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Cranston Fine Arts  Aviation Art and Artists Modern Era Aircraft More Aircraft Initials A - O  Falcon (F-16) |
[UP] - A-7 Corsair - B2 - Bear - Beverley - Brigand - Buccaneer - Canberra - Constellation - Crusader - Delta Dart - Eagle (F-15) - F-84F-25 - Falcon (F-16) - Firefly - Flying Wing - Globemaster III - Growler - Harrier - Hastings - Hawk - Hornet (F-18) - Hustler - Intruder - Lancer - Lightning (RAF) - Lincoln - Mauler - Meteor - MiG17 - MiG15 - MiG19 - MiG21 - Mirage 2000 - Mirage III - Nimrod |
| Falcon Aviation Prints |
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| Text for the above items : |
Fighting Falcons by Keith Aspinall F16Cs of the 52nd Fighter Wing and the 31st Fighter Wing in action over the Balkans. |
Thirsty Falcons by Stan Stokes. Aerial refueling revolutionized aerial warfare. The first such documented refueling took place in June of 1923 when a specially modified DH-4B piloted by Lts. Virgil Hine and Frank Seifert took off from Rockwell Field in San Diego and managed to refuel another DH-4 piloted by Capt. Lowell Smith. The success of this aerial refueling permitted an attempt at a world record of flight duration. Taking off again from Rockwell Field Smith kept his aircraft airborne for more than 33 hours. Aerial refueling remained a novelty until many decades later when the jet age arrived. Modern jet-powered fighters are awesome machines, but they can consume enormous amounts of fuel, especially when flying at maximum speeds or climbing under maximum power. A jet taking off with a full weapons load that climbs to 60,000 feet under full power may consume more than half its fuel capacity. Aerial refueling was necessary to make jet powered fighters and bombers a practical weapon. In the 1950s the Air Force developed a flying boom method of refueling whereas the Navy utilized a probe and drogue system. The former required a specially trained boom operator but can pass fuel very quickly. The Navy system could handle multiple aircraft at the same time, but required a higher standard of flying. Both in Vietnam and later during the Gulf War, aerial refueling proved invaluable to the success of the air campaigns. In Stan Stokes painting, F-16 Falcons approach their tanker for refueling. The F-16 Fighting Falcon, designed by Harry Hillaker, first rolled out of the General Dynamics assembly line in Ft. Worth Texas in October of 1976. The aircraft was originally built as a technology demonstration exercise to show how much weight and cost could be eliminated from the F-15 Strike Eagle. In 1975, at the Paris Air Show, the F-16 prototype with test pilot Neal Anderson at the controls competed in the Great Fighter Competition. To the winner; billions of potential sales to countries like Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway. The F-16 duked it out against the French-built Mirage F1-E and the Swedish Saab 37 Viggen. The F-16 was the winner. Interest in a new lightweight, cost-effective, fighter-interceptor evolved in the mid-1970s as a replacement for the aging F-104. The F-16s outward appearance has remained the same for twenty-five years while remarkable advances in technology have been incorporated into the aircrafts internals. Improved engines, enhanced radar and avionics, and superior missiles have kept the F-16 effective. The F-16 can carry nearly ten tons of armament on its external stores stations. This range of armament includes air-to-air missiles, air-to-ground missiles, intelligent and traditional bombs, 6000 round per minute Vulcan guns, and external fuel tanks. |
Bekaa Valley by Robert Taylor. A dramatic combat between an F-16 Falcon and a Mig23 fought over the Bekaa Valley in June 1981. In a three day period the Israeli pilots brought down over 80 Syrian aircraft without loss. Robert Taylors brilliant painting shows a close-up view of the action. |
| Falcon Pilot and aircrew signature details |
 Brigadier General Uri Gil Our estimated value of this signature : £20 | Brigadier General Uri Gil an Ace with a minimum of 7.5 victories. 5.5 in the Mirage and 2 in the F-16, officially recognised as the worlds oldest fighter pilot who was still flying operationally at 60 |
John Kane Our estimated value of this signature : £30 | John Kane John Kane graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in June of 1976. He completed his basic pilot training at Williams AFB. Following completion of his basic flight training Kane was assigned to the 95th Fighter Interceptor Training Squadron at Tynadall AFB. Here John flew the T-33 and served as an Instructor Pilot, Mission Flight Leader, and Functional Test Pilot. In 1980 he was reassigned to the 49t11 Fighter Interceptor Squadron at Griffiss AF13 flying the F-106. During his four years at Griffiss flying the F106, Kane actually flew the aircraft (067) depicted in Stan Stokes painting when it was on loan from Castle AFB. Kane did not get to do many interceptions while at Griffiss as they were out of the way. He did scramble several times to intercept Soviet recon aircl aft deploying from Dolon Airbase to Cuba. John also ejected from an F-106 (071) in June of 1981. Later in his career Kane would transition to the F-16 which he flew with the 363rd TFW out of Shaw AFB. From 1987-1997, John was stationed at Otis AF13 in Massachusetts with the 102nd Fighter Wing of the Massachusetts Air National Guard. At Otis John would also fly the F-15. Most of John's Cold War scrambles were in the F-16 and F-15 flying out of Norway on deployment with the 363rd TFW or out of Iceland during deployments with the Air National Guard. John now flys 737-200s out of Chicago for United Airlines. The Kanes reside in Nottingham, New Hampshire. |
| Falcon Squadron details |
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