First production Block A was Block 1 with 78-0001, then came 5, 10, and 15 with the big tails. Block 25 was the first C Model with a Pratt engine. The early Block 30s had a standard intake with the GE F110. Most Block 30s got the big mouth, and there are alpha sub variants within each numeric block. F-16CG was a result of the F-4Gs being retired, with the Block 40s inheriting the Wild Weasel mission.
@@Planehazza It is now since they plumbed it for HARM Targeting Pod, but Block 40s were the first ones rigged for carrying and launching the HARM in 1989. There's also mention of an initial plan to name the Block 40 the F-16G, as it really is a different airframe than the Block 25s & 30s since they made it capable of higher TOGW structurally and with the beefier landing gear.
A lot of people now are lumping the USAF Block 40 (CG) and 50 (CJ) together as the CM which is totally incorrect. The CM label was only put on Tech Orders when the software for the CG and CJ was combined in a cost saving effort. Only certain T.O.s were labeled as CM. Many stayed CG and CJ where the differences were significant enough to warrant a separate document.
I recently staring flying the DCS flight sim. This channel is fantastic for learning all of the great history of the many amazing military aircraft in DCS.
Im even listening to the podcast while flying the F-16 in DCS. It fits really well, learning aircraft in this game is almost like a history lesson sometimes. And its funny how I really get what they are saying on the podcast. Especially because I also first got the F-18 for DCS, and then later the F-16. Very interesting transition.
Yes…. I ran a version on a Mac. But years before in the late 80’s while in the Navy, I was on Ike (CVN-69). Anyway we received a bunch of new 286 computers from IBM. In the box there was a floppy disk with the name Jet. It was basically a stick figure f-18 and f-16. It was a blast…. It was a hoot to hear the P-3 officers in V-2 complain about how bad the simulation was as they played…. Yet they kept playing lol.
Superb. Loved it. Such an interesting interview, full of wonderful stuff. Please don't worry about the whole time and one-hour thing. The longer the better. I tend to listen to it all in segments over a week. Leave it to the listener to break the time out.
You know, there was such a thing as a Block 25 F-16C. I know, I flew it at Hahn Air Base, Germany, in the late 80s (and also at FTU at Luke AFB just before that). It was the first C model block. There was also a Block 20 A model, but only used by Taiwan. Also, the F-16 DEFINITELY had better range and endurance than the legacy F-18 (re: fuel capacity being supposedly a weak point). Absolutely no doubt about that. The F-16 kill ratio in 1982 Bekaa Valley was 44 to 0, not 44 to 5 (Israel did lose a couple of jets, but no F-16s). Anyway, other than that, great interview.
Was it common back then for you guys to train on intercepts after doing your primary mission profile out of Hahn? Buddy of mine who flew Block 30s out of Hahn (correction: Torrejon) said that was how they trained there.
@@LRRPFco52 Hahn never had Block 30s, so I'm not sure where he's getting that from. Ramstein had them, not Hahn, which had A models first, then Block 25s, then was going to convert to Block 40s but that was cancelled due to the end of the Cold War (and Hahn closed a couple of years after that). Regarding intercepts, it was definitely NOT common to do those after another mission. You usually did not have enough gas for it. And intercepts were not a mission we did often anyway, in fact we usually did them only when the weather was really bad below, say, 20,000 or 25,000 ft. We did fly air defense missions (including intercepts) during major exercises (NATO TACEVAL, etc...), usually at low altitude (with F-15s covering higher levels). So I don't know who that buddy of yours is, but either his memory fails or he's not a reliable source.
@@KRGruner Maybe I confused it with Torrejon. He's legit though. Still involved with the F-16 after he retired. My dad worked on F-16 avionics development with Block 30G AIFF.
@@KRGruner Hello Karl. I have had one F-16 pilot tell me he would rather BFM in the Block 5 or 10 "small tail" jets because of their lightweight (around 15,500lbs empty, I believe). However, I have also had another F-16 pilot tell me he thought the Big Inlet Block 30 was the best BFM jet out of the Viper family. I know the Block 30 was about 2,000lbs heavier, but it did have the big GE F110 engine. What is your opinion on this matter?
Taiwan F-16s could carry Harpoons.Those Block 20 F-16s were introduced in late 90's. Now they are doing overhauls and upgrades to those vipers in batches.the main upgrades include AESA radars, joint helmets, Have Glass II coatings, ECM upgrades,and ability to fire AIM-9X,JDAM.Lockheed Martin will name those upgraded Block20's F-16V.
The F-16 shows up in the movie Fly Away Home (about an hour and twenty minutes into it) as an alert scramble with the New York Air National Guard! Not a lot of people remember that movie, nor do they expect a fighter jet to show up in it.
My first love in terms of Fighter planes! Also,fun fact,speaking of Japan(you mentioned the F-35 crash in Japan earlier):The Japanese have a fighter based on the F-16:The F-2(which was interestingly developed from a design upgrade proposal of the F-16,named "Agile Falcon" of which included bigger wings.) Anyway,great show gents! And Col.Torrealday sounds like a real cool guy!
Not the fastest, not the most modern of all, but - “the fighter pilot’s fighter”. The sexiest fighter aircraft ever made with the lines so organic, soft and poetic anyone w'd think it's must have been simply done by nature itself and yet you really know a real Mafia spawned it. The gentle lines and curves merges flawlessly with aggressive edges and smart sharp predatorous look. True Iconic Fighter and a living legend. A fighter owning the hearts of so many all around the world. Im a huge huge fan of the mighty 16 since I was 4. Now Im 34. A love from the first sight. Id give my left leg, a kidney or any other non life-critical organ to make at least 1 flying hour with it once. Unfortunately health issues (spine) burried my lifelong dream 2 fly this sexy beast. Nonetheless... aestethetically the Viper is beyond anything else! And flies at least as good as it looks. Thank you guys for that podcast. It was especially long anticipated by me. Im Norbert, your lolal fan! Best regards from a remote Poland! (:
Hello Norbert, thank you for the feedback and I'm sorry it did not work out for you! Messages like yours remind me just how lucky I was to have had the opportunities I did. Good thing the Navy didn't take an organ from me for every hour in the Viper or there'd be nothing left of me!
Let me just say I fully and totally enjoy your and Sunshine's commitment to this venture. What you guys do is a thing noone ever did b4. Thank you so much for sharing the fighter pilot spirit. Altgough I never flew a fighter and will never spread my wings that fighter spirit live inside of me as well. That organic crave for speed, power, g-forces and that true freedom you can only feel being up there in that 3D blue endless environment shines through you in the way you speak as if you were there in the complete mindful state completely free of petty things living the life to the fulest. Noone who spent the entire life in 2D roaming arround the dirt will get this. 1 hour spent in a fighter jet is more of quality of life than a few regular people will ever get in a few lifetimes. Because after all, it takes one to know one, boy. The only downside I see really regarding your podcasts is it's always too short. I could talk and listen about the airplanes and specially fighters/air combat/performance/aerodynamics for a week straight without going to pee and Im not exagurating much. As far the topic goes. Poland use 48 F-16s Block 52+ (P&W-229 powered) for almost 15 years now and likely to acquire new airframes in near future. The first Charlie/Delta Vipers came out designated as Block 25 in 1984 (tails 83/84/85-xxx). If talkimg about the thrust2weight yes, the Block 30 (GE-100, F110) really stands out but the current best t2w ratio Vipers in USAF inventory are Blocks 42 actually retrofitted with P&W-229 (3 sqns have them, 125FS out of Tulsa Oklahoma ANG among others) engine and it's entire 7K lbs harder kick in the back than the older -220 model had to offer. Also worth noticing the -229 has an 11-stage afterburner compared to 5-stages in -200/220. Fun fact. The older blk 15 can take -229 engine too without any changes to the airframe. Once they did a max Q deck flight (max dynamic preasure at low level) in such configuration. The clean aircraft could supercruise at Mach 1.6 and arguably go to low orbit at MIL while reach the escape velocity at AB! 😎 I only wish the new production Block 70 Vipers out of Greenville will get that GE-132 34K lbs installed thrust so they regain the ability for space flight. Ps. Do a follow up to this podcast please. You still forgot to cover the flight control laws of the Viper such as so called 'gains' and 'catsI,II,III'. So much to this airplane I could talk about / hear about endlessly. Btw, how do you JELL-O liked a 30° reclined seat, side stick, switchology and how do you rate Viper cockpit after 3K hrs spent in the 'angry bee ' ? 😉 I want to end this comment with a song ruclips.net/video/LXCoswUD74c/видео.html
@@spookyNorbert Goodness, Norbert, you really COULD discuss this for a week straight! (Although it's not healthy to not have to pee--proper hydration is important to overall health). Thanks for the comments and extra tidbits of information. That's what is fun about this endeavor--I am learning more now about a wider array of topics than I ever did on active duty. And it's all good stuff!
Jell-O how were your overall feelings when you moved from the spacious angry bee cockpit to a cramped cockpit of the venomous snake? Which one you prefered and why?
@@spookyNorbert The F/A-18 and F-16 cockpits felt about as equally roomy. The F-16 cockpit was very comfortable with its reclined seat and side stick but I preferred the F/A-18s cockpit because of the familiarity of over 3,000 hours in it.
54:00 thats what British Generals used to say, im not sure if it was Churchill himself, when bombing civilians during world war 2 something like "It takes them 3 month to rebuild a factory but it will take them 20 years to grow a new soldier"
Hello from Greece. Congratulations on the podcast! Love all of them and especially on the F-16! Our F-16s don't carry the Python but the block 52+ and block 52 + advanced do carry the IRIS-T close range infra red missile.Block30's and 50's carry the Aim-9 M instead.They don't carry Harpoon missiles either.
I was somewhat surprised to learn how the YF-16 won the LWF competition against the MiG-21 with HAVE Doughnut tactical exploitation. As mentioned, the YF-16 was difficult to see from front and rear aspect, had faster roll rate for reversals against the MiG-21 when the MiG started in high rear perch.
A thorough discussion about the two engines would be very welcomed. There are a lot of threads on the web, but it would be nice if actual pilots discuss the advantages and the dis-adv. too.
Haha perhaps. I fly BMS and DCS. 4.34 has made me come back because of the comms thing. Although I love DCS because of the VR. Sorry but VR changes everything. If BMS get VR my life is in trouble.
@@scarcatch I mean sure if DCS is your cup of tea. The problem aside from the sim aspect is the way they do things. Its hard to make a coherent war with fragmented modules and half done updates. BMS puts out one coherent update and the war just keeps getting better the F-16 and blocks are getting more and more accurate and the FM and FLCS are perfect so I dont know what DCS could really do to pull us away. BMS will eventually get better graphics and VR if you like that sort of thing but DCS I have a feeling will never change their module based approach. Some people like both I am not one of those people.
Great show, I hate seeing the video progression tab move closer to the end. I know these shows are aircraft centric for the benefit of learning a particular aircraft in-depth. I am aware that there are time constraints that don’t allow for delving into the guests background and without sounding too Captain Sully, learning the “Human aspect” of military aviation. Your guest come on and give their remarkable bios, and state the various types of aircraft they have flown. I find myself wanting to hear stories regarding the guest’s experiences with their squadrons, assignments (Bases) and aircraft as well. For example, T-Day’s time in the OV-10 would be riveting...No...just me? Perhaps FPPC can have him back on to talk about the Bronco. Thank you Jell-O and Sunshine first and foremost for your patriotism and service. Secondly thank you for the entertaining and very well produced FPPC content.
