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General Dynamics Fighting Falcon F-16C
for use with Microsoft Flight Simulator
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Aircraft visual model by:
Rick Lee, Associate SysOp, CompuServe FSFORUM
CompuServe ID: 76702,1707
 
Aerodynamic model by:
Mike Barrs, Associate SysOp, CompuServe FSFORUM
CompuServe ID: 76702,1706
 
Aircraft visual design created with Mallard AIRCRAFT FACTORY
 
Files included: FALCON__.SIM
                FALCON__.
                FALCON  .MOD
                FALCON  .TXT
 
2 Files needed to operate with FS4:
                FALCON__.SIM
                FALCON__.
 
Aircraft *is* compatible with FS4 Multi-Player
 
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I think I got the shape right on the money. What a shape it is. In my
opinion this is the sexiest airplane ever made. I had a some real
annoying problems with bleed-thru so I left out some of the fancier
parts. Even the hole in the air scoop underneath the front end was a
real problem so I just left it off. The vertical tail bleeds through the
bottom if you are looking at it from certain angles and I never could
fix that.
 
I'm crazy about this plane even though I usually prefer the low-and-slow
stuff. I've spent hours flying around at 20,000 feet in spot view with
this plane doing rolls and just enjoying the beautiful shape of this
machine.
 
Rick Lee
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F-16 FIGHTING FALCON SPECS (real aircraft)
 
        Wingspan: 31ft
          Length: 47 ft 7 in
          Weight: 15,600 to 35,000
          Engine: 1 Pratt & Whitney F100 Turbofan
       Top Speed: Mach 2
         Ceiling: 60,000 ft
 
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Notes on the aerodynamic model by Mike Barrs:

DESIGN NOTES
 
This is the jet that Rick Stratton and I both flew in a cross country
flight (using a modem hookup) from Miami to Reno for the 6th FSFORUM
Fly-In. We had to cover a lot of ground and wanted something fast
and fun to fly. It's based on the aerodynamic model from E.J. Peiker's
excellent X-43B experimental jet (available in FSFORUM LIBrary 5). All
modifications were done by fooling around with different parameters
followed by test flights. I'm not an expert .SIM designer, and this is
not a rigorous attempt to model an F-16. I did use the High Fidelity
flight model from Spectrum Holobyte's "Falcon 3.0" as a guideline for
the roll rate and a few other things.
 
The F-16C differs from the X-43 in the following respects:
 
* Increased roll rate by adjusting aileron sensitivity from 750 to
2500.
 
* Increased speed brake (spoiler) effectiveness from 300 to 3000.
 
* Increased weight from 9500 to 15000 lbs. This is lighter than a
real F-16 (22500lbs), but then the Aircraft Designer won't allow an
engine as hot as the real one (25000lb. thrust). The added weight
compared to the X-43 helps control ballooning when adding power
during landings.
 
* Increased wingspan to 31ft. (the actual F-16 wingspan).
 
* Disabled thrust reversers
 
* Increased stall warning angle from 15 to 20, which helps a little
in controlling wild gyrations in high G maneuvers.
 
* Added 6 degree dihedral for easier runway alignment during landings.
 
 
PILOT HANDBOOK:
 
The first thing you'll probably notice is the quick roll rate. Think
of your joystick as an F-16 sidestick controller which has very limited
movement, and don't throw the stick left and right all the way to
the stops. Doing that may result in a sudden aileron reversal effect.
Just a halfway movement of the stick to each side will give you the
maximum roll rate. Don't try rapid rolls much above 500 KTS or you'll
have unpredictable results. Corner velocity (maximum turn performance)
for a real F-16 is about 450 KTS, so keep it under 500 KTS if you're
maneuvering hard.
 
You'll be at full (Mil) power when your engine thrust indicator says
50% - consider anything higher than that as an afterburner range.
At Zone 5 (full afterburner... 100% thrust on the indicator) you
can stand on your tail and go ballistic at about 275 KTS. Using afterburner
for more than a few minutes in a real F-16 will suck your tanks dry,
so try to use the 50%-100& throttle range only for brief bursts of
power. Suggested throttle setting for subsonic cruise is 25%, resulting
in about 675 KTS at 30,000ft. Top speed at Zone 5 AB is over Mach
2 (I haven't done a ground reference flight test for max airspeed yet).
The fuel supply is set for an F-16 in ferry configuration with drop
tanks. Reduce fuel capacity by 1/2 for a combat loadout.
 
Like the X-43, the F-16C trims slightly nose down in level flight.
 
For maximum realism, turn on auto-coordination for the rudder after
takeoff, and turn it off during final approach to landing. Real F-16's
have flight computers that auto-coordinate the rudder at speeds above
about 250 KTS.
 
For a good landing profile with this bird, start by reducing throttle
to 18% and opening the speed brakes (the H key) to get your airspeed
below 200 KTS, then close speed brakes. Trim the nose up with the
keyboard elevator trim (the End key on the keypad) to the first notch
above neutral trim. Set 50% flaps and lower your gear. After stabilizing,
this configuration will result in a descent rate that's exactly right
for riding a standard ILS glidepath. Final approach and touchdown
speed will be 120-130 KTS. Fly it right down onto the runway... don't
cut power until you pass over the runway threshhold and begin your
flare. Stall speed with 50% flaps is 100 KTS, so be careful and don't
pull the nose up too far when flaring on touchdown.
 
Try the following method for adjusting your vertical velocity on an
ILS approach. If you see yourself rising above the glidepath, reduce
throttle to 10% for a count of three seconds, then bring it back to
18%. Repeat the process if that didn't bring you down far enough. If
you see that you're sinking below the glidepath, increase throttle to
to 30% for a count of three seconds then come back to 18%. Use a little
forward pressure on the stick to control ballooning if you add too much
power. Another way to do this is to add or reduce power until you
actually see the nose start to move, but this can result in
overcorrecting and "chasing the needles". It's better to add or reduce
power for a count of 3, then come back to the 18% setting and wait to
see if it has the desired results.
 
This is my preferred landing technique and may not be the best one...
experimentation is recommended.
 
I like using the stock FS4 cockpit with the F-16C since it gives
the best frame rate, but it doesn't indicate speeds above 500 KTS.
Rick Stratton prefers the 747 Glass Cockpit since it provides higher
airspeed readouts and the multiple MFD's are closer to the look of
a real F-16 cockpit. Feel free to modify this .SIM to use the 747
Glass Cockpit if you prefer it.
 
 
 
 
 
