A severe lateral oscillation developed during the initial high-speed taxi test as a direct result of pilot-commanded oscillations as the YF-16 approached rotation speed. Phil Oestricher, a test pilot, thankfully made the decision to fly, maybe saving the entire program
On January 20, 1974, an inadvertent takeoff at Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) resulted in the General Dynamics YF-16’s first flight. The test pilot was Phil Oestricher.
The aircraft lifts off the runway when Oestricher conducts high-speed taxi tests, as seen in the first segment of the video in this post. Rather than risking damage to the aircraft, the pilot decides to lift off and go around to land normally. On February 2, the first “official” flight takes place.
John G. Williams, a structural flight test engineer on the YF-16, recalls: “During the first high-speed taxi test, a violent lateral oscillation had set in as a direct result of pilot-commanded oscillations (several maxima left/right commands) as the airplane reached rotation speed (~120 kt). Remember, this was the first airplane to have a fixed stick, and there was no opportunity for Phil to gain any feel for the airplane, until that high-speed taxi test. As the nose of the aircraft rose, the tailplane inadvertently scraped on the runway. The left wingtip missile and the right tail static probe also lightly contacted the runway. Phil chose to take off because the bird had begun to veer off to the left side of the runway, and he was faced with plowing through the desert or flying. Thankfully he chose to fly and possibly saved the entire program. After take-off, Phil regained control and stayed up for six minutes, and landed uneventfully. Prior to the next flight, the stick sensitivity was reduced by 50% with gear down. Later, after complaints of not enough sensitivity, it was returned to the original.”
Instead, the second segment of the video documents the No. 2 prototype’s involvement in the YF-16 program’s first actual accident.
The No. 2 prototype made its first flight in May 1974, as stated by Joe Stout in his article What A Wonderful Airplane: YF-16 First Flight (Flight 0), which was published on www.codeonemagazine.com. The difference between No. 2 and No. 1 was primarily that No. 2 had a cannon, external tanks, and the capacity to transfer fuel, allowing it to fly farther between refueling sessions. In the summer of 1975, arrangements were made to take No. 2 to Le Bourget and on a tour of many European countries. The USAF had already chosen the F-16 as its replacement fighter by this point. In addition, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, and Norway were thinking about the plane.
In May 1975, a Fort Worth Division open house featured a flight demonstration by General Dynamics pilot Neil Anderson. He finished his routine but couldn’t lower the landing gear. Finally, he was forced to belly-dive the aircraft onto the grass next to the Carswell AFB runway. Surprisingly little damage was done, and the pilot was unhurt. Paris, though, was undoubtedly after ship No. 2.
Due to the accident, YF-16 No. 1 completed the Viper’s first transatlantic flight in the same month.
Photo by Lockheed Martin