Kind of you to say, Chris. It's a great idea and we have so many similar ones we would like to pursue. Alas, there are only so many hours in the day, especially for this part-time gig.
I believe the F/A-18 began life with Northrop, no? Then moved over to MD which then merged with Boeing. If you look at a Hornet, you can see the family resemblance to the F-5 a little bit.
Yep, it started as Northrop YF-17 which lost competition against the F16 as a light fighter. Then Northrop evolved it into the form we know today as F-18 to comply with US Navy requirements for the VFAX program and won that contract.
Great episode Jello! Maybe do something on the OV-10? Navy and Air Force, Marines? all flew it in Vietnam and it even saw action in the Gulf War and though limited now still being used.
Around 30 minutes in, it's mentioned that one of the upgrades was to "digital flight control system". Was it maybe misspoken, in that the flight instruments/avionics were upgraded to digital instruments and displays, since the Flight Control System was digital FBW from the start? Unless Flight Control System is referring to something I'm not aware of. Great episode, as the others in the aircraft series.
You know what would be sick? If you guys could track down as many living fighter pilots who have A2A kills, especially the Israelis and Desert Storm MiG killers. I think you had Mongo on before with the MiG-21 kill in DS. But it would be crazy to hear from the Izzies who fought Syrians in 1982. With F-15s & F-16s, they had something like 88 kills in 3 days.
They were only talking production variants, mainly US. If you were to cover experimental, developmental, and proposal one-off birds, you'd have to look at: * FSD F-16s * CCV * F-16/101 * F-16/79 * AFTI (1980s) * DEEC * XL Single seat (proposed F-16E) * XL 2 seat (proposed F) * AFTI (1990s) * ED AFB evolution of Block 15 A & B systems development and integration * VISTA/MATV Thrust-Vectored * F-16 ADF for ANG * A-16 * F-16 MLU * Agile Falcon (CALF) * Mitsubishi F-2
@@FighterPilotPodcast My favorite F-16 was the AFTI by far, not because of the canards, but because of the integrated precursors to LANTIRN pods in the wing roots, the Helmet-Mounted Sight, voice activated virtual assistant, large touch screen displays, DFLCS, WFOV HUD, IRSTs later on the nose, and a ton of things that manifested later in the Raptor & JSF. I remember it at Edwards thinking it was just some wazoo experimental pipe dream concocted by guys with more time on their hands than good in a lab, but it turned out to be one of the most instrumental technology demonstrators moving forward into the 5th Gen now looking with 20/20 hindsight. The AFTI F-16 could gain or lose altitude without pitch change, and had more nose pointing authority than a conventional Viper. It looked radical as well with the dorsal spine for additional avionics, and the Israelis incorporated that into the F-16I since they love stuffing as much ECM/ECCM into their birds.
@@marktownsend7361 The F-16 is the most successful mass produced, single engine fighter ever. When you compare it to the MiG-21, the 2nd most successful mass produced single engine fighter, its multirole capabilities and kill ratio negate the MiG-21's numbers, especially since the F-16 has a kill ratio of 77-1 (most of those being Israeli F-16A kills over Bekaa Valley in 1982). The MiG-21 has been a strafe rag for most of its service life with a ratio of 240-502, the most recent loss last month with a Bison MiG-21. Most of its kills have been high perch, unobserved slasher runs with the Atoll. When you look at the A2G workload the F-16 has and is currently bearing, just a few weeks of combat sorties in Desert Storm exceed the tonnage that MiG-21s have dropped over the past 70 years, and the F-16 with CCIP/dumb bombs and PGMs is one of the most accurate precision strike aircraft ever made. In the interview, he mentions the strategic strike the Israelis did on the Osirak reactor, and that was before the F-16 had any provisions for LGBs. They say the follow-on Mk.84s fell through the first one's hole in the reactor containment dome. It's really an amazing story when you look at all the A2G work the F-16 has done throughout its career.
To me a P-51 is known for its range and capability in high altitudes. I don’t think I’ve ever heard it called ”the (superlative) dog fighter of it’s generation”.
the VIPER is cool but it got screwed at the beginning of its life by politics and in the 90's it got key roles due to politics, even thought there was better platforms in the AirFORCE's arsenal. WILD WEASLES cough cough. they should have made the viper an AIR 2 AIR only because it the yf-16 was turned into the f-16 and it is 25% heavier than Boyd envisioned Through 1974 and 1975, General Dynamics developed the YF-16 into the F-16, making numerous structural modifications. What was originally envisioned as Boyd’s lightweight fighter now had to become a multirole aircraft, per the ACF program requirements.
What would US pilots or military do against a thick layered SAM defense like the one in Russia? Since the missile sites are mobile and have very long ranges and are several hundred, is there any realistic way to take these down?
A bit too complicated (and classified) to discuss in this forum. There are good historical accounts of how the Iraqi defenses were rolled back in 1991--you might start there.
You should REALLY check out BMS 4.34. DCS is going to have to do a LOT of catching up to get any near level of Viper fidelity BMS has achieved. No other sim has a more accurate flight model just for one example.
No need to wait for DCS; fly the F-16 and over 100 other aircraft on Jane's Fighters Anthology with the usnraptor playset. Come visit myplace.frontier.com/~usnraptor/
@@Planehazza Remember DCS World gets updated as well in parallel with new modules in terms of communications, weather,, dynamic campaign, physics, graphics, VR support, and map content etc etc.. So when DCS F-16 comes out its going to be 10x better in a DCS World environment.
The shot of the f16 in top gun is in the dogfight. an iceman saying theres one mig passing between them its the mig you think is iceman not the one passing through \
Has anyone actually figured out where the F-16 is in Top Gun? I've watched that movie more than is healthy for any human being and I still haven't found it.
It's a great interview and podcast, but I can't help but ask myself that if the adversary wanted to learn about the weaknesses and strengths, that we in the west generally tend to publicise everything in front of them. While recognising that on the given day, it's much more than the plane and as much about the pilot and training....
I share this thought, Andrew. However, on this show we avoid discussing anything that is either classified or truly useful to gaining a significant tactical advantage. The content of this episode is already available to the general public.
The Fighter Pilot Podcast I hear you. Just a general observation not pointed at yourselves per se. I look at defense news, janes and others. But the developments of the west are generally in plain view whereas the developments in the east are less so. Good podcast though, fascinating to get an insight into the Blocks and types...many thanks
It's an expensive program, no doubt about it, but the jet is an effective warfighter. What's funny about employing the gun or other munitions close to friendly troops? In this role the F-35 is not as capable as the A-10 but it can do the job.
When a british pilot is on the show: So we did our job and had a laugh and heres the stories. When an aussie pilot is on the show: So we had limitations and got to fly all over. When a german pilot is on the show: Here are the technical reasons for hiw good my plane was. When an American pilot is on the show: So we dispatched some FREEDOM and DEMOCRACY with our missiles as we all know the P51/F86 is the best because AMERICA is the best. I love hearing pilot stories and I love fast jets but my god it gets grating when its an American pilot and we just have to hear how america is the best and freedom etc. Sometimes I just avoid the american plane episodes for this reason. Maybe tone the excessive nationalism down a bit!
Came to offer my thanks as well to Colonel Torrealday. 29 years of service. What a great American.
Indeed. 🇺🇸
First production Block A was Block 1 with 78-0001, then came 5, 10, and 15 with the big tails.
Block 25 was the first C Model with a Pratt engine. The early Block 30s had a standard intake with the GE F110.
Most Block 30s got the big mouth, and there are alpha sub variants within each numeric block.
F-16CG was a result of the F-4Gs being retired, with the Block 40s inheriting the Wild Weasel mission.
Could be wrong but pretty sure it was the blk 50 CJ that was the main wild weasel viper.
@@Planehazza It is now since they plumbed it for HARM Targeting Pod, but Block 40s were the first ones rigged for carrying and launching the HARM in 1989.
There's also mention of an initial plan to name the Block 40 the F-16G, as it really is a different airframe than the Block 25s & 30s since they made it capable of higher TOGW structurally and with the beefier landing gear.
One of the best if not the best interview of a military airplane.
I learned a lot About the F-16 and all its variations
Thanks!
A lot of people now are lumping the USAF Block 40 (CG) and 50 (CJ) together as the CM which is totally incorrect. The CM label was only put on Tech Orders when the software for the CG and CJ was combined in a cost saving effort. Only certain T.O.s were labeled as CM. Many stayed CG and CJ where the differences were significant enough to warrant a separate document.
I recently staring flying the DCS flight sim. This channel is fantastic for learning all of the great history of the many amazing military aircraft in DCS.
Glad to have you. What are you sure to also check out our sibling podcast, Air Combat Sim.
Im even listening to the podcast while flying the F-16 in DCS. It fits really well, learning aircraft in this game is almost like a history lesson sometimes.
And its funny how I really get what they are saying on the podcast. Especially because I also first got the F-18 for DCS, and then later the F-16. Very interesting transition.
Anyone else remember playing Falcon 3.0 back in the 90s?
I played that a few times. But later, I got Fleet Defender. Which had better clouds.
I still play Falcon 4.0 BMS in 2020.
Shit, I still have that AND Falcon A.T next to my old compact Presario in the office.
Nothing beats MS- DOS gaming
Lol I'm trying to get the old versions
Yes…. I ran a version on a Mac. But years before in the late 80’s while in the Navy, I was on Ike (CVN-69). Anyway we received a bunch of new 286 computers from IBM. In the box there was a floppy disk with the name Jet. It was basically a stick figure f-18 and f-16. It was a blast…. It was a hoot to hear the P-3 officers in V-2 complain about how bad the simulation was as they played…. Yet they kept playing lol.
Superb. Loved it. Such an interesting interview, full of wonderful stuff. Please don't worry about the whole time and one-hour thing. The longer the better. I tend to listen to it all in segments over a week. Leave it to the listener to break the time out.
I listen at 1.25-1.5x speed normally while working.
You know, there was such a thing as a Block 25 F-16C. I know, I flew it at Hahn Air Base, Germany, in the late 80s (and also at FTU at Luke AFB just before that). It was the first C model block. There was also a Block 20 A model, but only used by Taiwan. Also, the F-16 DEFINITELY had better range and endurance than the legacy F-18 (re: fuel capacity being supposedly a weak point). Absolutely no doubt about that. The F-16 kill ratio in 1982 Bekaa Valley was 44 to 0, not 44 to 5 (Israel did lose a couple of jets, but no F-16s). Anyway, other than that, great interview.
Was it common back then for you guys to train on intercepts after doing your primary mission profile out of Hahn? Buddy of mine who flew Block 30s out of Hahn (correction: Torrejon) said that was how they trained there.
@@LRRPFco52 Hahn never had Block 30s, so I'm not sure where he's getting that from. Ramstein had them, not Hahn, which had A models first, then Block 25s, then was going to convert to Block 40s but that was cancelled due to the end of the Cold War (and Hahn closed a couple of years after that). Regarding intercepts, it was definitely NOT common to do those after another mission. You usually did not have enough gas for it. And intercepts were not a mission we did often anyway, in fact we usually did them only when the weather was really bad below, say, 20,000 or 25,000 ft. We did fly air defense missions (including intercepts) during major exercises (NATO TACEVAL, etc...), usually at low altitude (with F-15s covering higher levels). So I don't know who that buddy of yours is, but either his memory fails or he's not a reliable source.
@@KRGruner Maybe I confused it with Torrejon. He's legit though. Still involved with the F-16 after he retired. My dad worked on F-16 avionics development with Block 30G AIFF.
@@LRRPFco52 OK, yes, Torrejon would make more sense. They did have Block 30s.
@@KRGruner Hello Karl. I have had one F-16 pilot tell me he would rather BFM in the Block 5 or 10 "small tail" jets because of their lightweight (around 15,500lbs empty, I believe). However, I have also had another F-16 pilot tell me he thought the Big Inlet Block 30 was the best BFM jet out of the Viper family. I know the Block 30 was about 2,000lbs heavier, but it did have the big GE F110 engine. What is your opinion on this matter?
Taiwan F-16s could carry Harpoons.Those Block 20 F-16s were introduced in late 90's. Now they are doing overhauls and upgrades to those vipers in batches.the main upgrades include AESA radars, joint helmets, Have Glass II coatings, ECM upgrades,and ability to fire AIM-9X,JDAM.Lockheed Martin will name those upgraded Block20's F-16V.
The F-16 shows up in the movie Fly Away Home (about an hour and twenty minutes into it) as an alert scramble with the New York Air National Guard! Not a lot of people remember that movie, nor do they expect a fighter jet to show up in it.
My first love in terms of Fighter planes!
Also,fun fact,speaking of Japan(you mentioned the F-35 crash in Japan earlier):The Japanese have a fighter based on the F-16:The F-2(which was interestingly developed from a design upgrade proposal of the F-16,named "Agile Falcon" of which included bigger wings.)
Anyway,great show gents!
And Col.Torrealday sounds like a real cool guy!
Yeah I was wondering if he was going to mention that. Mitsubishi builds it. A cool member of the Falcon family.
@@RCAvhstapeI think the nickname of it is Viper Zero
Damn! You should've asked about the F-16 vs MiG-29 dogfight! Classified?
Not the fastest, not the most modern of all, but - “the fighter pilot’s fighter”. The sexiest fighter aircraft ever made with the lines so organic, soft and poetic anyone w'd think it's must have been simply done by nature itself and yet you really know a real Mafia spawned it. The gentle lines and curves merges flawlessly with aggressive edges and smart sharp predatorous look. True Iconic Fighter and a living legend. A fighter owning the hearts of so many all around the world. Im a huge huge fan of the mighty 16 since I was 4. Now Im 34. A love from the first sight. Id give my left leg, a kidney or any other non life-critical organ to make at least 1 flying hour with it once. Unfortunately health issues (spine) burried my lifelong dream 2 fly this sexy beast. Nonetheless... aestethetically the Viper is beyond anything else! And flies at least as good as it looks.
Thank you guys for that podcast. It was especially long anticipated by me. Im Norbert, your lolal fan! Best regards from a remote Poland! (:
Hello Norbert, thank you for the feedback and I'm sorry it did not work out for you! Messages like yours remind me just how lucky I was to have had the opportunities I did. Good thing the Navy didn't take an organ from me for every hour in the Viper or there'd be nothing left of me!
Let me just say I fully and totally enjoy your and Sunshine's commitment to this venture. What you guys do is a thing noone ever did b4. Thank you so much for sharing the fighter pilot spirit. Altgough I never flew a fighter and will never spread my wings that fighter spirit live inside of me as well. That organic crave for speed, power, g-forces and that true freedom you can only feel being up there in that 3D blue endless environment shines through you in the way you speak as if you were there in the complete mindful state completely free of petty things living the life to the fulest. Noone who spent the entire life in 2D roaming arround the dirt will get this. 1 hour spent in a fighter jet is more of quality of life than a few regular people will ever get in a few lifetimes. Because after all, it takes one to know one, boy. The only downside I see really regarding your podcasts is it's always too short.
I could talk and listen about the airplanes and specially fighters/air combat/performance/aerodynamics for a week straight without going to pee and Im not exagurating much.
As far the topic goes. Poland use 48 F-16s Block 52+ (P&W-229 powered) for almost 15 years now and likely to acquire new airframes in near future.
The first Charlie/Delta Vipers came out designated as Block 25 in 1984 (tails 83/84/85-xxx). If talkimg about the thrust2weight yes, the Block 30 (GE-100, F110) really stands out but the current best t2w ratio Vipers in USAF inventory are Blocks 42 actually retrofitted with P&W-229 (3 sqns have them, 125FS out of Tulsa Oklahoma ANG among others) engine and it's entire 7K lbs harder kick in the back than the older -220 model had to offer. Also worth noticing the -229 has an 11-stage afterburner compared to 5-stages in -200/220.
Fun fact. The older blk 15 can take -229 engine too without any changes to the airframe. Once they did a max Q deck flight (max dynamic preasure at low level) in such configuration. The clean aircraft could supercruise at Mach 1.6 and arguably go to low orbit at MIL while reach the escape velocity at AB! 😎
I only wish the new production Block 70 Vipers out of Greenville will get that GE-132 34K lbs installed thrust so they regain the ability for space flight. Ps. Do a follow up to this podcast please. You still forgot to cover the flight control laws of the Viper such as so called 'gains' and 'catsI,II,III'.
So much to this airplane I could talk about / hear about endlessly. Btw, how do you JELL-O liked a 30° reclined seat, side stick, switchology and how do you rate Viper cockpit after 3K hrs spent in the 'angry bee ' ? 😉
I want to end this comment with a song
ruclips.net/video/LXCoswUD74c/видео.html
@@spookyNorbert Goodness, Norbert, you really COULD discuss this for a week straight! (Although it's not healthy to not have to pee--proper hydration is important to overall health).
Thanks for the comments and extra tidbits of information. That's what is fun about this endeavor--I am learning more now about a wider array of topics than I ever did on active duty. And it's all good stuff!
Jell-O how were your overall feelings when you moved from the spacious angry bee cockpit to a cramped cockpit of the venomous snake? Which one you prefered and why?
@@spookyNorbert The F/A-18 and F-16 cockpits felt about as equally roomy. The F-16 cockpit was very comfortable with its reclined seat and side stick but I preferred the F/A-18s cockpit because of the familiarity of over 3,000 hours in it.
54:00 thats what British Generals used to say, im not sure if it was Churchill himself, when bombing civilians during world war 2 something like "It takes them 3 month to rebuild a factory but it will take them 20 years to grow a new soldier"
'Viper' definitely sounds cooler than 'Fighting Falcon'. 'Fighting Falcon' sounds too darn much like a high school football team mascot!
Hello from Greece. Congratulations on the podcast! Love all of them and especially on the F-16! Our F-16s don't carry the Python but the block 52+ and block 52 + advanced do carry the IRIS-T close range infra red missile.Block30's and 50's carry the Aim-9 M instead.They don't carry Harpoon missiles either.
nai re malaka pes ta ola...
@@harrydali8167 Τα ξέρουμε αυτά και τα ξέρουν εδώ και χρόνια. Δεν είναι κρυφές πληροφορίες.
@@chrisdimis91 qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq
I was somewhat surprised to learn how the YF-16 won the LWF competition against the MiG-21 with HAVE Doughnut tactical exploitation.
As mentioned, the YF-16 was difficult to see from front and rear aspect, had faster roll rate for reversals against the MiG-21 when the MiG started in high rear perch.
A thorough discussion about the two engines would be very welcomed. There are a lot of threads on the web, but it would be nice if actual pilots discuss the advantages and the dis-adv. too.
What a great show!
Thank you gor putting in the time and effort to create such an informative, professional and super interesting show!
Thank you!
You're welcome! The feedback is fulfilling--thanks for taking the time.
Listening to this one for the 2nd time. I think maybe this is my favorite episode, Jell-O. I can tell this was an enjoyable conversation for both you.
Great timing with the release of BMS 4.34. Coincidental? I think not ;)
BMS made me chuckle
@@scarcatch ??
Haha perhaps. I fly BMS and DCS. 4.34 has made me come back because of the comms thing. Although I love DCS because of the VR. Sorry but VR changes everything. If BMS get VR my life is in trouble.
You bet the BMS community will be all over the DCS viper, its a good thing.
Surely BMS has its treats.
The Dynamic campaign for example.
@@scarcatch I mean sure if DCS is your cup of tea. The problem aside from the sim aspect is the way they do things.
Its hard to make a coherent war with fragmented modules and half done updates. BMS puts out one coherent update and the war just keeps getting better the F-16 and blocks are getting more and more accurate and the FM and FLCS are perfect so I dont know what DCS could really do to pull us away. BMS will eventually get better graphics and VR if you like that sort of thing but DCS I have a feeling will never change their module based approach.
Some people like both I am not one of those people.
Great show, I hate seeing the video progression tab move closer to the end.
I know these shows are aircraft centric for the benefit of learning a particular aircraft in-depth. I am aware that there are time constraints that don’t allow for delving into the guests background and without sounding too Captain Sully, learning the “Human aspect” of military aviation. Your guest come on and give their remarkable bios, and state the various types of aircraft they have flown. I find myself wanting to hear stories regarding the guest’s experiences with their squadrons, assignments (Bases) and aircraft as well. For example, T-Day’s time in the OV-10 would be riveting...No...just me? Perhaps FPPC can have him back on to talk about the Bronco.
Thank you Jell-O and Sunshine first and foremost for your patriotism and service. Secondly thank you for the entertaining and very well produced FPPC content.
Kind of you to say, Chris. It's a great idea and we have so many similar ones we would like to pursue. Alas, there are only so many hours in the day, especially for this part-time gig.
I believe the F/A-18 began life with Northrop, no? Then moved over to MD which then merged with Boeing. If you look at a Hornet, you can see the family resemblance to the F-5 a little bit.
Yep, it started as Northrop YF-17 which lost competition against the F16 as a light fighter. Then Northrop evolved it into the form we know today as F-18 to comply with US Navy requirements for the VFAX program and won that contract.
They mention the F-5 linage in either the Hornet or F-5 episodes. Can't recall exactly which one.
FPP....My new favourite RUclips / Podcast channel. Great work guys with these presentations. Cheers from Australia
Thanks much!
Great episode Jello! Maybe do something on the OV-10? Navy and Air Force, Marines? all flew it in Vietnam and it even saw action in the Gulf War and though limited now still being used.
Sure thing!
Good point
Very interesting plane :) ruclips.net/video/jWi7xYE2JWg/видео.html
Should do OV-1D as well.
Wonderful this interview, love the program and your explication is very great, Thank you
Greece does not carry the harpoon on its f-16's. To my knowledge, South Korea and Turkey does that. For TASMO Greece uses Exocets from M-2000's.
