Dutch F-16 pilot strafes range control tower

Flight International ^ | 11/6/13 | Anno Gravemaker

[Vermont Lt]

“Former pilot”. That is the corrected title.

[riverrunner]

I always wondered what happen to them

[MasterGunner01]

The first questions that come to mind: 1) was this an incredibly bad pilot that could not recognize the control tower from the intended target or 2) could the strafing by the Dutch pilot be intentional?

Things for investigators to look at: 1) was the pilot gay, did he have a bad fight with his/her lover, and did the lover work in the control tower; 2) was the pilot a Muslim convert getting in touch with his inner Jihadist; or 3) bad eyesight?

[MasterGunner01]

“I always wondered where their casings were falling.”

Airborne Gatling guns such as the M61A1/A2 (20mm), GAU-12/U (25mm), and GAU-8/A (30mm) use a link-less feed system that does not use links and re-stows the fired cases back into the ammunition drum. The reason is because high speed jets would shoot themselves down with any links and expended cases ejected overboard.

[Kommodor]

There’s a lot of stuff that has to go ‘wrong’ for that sort of thing to happen.

All of them involve direct (willful) pilot action.

Including placing the pipper on target before pulling the trigger.

[B4Ranch]

I was just about to ping him myself. I’m interested in what Taxman has to say about this.

[Chode]

unlike days of yore when linkage and brass coming in during a gun run could ruin your day if you got hit by them...

[MasterGunner01]

This only applies to fast movers (jets). Helicopters still dump brass and links overboard. So, if you're on the ground and getting helo gunship support — duck and cover because it's raining links and brass.

[Chode]

yeah, i was talking A4's F4's F100's and the like... 300-400mph rain can ruin your day

[Taxman]

Sh!t Happens? I have no clue what caused the errant fire.

[B4Ranch]

That’s not just a matter of pressing the trigger, is it? You have to align the fuselage to the target first?

[GeronL]

Those rounds go where the plane is aimed

[B4Ranch]

That’s what I was thinking. I wonder if the controller was messing with the pilots woman?

[GeronL]

lol

[RichInOC]

For some reason, I was thinking more of the bit where Stinger’s chewing them out earlier in the movie.

[Taxman]

I really don’t have any information that could shed light on this incident, as I am not conversant with the F-16 fire control system.

HST, one generally does not aim one’s gun at something one does not want to shoot at.

Probably will come down to a pilot error incident.

[Billthedrill]

Never bring a microphone to a cannon fight.

[MasterGunner01]

Dumping brass and links only works up to just over 400 knots. The A-4, F-4C/D, and F-100 could get away with it due yo the location of their intakes (the engine could not ingest the links and brass). The F-4E put a 20mm M61 rotary gun in the nose and went with internal stowage. Ditto the F-104 and F-105. The F-101, F-102, and F-106 carried missiles only. The A-1E/H Skyraiders never worried about it with that big R-3350 radial engine up front.