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A few pages I scanned out of this pamphlet. It would be interesting to hear from someone who actually flew the F-111 in England, (E or F model). I would like to know more about lofting, or bomb tossing also. Comments Welcome!
The 125th Fighter Squadron flies the F-16C Fighting Falcon. It is a unit of the Oklahoma Air National Guard. Its parent unit is the United States Air Force's 138th Fighter Wing (138 FW) is a fighter unit located at Tulsa International Airport in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
89-2007 General Dynamics F-16C Block 42E Fighting Falcon C/n 1C-160
Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229E.
87370589 :Piction ID--Convair Model 48 Charger in flight---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
General Dynamics FB-111A "Aardvark" 67-0159
Fuel dump nozzle
History:
67-0159 (MSN B1-01)
Converted to F-111G.
1980: To SM-ALC (Sacramento Air Logistics Center).
Used as an Engineering Flight Test Aircraft by the 2874th Test Squadron until 1987
1984: Received the orange and white paint scheme for conspicuity during testing
1987: Grounded, it was used in support of the N-Ray facility and used as the prototype for F-111 bead blast and polyurethane paint
This aircraft was used to test:
1. New operational flight programs
2. Prototypes of new systems
3. New wing seals
4. Terrain following radar (TFR) humidity testing in support of the SM-ALC Blue Ribbon Panel 1n 1984
5. Avionics Modernization Program (AMP) attack radar test in 1985 and 1986
6. First Air Force Weapon System to flight test a polyamide composite - installed in the left hand translating cowl in July 1969
7. Used as photo and safety chase until grounded in 1987
Retired to McClellan AFB CA Museum.
Unusually fitted with Triple Plow I intakes instead of TP II.
Now on display at Aerospace Museum of California, McClellan, California.
Started life in 1984 as 82-1022 with the USAF before going into storage in 1994. Taken out of storage and refurbished as part of the Peace Atlantis II programme for the Portuguese Air Force in which it flew until October 2016 as 15130 before going to the Romanian Air Force, as part of the Peace Carpathian I programme, in 2017.
PictionID:43057453 - Catalog:14_003934 - Title:MA-9 Details: Decal on MA-9 Booster; signed by Gordon Cooper and Alan Sheppard 03/19/1963 - Filename:14_003934.TIF - - - - Image from the Convair/General Dynamics Astronautics Atlas Negative Collection---Please Tag these images so that the information can be permanently stored with the digital file.---Repository: San Diego Air and Space Museum
PictionID:44932147 - Catalog:14_015811 - Title:Dyess AFB Details: Site 578; Complex 2 Chart; Baird - Filename:14_015811.tif - - - - Image from the Convair/General Dynamics Astronautics Atlas Negative Collection. The processing, cataloging and digitization of these images has been made possible by a generous National Historical Publications and Records grant from the National Archives and Records Administration---Please Tag these images so that the information can be permanently stored with the digital file.---Repository: San Diego Air and Space Museum
General Dynamics F-16N "Fighting Falcon" BuNo.163275 (NJ-601)
VF-126 "Bandits" - Fighter Squadron 126
History:
85-1376 General Dynamics F-16N Block 30C Fighting Falcon.
MSN 3M-5/10. Transferred to US Navy as BuNo.163275
1995 - To AMARC as as 1F0011
1998 - Reallocated to FG0437.
Still on AMARC inventory Jan 15, 2008
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.
F-16A 80-0509 was delivered to the USAF's 8th Tactical Fighter Wing at Kunsan, South Korea in 1981, and served with the famous "Wolfpack" until 1982, when it headed for warmer climes with the 363rd TFW at Shaw AFB, South Carolina. In 1984, 80-0509 became a lead-in fighter trainer for USAF active duty F-16A pilots, flying with the 56th Tactical Fighter Training Wing at MacDill AFB, Florida. With the older F-16A/Bs being relegated to Air National Guard and Reserve units, 80-0509 was transferred to the 507th TFG (Reserve) at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma in 1989. It was retired in 1994, and remained at AMARC at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona until 2017, when it was donated to the nearby Pima Air and Space Museum.
Another F-16 that I had photographed in the Pima restoration yard back in 2021, 80-0509 went on display last year as well, and kept the colors of the 507th. Pima now has a trio of F-16s, and much like Pokemon, I had to get them all when we visited in 2024. 80-0509 looked pretty worn back in 2021--that's not a problem these days.
88486861 :Piction ID--Tomahawk missile being transported near Boeing B-52---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
A visit to Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson, Arizona is a must for all aircraft enthusiasts as this is the home of AMARC (Aircraft Maintenance And Regeneration Center). The aircraft re-cycling division of the USA forces. The great aircraft boneyard in the Arizona desert holds around 4400 airframes with a book value of $23.6BN . Large numbers of KC-135, Lockheed Orion, C-130 Hercules and F-16 Fighting Falcons are currently stored here (2020); but there are plenty of more interesting aircraft too. In some cases, like the Delta Dart and Canberra, just one example is in store. There is currently a major programme to convert redundant F16C Fighting Falcons into Drone aircraft. Boeing has a contract to convert several hundred at a cost of $21M each - only for them to be shot down by modern weapons packages as part of F22 Lightning II training for pilots.
(slidescan) Still with the old badge of 313 Squadron KLu, F-16A J-366 is taxiing out for take-off at Twenthe airbase. © Bert Visser
88486634 :Piction ID--Tomahawk missile being transported near Boeing B-52---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
87371002 :Piction ID--Convair Model 48 Charger in flight---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
General Dynamics F-16N "Fighting Falcon" BuNo.163275 (NJ-601)
VF-126 "Bandits" - Fighter Squadron 126
History:
85-1376 General Dynamics F-16N Block 30C Fighting Falcon.
MSN 3M-5/10. Transferred to US Navy as BuNo.163275
1995 - To AMARC as as 1F0011
1998 - Reallocated to FG0437.
Still on AMARC inventory Jan 15, 2008
FA-123 Belgian Air Force General DynamIcs (SABCA) F-16AM
Fighting Falcon "Solo Display" Tom "Gizmo" DeMoortel
PictionID:43051870 - Catalog:14_003994 - Title:Atlas 100D-Mercury Details: Mating and Erection of Atlas 100D with MA-3; Pad 14 03/27/1961 - Filename:14_003994.TIF - - - - Image from the Convair/General Dynamics Astronautics Atlas Negative Collection---Please Tag these images so that the information can be permanently stored with the digital file.---Repository: San Diego Air and Space Museum
Washington Post
December 2, 1963
Full Page Ad - A13
September 27, 1963 2:03 P.M.
Centaur rides atop Atlas, shortly after launch from Cape Kennedy. Atlas boosted the joined vehicles to the edge of the atmosphere, where they separated. Then Centaur's own engines started up for flight in space. On this flight, the Centaur achieved an earth-orbit which will endure for approximately 200 years.
"Right on Course and burning fine"
Centaur opens a new era of space flight
The successful flight of NASA's Centaur last week marked a major milestone in the mastery of an entirely new technology-the use of liquid hydrogen as a rocket fuel.
Centaur is the first U.S. space vehicle to use the high energy of liquid hydrogen to operate a vehicle in space-and represents a significant forward step in the knowledge and techniques that will be applied to future space vehicles.
This was the second of eight research and development flights scheduled for Centaur. Over the next two years it will be refined into a versatile new-generation space vehicle, ready to begin operational assignments in 1965.
Centaur is built by the Astronautics division of General Dynamics under the direction of the Lewis Research Center of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
GENERAL DYNAMICS
PictionID:43058014 - Catalog:14_003979 - Title:Atlas 130D-Mercury Details: Mating of Spacecraft #20 ; (left to right) Gunter Wendt-Engineer talking with Alan Shepard- MA-9 Backup Pilot; other unidentified 04/22/1963 - Filename:14_003979.TIF - - - - Image from the Convair/General Dynamics Astronautics Atlas Negative Collection---Please Tag these images so that the information can be permanently stored with the digital file.---Repository: San Diego Air and Space Museum
PictionID:43051858 - Catalog:14_003993 - Title:Egress Tower Details: Mercury; Construction of Egress Tower at Pad 14 11/17/1961 - Filename:14_003993.TIF - - - - Image from the Convair/General Dynamics Astronautics Atlas Negative Collection---Please Tag these images so that the information can be permanently stored with the digital file.---Repository: San Diego Air and Space Museum
PictionID:43051772 - Catalog:14_003987 - Title:Atlas 130D-Mercury Details: Installation of Nacells on Atlas Mercury Missile 130D; MA-9 Booster 03/19/1963 - Filename:14_003987.TIF - - - - Image from the Convair/General Dynamics Astronautics Atlas Negative Collection---Please Tag these images so that the information can be permanently stored with the digital file.---Repository: San Diego Air and Space Museum
PictionID:43057890 - Catalog:14_003969 - Title:Atlas 100D-Mercury Details: Missile MA-3 Leaving Hangar J for Pad 14 03/27/1961 - Filename:14_003969.TIF - - - - Image from the Convair/General Dynamics Astronautics Atlas Negative Collection---Please Tag these images so that the information can be permanently stored with the digital file.---Repository: San Diego Air and Space Museum
Happy 59th, Singapore. These F16 were on the way to the National Day Parade.
I am happy with the result as compare to previous shots taken from the rehearsal.
General Dynamics F-16D "Fighting Falcon" 85-1572 (ED)
416th Flight Test Squadron, Edwards Air Force Base, California.
Pass through Star Wars Canyon, Red Flag 19-1
Video of pass: www.flickr.com/photos/yesiwood/40129027363/
History:
Aircraft: 85-1572
LM Aero T/V: 5D-41
Plant: General Dynamics
Local C/N
Delivered USAF 85572
Current USAF 85572
Status; Active
Mar 1987 - 85572 F-16D Block 30B
Apr 1987 - USAF 480 TFS 'SP'
Jun 1991 - USAF 149 FS 'VA'
Jul 1995 - Test bed for the Recce pod.
Jan 2001 - USAF 149 FS 'VA'
Collided with F-16C (86-0228) Cost to repair was $1.2 million, 26000 work hours and over a 2-year period.
Mar 2004 - Delivered to 149th FS
Jun 2007 - USAF 416 FLTS 'ED'
PictionID:43057428 - Catalog:14_003932 - Title:Atlas Centaur Details: Centaur; Mating - Filename:14_003932.TIF - - - - Image from the Convair/General Dynamics Astronautics Atlas Negative Collection---Please Tag these images so that the information can be permanently stored with the digital file.---Repository: San Diego Air and Space Museum
PictionID:43057478 - Catalog:14_003936 - Title:Atlas 121D Details: Atlas 121D on Pad 12 - Filename:14_003936.TIF - - - - Image from the Convair/General Dynamics Astronautics Atlas Negative Collection---Please Tag these images so that the information can be permanently stored with the digital file.---Repository: San Diego Air and Space Museum