Veeeery nice! Looking so much forward to the CJ model in DCS :)
Loved the viper since playing “Strike Commander” on PC as a kid!
Barely remember that one.
That's one of the most fun guys i've ever heard interviewed!
Around 30 minutes in, it's mentioned that one of the upgrades was to "digital flight control system". Was it maybe misspoken, in that the flight instruments/avionics were upgraded to digital instruments and displays, since the Flight Control System was digital FBW from the start? Unless Flight Control System is referring to something I'm not aware of. Great episode, as the others in the aircraft series.
You guys do an amazing job. 👏
Thanks 😊
Thanks for answering my question! kind regards, Rolando
You know what would be sick? If you guys could track down as many living fighter pilots who have A2A kills, especially the Israelis and Desert Storm MiG killers.
I think you had Mongo on before with the MiG-21 kill in DS. But it would be crazy to hear from the Izzies who fought Syrians in 1982.
With F-15s & F-16s, they had something like 88 kills in 3 days.
Challenge accepted!
"Single seat multirole, we can fly right up...."
Our own asshole!
ya maybe without tanks and bombs on it
Fucking warren lol
@@kazansky22 ay
All of these interviews are fantastic. Thanks so much. Can I suggest that you interview pilots of and discuss the Super Guppy? :D
Relistening as the DCS F-16 is released into early access. Woo!
😎
He forgot the F-16 XL experimental but still AWESOME!
They were only talking production variants, mainly US. If you were to cover experimental, developmental, and proposal one-off birds, you'd have to look at:
* FSD F-16s
* CCV
* F-16/101
* F-16/79
* AFTI (1980s)
* DEEC
* XL Single seat (proposed F-16E)
* XL 2 seat (proposed F)
* AFTI (1990s)
* ED AFB evolution of Block 15 A & B systems development and integration
* VISTA/MATV Thrust-Vectored
* F-16 ADF for ANG
* A-16
* F-16 MLU
* Agile Falcon (CALF)
* Mitsubishi F-2
What @LRRPFco52 said...
@@FighterPilotPodcast My favorite F-16 was the AFTI by far, not because of the canards, but because of the integrated precursors to LANTIRN pods in the wing roots, the Helmet-Mounted Sight, voice activated virtual assistant, large touch screen displays, DFLCS, WFOV HUD, IRSTs later on the nose, and a ton of things that manifested later in the Raptor & JSF.
I remember it at Edwards thinking it was just some wazoo experimental pipe dream concocted by guys with more time on their hands than good in a lab, but it turned out to be one of the most instrumental technology demonstrators moving forward into the 5th Gen now looking with 20/20 hindsight.
The AFTI F-16 could gain or lose altitude without pitch change, and had more nose pointing authority than a conventional Viper. It looked radical as well with the dorsal spine for additional avionics, and the Israelis incorporated that into the F-16I since they love stuffing as much ECM/ECCM into their birds.
I just got destroy! Lol Bottom line the F-16 is definitely one of the most successful aircraft ever built. Love all the podcast gentlemen.
@@marktownsend7361 The F-16 is the most successful mass produced, single engine fighter ever.
When you compare it to the MiG-21, the 2nd most successful mass produced single engine fighter, its multirole capabilities and kill ratio negate the MiG-21's numbers, especially since the F-16 has a kill ratio of 77-1 (most of those being Israeli F-16A kills over Bekaa Valley in 1982).
The MiG-21 has been a strafe rag for most of its service life with a ratio of 240-502, the most recent loss last month with a Bison MiG-21. Most of its kills have been high perch, unobserved slasher runs with the Atoll.
When you look at the A2G workload the F-16 has and is currently bearing, just a few weeks of combat sorties in Desert Storm exceed the tonnage that MiG-21s have dropped over the past 70 years, and the F-16 with CCIP/dumb bombs and PGMs is one of the most accurate precision strike aircraft ever made.
In the interview, he mentions the strategic strike the Israelis did on the Osirak reactor, and that was before the F-16 had any provisions for LGBs.
They say the follow-on Mk.84s fell through the first one's hole in the reactor containment dome.
It's really an amazing story when you look at all the A2G work the F-16 has done throughout its career.
I just discovered your channel!! So cool!!!!
I would have liked to know more about the air-to-air radars and their development across different f-16 blocks and models.
Apparently he was too embarrassed to share the story of where his Callsign 'T-Day' came from.
(1:20:04)
To me a P-51 is known for its range and capability in high altitudes. I don’t think I’ve ever heard it called ”the (superlative) dog fighter of it’s generation”.
the VIPER is cool but it got screwed at the beginning of its life by politics and in the 90's it got key roles due to politics, even thought there was better platforms in the AirFORCE's arsenal. WILD WEASLES cough cough. they should have made the viper an AIR 2 AIR only because it the yf-16 was turned into the f-16 and it is 25% heavier than Boyd envisioned Through 1974 and 1975, General Dynamics developed the YF-16 into the F-16, making numerous structural modifications. What was originally envisioned as Boyd’s lightweight fighter now had to become a multirole aircraft, per the ACF program requirements.
Awesome interview. Love the F-16.
Love your channel man. I did 4 years in the Navy as a FMF corpsman.
I don’t think you mentioned it but the f-16 is also in Independence Day
Good point. Sitting on the ramp at Area 51 when the aliens attack.
Great video I give my eyeteeth to fly in one of those if I still had them!
“Eyeteeth”?
hey sr !!! this is an open windows to the wonderfull fighter pilots world!!!! thank you
You're welcome. 👍
F-16 appeared in Into the Sun in early 1990s too. Never heard that mentioned here.
Mitko Nikitov didn’t know that.
