Dear F-16 Operators, especially you squadron bubbas

You are holding the second compilation of articles that I have published in the pages of' Code One Magazine through the years. I hear that the first one, Semper Viper I, sold out fast and has become somewhat of a collector's item. For those who missed it, all of the articles in the first edition reappear in this book.

As I pointed out in the original Semper Viper, these articles should not necessarily be considered the definitive answer as to how to fly the F-16. However, they do express my approach to flying the airplane. And this approach goes well beyond the theory stage. I’ve done everything that I’ve written about here, either in my career in the Air Force or in my more recent activities at General Dynamics now Lockheed. In other words, what you see here is not something that was relayed to me by someone who has a brother-in-law who knew someone who once flew in a B-24 in World War II.

As airplanes become more complex and more capable, the amount of misinformation seems to grow as well. The majority of it comes from people who wouldn't recognize an F-16 if I taxied one across their desks. This book should shed a little realistic light on the matter.

I’ll admit that the margins pilots have to work within have narrowed considerably as compared with those that existed in the 1940s and 1950s. I violently disagree, however, with people who claim that the F-16 is beyond a pilot’s physical or mental capabilities. These articles about how the F-16 flies, using the head-up display, facets of disorientation in the weather or at night, night flying in general, g tolerance, and close air support are my attempt to show fighter pilots just where the limits exist and how to operate well and successfully within them. Enjoy.

Check Six!

Joe Bill Dryden
Senior Experimental Test Pilot