Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon

The U.S. Air Force officially named the F-16 “Fighting Falcon” on July 21st, 1980, during a ceremony at Hill AFB in Utah.

The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a compact, multi-role fighter aircraft. In the air combat role, the F-16’s maneuverability and combat radius exceed that of all potential enemy fighter aircraft. It can locate targets in all weather conditions and detect low flying aircraft in radar ground clutter. In the air-to-surface role, the F-16 can fly over 500 miles, deliver its weapons accurately, defend itself, and return to base. An all-weather capability allows it to accurately deliver ordnance during bad weather or at night. With a full load of internal fuel the F-16 can withstand up to 9G’s, it’s likely the pilot will fail before the airframe does.. The bubble cockpit canopy gives the pilot unobstructed vision forward and upward and much improved vision over the side and rear.

The F-16 first flew in December 1976. The first operational F-16A was delivered to the 388th TFW at Hill AFB, Utah in January 1979. The two-seat version, the F-16B, has two cockpits each about the same size as the single ‘A’ version cockpit. To make room for the second cockpit the forward fuselage fuel tank and avionics growth space is reduced.

The Falcon was one of the first to use the now standard fly-by-wire control system whereby no direct mechanical link is provided, instead the pilot’s controls communicate with the F-16 ‘s electronics which in turn move the aircraft’s flying surfaces. This system requires a side-mounted control stick instead of the conventional between the knees joystick that came as standard with combat planes since the beginning, needed for better control during the high-G maneuvers the plane can fly.

To simplify and cut the cost of development and production of the Falcon, some existing and proven systems from other USAF aircraft were adapted for it’s use. Parts used in the earlier F15 Eagle and the old swing wing F111 fighter bomber found a home in the aircraft. Unusually the F16 Falcon has a single engine instead of two. While cutting the cost of the aircraft and also maintenance time it does always increase the chance of a ‘dead stick landing’, however the F16 has proven reliable in the field.

The Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon, the first of the US Air Force multi-role fighter aircraft, is the world’s most prolific fighter with more than 2,000 in service with the USAF and 2,000 operational with 23 other countries.

Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Specifications
Primary Function Multi-role fighter
Builder Lockheed Martin Corp.
Power Plant F-16C/D:
one Pratt and Whitney F100-PW-200/220/229 or
one General Electric F110-GE-100/129
Thrust F-16C/D, 27,000 pounds(12,150 kilograms)
Length 49 feet, 5 inches (14.8 meters)
Height 16 feet (4.8 meters)
Wingspan 32 feet, 8 inches (9.8 meters)
Speed 1,500 mph (Mach 2 at altitude)
Ceiling Above 50,000 feet (15 kilometers)
Maximum Takeoff Weight 37,500 pounds (16,875 kilograms)
Combat Radius [F-16C]

740 nm (1,370 km) with 2 2,000-lb bombs + 2 AIM-9 + 1,040 US gal external tanks
340 nm (630 km) with 4 2,000-lb bombs + 2 AIM-9 + 340 US gal external tanks
200 nm (370 km) + 2 hr 10 min patrol with 2 AIM-7 + 2 AIM-9 + 1,040 US gal external tanks

Range Over 2,100 nm (2,425 mi; 3,900 km)
Armament One M-61A1 20mm multibarrel cannon with 500 rounds; external stations can carry up to six air-to-air missiles, conventional air-to-air and air-to-surface munitions and electronic countermeasure pods.



North American P-51 Mustang

U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) fighter aircraft manufactured by North American Aviation, Inc., between 1942 and 1945. In its role as a long-range bomber escort in the European Theater of Operations during World War II, the P-51 exhibited its greatest influence and is credited by many as the airplane that shifted the European airwar in favor of the allied forces.

This P-51 was used by the USAFF, USAF and various U.S. Air National Guard units during and after World War II, performing a variety of missions, including interception of enemy aircraft, long-range bomber escort, armament support for land and sea forces, photographic reconnaissance and flight training.

The P-51 performed at levels surpassing other single-engine, propeller driven fighter aircraft during World War II.  The wingspan of 44-73287 is 37.03 feet and has a wing area of 236 square feet. The plane’s two-section, semimonocoque fuselage is constructed entirely of aluminum alloy and is 32 feet and 2 5/8 inches in length.

Laminar flow airfoil was used during World War II in the design of the wings for the North American P-51 Mustang, as well as some other aircraft. Operationally, the wing did not enhance performance as dramatically as tunnel tests suggested. For the best performance, manufacturing tolerances had to be perfect and maintenance of wing surfaces needed to be thorough. The rush of mass production during the war and the tasks of meticulous maintenance in combat zones never met the standards of NACA laboratories. Still, the work on the laminar flow wing pointed the way to a new family of successful high-speed airfoils. These and other NACA wing sections became the patterns for aircraft around the world.

P-51 Mustang


ParkZone’s F4U Corsair In Action

Parkzone F-4 Corsair

On March 21st we were greeted with some terrific weather for flying. The kids and I bundled up, grabbed a couple of planes, and walked on up the hill. The F4 was flying perfect, it looked majestic as it launched into the sky!

Parkzone F-4 Corsair - Take Off

Taking off, need to clear the tree line.

Parkzone F-4 Corsair - Climbing to get the Zero

Banking to get on a Zero’s tail

Parkzone F-4 Corsair - Coming Home

My favorite, coming home…


A Small Hawk and Lots of Small Birds in Backyard

small_hawk

We buy hundreds of pounds of bird seed each year, all to keep our little friends happy, with tummies full, on a cold, snowy winter day. We usually have many, many birds visit us on any given day. Lots of cardinals, finches (they love Niger seed), wood peckers, and occasionally a hawk likes to come by to scare everyone. Usually we only see the hawk up in a tree, or flashing by quickly as he grabs a finch for a meal. Today, he rested casually at the edge of the deck. Pretty cool, huh?

bird_buffet_snowy_day

 


Lotus Elise and Exige Service Parts List

Lotus Elise/Exige Parts Manual

This includes complete listing of all parts for your Lotus Elise and/or Exige.

This parts list covers the Elise range, 2001 model year onwards. The manual is arranged in function groups, as defined by the Contents page, and may sometimes use several versions of the same function group to accommodate model variations – take care to establish the full vehicle specification in order to properly identify the applicable parts list section.