #virginorbit #usaf #darpa #mda #rollsroyce #nasa #tesla #safran #embraer #3dprinting #supersonic #collinsaerospace #rockwell #generalatomics #cessna #dassault #arl #navair #diu #dia #usaf #unitedtechnologies #bae #cessana #piper #saab #defenseadvancedresearchprojectagency #graphene #additivemanufacturing #gkn #eaa #aopa #icao #tesla #nikolamotors #zerocarbon #embraer #electricaircraft
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boeing, airbus, embraer, ge aviation, rolls-royce, dassault aviation, bae raytheon, collins aerospace, lockheed martin, bombardier, Gulfstream Aerospace, safran, ge aviation, united technologies, united airlines, virgin airlines, All Nippon Airways, Delta Air Lines, british airways, southwest airlines, ryanair, virgin atlantic, qatar airways, emirates, lufthansa, etihad airways, KLM, Guillaume Faury, Greg Hyslop, Lynne Hopper, Paul Perera, Bruno Clermont, Tim Deaver, Paul Eremenko, Jean-Brice Dumont, Dirk Hoke, Marillyn Hewson, Richard Ambrose, Charles Woodburn, Philippe PETITCOLIN, Stéphane CUEILLE
F-111E. C.N. 213. 79th TFS at RAF Upper Heyford. Withdrawn from service to AMARC 11 October 1995 as AA FV0208. Scrapped at AMARC in June 2012. Photo Credit's: Unknown to me (Kodachrome Slide, pre-1972 Photo)
Special Tiger Meet visor cover visable on the helmet of the pilot of F-16AM Fighting Falcon J-508 (c/n 87-0508), 313 sqn, RNLAF (Royal Netherlands Air Force) at Ørland (MAS) Norway, NATO Tiger Meet 2012 (photo 0633-1)
Iteration 2, Some refinements. Similar size as a 737 Max 10 apx 1/2 the operating costs - Wings and Canard fold to 100' Span, Fuselage Length 150', Configuration (Current) 184 Econ and 1st class, 5,000+ NM Range, Does not use liquid hydrogen. Uses 8,000 PSI Compressed H2 or CNG for 95% fuel weight reduction. Airframe, 3D Printed Graphene (technology already developed), kevlar and carbon fiber. Almost no metal used in the airframe 50%+ airframe weight reduction & 10+ X the strength.
I focus on Hypersonics and vtol, not this one. This applied many of those technologies to create the foundation of a true zero carbon commercial aircraft.
LengthL 150ft | Span 120.6ft | Cruise M.88-.92
Cruise: 35,000-38,000ft | Ceiling 41,000-45,000ft
Range: 5,000+ NM
Estimated Empty Weight: 65,000 LBS
Estimated T/O Weight (Full Fuel and Passengers/Baggage) 134,000 LBS
Estimated MTOW: 195,000
Fuel: 30,000 Gallons 8,000+ Max PSI Compressed Hydrogen or Natural Gas Using High Pressure Conforming Tank Technology, 500,000PSIA Integrity
Fuel Weight: Apx 9,000 LBS (Compared to 180,300 LBS if Liquid Fueled)
Current Passenger Configuration: 184 / 12 1st Class & 172 Main Cabin
Operating Costs: $2,500 - $3,500 hr
Estimated Maintenance Costs, Apx 1/2 Compared to 737's, A320's, etc
Estimated Unit Price in Production: Apx $105 Million
Reduction in Operating/Maintenance Costs Over the Life Cycle of the Aircraft, $20-$50 Million or greater.
Motors, zero maintenance required for greater then 5,000 operating hours.
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100% viable Electric Commercial aircraft, in a 737 MAX class. Compressed Hydrogen Fueled (Not liquid [obsolete]), 100% electric. NO carbon foot print. Even the hydrogen can be generated on the ground via water electrolysis on top of terminals. Also saving operators $20-$50 million or more, over an aircraft's life cycle.
Non, zero carbon, could use CNG, then reformation to extract the Hydrogen.
Ready to build today, all tech is already developed. Makes ALL commercial aircraft in existence obsolete. PLUS all hybrid aicraft on the drawing board right now with Boeing, Airbus, etc.
Airframe is 3D printed Graphene wafering, 33X stronger then titatnium; and carbon fiber/kevlar.
