But this “jet” wasn’t going to crash.
A computer took over and pulled the hustling fighter plane out of the steep dive, leveling the wings in a G-inducing recovery. Two chevrons came together and “FLY-UP” in capital letters appeared on the windscreen, a signal the Auto Ground Collision Avoidance System (Auto GCAS) was about to prevent the jet from plunging into the desert.
My time as the pilot in the cockpit wasn’t in a real jet. I was sitting inside an F-16 flight simulator deep inside a place hidden behind push-button controlled doors with secret pass codes at the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
Since last year, the Air Force has installed the Auto Ground Collision Avoidance System, which was developed during years of research at AFRL, in 590 F-16s. Eventually, the Air Force would like to install the technology in the entire F-16 fleet and in the F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
AFRL has credited the technology with saving the lives of two F-16 pilots and two jets since Auto GCAS was installed, according to Amy C. Burns, an AFRL researcher in charge of the program.
Researchers are working on a similar system to avoid mid-air collisions among the high-performance jets.
About the Author