F-16 P-51D F-86 Heritage Flight- bank
by Rick Bures
Title
F-16 P-51D F-86 Heritage Flight- bank
Artist
Rick Bures
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
F-16 P-51D F-86 Heritage Flight- bank. In this vertical composition, three fighter aircraft from three generations fly in formation in the Heritage Flight of the 2015 Oregon International Air Show. Their varying paint schemes contrast well with each other and the cloudless blue sky. The strong direct light combines with a motion-freezing fast shutter speed to preserve a lot of detail. The aircraft are banked over hard, giving a good view of the upper surfaces. The sun glints off the tail of the F-86.
The F-16 Fighting Falcon (sometimes called the Viper) was originally developed by General Dyamics, now by Lockheed Martin. In its current rendition, the F-16 is an all-weather multi-role fighter-bomber. It utilizes a fly-by-wire control system. It is quite versatile, armed with a 20mm M61A1 Vulcan cannon and nearly a dozen hardpoints to mount a large variety of missiles, bombs, and other equipment. The F-16 has a wingspan of only less than 33 feet, and a length of less than 50 feet. It weighs less than 19,000 lbs empty, and the F110-GE-100 turbofan can generate over 28,000 foot-pounds of thrust with afterburner. Being small and light, and at the same time with an engine that generates more thrust than the aircraft weighs, the F-16 is able to pull 9-g maneuvers and achieve a speed of over Mach 2– 1320 mph. It is able to reach its service ceiling of over 50,000 feet in just one minute.
The F-86 Sabre, or Sabrejet, was built by North American Aviation. It was developed in the late 1940’s and fought the Soviet MiG-15 in the skies of Korea as America’s first swept-wing jet fighter. Originally powered by by a General Electric J47-GE-7 engine producing 5200 foot pounds of thrust (and later by the General Electric J73-GE-3 engine producing 9250 foot pounds of thrust), the North American F-86 Sabre was capable of speeds approaching 700 mph, and a climb rate of 9000 feet per minute taking it quickly up to its fully-loaded service ceiling of nearly 50,000 feet. It had a length and wingspan of 37 feet. Depending on the variant, the F-86 could carry 2000 lbs of bombs, or five inch rockets. The Sabre was armed with six .50 inch M3 Browning machine guns in the nose and later on with four 20mm cannons.
The P-51 Mustang was built by North American Aviation and was used in World War II and the Korean War and other conflicts. It was designed as a long range fighter, its primary role originally escorting heavy bombers, and as a fighter-bomber. As the war progressed and air victories against German fighters mounted, the role of the fighter switched to taking on ground targets with its six .50 caliber M2 Browning machine guns and (later) rockets. With an engine developing over 1500 hp, the P51 could attain a speed of 437 mph and an altitude of nearly 42,000 feet. Nearly 10,000 of the P-51D variant were built, this variant having a bubble canopy.
These aircraft were photographed during the Heritage Flight at the 2015 Oregon International Air Show. See my many other photos of F-16 Fighting Falcons, F-86 Sabres, and P-51 Mustangs, as well as many other military, classic, and stunt aircraft.
Uploaded
July 12th, 2017
Statistics
Viewed 192 Times - Last Visitor from New York, NY on 04/17/2024 at 9:47 PM
Embed
Share
Sales Sheet