Viper pilot helps troubled plane to land [Michigan Air National Guard F-16s]

F-16.net ^ | 5/6/2004 | unknown

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

A Michigan ANG F-16 pilot on a training mission Saturday helped a passenger plane that had lost its instruments and radio find clear airspace for landing.

Two F-16s belonging to the 127th Wing of the Michigan Air National Guard were in the air when air traffic control from Bishop Airport notified them about the troubled plane.

One Viper went ahead and got eye contact with the Cessna and directed the plane where to go.

A passenger on the plane using a cellphone contacted Genesee County 911 and told the dispatcher that the plane had lost its electrical and needed help dropping below the cloud base. The dispatcher then called the Bishop control tower to set up three-way call.

The plane landed safely at 1:50 p.m. at Bishop.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the emergency landing.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Looks like that cell-phone turned out to be a good investment. This pilot will probably go invest a couple of hundred bucks in a handheld GPS, too. I'm glad this turned out OK.

[Blood of Tyrants]

I'm surprised that the F-16 could fly SLOW enough to keep abreast of the Cessna.

[Pan_Yans Wife]

Fantastic, EMB.

(By the way... did you travel recently regarding work?)

[scooter2]

One Viper went ahead and got eye contact with the Cessna and directed the plane where to go.

Where is the "Viper" coming from? Is this a squadron name? The F-16 is named Fighting Falcon.

[TXBSAFH]

Some of the lates block F-16 are nicknamed vipers.

[KriegerGeist]

On another note, here in Virginia (not far from me) an F-15 went down and the locals picked up the pilot and co-pilot and helped them out and lent them his cell phone to contact their base and get them to safety:

Air Force jet crashes near Callaway
WSLS NewsChannel 10 | Thursday May 6, 2004

An Air Force F-15 Eagle crashed Thursday afternoon around 5:10 P.M. near Callaway. Capt. Robert Strickler of the Franklin County Sheriff's Office said two pilots parachuted to safety and appear unharmed. They were taken to a hospital for observation as a precaution.

The jet was assigned to the 4th Fighter Wing based at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base near Goldsboro, N.C., about 50 miles southeast of Raleigh. It was one of two planes performing a low-level training mission, according to a statement from the base public affairs office. The pilot, Capt. Darren Wees, and Weapons system officer Capt. Daniel Spier both parachuted to safety.

A person who witnessed the crash told News Channel 10 that she saw 2 planes flying overhead, one with "fire coming out of its rear". She says she saw the plane go down toward the parkway and then smoke rising over the trees. Another person reported seeing two parachutes just before the crash. Franklin County authorities confirmed two people did eject from the plane and are safe.

Whitey Taylor, owner of the Franklin County Speedway, tells News Channel 10 he also witnesses the crash, and saw a piece of metal fall, possibly a wing, from the plane. Taylor says he helped pull the two pilots out of some trees less than a mile from the Speedway and took them to authorities. One of the pilots, told Taylor that they were flying along fine when all the sudden something went wrong. The pilot says they think they might have struck a bird.

Emergency crews evacuated area neighborhoods and closed several roads due to a concern of explosives in the wreckage.

[Blueflag]

Has bird strike (canada goose) written all over it. Only thing big enough in the area to cripple an F-15 compressor.

[John H K]

Well, sometimes air force "official" names get supplanted by pilot nicknames.

For example, when is the last time you heard an A-10 be called a "Thunderbolt II?" It goes by Warthog, even though that isn't the "Official" name.

[SJSAMPLE]

Viper is what the pilots themselves call the F16. Also refer to themselves as "Snake Drivers". Falcon is the original General Dynamics name for the F16.

[snopercod]

I'm surprised that the F-16 could fly SLOW enough to keep abreast of the Cessna.

I'm surprised the F-16s didn't shoot them down. Many people around here would have been pleased at that outcome, I'm afraid.

[KriegerGeist]

"Has bird strike (Canada goose) written all over it. Only thing big enough in the area to cripple an F-15 compressor."

As you read the description by Whitey Taylor (and he described in more detail in a phone interview), these guys were flying fast and low hugging the terrain (to be under radar?) and he said "after they came over the top of the mountain, he saw a piece of metal fly off the back of the aircraft and then fire just before he witnessed the drivers eject..." caused me to say the first thing I thought of: he must have sucked a buzzard up his windpipe... The turkey buzzards around here are big, plentiful and the soar high on the mountain updrafts...

Sounds to me like this F-15 "Eagle" choked on his "buzzard" and no "Heimlich maneuver" could save his bird.

[Seven_0]

I'm surprised that the F-16 could fly SLOW enough to keep abreast of the Cessna.

I saw an F-18 do a slow speed fly-by when I was at a flight show on the USS George Washington. They are fairly stable down to about 120 Knots. They just put the nose up and the thrust helps to hold up the plane. Might work on the F-16.

[Blood of Tyrants]

But an F/A-18 is a very different animal than a F-16. The F/A-18 was designed to fly slow to get the approach speed down for a carrier landing. The Air Force only required the F-16 to be able to stop before it came to the end of their 10,000 foot runways.

[magslinger]

I'm surprised the F-16s didn't shoot them down. Many people around here would have been pleased at that outcome, I'm afraid.

I'm not one of those people, cessna overhead flying is lots better than cessna overhead on roof.

[spetznaz]

Your tag-line is perfect. Amazing.

YKWH Akbar.

[Seven_0]

I don't know if they were carrying any weapons stateside, but an F-16 traveling light could have a thrust-to-weight ratio greater than one-to-one. With enough altitude, slow speed flying would not be to hazardous. I would not be suprised if they practiced that kind of stuff, it could be handy.

More likely the passenger plane was fast enough to keep up.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

That's what I was thinking, too. I'll bet he was flying nose-high with flaps deployed.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

The guys in the first unit to get F-16s, the 388th Fighter Wing at Hill AFB, called it the Viper. They were not happy when the Air Force decided to name the newest front-line jet after the Air Force Academy's mascot. They might as well have painted it pink and called it the Goodship Lollipop. Those guys still refuse to call the F-16 anything but the Viper.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

No, but a co-worker of mine did. :)

[magslinger]

Thank you, I picked it up from a thread regarding clothing with Arabic writing at http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1123222/posts there is a link to the manufacturer.