Specs:
Length: 150 ft | Span: 120.6 ft | Cruise M.9-.92)
Ceiling: Estimate 45,000 ft. Cruise: 38,000 ft
Range: 5,000+ NM
Estimated Empty Weight: 65,000 LBS
Estimate T/O Weight (Full fuel and passengers): 134,000 LBS
MTOW Estimate: 195,000 LBS
Fuel: 30,000 Gallon 8,000 PSI Max Compressed Hydrogen or Natural Gas Using High Pressure Conforming Tank Technology
Fuel Weight: Apx 9,000 LBS (Compared to 180,300 LBS if Jet A liquid)
Current Passenger Configuration: 184 passengers; 172 Main Cabin & 12 1st Class
Operating Costs, apx $2,500-$3,500 hr.
Estiumated Maintenance Costs: Apx 1/2 current commercial aircraft.
Estimate Unit Price in Production: Apx $105 million
Reduction in Operating Costs Over the Aircrafts Life Cycle: $20-$50 Million (Or More) in Savings.
#hybrid #sustainability #hydrogen #hydrogenfuelcell #commercialaircraft #airbus #boeing #comac #innovation #lockheed #raytheon #bae #bombardier #northopgrumman #generaldynamics #utc #ge #afrl #onr #afosr #ReactionEngines #spacex #virginorbit #usaf #darpa #mda #rollsroyce #nasa #tesla #safran #embraer #3dprinting #supersonic #collinsaerospace #rockwell #generalatomics #cessna #dassault #arl #navair #diu #dia #usaf #unitedtechnologies #bae #cessana #piper #saab #defenseadvancedresearchprojectagency #graphene #additivemanufacturing #gkn #eaa #aopa #icao #tesla #nikolamotors #zerocarbon #embraer #electricaircraft
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boeing, airbus, embraer, ge aviation, rolls-royce, dassault aviation, bae raytheon, collins aerospace, lockheed martin, bombardier, Gulfstream Aerospace, safran, ge aviation, united technologies, united airlines, virgin airlines, All Nippon Airways, Delta Air Lines, british airways, southwest airlines, ryanair, virgin atlantic, qatar airways, emirates, lufthansa, etihad airways, KLM, Guillaume Faury, Greg Hyslop, Lynne Hopper, Paul Perera, Bruno Clermont, Tim Deaver, Paul Eremenko, Jean-Brice Dumont, Dirk Hoke, Marillyn Hewson, Richard Ambrose, Charles Woodburn, Philippe PETITCOLIN, Stéphane CUEILLE
What would become arguably the most successful fighter aircraft since World War II started modestly, and like many late 20th-Century fighter designs, as a result of lessons learned in the Vietnam War. Among those lessons was that large, heavy fighters were not always the answer: the F-4 Phantom II, while a superlative aircraft, had often found itself outclassed by smaller, more nimble North Vietnamese MiG-17s and MiG-21s. The call for the US Air Force to develop its own lightweight fighter was spearheaded by fighter pilot and air combat theorist John Boyd. At first, Boyd’s proposals were dismissed by the USAF, who feared losing funding for the F-15 Eagle then in development. Boyd and others were able to convince the USAF of the usefulness of a light, cheap fighter as a complement to the heavy, expensive F-15, and finally the USAF agreed to issue a requirement for a Lightweight Fighter (LWF)—though with no guarantee that it would actually buy it.
Both General Dynamics and Northrop responded with designs, which would become the YF-16 and YF-17 Cobra. The first YF-16 was rolled out in December 1973, and first flew in January of the next year—accidentally, as the prototype veered off the runway and the test pilot felt it safer to takeoff rather than try to steer it back. The YF-16 won the flyoff against the YF-17, and the USAF selected it to go into service as the F-16 Fighting Falcon. Simultaneously, the YF-16 won a flyoff for the Multinational Fighter; the MNF was planned to be the successor to a number of aircraft in NATO service, and the competition between the YF-16, YF-17, France’s Mirage F.1M, and the SEPECAT Jaguar was fierce. Once selected, production of the F-16 would be vastly expanded, with it not only being produced in the United States, but also in the Netherlands and Belgium as well (to be followed later by Turkey and South Korea). In a short time, the F-16 had come a long way.
