[equaviator]

[Timber Rattler]

Heh...seems like the Pentagon ought to just ditch the F-35 and build more F-16s.

[rbg81]

I read Colonel John Boyd’s biography (”Boyd” by Robert Coram) a few years back. He was a fascinating guy—a true maverick whose ideas had lasting impact on both the Air Force and Marines. Unfortunately, his single minded devotion to his work took a heavy toll on his family.

[Yosemitest]

4,500th F-16 fighter?

Q: "What does an F-16 turn into when the engine fails?"

A: "A Lawn Dart."

Here's an interesting read.

F-16 known as 'lawn dart'

The F-16 is known in Air Force circles as the “lawn dart” for its tendency to plunge back to Earth when its single engine flames out, and in most years, engine failure causes more accidents than any other factor. But pilot error was responsible for about the same number of F-16 accidents as engine failure in the past year.

An Air Force-wide increase last fiscal year in destroyed aircraft has spurred the service to redouble its efforts to confront human error, Brandt said.

The Air Force Safety Center housed at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico now has a full-time flight surgeon, an aviation physiologist, a life-support specialist and two aviation psychologists on the staff, Brandt said.

“They are constantly immersed in trying to find ways to improve the human side of aviation,” he said.

Watch Thunder-Chicken Lawn Dart crashing at Mountain Home AFB