F-16 and Tornado first flight 40 Years ago
 

And one of them is still in Production!


While slightly less than 40 years before that (in 1934) there was the first flights of the Gloster Gladiator and Fairey Swordfish.


I guess it is fair to say the F-35 does not represent the same level of progress!

F-16 and Tornado first flight 40 Years ago
 

Compare the electronics inside.

NO aircraft design today "represents the same level of progress"!

The learning curve was obviously steeper in the earlier days of military aviation.

Don't forget Hawk....
 

It's also 40 years this year since the first flight of the Hawk and that is still in production, coming up to four figures http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/sr...lies/smile.gif

An even starker comparison is the time line between the Eurofighter Typhoon -1994, the English Electric Lightning - 1954 (40 years between the first flight of the respective prototypes) and the aircraft which were making their first flights 40 years before the P1, the Vickers Gunbus was one in 1914.

FB

Well, 2014 marks the 50th anniversary of a number of quite significant first flights.


North American XB-70 Valkyrie

Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird (albeit pre-dated by the aerodynamically almost identical A-12 by 2 years).

BAC TSR-2

HS Kestrel (VTOL was popular that year: XV-5, X-19, XC-142, and EWR VJ 101 too)

(not to mention other stalwarts such as: Shorts Belfast, GD F-111, Sikorski CH-53)


Shame we didn't celebrate the Chinook's 50th a couple of years back - eurocopter's 'competitor' won't be ready 'til what, 2020?


50 years of progress? Yeah, right. Still, at least you've all completed protecting information level 0 at the behest of some sawdust-minded greasy-pole-climber.

Oh, in '63 a C-130 made 29 touch and go landings, 21 unassisted full stop landings and 21 unassisted take offs from USS Forrestal

What the **** has gone wrong in two generations?

Back to taking solace in a fine red wine. Bah!

This year marks the 20th anniversary of me flying in an F16 - it felt like a frickin' spaceship when I compared it to flying the Tornado for 2 years earlier! The kit inside wasn't as good as Tornado, but what a machine the Viper was/still is. The side stick controls and the swept back seat made it an absolute dream in ACM.

Now that has made me feel old!

LJ

Leon Wouldn't that be because the US don't allow non-US military to fly their latest kit? The squadron normally has a couple of aircraft without all the kit in and degraded radar modes.

In 30+ years I've never heard that. Are you sure?


I've had enough mates on exchange in F117A, B2, F15 (C & E), F16, F18, A6 etc etc and none of them mentioned the above.

Lack of a all out fight for our very existance type of war, or threat there of.

And since when did it get the name 'Viper'?

AR1,
Just the nickname.

Code One Magazine: F-16 Evolution

Featured Articles - F-16 Fighting Falcon, F16, or Viper? :: F-16.net

Lockheed recently used Viper and Super Viper when promoting overseas sales.

Singapore: Lockheed Unveils F-16 Viper Variant | Defense News | defensenews.com

I have an old VHS video titled viper variants. As far as I'm aware the name viper is as old as the aircraft itself.

The favourites on the video were the XL and AFTI variant :)

F-16XL/F-16C/F-16(AFTI) Fighting Falcon - YouTube

And there was me thinking of JP engines...?

Hunterboy

20 years ago I flew the B variant as the C was just coming on line. Also the Euro version MLU jets were a huge jump up. The kit in the A/Bs was not a patch on the Tornado's at that point (in my opinion). It was the same with the F15, the A model was very poor, but when the US Mil piled heaps of cash into the C/D variant then you saw the workd-beater that we have seen in recent years.

I remember discussing the F15A with a guy who had been on exchange and he said it wasn't much better in avionics terms than the Lightning/F4 that he'd been flying! :eek:

All

Yup, VIPER is the name that people that fly in and around FJs use - go to RED FLAG and use 'Fighting Falcon' and you'll get a very odd response!

LJ

You think squadrons have a special set of aircraft just for exchange pilots to fly?

Oh, I forgot to mention, a lot of Eagle Drivers call Vipers the name of "Lawn Darts" due to the number that behave like them after their single engine quits!

LJ :ok:

Very true, LJ.

No Foreign US eyes only
 

Believe it or not in the period 88-91 when I was on the Taceval team at Ramstein as an augmentee the USAF pilots who had war roles at the wings we were evaluating were not allowed to see the full Radar/Missile data when flying in the 2 seater F15/16's because they were members of the NATO Taceval team. However, the following weeks when they went back for currency it wasn't a problem as they were USAFE augementies.:ugh:
And don't get me started on the AIM120 when it came out USAF treated it as a 100% kill it wasn't till the SHAR's got it and we talked to them that we realised the full problems/abilities of the weapon.