Lawn Dart (F-16 Viper) - why it got called so...
Sat Mar 07, 2009 1:00 am
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CrY8gsu ... re=related
Found it - the WHOLE reason the F-16 got called LAWN DART by military and others..
YF-16 test plane literally become THE lawn DART in this footage.
So there the answer behind the name.
Must be cheaper ways to mow the lawn too ...
Found it - the WHOLE reason the F-16 got called LAWN DART by military and others..
YF-16 test plane literally become THE lawn DART in this footage.
So there the answer behind the name.
Must be cheaper ways to mow the lawn too ...
Sat Mar 07, 2009 1:47 am
The joke comes out of the fact that the F-16 is a single engine airplane and has all fly-by-wire flight controls without manual backup.
Combine that ALSO with the fact that a lot of F-16s were powered by the Pratt F-100-PW-220 engine, which has had a reputation for being not exactly the most reliable motor.
This has led to a lot of people needing to bail out of the jet for engine problems -- failure, fire, bird ingestion, etc.
This leaves that sleek, pointy-nosed aerospace vehicle to fall to earth ballistically, just like a lawn dart.
Combine that ALSO with the fact that a lot of F-16s were powered by the Pratt F-100-PW-220 engine, which has had a reputation for being not exactly the most reliable motor.
This has led to a lot of people needing to bail out of the jet for engine problems -- failure, fire, bird ingestion, etc.
This leaves that sleek, pointy-nosed aerospace vehicle to fall to earth ballistically, just like a lawn dart.
Sat Mar 07, 2009 2:23 am
The 'lawn dart' canard gets attached to just about any 'pointy' jet with an arguable safety record. Certainly the F-104 and Mirage have both had the term applied long before the F-16 arrived. I'd imagine first use would go back to the early century series types, if anyone cared to check.
Sat Mar 07, 2009 3:01 am
Sweringen METROLINER
Sat Mar 07, 2009 4:40 am
The Inspector wrote:Sweringen METROLINER
I thought that was the "San Antonio Sewer Pipe"?
Sat Mar 07, 2009 7:31 am
I guess I'm showing my USAF age.... the Lawn Dart moniker for the F-16... came from the fact that for many years when it was first introduced we were losing nearly a squadron a year in crashes.... NO KIDDING.... that is why it was called the Lawn Dart... because it was one... it has become a lot safer since the early 90's....
gunny
gunny
Sat Mar 07, 2009 7:33 am
Same moniker also applied on the rotary-wing side. UH-60 Blackhawks had issues in the late 80s/early 90s with uncommanded full application of the stabilator (helicopter equivalent of full downward elevator deflection). At tree-top heights, it was a nose-dive straight into the ground -- i.e. Yard Dart/Lawn Dart.
Sat Mar 07, 2009 8:56 am
That would be the late 
Neil Anderson who performed that manuver and saved the jet as opposed to slidding it down the runway, Neil also flew Dreadnaught to her only Reno Victory 
Neil Anderson who performed that manuver and saved the jet as opposed to slidding it down the runway, Neil also flew Dreadnaught to her only Reno Victory
Sat Mar 07, 2009 9:19 am
The F-16...
A Lean, Mean, Flameout Machine.
I SHALL RETURN...Well, I might.
Takes a licking and...takes a licking.
Have you hugged your chute today?
This Vehicle Makes Frequent Stops.
I came. I saw. I bingo'd.
No deposit, no return.
We've spent so much money on this thing that we can't afford to admit
we were wrong.
A triumph of style over substance.
The best darn second place fighter in the world.
Instead of a CAS [Close Air Support] mod, we're going to install a
roll bar.
And now with this LANTIRN thing and our new Block 40's, we can hit the
ground at night, too!
Crunch all you want...we'll make more.
We cover the target like a thong bikini.
And BINGO is my Name-O.
We crash more airplanes before 9-o'clock than most people crash all
day.
A war record exceeding even the B-1.
Last in the talent show, but first in the swimsuit competition.
Lose a few...lose a few.
Feet and knees together, eyes on the horizon...
Designated no-hitter.
Everything you wanted in a fighter...and less.
Optimist: F-16 Pilot who's worried about dying from cancer.
Only Michael Jackson is more manly.
Hey, today we didn't lose a single jet.
This is going to hurt me more than its going to hurt you.
User friendly...if you've got three hands.
Careful badguys...I'm carrying BOTH bombs today. I'm talkin'
wall-to-wall Mark-82s, pal.
