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F-16B 78-0100
USAF Test Pilot School, 412th Test Wing
Air Force Flight Test Center, Edwards AFB, CA
For over 50 years, Edwards AFB
has been the location of more major milestones in aviation history than
any other place on earth. From the X-1 to the F/A-22, man and
machine have been put to the ultimate test to ensure America's dominance
in the aerial battlefield. Every aircraft that has entered the USAF
inventory has been flight-tested at Edwards AFB.
F-16B 78-0100 was a Block
10 aircraft and one of the oldest "B" model F-16s in the USAF.
It was the only chase F-16 with an operating M61A1 Vulcan Cannon and was
also used as a weapons test bird. These aircraft are heavily
instrumented with test equipment and take part in many missions including
high angle-of-attack (AOA) testing, spin recovery, weapons loadout
configuration, and photo chase in support of other tests. Some of
these aircraft have exceeded 6,000 flight hours, a testament to the
excellent pilots and maintenance personnel that are assigned to the 412th
Test Wing.
F-16B 78-0100 was lost on
17 july 2001 while providing photo chase in support of a Miniature
Air-Launched Decoy (MALD) mission. USAF Test Pilot Major Aaron
George and noted aviation photographer Judson Brohmer both perished in the
crash, demonstrating the high risk and dedication involved in today's test
missions.
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