Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login If I ever win the lottery, an F-16 would be the ultimate decadence for me.
There are many more F-5s in the US now in private hands...TacAir has imported (de-exported) 27 from Jordan and is refitting them for Gen4 adversary support. These will start trickling onto the N registry before long. Look for the same to happen with F-16s. As for variants, there are two seat F-5s as well (the F-5F is the usual 2 seater we had at Willie back in their day) so training isn't an issue if you have access. The T-38 is very similar but without a drogue chute, SMS, radar, and leading edge devices. I never flew the F-5 though I hope to soon. T-38 flew about 1.3 Hours on 3000 pounds of fuel...maybe 1.5 or so at 45K'.
All kinds of contractors that can import these and use/fly them for a purpose. Every rule has a waiver.
But not for personal use by a civilian right? As a company contracted to provide equipment I can see though. Somewhat like the Russian jets I've heard used as aggressors in training in the US and operated by contractors but I know that could all just be rumor since I have no inside knowledge on that. That ad just seems like the audience is made for a civilian personal use.
There should not be an FAA barrier to a civilian pilot flying an F-16 any more than an F-4, F-5 or F-86. The Regs spell out exactly what training and experience requirements there are to doing so as well as what flying evaluations are required. The F-16 is one of the easiest airplanes to fly. That said, getting the necessary experience to meet the FAA requirements is likely very difficult if not impossible for some without military flying experience. Guys are getting checked out in T-33s and MIGs and F-86s that have no mil flying experience, so a Viper or an F-5 should be doable as well.
Wow, what a list. Sounds like DACT is going to be even bigger fun. Air Force Hires Seven Companies In Long-Awaited Mega Adversary Air Support Contract From the article: ATAC and Draken both bought fleets of upgraded Dassault Mirage F1 fighters from France and Spain, respectively. Draken also acquired a dozen ex-South African Air Force Atlas Cheetahs, a Mirage III derivative. TacAir purchased acquired a number of former Royal Jordanian Air Force F-5E Tiger II jets, upgrading them into what they now call the F-5AT Advanced Tiger configuration. ATAC already flies Israeli-made F-21 Kfir fighters, another Mirage III-based design, along with less capable Hawker Hunter Mk 58 and L-39 Albatros jets. Draken's fleet also includes L-39s, as well as L-159E Honeybadgers, along with Cold War-era A-4 Skyhawks and MiG-21bis jets. Top Aces says on its website that it is in the process of acquiring some number of Lockheed Martin F-16A Viper fighter jets, almost certainly to support this contract. It's unclear what the source of those aircraft might be, but ATAC had considered buying a number of F-16AMs from Jordan for an earlier aggressor contract with the Navy, but lost that deal to TacAir and its F-5ATs, a decision you can read more about in detail in this past War Zone story. It is possible that those Jordanian Vipers may now find their way to Top Aces, which otherwise operates older Franco-German Alpha Jets and A-4s, though there are other sources of early model F-16s, as well. Air USA Inc. has a diverse fleet that also includes Alpha Jets and the L-59 version of the Albatros, along with Soviet-era MiG-29UB Fulcrum fighters, and BAE Hawk jets. Coastal Defense's website shows a number of Albatros variants, including some configured for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions with sensor turrets under the fuselage, as well.
