YF-16 Flight Zero

As there appears to be a number of F-16 fans on F-Chat, combined with Lockheed-Martin releasing archived film clips, thought you would enjoy seeing the F-16's unofficial first flight. Some of you weren't even born yet when this took place. Goes to show what a fantastic aircraft the F-16 is!

Piloting is my uncle, Phil Oestricher. He lived to retire from what was then General Dynamics and still resides in the Ft. Worth, Texas, area. As exciting as being a test pilot was, he derived equal pleasure from flying something as basic as an Aeronca Champ.

Enjoy!

KevFla
Orlando

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRMCykYWreM&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

Thanks for posting that first flight video. I remember seeing films of that close call. Re flying the Champ, I know many ex-fighter pilots and airline pilots who on their days off fly Cubs, Champs, Husky's, Luscombs, and one flies a Ford powered Pietenpol. My late friend and UAL pilot, Jack Leffler said that he flew nose draggers for a living and tail draggers for fun. He owned a Monocoupe AW and a Cessna 185 and I got to fly them both with him.

 

Wow. Epic stuff. Thanks for sharing.

 

You have to ask your uncle if he ever considered aborting that takeoff. That looked so unstable I think I would have re-thought "wheels up".

I would have liked the video to continue to show the landing. He did land right?

 

He said it was so out of control that trying to keep the plane on the deck would have resulted in a crash. It was one of those split-second decisions when instincts took over and he lived to tell about it. Some of his colleagues weren't as lucky.

The YouTube clip has links to other movies, such as the wheels-up landing (not him), B-58 stuff, etc. Up until this fall, I've only been able to see the flight footage if he brought a video with him on a visit or a crash 'n burn compendium that's available commercially.
There should also be some test footage of F-111 flights that Phil participated on.
Taz, find anything?

KevFla

 

I was happy for your uncle to see some sky get under that thing.

It was starting to remind me of that famous footage of an F100 at Edwards that got into a very high AOA stall, very low.

It did not end well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyJkKcXYqSU

 

Well I'm glad he did. Gravity tends to be a ***** once you have more alt.

It looked like he took a special path to the left of asphalt, but still... I guess he was feathering the throttle until he felt more in control. It almost appears there is lack a of thrust.

 

Brian- They called that the Sabre Dance or Hun Dance. Some made it, most did not. No zero, zero ejection seats then, so they rode it out. Problem was insufficient rudder authority at high AoAs, a problem with many fighters. They increased the height of the rudder in late model Huns and that fixed it (mostly), so they then retired it. Happens a lot in fighters, get it nearly perfect and then retire it and start all over. If you look at most modern fighters, they will have a strake or strakes on the bottom of the fuselage to help maintain directional control when the fuselage blanks the rudder at high AoA. Twin vertical stabilizers were another solution.

Have not collected any Vark film, but there is a lot out there. Scariest was the first, and only, spin test. Lost the aircraft. They popped the spin chute and it did not even hesitate, just ripped completely off.

Taz
Terry Phillips

 

I guess they were also the first to test the escape capsule or whatever you guys called it?

 

They had an AIM-9 missile mounted on it for the FIRST FLIGHT TEST???

 

cool video, entered service only 6 years later! The F35 is going to take nearly 20.