Production F-16s differed from the prototype by being slightly larger and heavier, though the initial production batch retained the “small tail” tailplanes of the prototype. Though heftier than the prototype, the F-16 retained the basis of Boyd’s ideal lightweight fighter: it was extremely maneuverable, to the point that a number of early F-16s crashed as the aircraft could take more than the pilot. Its maneuverability is due both to a favorable thrust-weight ratio and its deliberately unstable design: the F-16 was one of the first fighters to employ a wholly-fly-by-wire control system, with the hydraulic controls of older fighters being replaced by microprocessors controlled by a central computer. The microprocessors are able to make the dozens of decisions per second required by the design. For this reason, the F-16 is also known as the “Electric Jet.” General Dynamics had attempted to mitigate these effects on the pilot by reclining the ejection seat backwards and moving the control stick to the side. The pilot also has superb visibility due to the F-16’s bubble canopy.
The Fighting Falcon’s baptism of fire would not take long. Israel, which had been among the first to purchase the F-16, scored the type’s first air-to-air kill over Lebanon in 1981, as well as its first significant strike mission, the raid on Iraq’s Osirak reactor. In the following year, Israeli F-16s scored possibly as many as 30 victories over Syrian MiGs during the 1982 Lebanon War. Pakistani F-16s were to see limited action during the Soviet-Afghan War, shooting down 10 Afghani and Soviet aircraft that strayed into Pakistan’s airspace. For the United States, the F-16 would see its first action in the First Gulf War, though here the USAF used the Falcon’s large payload in strike missions; USAF F-16s saw no aerial action during this conflict.
By the early 1990s, the USAF relegated its F-16A models to the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, reequipping its units with later mark F-16Cs. Many of the ANG’s F-16As were upgraded to ADF standard. The last USAF F-16A left service around 2000; aircraft not placed in storage at AMARC in Arizona have been sold to other nations, while some are scheduled for conversion to QF-16 drones.
F-16As are among the most prolific fighters in the world, in service worldwide, flown by ten nations, three of which are in NATO. These aircraft (save those flown by Venezuela) have been significantly upgraded to F-16 MLU (Mid-Life Upgrade) standard, making them equivalent to F-16Cs. Besides Israeli and Pakistani kills in the type, a Dutch F-16AM shot down a Serbian MiG-29 during the Kosovo War in 1999. Other NATO F-16AMs have seen service over Bosnia, Kosovo, and Afghanistan. These older models of F-16s will remain in service until probably 2020 at least, to be replaced by the F-35A Lightning II.
An early Block 10A F-16A, 79-0402 was delivered to Hill AFB, Utah in 1981. It was modified to carry external cameras and other testing equipment, and used to test ordnance configurations and new weapons for the USAF's F-16s; as such, it was flown by test squadrons attached directly to the base, rather than the base's tenant unit, the 388th Fighter Wing. Somewhat unusually for a F-16 of the early 1980s, it was given not just one name, but two--79-0402 was known both as the "City of Roy" (for the local town of Roy, Utah) and "Little Precious Sweet 16." The names were carried on the ventral fins.
With most of the Block 10s being retired in the early 1990s, 79-0402 was also grounded in 1995. In honor of her long service as a test aircraft, "Little Precious" was mounted on a stand and became the main gate guard for Hill AFB, replacing an earlier F-4D Phantom II. She was removed in 2011 after being repainted in standard F-16 camouflage, replaced with a later F-16, and moved to the Hill AFB Museum. For a time, "Little Precious" was displayed as a standard F-16A, but in 2017, after being moved inside, she was repainted in testbed colors.
Seeing an F-16 painted differently from the standard gray scheme is always interesting, and 79-0402 has been nicely restored in her test colors of overall white, with red panels on the tail, horizontal stabilizers, wings, nose and ventral fins. As a test aircraft, "Little Precious" carried only "HAFB" on the tail rather than a tailcode.
F-111E. C.N. E-221. 77th TFS at RAF Upper Heyford. These two poor quality photo's may have been taken at Upper Heyford since there are other F-111's in the background. 052 crashed 17 September, 1991 upon landing at UH. Both crew killed. Photo credit's: Unknown to me (Original Photo Scan) Pre-1972 photo.