F-16 and (Mitsubushi) F2

[Jennings]

Fodder for Whiffing.  Photo taken by yours truly from the arse-end of NKC-135E 55-3135 on a memorable afternoon in mid-October 1984 at Edwards.  If only I'd had a digital camera in those days!

J

[Howard of Effingham]

is that thing on the tail one of those anti-spin chutes?

and to echo supertom's request, i'd like a 1/72 XL too. there's not too much on the wish list....

thank-you for posting the photo jennings, 

[Jennings]

Yes, that's a spin chute on the tail.  I'd love one in 1/48 as well.  I'm hoping maybe Hobby Boss will do them.  BTW, to add to the story of the photo a bit - the boomer on the KC had given me a headset w/ boom mike to use in the airplane.  I was lying on the boomer's couch next to him (on top of him actually) shooting the XL refuelling.  The KC in question (55-3135) had something like 50 optically flat round windows along the RH side of the fuselage, perfect for photography out the side.  So I keyed my mic and asked the boomer if he could ask the XL pilot to please pull up off the right wing for some pics when he had finished refuelling.  To my amazement, the boomer had me connected through the radios, and the XL pilot shook his head yes and gave me a thumbs up!  He obligingly pulled up and flew alongside for a couple of minutes while I snapped merrily away.  Would that I'd had something besides Ektachrome (note the color shift already), and that I'd had a motor drive on my ancient Minolta SRT-202   What an afternoon!

J

[Chris707]

Great shot Jennings, especially so since it was shot from such a notable tanker - pity she ended up at AMARC rather than being preserved at Edwards.

I've been playing about with some image enhancement tools -  not really knowing what I'm doing with 'em ;-) - does this alteration seem to correct the color shift somewhat in your opinion, or make it worse? I've been trying it out on some of my slides, with mixed results...

Chris

[GTX]

I'd love one in 1/48 as well.

You could try the ATTIC Aircraft route (see here: http://atticaircraft.com/) - I believe they're in 1/48.

Regards,

Greg

[mgp]

You could try the ATTIC Aircraft route (see here: http://atticaircraft.com/) - I believe they're in 1/48.

From all the reviews I've seen of the Attic kit hitting your testicles with a hammer would be far more enjoyable than dealing with that kit.

[dy031101]

LVT Model 1601 actually brought back quite a bit of memory of my childhood......

It reminds me of the first 3D arcade game that I played- Namco's Air Combat...... and the moment when I shot down that Su-33 with guns only for the first time......




Two questions:

YF-16 and YF-17 were displayed on several occasions with AIM-7 missiles on the wingtip.  Was any sort of trial done on this kind of configurations (it seems that neither plane flew that way)?  Why was this scheme given up?

Why does LVT Model 1600/1601 carry wingtip missiles under the wingtips instead of the usual scheme of being right on the wingtips?

[ysi_maniac]

There are many photos in www.f-16.net

For instance:

[elmayerle]

Yes, stretch the fuselage and use a pair of YF-22/F-22 wings (I'm using a set of wings from a YF-22 and the fuselage of an F-2 as the basis for mine).  The planform is definitely the same as for the YF/F-22 though the wing cross-sectiosn might be a little different.  I got this striaght from an aerodynamicist who was involved with it.  I've also seen a pic of the underside, four semi-recessed Sparrows/AMRAAMs - much like the F-16XL carried - plus three underwings hardpoints per side, though the outboard most was only for Sidewinders or equivalent.  I'd've loved to borrow the pic to copy, but it was 6' x 9' and in my boss' (at LM Aero) office.

[KJ_Lesnick]

An F-2 with F-22's wings?  Is that the tailless F-16 "Desert Falcon" someone posted?  Or are you planning to fit a tailplane to that too?

KJ_Lesnick 

[elmayerle]

An F-2 with F-22's wings?  Is that the tailless F-16 "Desert Falcon" someone posted?  Or are you planning to fit a tailplane to that too?

Yes, it's the Desert Falcon, the most radical of the design proposals put forward to teh UAE and based on considerable PD effort by Fort Worth.  I got to know one of the aerodynamicists on it while I worked there.

[KJ_Lesnick]

You know that Desert Falcon would look great with Israeli insignia on it.  The desert-camo looks just so right...

KJ

[dy031101]

I've also seen a pic of the underside, four semi-recessed Sparrows/AMRAAMs - much like the F-16CL carried - plus three underwings hardpoints per side, though the outboard most was only for Sidewinders or equivalent. 

Sparrow has a larger set of control surfaces, so the LERX might need to be altered and fuselage further lengthened (again, my uneducated guess)......?



That brings me back to XX-101, the first product of cooperation between GD and ROC's AIDC that would lead to F-CK-1 Ching-Kuo...... (basically an optimised interceptor version of F-16/79 in a tailless double-deltawing configuration)

Although the preliminary requirement called for only two Sparrows (which were to be, IIRC, carried either under the wings or on the main landing gear bay doors), if the design could have been altered to carry four and still adequately propelled by a J79 turbojet......

[elmayerle]

dy031101,

The recesses for semi-submerged carriage, as on the F-16XL, were intended for Sparrows, so they'd work well with AMRAAMs, too.

[dy031101]

The recesses for semi-submerged carriage, as on the F-16XL, were intended for Sparrows, so they'd work well with AMRAAMs, too.

I didn't realize F-16XL was intended to carry Sparrows (and AMRAAMs fit so perfectly that I didn't think that there would be enough room for the big control surfaces of Sparrows)......