Just a Nice Pic

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General Dynamics YF-16A Fighting Falcon, 72-1567, on February 2, 1974, during its first, official flight. While the aircraft has become common, at the time it represented a radical departure from the orthodoxy of US fighter design
USAF

 

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The two Lightweight Fighter (LWF) designs, the YF-16A and YF-17A, with the former represented by the second prototype. Of all the projects proposed by the US Air Force Prototype Study Team, LWF was by far the most successful, giving rise to the west’s most successful combat jet of the last half century and the ancestor of the US Navy’s most numerous jet fighter of the same period
Lockheed Martin

 

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Test pilot and engineer Phil Oestricher in the cockpit of the first General Dynamics YF-16A Lightweight Fighter prototype at Carswell AFB, Texas, in December 1973. Oestricher would make the first (unscheduled) flight in the aircraft on January 20, 1974
Lockheed Martin

 

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The two Lightweight Fighter designs were different, covering different technologies and configurations as required in the request for proposals. At the start of the competition, the US Air Force was under no obligation to proceed to a production program
USAF

 

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The designs that led to the YF-16 on the heading page of a briefing presented by Harry J Hillaker, chief project engineer for the Model 401
Lockheed Martin

 

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F-105 Thunder Chief

 

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[AZ_HighCountry]

 

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Mi-17

 

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Today In Aviation History: First Flight of the Convair CV-540​

The Convair CV-540 took to the air for the first time on February 9, 1955, as a turboprop-powered evolution of the successful CV-240 airliner family. Developed from the CV-340, the CV-540 replaced piston engines with Napier Eland turboprops, reflecting the industry’s search for greater efficiency and performance in regional air transport. Though produced in limited numbers, the type played a key role in the progression that later led to more widely used Convair turboprop variants and highlighted the adaptability of the CV-240 design.​

Austin HancockPublished February 9, 2026

United States, Federal Aviation Administration Convair 540 N104, c/n 480, allocated to United States Air Force as 57-2551. Converted to C-131E-CO and delivered to FAA in 1968-04-01 as N104. In 1975 was re-registered N30, then N74 in 1976 and N39 in 1991-06-25. Via Wikimedia Commons

https://www.aircorpsaviation.com/

 

[AZ_HighCountry]

Great piece of history! ^^^

Back in the early days of my youth, Allegheny Airlines, the direct precursor to what would become USAir, flew the both the CV-540 and CV-580. Here is an AI breakdown of the aircraft in their fleet:

 

[AZ_HighCountry]

Warhorse converted to passenger use: