Hi Jim. Thank you for the informative walk-around of the Tweet. I flew the T-37 as an Instructor and Evaluator from 1998-2010. Just wanted to let you know that the red-boxed pockets on each engine are access points for the fire and rescue team to place an extinguisher hose when needed. Also, the thin pieces of metal that surround the front of the fuselage are called Spin Strakes, which were added to the B-model. Their purpose is to change the pressure below the fuselage during a spin, which helped the aircraft remain in a spin for recovery training. Did you ever find a new wind screen?
Magnificent job! A fantastic tribute to a fantastic jet and the people who designed, built and flew it. Hats off to the restoration team and Congressman Granger.
Kevin, my sincere appreciation and congratulations to you (and our GD/LM colleagues) on this magnificent restoration. I know this was a labor of love, but it is also a tribute to generations of stellar USAF and industry professionals who initially designed and developed the F-16 . . . and then evolved it into a tactical fighter that has provided outstanding performance for 50 years.
Wow, the YF-16 looks amazing post-restoration! Thanks for the detailed walkaround, it's like getting an up-close look at aviation history. Can't wait to see more videos like this! Great job!
I can't tell you how much I love this. I built so many models of the YF (more accurately the FSD) as a child. Countless hours staring at it's brightly colored livery. This was my childhood and responsible for my military pilot career and continued career. I look forward to seeing this in person. Unfortunately not this week, I land at noon-thirty and you guys close at 1 pm! <sigh>
Beautiful work of art! Got to Edwards April '75. The YF-16's were the hottest planes on the base. The red, white, and blue motif just added to the wow-factor. After a gunnery mission we got treated to a low pass from Neil (I think) from due North right at DAGRAG tower. From the top of DAGRAG (~ 40 ft) we were looking down on the jet as it came right at us. Neil pulled up with 15 ft of the tower. What a thrill and glad to play a small part in the test program. Thanks for restoring a legend that will live on...
Congrats on the restoration, and thanks for your efforts. I wasn't there in the mid-70's, but I got there as quick as I could; D-day 1979. The YF-16 and F16XL are a couple of the most beautiful jets ever built.
I will never forget the day that I wandered into my AFROTC Det as a cadet and first saw this very aircraft in it's blue and white camo on the cover of Aviation Week & Space Technology. I was completely overwhelmed. That was - and still is - the strongest reaction I've ever had when seeing an aircraft for the first time. Her sister YF-16 - misnumbered as 01576 in the Monogram kit, still stands as the last model airplane I ever built. I've been a Viper addict ever since.
The early -16 is almost a different aircraft. No Air to ground. Smaller wing. Far less thrust. But also less weight. The older computers were not up to par with modern fly by wire. But the old could probably still hang with the new Viper in a Visual close engagement.
DCU Models built the nose? That's awesome. In fact, just yesterday I was flying my old DCU Dragonfly, an RC slope glider that DCU used to sell in the 90's when they were still in California making fiberglass model kits!
Wow! Great restoration! In 1975, I was a 12 year old airplane nut who got to spend a 10-day Summer vacation with a relative stationed at Edwards. He arranged for me to go out with the filming crew to film this aircraft performing an unrestricted take off. It was an awesome thrill. Later I got to meet the test pilot gang (Neil, Phil, and Bob). They handed me an autographed publicity photo of YF-16-1 that still hangs in my office today. Great job to the Restoration Team!
YF-16 01567 is indeed in the Hampton Virginia Air and Space museum hanging from the ceiling. I crewed F-16's for 6 years in the USAF, I miss those days, I'd love to crew one for 1 day again.
I was an air traffic controller in the Edwards AFB tower from 1975 to 1980. Talked to this aircraft many times! Beautiful job on the restoration she looks fantastic!!
Absolutely wonderful work. Thank you for saving this historic and beautiful airplane. I look forward to seeing it in person soon. In the meantime I might just build a small version to have in my model hanger.
Also worth noting that the airplanes spotted over Wichita and Amarillo were two distinct programs. Wichita bore a striking resemblance to the A-12, but it was larger and was a one-off demonstrator used as a test bed for some EW hardware that was subsequently used in another platform that is now in service. Wichita was a stab at some new (at the time) shifts in American air supremacy and data sharing between multiple nodes. Think of it as the Quarterback… Directing and calling the offense.
I was a crewchief on them while stationed at Hunter Army Airfield in Savanah, Ga. Some of our aircraft actually flew some missions for the DEA down in the British West Indies taking pictures of boats.
Thanks for sharing this Jay. Your information is appreciated. I first got interested in this aircraft from an author of some books I enjoy. The story of this aircraft, the cancelation, people losing jobs, etc reminds me of Canada developing the Avro Arrow. All of the sudden one day the US told Canada they couldn't develop a really good aircraft and that was it. All production stopped, people lost their jobs without warning, and everything was destroyed.
