Book Review of
F-16A Air Defence Fighter
Aviation Collectables Co.
Italian Aviation Series
ISBN: 9788890623113
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2021
MSRP: $ 24.95
Italian Aviation Series
ISBN: 9788890623113
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2021
MSRP: $ 24.95
HISTORY:
The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft.
Over 4,600 aircraft have been built since production was approved in 1976. Although no longer being purchased by the U.S. Air Force, improved versions are being built for export customers. In 1993, General Dynamics sold its aircraft manufacturing business to the Lockheed Corporation, which in turn became part of Lockheed Martin after a 1995 merger with Martin Marietta.
The Fighting Falcon's key features include a frameless bubble canopy for better visibility, side-mounted control stick to ease control while maneuvering, an ejection seat reclined 30 degrees from vertical to reduce the effect of g-forces on the pilot, and the first use of a relaxed static stability/fly-by-wire flight control system that helps to make it an agile aircraft.
The F-16 has an internal M61 Vulcan cannon and 11 locations for mounting weapons and other mission equipment. The F-16's official name is "Fighting Falcon", but "Viper" is commonly used by its pilots and crews, due to a perceived resemblance to a viper snake as well as the Colonial Viper starfighter on Battlestar Galactica which aired at the time the F-16 entered service.
In addition to active duty in the U.S. Air Force, Air Force Reserve Command, and Air National Guard units, the aircraft is also used by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds aerial demonstration team, and as an adversary/aggressor aircraft by the United States Navy. The F-16 has also been procured to serve in the air forces of 25 other nations. As of 2015, it was the world's most numerous fixed-wing aircraft in military service.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Role: Multirole fighter, air superiority fighter
National origin: United States
Manufacturer: General Dynamics (1974–1993), Lockheed Martin (1993–present)
First flight: 20 January 1974; 47 years ago (unplanned), 2 February 1974; 47 years ago (official)
Introduction to service: 17 August 1978; 43 years ago
Status: In service
Primary users: United States Air Force and 25 other users
Produced: 1973–2017, 2019–present
Number built: 4,604 as of June 2018
Variants: General Dynamics X-62 VISTA
Developed into: Vought Model 1600, General Dynamics F-16XL,Mitsubishi F-2
THE BOOK:
Aviation Collectables Co. is based in Italy.
This book is soft-cover of 65 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format.
It is authored by a group of 6 writers, which is Aviation Collectables procedure for all their books.
The cover art shows a color photo of a head-on shot of the F-16s nose. It is all grey.
The back cover shows a color side-view illustration of a F-16 that is medium-grey with a black bottom and rudder The rudder flap has a red and white checkerboard pattern on it. The black rudder has a red circle outlined with some white lettering with Italian words and 3 white arrow heads on it. Below that is white serial no. MM over small 72 and large 39.
It is posed against a large color illustration of an Italian Air force roundel.
The book contains 119 color photos including the covers,
(19 of them are the cutaway type), a color cutaway illustration of the engine, 11 color illustrations of squadron patches and 2 line-drawings.
The color side-view profiles show 6 side-views of F-16’s.
The modeling section (which is COMMON in all Aviation Collectables books) features Italeri brands 1/72nd scale kit being built. The cover art of their kit no. 1271 and the decal sheet a sheet of a one-paragraph history of the F-16, in multiple languages, including English, a photo of one of the parts trees and 3 walk-around color walk-around type photos of the kit being built.
No modeler’s name is mentioned giving credit for building it.
A color illustration of the dashboard, with all the dials numbered and named is provided.
The end of the book has TECHNICAL DATA, WEAPONRY LIST, ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS and the BIBLIOGRAPHY.
This is a neat book on the F-16. It will be of great interest to modelers planning on building a model of the aircraft and to aviation historians alike.
I sincerely wish to thank Casemate Publishers, the North American distributor of Aviation Collectable books for this review sample. All of Aviation Collectibles books can be viewed on Casemate’s website at:
The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft.
Over 4,600 aircraft have been built since production was approved in 1976. Although no longer being purchased by the U.S. Air Force, improved versions are being built for export customers. In 1993, General Dynamics sold its aircraft manufacturing business to the Lockheed Corporation, which in turn became part of Lockheed Martin after a 1995 merger with Martin Marietta.
The Fighting Falcon's key features include a frameless bubble canopy for better visibility, side-mounted control stick to ease control while maneuvering, an ejection seat reclined 30 degrees from vertical to reduce the effect of g-forces on the pilot, and the first use of a relaxed static stability/fly-by-wire flight control system that helps to make it an agile aircraft.
The F-16 has an internal M61 Vulcan cannon and 11 locations for mounting weapons and other mission equipment. The F-16's official name is "Fighting Falcon", but "Viper" is commonly used by its pilots and crews, due to a perceived resemblance to a viper snake as well as the Colonial Viper starfighter on Battlestar Galactica which aired at the time the F-16 entered service.
In addition to active duty in the U.S. Air Force, Air Force Reserve Command, and Air National Guard units, the aircraft is also used by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds aerial demonstration team, and as an adversary/aggressor aircraft by the United States Navy. The F-16 has also been procured to serve in the air forces of 25 other nations. As of 2015, it was the world's most numerous fixed-wing aircraft in military service.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Role: Multirole fighter, air superiority fighter
National origin: United States
Manufacturer: General Dynamics (1974–1993), Lockheed Martin (1993–present)
First flight: 20 January 1974; 47 years ago (unplanned), 2 February 1974; 47 years ago (official)
Introduction to service: 17 August 1978; 43 years ago
Status: In service
Primary users: United States Air Force and 25 other users
Produced: 1973–2017, 2019–present
Number built: 4,604 as of June 2018
Variants: General Dynamics X-62 VISTA
Developed into: Vought Model 1600, General Dynamics F-16XL,Mitsubishi F-2
THE BOOK:
Aviation Collectables Co. is based in Italy.
This book is soft-cover of 65 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format.
It is authored by a group of 6 writers, which is Aviation Collectables procedure for all their books.
The cover art shows a color photo of a head-on shot of the F-16s nose. It is all grey.
The back cover shows a color side-view illustration of a F-16 that is medium-grey with a black bottom and rudder The rudder flap has a red and white checkerboard pattern on it. The black rudder has a red circle outlined with some white lettering with Italian words and 3 white arrow heads on it. Below that is white serial no. MM over small 72 and large 39.
It is posed against a large color illustration of an Italian Air force roundel.
The book contains 119 color photos including the covers,
(19 of them are the cutaway type), a color cutaway illustration of the engine, 11 color illustrations of squadron patches and 2 line-drawings.
The color side-view profiles show 6 side-views of F-16’s.
The modeling section (which is COMMON in all Aviation Collectables books) features Italeri brands 1/72nd scale kit being built. The cover art of their kit no. 1271 and the decal sheet a sheet of a one-paragraph history of the F-16, in multiple languages, including English, a photo of one of the parts trees and 3 walk-around color walk-around type photos of the kit being built.
No modeler’s name is mentioned giving credit for building it.
A color illustration of the dashboard, with all the dials numbered and named is provided.
The end of the book has TECHNICAL DATA, WEAPONRY LIST, ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS and the BIBLIOGRAPHY.
This is a neat book on the F-16. It will be of great interest to modelers planning on building a model of the aircraft and to aviation historians alike.
I sincerely wish to thank Casemate Publishers, the North American distributor of Aviation Collectable books for this review sample. All of Aviation Collectibles books can be viewed on Casemate’s website at:
Highly Recommended.