F-16 US Air Force Retro colors

[tintintin]

Celebrating 40 years of F-16, the Belgian Air Force has unveiled a F-16 with the original US Air Force colors and registration 50745 during the Belgian Air Force Opendays at KeeBee.
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3862/15030650327_9c3b6a4d74_n.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/oUd1Fz)
No sign of the previous registration!

Cheers,

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

Thanks to the Belgian Air Force's attitude to spending money*, it is probably still an 'A' model with no mods or enhancements!


*Actually, that's unfair.They'll buy beers for anyone!

[Lima Juliet]

When you consider this was at the same time (this is also a 'retro' paint job on a today's aircraft) then the F16 really was a 'space ship' of its time...

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BwtJ6FoCIAA-EN1.jpg:large

[Tiger_mate]

I heard a rumour the RAFM Cosford are to retro paint their trials Tornado. ( or should that be MRCA?)

[Boudreaux Bob]

They will have to remove the Pylon from underneath first won't they?;)

[Willard Whyte]

Puts our 40th anniversary Tonka to shame. No surprise there then.

[glad rag]

When you consider this was at the same time (this is also a 'retro' paint job on a today's aircraft) then the F16 really was a 'space ship' of its time...



:cool:

Yep. Had the privilege of assisting the crews to refuel the first pair of F-16 to visit Laarbruch. Cloggie F16 A & B both clean wing.

Space ship is quite an accurate description indeed of the Cold War Spitfire.

The single seater took off and left the scene quite uneventfully.

The B [with an ab into on his now Second Flight in a F16] didn't get it quite so easy.... burner take off low down the runway followed by a max g Immelmann turn, left inverted, max chat directly back the way they came followed by an amazing all the way round bunt until they were the right way up and offskie at full throttle in the original heading!

People picking their jaws off the ground.

Don't think they got close to 1000' either!!

Watching the Bucc's weaving between the towers was never the same after that, we'd just witnessed THE FUTURE.

[stilton]

After all these years I still find the F16 to be by far the most impressive performer and easily the prettiest fighter I've ever seen.


There really is something to that 'if it looks right it will fly right' cliche :ok:

[tintintin]

FA-104 is the original registration

[cattletruck]

Been described to me by a FJ as a magic carpet ride because the window sill is very low down. The one I got to clamor over was very accurately built and was a real work of art.

Who remembers pictures of the retro look fitted with an orgy of missiles and bombs? I used to wonder if it could ever get off the ground in that configuration.

Bl@@dy loud for a small plane, but I guess that's a 3rd world marketting feature if they can't afford to buy it with a decent weapons system.

[Pontius Navigator]

Ah, but no good for the RAF, only one engine.

[CoffmanStarter]

Worth a read :ok:

Covers many of the then proposed development options ...

http://wiki.scramble.nl/images/8/89/F-16_SFW.jpg

Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon - Scramble (http://wiki.scramble.nl/index.php/Lockheed_Martin_F-16_Fighting_Falcon)

[GreenKnight121]

I always loved the F-16XL design - perhaps with the addition of small canards....

http://www.voodoo-world.cz/falcon/old/f16147.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/Twin_F-16XL_duo.jpg/740px-Twin_F-16XL_duo.jpg



But then, I've always loved the SAAB Draken too.

[GreenKnight121]

My favorite paint scheme - one deadly black bat...

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2b/General_Dynamics_F-16XL.jpg/750px-General_Dynamics_F-16XL.jpg

http://www.f-16.net/g3/var/resizes/f-16-photos/album11/album01/aan.jpg?m=1371896143

http://www.f-16.net/g3/var/resizes/f-16-photos/album11/album01/aat.jpg?m=1371895352

[typerated]

I agree GK, and always thought the Draken underrated.


I am not surprised the 15E won the comp - the USAF was looking for something F-111 sized. What I do find surprising is that the E(XL) did not become the standard version of the 16. Apart from sustained turn rate and power to weight it knocked the socks off the standard 16. Much more suited to either the interceptor or bomb truck role that the standard machine.


Perhaps it is a bit harsh to label the standard machine a toy - but it's agility and performance are negated by lack of payload, penetration speed and range - not at all issues with the E!


I remember going to a F-15E capability briefing - the Lt Col said " Let us know who to go and bomb, while my F-16 colleagues will ask ' how can we help?'"

[sandiego89]

Post #1, she looks great in that scheme. Well done :ok:

[Saint Jack]

At the risk of seeming argumentative, I believe that colour scheme was that of General Dynamics rather than the USAF - despite having 'US Air Force' painted on the sides. Note the flags of the initial export customers below the canopy.

[Buster Hyman]

Wrong shade of blue I reckon...

[Saint Jack]

My thoughts exactly, plus it would be highly unusual for a squadron aircraft to display so many foreign flags so prominently.

[tartare]

We salute you Col. Boyd.
A fine jet, designed by the knucklehead's knucklehead.
A sill so low it'd give you vertigo - and not a canopy bow to obscure your vision at the merge.
Saw it fly in the flesh at Farnborough - loud little b@stard!!
Always thought the XL looked intuitively "right".

[GreenKnight121]

The F110 engine would bring the F-16XL into its own.

[Schnowzer]

I am lucky enough to have 900hrs on the E Model, my favourite picture:

The Definition of Air Power at Seymour!

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/04/23/article-2133965-12BA6CFF000005DC-292_964x515.jpg