The big five-0 for the F-16

[ThirdWatcher]

This reminds me, I need to read this book again...
"Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War"
"John Boyd may be the most remarkable unsung hero in all of American military history. Some remember him as the greatest U.S. fighter pilot ever -- the man who, in simulated air-to-air combat, defeated every challenger in less than forty seconds. Some recall him as the father of our country's most legendary fighter aircraft -- the F-15 and F-16. Still others think of Boyd as the most influential military theorist since Sun Tzu. They know only half the story."
I didn't need to be a giant Air Force Fanboy to be amazed at the accomplishments of this man.
Worth your consideration if you're looking for your next read.

https://www.amazon.com/Boyd-Fighter-...=UTF8&qid=&sr=

I need to read that book. I have always thought “Genghis John” (& the OODA Loop) to be an intriguing subject.

[chuckman]

From my understanding the Marine F35B is much easier to train in VSTOL then the Harrier, and because of the high percentage of commonality with Navy and Air Force F35s it is easier to get parts and maintainers as well.

Specific to the F-35, the quality of aircraft is light years beyond the Harrier for sure, there is not a single metric in which the Harrier wins out over the F-35. There are commonality of parts and what not, but it is definitely different than the other variants and very Marine-centric. Still, sad to see the Harrier phase out like the other aircraft I had mentioned in my post.

What's interesting is the Air Force is still unique among the variety of aircraft, the F-16, F-15 and the variants, the F-35. I know they are phasing out the A-10 and F-22, but they're still around. The F-16 is certainly showing its durability and legs with its staying power over 50 years. Also, relatively cheap and low maintenance compared to a lot of others. The Navy has a bunch of them for aggressor aircraft and proficiency aircraft.

[chuckman]

My Uncle used to work on them during the Viet Nam era.
I got to sit in one when I was a kid and we went on vacation to see him in Nevada.
Pretty exciting.

Also saw a impressive B-52, it was pretty hard to wrap my 10 year old mind around how anything that massive could fly.

I had an aunt and uncle with a house on a lake in a golf community to south of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, NC. They were about 5 mi maybe from the runway. You could hear the B-52 far before you could see it, when it was outbound and picking up speed it was an incredible sight. But when it was inbound over the lake and slowing down to land it was at a somewhat lesser altitude and I thought those things would just fall out of the sky. They are absolutely massive.

Now, on the north side of the base there is a highway, US 70. There's a very good / popular barbecue restaurant on 70 that is probably a mile and a half from the other end of the runway. So you get the same thing on that end as well.

[Diamondback]

I had an aunt and uncle with a house on a lake in a golf community to south of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, NC. They were about 5 mi maybe from the runway. You could hear the B-52 far before you could see it, when it was outbound and picking up speed it was an incredible sight. But when it was inbound over the lake and slowing down to land it was at a somewhat lesser altitude and I thought those things would just fall out of the sky. They are absolutely massive.

Now, on the north side of the base there is a highway, US 70. There's a very good / popular barbecue restaurant on 70 that is probably a mile and a half from the other end of the runway. So you get the same thing on that end as well.

Fun tidbit, the reason BUFFs pitch nose DOWN in climbout is because the wing is very high incidence. In a nutshell the wing starts flying first then drags the rest of the plane kicking and screaming along into the sky.

[HackerF15E]

I know they are phasing out the A-10 and F-22,

The F-22 is not being "phased out".

A certain number of early-production F-22s that cannot be economically upgraded to the latest versions of sensors and systems are being retired.

[chuckman]

The F-22 is not being "phased out".

A certain number of early-production F-22s that cannot be economically upgraded to the latest versions of sensors and systems are being retired.

To the first part, it was a "duh" moment for me. I understand it's supposed to be in service until the NGAD aircraft is produced; I was type-happy. To the second part, I did not know.

[P2Vaircrewman]

The F 15 can't hold a candle to the B 52 for longevity, been in service since 1955. The First B 52 pilots great grandsons are flying them now .

[Diamondback]

The F 15 can't hold a candle to the B 52 for longevity, been in service since 1955. The First B 52 pilots great grandsons are flying them now .

Th only comparable mil-air service life is the C-130, though I suspect the oldest serving Herc is newer than the youngest BUFF.

[chuckman]

Nice video on the similarities/differences between the F-16 and F-18

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKxJekBsC9k

[Diamondback]

Nice video on the similarities/differences between the F-16 and F-18

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKxJekBsC9k

Considering that F-18A/B/C/D are evolved from the Northrop YF-17 that lost the flyoff...


By Greg Goebel, Datumizer - http://www.airvectors.net, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/inde...curid=80695899