If I carried more weapons, and if
I had enough gas, and if
I could actually hit the target, and if
I had some more REALLY expensive electronics so I could find you,
and if my motor didn't quit, and if
My wings didn't crack,
Boy, I'd really teach you a lesson!
A Lean, Mean, Flameout Machine.
I SHALL RETURN...Well, I might.
Takes a licking and...takes a licking.
Have you hugged your chute today?
This Vehicle Makes Frequent Stops.
I came. I saw. I bingo'd.
No deposit, no return.
We've spent so much money on this thing that we can't afford to admit
we were wrong.
A triumph of style over substance.
The best darn second place fighter in the world.
Instead of a CAS [Close Air Support] mod, we're going to install a
roll bar.
And now with this LANTIRN thing and our new Block 40's, we can hit the
ground at night, too!
Crunch all you want...we'll make more.
We cover the target like a thong bikini.
And BINGO is my Name-O.
We crash more airplanes before 9-o'clock than most people crash all
day.
A war record exceeding even the B-1.
Last in the talent show, but first in the swimsuit competition.
Lose a few...lose a few.
Feet and knees together, eyes on the horizon...
Designated no-hitter.
Everything you wanted in a fighter...and less.
Optimist: F-16 Pilot who's worried about dying from cancer.
Only Michael Jackson is more manly.
Hey, today we didn't lose a single jet.
This is going to hurt me more than its going to hurt you.
User friendly...if you've got three hands.
Careful badguys...I'm carrying BOTH bombs today. I'm talkin'
wall-to-wall Mark-82s, pal.
If I carried more weapons, and if
I had enough gas, and if
I could actually hit the target, and if
I had some more REALLY expensive electronics so I could find you,
and if my motor didn't quit, and if
My wings didn't crack,
Boy, I'd really teach you a lesson!
Sat Mar 07, 2009 10:46 am
A fellow I know was an instructor at Mac Dill AFB and had the experience of dropping one in Tampa Bay! Taking the AC up to check-flight after having some engine work done. Apparently the work done didn't do the trick and the engine stopped turning at low altitude just after take-off. This is not good!!! He turned the AC in a safe direction and hugged his chute!
Perhaps that is why they pulled the F-16 training wing out, didn't want to bring back the "One a day in Tampa Bay" Motto!!!!!
He now flies buses for some big airline.
Perhaps that is why they pulled the F-16 training wing out, didn't want to bring back the "One a day in Tampa Bay" Motto!!!!!
He now flies buses for some big airline.
Sat Mar 07, 2009 8:35 pm
A little info on those two video clips...
The first was Phil Oestricher on what was classified as Flight Zero at Edwards. For some unkown reason, the flight control gains were set at twice the desired value. With that, Phil got twice the desired control movement for the input. It was supposed to be a high speed taxi test, resulting in speeds near to being able to lift the nose. Due to the gain problem, Phil elected to throttle up and get her off the ground and sort out the control gain issue in the air. A couple of days later, the offical 1st flight was done, with the gains corrected, and no other surprizes.
The second clip was of Neil putting her down in the grass after having a gear uplock failure on takeoff at the first public showing of the YF. Due to the rotational energy of the B-58 wheels used on the YF's, the gear slammed into the uplocks and broke one and drove it over center, completely locking the gear on that side. Neil and the duty engineers elected to go for a grass landing with the gear up and almost all fuel burned off. Unfortunately, unknown to everyone, there was a piece of concrete hidden in the grass and he hit with the inlet. It didn't matter too much as the guys had her back in the air with a week.
The first was Phil Oestricher on what was classified as Flight Zero at Edwards. For some unkown reason, the flight control gains were set at twice the desired value. With that, Phil got twice the desired control movement for the input. It was supposed to be a high speed taxi test, resulting in speeds near to being able to lift the nose. Due to the gain problem, Phil elected to throttle up and get her off the ground and sort out the control gain issue in the air. A couple of days later, the offical 1st flight was done, with the gains corrected, and no other surprizes.
The second clip was of Neil putting her down in the grass after having a gear uplock failure on takeoff at the first public showing of the YF. Due to the rotational energy of the B-58 wheels used on the YF's, the gear slammed into the uplocks and broke one and drove it over center, completely locking the gear on that side. Neil and the duty engineers elected to go for a grass landing with the gear up and almost all fuel burned off. Unfortunately, unknown to everyone, there was a piece of concrete hidden in the grass and he hit with the inlet. It didn't matter too much as the guys had her back in the air with a week.