Not C/L but Interesting Drone

[Russ Main]

This is a short Boeing video about making the F 16 into a drone. Maybe you all have seen it but it is really interesting. I'm not really sure how to add a link so you may have to copy and paste.

http://video.boeing.com/services/player/bcpid1173939806001?bckey=AQ~~%2cAAAAukPAlqE~%2coAVq1qtdRjwBrIkHYj2MSytJiEK9s5fy&bclid=0&bctid=2684464741001

[Dan McEntee]

     Just another link in the chain! Retired fighters have been used for target drone duty for quite a while, but is note worthy that they are now up to F-16s! Must not be anything else left that is air worthy. There is a company at what is not called St. Louis Regional Airport (formerly Alton Civic Memorial Airport) in Bethalto, Illinois that had a long contract converting F-4 Phantoms and F-106s to target drone configuration. Bruce Shipp, and stunt guy here on the list, was part of the program during the F-106 days. The practice goes back a long way and remotely piloted full size aircraft go all the way back to World War Two.  When Joseph Kennedy Jr. was killed in the war, he was flying a remote controlled bomber that was fully packed with high explosives, and was supposed to bail out at a certain point before the bomber and it's guide plane were to continue on to it's intended target. Some sort of malfunction caused the plane to explode while in route. I think this is a much better use for them than just plain scrapping them.
   Type at you later,
   Dan McEntee

[Randy Cuberly]

     Just another link in the chain! Retired fighters have been used for target drone duty for quite a while, but is note worthy that they are now up to F-16s! Must not be anything else left that is air worthy. There is a company at what is not called St. Louis Regional Airport (formerly Alton Civic Memorial Airport) in Bethalto, Illinois that had a long contract converting F-4 Phantoms and F-106s to target drone configuration. Bruce Shipp, and stunt guy here on the list, was part of the program during the F-106 days. The practice goes back a long way and remotely piloted full size aircraft go all the way back to World War Two.  When Joseph Kennedy Jr. was killed in the war, he was flying a remote controlled bomber that was fully packed with high explosives, and was supposed to bail out at a certain point before the bomber and it's guide plane were to continue on to it's intended target. Some sort of malfunction caused the plane to explode while in route. I think this is a much better use for them than just plain scrapping them.
   Type at you later,
   Dan McEntee

Dan,
Come to Tucson and I'll show you hundreds of acres of stored aircraft such as F4's etc that are not current line fighters...literally thousands of them.

Being just naturally suspicious of our Government I suspect there's more to this than usage as "Target Drones".

Now all we have to do is wait for terrorists to get their hands on some remote controlled armed F-16's.

I don't have to tell you that the limiting factor in the maneuvability of a fighter aircraft is always the G-load the pilot can take.  My guess is the Engineers simply want to eliminate that weakness...Personally I feel very squeamish about this whole program...of course I'm one of those "nuts" that doesn't trust the Government at any time!!!
Silly Me!!!

Randy Cuberly