Pilot Describes What It Felt Like When Taking The F-16 Fighter To Nearly Mach 2.0

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Pilot Describes What It Felt Like When Taking The F-16 Fighter To Nearly Mach 2.0 (Page 1 of 6)

Posted: 5/11/2022 9:10:59 PM EDT

https://www.19fortyfive.com/2022/05/what-it-felt-like-i-took-the-f-16-fighter-to-nearly-mach-2-0/

I was at 25,000 feet when I pushed the throttle forward, rotated it past the detent, and engaged full afterburner—

As I maintained my altitude, the jet started to accelerate. At 1.4 Mach, with only about 2 minutes of fuel left, I bunted over and started a dive to help with the acceleration. In my heads-up-display, 1.5 Mach ticked by, backed up by an old Mach indicator slowly spinning in my instrument console.

At 1.6 Mach, the jet started to shake. I was expecting it—the F-16 has a flight region around that airspeed that causes the wings to flutter. Still, this jet had a lot of hours on the airframe, and if anything were to fail, the breakup would be catastrophic. Similarly, ejecting at that speed would be well outside the design envelop—the air resistance at Mach 1.6 is about 300 times what a car experiences at highway speeds. A few pilots have tried, only to break nearly every bone in their body.

So now, the option was to slow down until the vibration stopped, or push through until it smoothed out on the other side. I was running low on fuel, so I elected to increase my dive so I could accelerate faster. Slowly 1.7 Mach ticked by, next 1.8, and then at 1.9, everything smoothed out. I was now traveling 1,500 mph over the Yellow Sea. The cockpit started feeling warm so I took my hand off the throttle and put it about a foot away from the canopy and could feel the heat radiating through my glove, similar to sticking your hand in an oven.

Posted: 5/11/2022 9:12:58 PM EDT

[#1]

1.39 in a F-18D here

Posted: 5/11/2022 9:14:54 PM EDT

[#2]

Impressive, Most Impressive.

Posted: 5/11/2022 9:17:27 PM EDT

[#3]

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1.39 in a F-18D here

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0.202 in the O-2A

Posted: 5/11/2022 9:18:31 PM EDT

[#4]

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0.202 in the O-2A

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Solid.

In before Mach and 2.5

Posted: 5/11/2022 9:18:37 PM EDT

[#5]

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1.39 in a F-18D here

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Respect!

Posted: 5/11/2022 9:19:18 PM EDT

[#6]

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Respect!

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I’m scared of snakes though

Posted: 5/11/2022 9:20:08 PM EDT

[#7]

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I’m scared of snakes though

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Respect!

I’m scared of snakes though

Posted: 5/11/2022 9:20:57 PM EDT

[#8]

.78 in a 737 here (economy)

Posted: 5/11/2022 9:22:17 PM EDT

[#9]

Posted: 5/11/2022 9:23:04 PM EDT

[#10]

I bet that was a fucking awesome ride.

Posted: 5/11/2022 9:24:19 PM EDT

[#11]

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I bet that was a fucking awesome ride.

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.9 at 200’ is much more exciting than 1.0+ at 25k

Posted: 5/11/2022 9:24:19 PM EDT

[#12]

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I wonder how fast my father had been in an F-4 Phantom II....

Posted: 5/11/2022 9:24:31 PM EDT

[#13]

I think there's some F15 drivers in here that have probably gone faster. Maybe they can tell us what it was like.

Posted: 5/11/2022 9:24:51 PM EDT

[#14]

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I wonder how fast my father had been in an F-4 Phantom II....

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At least 2.0 I bet

Posted: 5/11/2022 9:25:15 PM EDT

[#15]

That's pretty fast for an F-16.

Posted: 5/11/2022 9:26:19 PM EDT

[#16]

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That's pretty fast for an F-16.

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It’s fast for any fighter. The published numbers on all the fighters are mostly bullshit. Mig-25 is different though.

Posted: 5/11/2022 9:28:08 PM EDT

[#17]

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It’s fast for any fighter. The published numbers on all the fighters are mostly bullshit. Mig-25 is different though.

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That's pretty fast for an F-16.

It’s fast for any fighter. The published numbers on all the fighters are mostly bullshit. Mig-25 is different though.

3+?

Posted: 5/11/2022 9:28:23 PM EDT

[#18]

I went 159 in a Viper on the back strait at Sebring like 20 years ago. Different kinda Viper though.

Posted: 5/11/2022 9:29:34 PM EDT

[#19]

Mach 87 on my Harley

Posted: 5/11/2022 9:29:52 PM EDT

[#20]

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3+?

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Honestly I’m not sure but 2.5 I’d say is a good guess. It depends on environmentals, configurations, Pilot nut sack, etc.

Those commie jets were fast. Turn radius the size of Texas though.

Posted: 5/11/2022 9:31:14 PM EDT

[#21]

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Honestly I’m not sure but 2.5 I’d say is a good guess. It depends on environmentals, configurations, Pilot nut sack, etc.

Those commie jets were fast. Turn radius the size of Texas though.

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3+?

Honestly I’m not sure but 2.5 I’d say is a good guess. It depends on environmentals, configurations, Pilot nut sack, etc.

Those commie jets were fast. Turn radius the size of Texas though.

That thing looked like a brick with two YUGE engines!

Posted: 5/11/2022 9:31:33 PM EDT

[#22]

Lazy .74 here

Posted: 5/11/2022 9:31:42 PM EDT

[#23]

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1.39 in a F-18D here

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That’s cute.

I did about 180 in a Seneca once through class B.

Posted: 5/11/2022 9:32:11 PM EDT

[#24]

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That think looked like a brick with two YUGE engines!

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There was one outside the chow hall at Al Assad without its motors and I could have probably stood up in the bay.

