GOING SUPERSONIC with U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds! Pulling 7 G's in an F-16 -Smarter Every Day 235
Why Aviation Stack Exchange recommends it
Aviation Stack Exchange users cite it as a source for real F-16 cockpit footage, including the backup altimeter, G-meter readings, the pilot name on the canopy rail, and the altimeter jump at Mach 1.
Recommended by 1 people across 1 different months, 2020 to 2025.
What it is
Destin Sandlin of Smarter Every Day rides in a US Air Force Thunderbirds F-16, pulling 7 G's and going supersonic, with in-cockpit footage and instrument views. He explains the G-force effects, the aircraft's instruments, and aerodynamic phenomena such as the altimeter jump at Mach 1.
What people said
Recommends mins · 2025-03 · Aviation Stack Exchange · on “What Aircraft did this Altimeter come from?”
This instrument is a servo-driven counter-drum-pointer altimeter, with a counter for the two first digits (10 000 and 1 000 ft), a moving drum and a pointer for 100 ft. It is notably found on the backup instruments of the F-16 [LINK] , as visible on this video [this video] : [LINK] Source: [this video] Sometimes with a colored pneumatic mode flag: [LINK] Source [LINK] . The altimeter normally displays the digital altitude value from the air-data computer (CADC) but it can also work as a barometric altimeter, using the pitot static ports input and correcting it. The mode can be selected using the ELEC/PNEU switch at the bottom-right. If the CADC altitude is not available the altimeter automatically swi
Cites Manu H · 2020-05 · Aviation Stack Exchange · on “How often is the name painted on fighters?”
This question is restricted to US Air Force fighters, as I don't know if other air forces paint the pilot's name on the fighter. This question pops into my mind because of 2 reasons: this comment [LINK] reminds me a fact I saw on a comic strip [LINK] long time ago: the name of the pilot is written on the fighter cockpit, at least in the US Air Force and perhaps in the US navy. in this video [this video] (smarter everyday, episode235) there is one scheduled flight with the videographer. For this single flight they took the time to write the videographer's name on the fighter (see at 6min17s [this video] ). How often is this name (re)painted? is it updated for every scheduled flight if needed? is it upd
Cites Transcendental · 2020-08 · Aviation Stack Exchange · on “Why did the altimeter in an F-16 jump suddenly as it passed through Mach 1?”
In this video [this video] , Destin — the creator of YouTube channel Smarter Every Day — rides in an F-16 with a USAF Thunderbirds pilot. If you start watching the video at the 11:06 mark, you will see what happens when the aircraft passes through Mach 1, namely, that the altimeter reading suddenly jumps. Destin explains that this jump in the altimeter reading is because the air pressure downstream of the normal shock wave that is impinging on the pitot-static tube of the aircraft is lower than the air pressure upstream, but by the laws of compressible airflow, this would be total air pressure, not static air pressure. As static air pressure, which is sensed by the altimeter, is always higher dow
Cites Quinten · 2022-12 · Aviation Stack Exchange · on “Is it possible to fly with lower than 1 g-force?”
I was watching this video GOING SUPERSONIC with U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds! [this video] and at some point (video 15:20 minute) the g-force appear to be 0.7. Here image from the video: [LINK] As you can see the g-force is 0.7 very shortly. So I was wondering what this means and if is it possible to have a lower g-force of 1 on earth?