Exclusive Video: Loss of Control in an F-16 Fighter, Test Pilot on Yaw Departure

Editorial Staff

Monday, August 17, 2009 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

F-16 fighters are continuously tested at Edwards Air Force Base to evaluate new software upgrades and weapon packages.
These tests are essential for experimental test pilots to identify the aircraft's performance limits and ensure combat readiness before upgraded F-16s (Vipers) are deployed.
Air Force pilot Desmond Brophy guides viewers step-by-step through one of these crucial F-16 tests.

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At Edwards Air Force Base, they still test F-16 fighters, because each software upgrade and each new weapons package introduces new parameters. Experimental test pilots need to identify the aircraft’s performance limits, and they need to know how it will perform before their brothers- and sisters-in-arms take upgraded Vipers into combat. This is one of those tests, and Air Force pilot Desmond Brophy walks us through it step-by-step.

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