Wait! Ask him about his fight against the Mig-29!
What would US pilots or military do against a thick layered SAM defense like the one in Russia? Since the missile sites are mobile and have very long ranges and are several hundred, is there any realistic way to take these down?
A bit too complicated (and classified) to discuss in this forum. There are good historical accounts of how the Iraqi defenses were rolled back in 1991--you might start there.
@@FighterPilotPodcast So it is doable to destroy such a thing? Thank you for the quick reply
Absolutely.
We would do fighter pilot shit and kick their asses.....don't tell anyone!
Hey guys there was another movie with f-16
"The Flight of Black Angel" 1990ish
Great interview guys. The Viper is one of my favorite aircraft. Bring it on DCS.
You should REALLY check out BMS 4.34. DCS is going to have to do a LOT of catching up to get any near level of Viper fidelity BMS has achieved. No other sim has a more accurate flight model just for one example.
@@Planehazza I have BMS also
@@Planehazza That's all lovely and I really like it but VR.......VR cough VR
No need to wait for DCS; fly the F-16 and over 100 other aircraft on Jane's Fighters Anthology with the usnraptor playset. Come visit myplace.frontier.com/~usnraptor/
@@Planehazza Remember DCS World gets updated as well in parallel with new modules in terms of communications, weather,, dynamic campaign, physics, graphics, VR support, and map content etc etc.. So when DCS F-16 comes out its going to be 10x better in a DCS World environment.
The shot of the f16 in top gun is in the dogfight. an iceman saying theres one mig passing between them its the mig you think is iceman not the one passing through \
Good to know!
I don't think they mentioned the F-16A MLU in use (but leaving service fast) with lots of NATO air forces.
PrimarchX true. We did not cover several variants.
Has anyone actually figured out where the F-16 is in Top Gun? I've watched that movie more than is healthy for any human being and I still haven't found it.
Someone showed me once but I already forgot. Fleeting background glimpse of an F-16N parked on the ramp, I think...
@@FighterPilotPodcast that's kinda what I figured. Guess I'll hafta watch it a few more times to find it!
The documentary about Doug Masters should be a training film for new pilots
Hey, thanks for your work. I apriciate ist! When will that Episode be released on Spotify?
Usually it is all automatic when I upload the mp3 to our media service provider (LibSyn). If it's not there now it should be soon...
Niemals Gary!
For sure buddy! ;-)
It's a great interview and podcast, but I can't help but ask myself that if the adversary wanted to learn about the weaknesses and strengths, that we in the west generally tend to publicise everything in front of them. While recognising that on the given day, it's much more than the plane and as much about the pilot and training....
I share this thought, Andrew. However, on this show we avoid discussing anything that is either classified or truly useful to gaining a significant tactical advantage. The content of this episode is already available to the general public.
The Fighter Pilot Podcast I hear you. Just a general observation not pointed at yourselves per se. I look at defense news, janes and others. But the developments of the west are generally in plain view whereas the developments in the east are less so. Good podcast though, fascinating to get an insight into the Blocks and types...many thanks
From Malaysia. Hoped you do an interview to Malaysian pilots flying the MiG-29N Fulcrum!
Our MiG-29 episode was with an Indian Air Force pilot.
This is the guy id want flying my 777
Is there any downloadable podcasts online?
Yes, on our website: www.fighterpilotpodcast.com/
I thought there's F-16V block 70
Thought BLK 25 was the first C/D model.
You are correct
Y'all need to have Dan Harmon on your show too. His book "Viper Pilot" was a fantastic read on air to ground combat.
Believe you mean Dan Hampton. 😉
They used 16s in 6 underground as well
What's "6 underground"?
Netflix with Ryan Reynolds
@@BIGFOOTJEEPER92 ah. Not familiar.
@@FighterPilotPodcast a really, really horrible action movie on Netflix
Yea go check it out
I didn't think my short attention span could handle an hour + podcast.
I was wrong.
Consistently good stuff...
Thanks very much!
¿Gedunk? I don’t hear that often
Note: TPS = test pilot school. (I think?)
Correct. Did we use it otherwise?
"one more thing."
…yes, what is it?
Third time listening to this one.
Q: Has anyone found the hidden F-16 in the movie Top Gun (sp.)?
I haven't.
@@phillaboody No, that's an A-4 Skyhawk.
F-16 f*ck yeah
Do you think indian mig21 could have downed pak f16???
The Red Baron was shot down by an Australian with a rifle. Anything can happen.
come on the fighting falcon should ten times better then viper
Pakistan AirForce crashed F16 doing loop in airshow in 2019
Globo repórter 1:07
The F-35 has been a cost effective program said literally nobody ever. Also seeing that thing do CAS would be a joke and a half.
It's an expensive program, no doubt about it, but the jet is an effective warfighter.
What's funny about employing the gun or other munitions close to friendly troops? In this role the F-35 is not as capable as the A-10 but it can do the job.
The hungry sandwich philosophically taste because step-grandfather equally groan despite a impossible cornet. thoughtful, straight button
Maybe avoid drinking before commenting on RUclips videos.
When a british pilot is on the show: So we did our job and had a laugh and heres the stories.
When an aussie pilot is on the show: So we had limitations and got to fly all over.
When a german pilot is on the show: Here are the technical reasons for hiw good my plane was.
When an American pilot is on the show: So we dispatched some FREEDOM and DEMOCRACY with our missiles as we all know the P51/F86 is the best because AMERICA is the best.
I love hearing pilot stories and I love fast jets but my god it gets grating when its an American pilot and we just have to hear how america is the best and freedom etc. Sometimes I just avoid the american plane episodes for this reason. Maybe tone the excessive nationalism down a bit!