announced Captain James “Whacker” Reeman of the 120th Fighter Squadron as we rotate off runway 32 at Buckley AFB in Aurora Colorado. I’m in the backseat of an F-16D Fighting Falcon and we're doing 236 knots (354 MPH) 30 feet above the runway. Watching from the end of the runway are my mom, sister and her husband. Whacker points the nose of the aircraft directly at them, accelerates down the runway and then pulls up into a near vertical climb right above them. In mere seconds we are at 15,000 feet. We roll inverted to level out and turn southbound.
Less than 10 minutes later we are southwest of Colorado Springs where we plan to do some low-level maneuvering and sightseeing. Just how impressive was it to make this trip in 10 minutes? It would take you almost 1 ½ hours to drive that same distance without any traffic! Captain Reeman then makes the following radio advisory, "Any radio any radio, Redeye 1 is a single ship F-16 and will be flying VR413 for the next 20 minutes point C to point G, 500 feet at 500 knots. Redeye 1". I have to admit that is probably the coolest radio call I have ever heard while flying an airplane. My flying career thus far had been limited to Cessna's and Piper single engine prop airplanes so I’ve never come close to making a radio call like that.
We spent the next few minutes rooting around some valleys, staying 1,000 feet off the ground out of respect for the few homeowners in the area. We overflew eleven mile reservoir where I had camped a year or so ago. There was one brave soul on the water that, despite being late October, had not frozen yet. I’m sure we disturbed the fish he was hoping to catch that day.
After passing the reservoir and most of civilization we dropped back down to 500 feet and pushed it back up to 450 knots. "Whacker" told me to think of the movie Independence Day as we zig zagged through the canyons and valleys. As we approached the Sangre de Cristo mountain range he kicked in the afterburner and we climbed up the lee side of the mountain, rolled inverted and passed through the saddle between two peaks. What a rush it was to experience that kind of agility and power, especially when the aircraft you are used to flying have to go around the mountains instead of over the top of them.
For the next few minutes we took it easy and did some sightseeing as we flew to the practice area. I received a demonstration of the targeting radar as we locked up a small Cessna. As he passed off to our left I could not help to think that this poor guy had no idea that he was dead about 50 miles ago. Arriving to an empty practice area, we would have the whole area to ourselves and the plan was to do some high performance maneuvering to demonstrate the capabilities of the F-16.
It did not take long to experience the full capability of the F-16. After some tame barrel rolls and loops to warm up I was completely caught off guard by a split-S. Evidently we came very close to busting our assigned ceiling and Whacker used the airplane to its full potential avoid any airspace violations. Had I been prepared for the maneuver I could have used the G-strain technique I was taught to counter the G forces, instead I blacked out for a few seconds.
We continued with more sightseeing around the mountains to allow me some time to recover. We circled Pikes Peak, flew over the ski resort towns of Breckenridge, Keystone and Copper Mountain, and then up north to Longs Peak. Longs Peak is one of Colorado's 54 fourteeners, mountains that are over 14,000 feet tall, and I requested that we fly over the top of it for a personal reason. Earlier in the year my friend and I had attempted to climb this mountain. We made it to about 13,000 feet before weather and fatigue turned us back. Today in the F-16 I had no trouble reaching the top; there would be no stopping me this time.
I did most of the flying up to Longs Peak, which helped calm me down. While I was flying Whacker commented that it was evident I had flying experience. He said most people cannot keep the airplane straight and level and are constantly fighting the airplane. The stick in the F-16 is very sensitive and the slightest movement can result in a drastic change in attitude. You pretty much just have to “think” what you want to do next and the aircraft will respond. After the compliment my chest puffed with pride. It’s not everyday you get to hear an Air Force Fighter Pilot call you a good pilot. As we finished circling Longs Peak we got our first low fuel warning so we turned back towards the base. Before the flight, Whacker asked me what I wanted to make sure we got to do during the flight. I had told him that I wanted to make sure that we did the Sandbox arrival when we returned to the base.
The Sandbox arrival is a high performance arrival that serves two purposes. First it keeps the F-16’s from Buckley AFB clear of the landing and departing aircraft from nearby Denver International Airport. Second, this type of arrival protects returning aircraft from ground fire by eliminating a long and slow final approach. During this arrival the aircraft approaches the base at about 15,000 feet and when over the numbers roll inverted, dive towards the runway and then roll back over just before touching down.
After this amazing arrival, which words really don’t do any justice, we did some turns around the pattern finishing each time with a low pass over the airfield and then finally landed. I have heard people compare an F-16 ride to that of a good roller coaster but I have yet to find a roller coaster in the world that comes close to what I experienced that day. Next to my first solo this was the most exhilarating flight I had ever been on. I got the opportunity to fly the aircraft for a significant amount of time and I traversed the entire state of Colorado in just 1.4 hours of flight time. I am forever grateful to Captain Reeman, the 120th Fighter Squadron and everyone with the Colorado Air National Guard that made this joy of flight possible.
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