Quote:
Originally Posted by BullF-16
I think when you say a vertical, you mean slow speed fight. The rudder on the Viper is useless at low speed/high AOA fighting. It has nothing to do with the size of the rudder or the vertical stabilator. The FLCS (flight control computer) is there to prevent departing controlled flight. It will cut out any rudder inputs at high AOA. Also at high AOA the FLSC drastically cuts back on G available(basically nose authority). If you stay near corner velocity in a Viper there aren't any 4th gen fighters that can beat it if flown properly.
If your are dumb enough to get slow vs a Hornet then you deserve to die(simulated of course). I have fought countless hornets and if you stay above about 300KIAS and flare off their AIM-9 shots then you know when they are slow and when you have exclusive use of the vertical. I.E. beat them down on airspeed then climb in full AB to about 10,000 above them. Pirouette down from on high and they will lose every time.
Its the young guys who get impatient and get slow vs a Hornet that get their asses handed to them. I learned early on not to do that!  |
It is amazing how small of a world we live in at times. A lot of what you said was verbatim of what the NSAWC pilots would say. At one time the Navy NSAWC school had F-14's, F/A-18's, F-5's and F-16's. A couple of the pilots that came to us that were NSAWC instructor pilots that also played the adversary role flew all of the jets I mentioned. They always said the Falcon was the most fun to fly, but if they had to go in the thick of things they would always take a Hornet over anything else.