 The F-16 is a state-of-the-art multi-role fighter with a top speed of 1,500 miles-per-hour. Shown here is an F-16 from the 388th Fighter Wing "Viper West Fighting Falcon Demonstration Team." They'll take to the sky during the Novelis Air Show at Harborfest. |
Performer:Viper West Demonstration Team
U.S. Air Force Air Combat Command
388 th Fighter Wing
Type: Military, F-16 Fighting Falcon Demonstration
The Viper West Demonstration Team is part of the 4 th Aircraft Maintenance Unit and 4 th Fighter Squadron, 388 th Fighter Wing, Hill Air Force Base, Utah. They are a hand-picked group of professionals selected by the United States Air Force to showcase the premier multi-role fighter aircraft, the F-16 Fighting Falcon. During the Fighting Falcon demonstration the pilot will highlight the capabilities of the F-16, performing high and low altitude demonstrations, close air support and air superiority maneuvers
Team Members
Demonstration Pilot: Capt. Dax Cornelius
Dual-Qualified Observers, Narrators and F-16 Pilots: Captain Jon E. Larson,
1Lt. Eric Music, 1Lt. Paul A. Jelink
Maintenance Team: MSgt. Terell Murray (narrator), TSgt. James Vollmer (narrator),
SSgt. Kurt Statezni, SSgt. William Griffith Jr., SSgt. Anthony Graham, TSgt.Ian Kent, Senior Airman Megan Kelly, Senior Airman Andrew Smith.
The F-16 Fighting Falcon
The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a compact, multi-role fighter aircraft. It is highly maneuverable and has proven itself in air-to-air combat and air-to-surface attack. Manufactured by the Lockheed Martin Corporation, the F-16 has a range of 2,000 miles, a top speed of approximately 1,500 miles-per-hour and a flight ceiling above 50,000 feet. It can carry an impressive array or ordinance, including a 20 mm onboard multi-barrel cannon, external stations for six air-to-air missiles, conventional air-to-air and air-to-ground munitions and electronic countermeasure pods. Depending upon the model, it carries of crew of either one or two persons.
First flown in 1976, the sleek fighter has seen service in the U.S Air Force and in the air forces of Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Israel, Turkey, Greece, Egypt and Korea. The F-16 most recently saw service in Operation Desert Storm and Operation Desert Freedom.
General Characteristics:
Primary Function: Multi-role fighter
Builder: Lockheed Martin Corporation
Power Plant: One Pratt and Whitney F100 F-100-PW 200/220/229 or General Electric F110-
GE-100/129
Thrust: 27,000 pounds
Length: 49’5”
Wingspan: 32’8”
Speed: 1,500 mph
Ceiling: 50,000 ft
Maximum Takeoff Weight: 37,500 pounds
Range: 2,000 miles
Armament: One M-61A1 20mm multi barrel cannon with 500 rounds; external stations can
carry up to six air-to-air missiles, conventional air-to-air and air-to-surface munitions
and electronic countermeasure pods.
Unit Cost: $14.6 million to$18.8 million
Crew: F-16C, one; F-16D, one or two
Date Deployed: January 1979 |
388 th Fighter Wing History
The Viper West Demonstration Team is part of the United States Air Force 388 th Fighter Wing stationed at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. The fighter wing traces it history to World War Two when it flew the famed B-17 “Flying Fortress” over Germany. Flying fighter aircraft, the 388 th saw service in the Vietnam conflict, and most recently in operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
