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irbase Arizona Flying Museum recently received an F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft from Luke Air Force Base. It is now a permanent part of the museum’s impressive collection of historic war birds. It took the efforts of nearly 20 people including 4th Congressional District Representative Greg Stanton to acquire, secure the release, transport, and prepare the plane to become a special attraction for museum visitors.
The F-16 was originally produced by General Dynamics (now Lockheed Martin) entering United States Air Force service in 1978. It is a multirole air superiority all weather supersonic fighter. The fact that it has served brilliantly for nearly 50 years speaks volumes about its unmatched versatility, affordability, reliability and passionate admiration by pilots. F-35 Lightning II aircraft are gradually replacing F-16s, but the Fighting Falcon isn’t due to be fully retired anytime soon. Approximately 850 are still in service in the US military and over 2000 worldwide. Should procurement for the F-35 program slow down or diminish, the service life of the 16 will likely extend even further…