Happy 50th Birthday to the F-16!

The F-16 (YF-16A) first flew on January 20, 1974, at Edwards AFB, 50 years ago on Saturday.

The F-16 is probably the most successful fighter program in history. Over 4,600 “Vipers” have been manufactured, and they are flown by air forces in two dozen countries.

The first flight was unintended. During high-speed taxi tests, the aircraft experienced unexpected oscillations. The test pilot determined the safest course of action was to takeoff. That first flight lasted six minutes.

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