Posted: 5/11/2022 9:32:41 PM EDT

[#25]

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That’s cute.

I did about 180 in a Seneca once through class B.

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Class B is no joke!

Posted: 5/11/2022 9:33:07 PM EDT

[#26]

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There was one outside the chow hall at Al Assad without its motors and I could have probably stood up in the bay.

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That think looked like a brick with two YUGE engines!

There was one outside the chow hall at Al Assad without its motors and I could have probably stood up in the bay.

Damn

Posted: 5/11/2022 9:42:15 PM EDT

[#27]

I've climbed around on the SAGEBURNER Bu.145307 Phantom.

BTW, if anyone from the Smithsonian Air & Space museum is reading, one of the fire warning elements in the port engine bay of Bu.145307 is NOT the original one used during Bu.145307's last flight because it was CANN'd so we (MAG-41, Det A / VMFA 321) could get a few more flights out of one of our F-4S before we were fully transitioned to Hornets back in 1991. But we really appreciated y'all loaning it to us for the retirement/transition ceremony (we even washed it)!!!

Posted: 5/11/2022 9:47:24 PM EDT

[#28]

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3+?

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With the expectation of an in-flight engine rebuild, I think...

Posted: 5/11/2022 9:47:44 PM EDT

[#29]

Not to brag, but I went well past Vne driving a friend’s diesel Chevette back in the Cold War era. At WOT, I thought it was going to break up around me as I hit 0.03 Mach.

Posted: 5/11/2022 9:49:51 PM EDT

[#30]

Quote History

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Honestly I’m not sure but 2.5 I’d say is a good guess. It depends on environmentals, configurations, Pilot nut sack, etc.

Those commie jets were fast. Turn radius the size of Texas though.

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Quote History

Quoted:

Quoted:

3+?

Honestly I’m not sure but 2.5 I’d say is a good guess. It depends on environmentals, configurations, Pilot nut sack, etc.

Those commie jets were fast. Turn radius the size of Texas though.

If they tried doing that though didn't it fry the jet engines and they had to be replaced. Kinda like a 1 and done thing pushing it that fast.

Posted: 5/11/2022 9:49:53 PM EDT

[#31]

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With the expectation of an in-flight engine rebuild, I think...

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3+?

With the expectation of an in-flight engine rebuild, I think...

So you're saying there's a chance?!?

Posted: 5/11/2022 9:52:08 PM EDT

[#32]

Does Mach 2 have any effect on weapon systems functioning properly?

Posted: 5/11/2022 9:52:17 PM EDT

[#33]

I can smell the ego from here.

Posted: 5/11/2022 9:52:52 PM EDT

[#34]

Flew at Mach -0.04 or so in a 60 once

Posted: 5/11/2022 9:53:44 PM EDT

[#35]

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If they tried doing that though didn't it fry the jet engines and they had to be replaced. Kinda like a 1 and done thing pushing it that fast.

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Think you’re right

Posted: 5/11/2022 9:58:23 PM EDT

[#36]

3.75 mph is the fastest I can walk.

Posted: 5/11/2022 10:15:08 PM EDT

[#37]

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Does Mach 2 have any effect on weapon systems functioning properly?

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Only if you turn the lights on.

Posted: 5/11/2022 10:15:52 PM EDT

[#38]

I'm thinking the ECS knob was just set to max defog, or something.

Posted: 5/11/2022 10:18:30 PM EDT

[#39]

2.04 in Concorde

Posted: 5/11/2022 10:22:41 PM EDT

[#40]

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It's fast for any fighter. The published numbers on all the fighters are mostly bullshit. Mig-25 is different though.

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Foxbat is real world fast.

Like a slicked up mud hen coming out of depot level maintenance when they took the conformals off. Or so I've heard.

Posted: 5/11/2022 10:23:18 PM EDT

[#41]

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3+?

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If you are OK with junking the engines.

Posted: 5/11/2022 10:23:28 PM EDT

[#42]

.19 in my first real car 1986 Z28.

Posted: 5/11/2022 10:26:03 PM EDT

[#43]

Quote History

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1.39 in a F-18D here

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Cool! And glad to see you still here, I had been wondering if you were still around. Always enjoyed your posts after you mentined dropping that bomb on the Hilux! Lol

Posted: 5/11/2022 10:26:56 PM EDT

[#44]

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Cool! And glad to see you still here, i had been wondering if you still around. Always enjoyed your posts after mentioning dropping that bomb on the Hilux! Lol

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Still can’t believe they drove away from that.

Posted: 5/11/2022 10:27:46 PM EDT

[#45]

Quote History

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0.202 in the O-2A

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Quoted:
1.39 in a F-18D here

0.202 in the O-2A

0.48 in the HC-130!

Posted: 5/11/2022 10:27:54 PM EDT

[#46]

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Still can’t believe they drove away from that.

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I'm sure they won't take anymore wrong turns! Lol

Posted: 5/11/2022 10:28:10 PM EDT

[#47]

.787 all night long.

Posted: 5/11/2022 10:31:03 PM EDT

[#48]

I got to like 150kts in a UH-60 once.

Posted: 5/11/2022 10:31:41 PM EDT

[#49]

Quote History

Quoted:
2.04 in Concorde

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And you were comfortable because Concorde uses a fuel-cooled intercooler between the compressor and turbine of the air cycle machine. I don't think any model of F-16 has an ECS configured like that, and that's most likely why this pilot was feeling what he was feeling.

Posted: 5/11/2022 10:32:18 PM EDT

[#50]

I haven’t even hit Vno in a C172.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Pilot Describes What It Felt Like When Taking The F-16 Fighter To Nearly Mach 2.0 (Page 1 of 6)

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