Edwards test pilots get IPs 'out-of-control'

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman C.J. Hatch
  • 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  Test pilots from Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., were at Luke Aug. 22 through Thursday teaching local pilots on high angle of attack, or how to recover should their jet become out-of-control.

"A plane is designed to fly through the air straight with air going over the wings generating lift," said Capt. Tom Tauer, 62nd Fighter Squadron instructor pilot. "When it's not, say in a hard turn at a low speed, some unique things can happen. It can stall or might not respond to pilot input."

For the training, an Edwards test pilot flew with a Luke instructor pilot who intentionally put the aircraft in those situations. This teaches pilots how to recover and what to expect in terms of handling the aircraft.

"The F-16 from Edwards has a few modifications to help it become out-of-control. For instance there is no gun, different weight distribution or things that make the jet less stable" Captain Tauer said. "These modifications can cause a fuel imbalance - something you wouldn't want to happen, where all the fuel is in the back of the aircraft."

By moving the fuel back, the center of gravity shifts on the jet making it easier to depart controlled flight, Captain Tauer said.

"The F-16 was designed to self-recover, making it difficult to get out of control," he said.

When a pilot needs to recover the jet, he does a maneuver which rocks the jet front to back until the pilot can point the nose at the ground getting the air flow back over the wing. The pilot can then glide to safety.

"As a precaution we stayed within gliding distance of Gila Bend," he said. "Also for safety we were 30 to 40-thousand feet altitude before we went out-of-control."

The training is usually conducted at Edwards with Luke sending a few pilots a year.

"Because we have so many F-16 instructor pilots and we are reasonably close to Edwards, they sent two pilots and a jet here," he said. "We flew four pilots a day for two weeks, totaling 30 pilots trained."

The flights were done in the Edwards aircraft with a Luke pilot in the front seat and an Edwards pilot in the back. The Edwards pilots are specifically trained to do this training.

"The Edwards pilots are under a different major command," Captain Tauer said.

"Because of this we can do some things we normally can't do; for instance, a simulated flame out approach. We practice them all the time, but the AETC rules say we can't actually land. But if flying in the Edwards jets we fall under their rules which say we can."

This was an opportunity for Luke pilots who have never had a chance to land a simulated flame-out to do so. A flame-out simulates a stalled engine and the pilot handles it by gliding the aircraft to a landing.

"This training helps a pilot know the limits of an aircraft by pushing it beyond," Captain Tauer said. "We can get a feel for where the limit is and also the skill of rocking and recovering the jet if it ever did go out-of-control."