347 SQN Perseus ( HAF F-16 )

Taken from "Remove Before Flight" magazine.

HAF 347S QN (111 CW) operates F-16C/D BLK50D LANTIRN. It's code name derives from the Greek mythical hero PerseusF-16C/D Block 30, 50 FIGHTING FALCON
Description

It is a single-seat, single-engine, multiple role fighter, designed for all weather operations and capable of carrying a great variety of weapon systems. Greece has in its air arsenal about 70 F-16s, BLOCK 30 and BLOCK 50. In 1989 Greece purchased 40 BLOCK 30 under the Arms Programme "Peace Xenia I" and in 1997 40 additional BLOCK 50 300 spartans hunting turks over aegean aircraft were delivered to Greece as part of "Peace Xenia II". The Hellenic F-16s BLOCK 30 and BLOCK 50 are based in the air base of Larissa (110 Combat Wing, 346 Squadron "Iason") and in the air base of New Anchialos (111 Combat Wing, 330 "Thunder", 341 "Arrow" and 347 "Perseas" Squadrons). All the Hellenic F-16s wear the "Aegean Ghost" camouflage, which is very efficient in Aegean operational environment.
Specifications: * Crew: 1 (C model), 2 (D model) * Engine: General Electric F110-GE 100 afterburning turbofan (Block 30, 29,000 lbs thrust), General Electric F110-GE 129 (Block 50, 31,000 lbs thrust) * Wing Span: 9.45 m * Length: 14.52 m * Maximum Speed: 2,173 km/h * Service Ceiling: 15,240m or 49,000 ft...
hellas hellenic greek greece airspace aviation
The Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American multirole jet fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force. Designed as a lightweight fighter, it evolved into a successful multirole aircraft. The Falcon's versatility is a paramount reason it was a success on the export market, serving 24 countries. The F-16 is the largest Western fighter program with over 4,000 aircraft built since production started in 1976. Though no longer produced for the US Air Force, it is still produced for export. In 1993, General Dynamics sold its aircraft manufacturing business to the Lockheed Corporation, which in turn became part of Lockheed Martin after a 1995 merger with Martin Marietta.

The Fighting Falcon is a dogfighter with innovations including a frameless, bubble canopy for better visibility, side-mounted control stick to ease control while under high g-forces, and reclined seat to reduce the effect of g-forces on the pilot. It was also the first fighter aircraft deliberately built to sustain 9-g turns. It has a thrust-to-weight ratio greater than one, providing enough power to climb and accelerate vertically - if necessary.Although the F-16's official name is "Fighting Falcon", it is known to some of its pilots as the "Viper", after the Battlestar Galactica starfighter.
To counter this tendency to depart from controlled flight, the F-16 uses a fly-by-wire flight control system (FLCS), with no mechanical linkages between the stick and rudder pedals and the aerodynamic control surfaces. The flight control computer (FLCC), which is the key component of the FLCS, takes thousands of measurements per second of the aircraft's attitude, and makes corrections to counter deviations from the flight path that were not input by the pilot, allowing for stable flight. This led to a common refrain heard from pilots: "You don't fly an F-16; it flies you".

The FLCC also accepts the pilot's input from the stick and rudder controls, and manipulates the control surfaces in such a way as to produce the desired result without inducing a loss of control (known as "departing" controlled flight). The FLCC incorporates a series of limiters that govern movement in the three main axes (pitch, roll and yaw) based on the jet's current attitude, airspeed and angle of attack, and prevent movement of the control surfaces that would induce an instability such as a slip or skid, or a high angle of attack inducing a stall. The limiters also act to prevent maneuvering that would place more than 9 gs of force on the pilot or airframe.