At the 2024 Singapore Air Show, the most attractive activity for the audience is the boarding experience. Singapore’s "Apache" armed helicopters, "Chinook" transport helicopters, F-16D, F-15SG fighters and A330MRTT refueling machines can all be boarded. Moreover, this kind of military aircraft boarding experience is not available on the professional days in the first few days, but only on the last two days of the weekend. It can be said that this is a huge benefit for ordinary audiences.
Because of this, there are many more spectators on the weekend. It is said that the tickets for February 24 are sold out. Some people want to take their children to experience it, but they can’t even buy tickets. This is rare in the previous Singapore Air Show. It is precisely because of the large number of people that there are long queues in front of each model. Generally, it takes two hours to wait, and some even have to wait for four hours. In the scorching sun, queuing for several hours just to experience the boarding for a few minutes or even tens of seconds, but the audience thinks it is worth it, because this opportunity will be gone if you miss it.
I also queued for two hours at the scene, and finally boarded the plane to experience the F-16D fighter of the Singapore Air Force.
First of all, I have to praise the two handsome guys of the Singapore Air Force, one is a ground crew member and the other is a pilot. The two of them were on both sides of the cockpit of the aircraft, explaining to every audience who boarded the plane. They were so patient under the hot sun, and they always smiled, and took photos with the boarding staff from time to time, and did various actions to cooperate. It was rare.
When boarding, you are not allowed to bring mobile phones or cameras and other photographic equipment, but you can ask your companions to help take pictures on the ground. If you don’t have a companion, it doesn’t matter. The ground staff below are also very enthusiastic and will use your mobile phone to take pictures for you.
After passing the inspection, I finally started to board the plane. I boarded from the right side of the aircraft. After boarding, I first greeted the pilot brother, and then began to enter the cockpit.
At this time, I encountered difficulties. The cockpit of the F-16D is relatively narrow. When I first got on, I felt that I couldn’t put my feet. The space in front of the seat was very small. Finally, after the introduction of the pilot and ground staff, I first stepped on the seat with my left foot, then the right foot, and the third step was to put my left foot in. The fourth step was to sit down, and the fifth step was to put my right leg in. It was a bit troublesome to stretch my right leg. Due to the limited space, the leg had to be bent quite a bit. I saw some big people at the scene, and it was very uncomfortable to stretch their legs.
After sitting down, I began to examine the cockpit of the F-16D. You don’t know until you see it. You will be shocked when you see it. The impression of the F-16, one flat and three down, was a very advanced model for China at that time, especially in the 1990s, when Taiwan had the F-16, it had an overwhelming advantage over us until we bought the Su-27 from Russia. However, the HUD I saw was pitifully small. I only saw two of the three so-called "flashlights", and they were really very small. From today’s perspective, this E-16 is really outdated. I don’t know what the level of the new F-16V currently purchased by Taiwan is. It would be great if I had the opportunity to enter the cockpit and experience it. After inspecting the cockpit, it’s time to check in and take photos with the pilots and ground crew. I am very grateful to my friends who took many wonderful moments for me.
The one I boarded and experienced was the F-16D, a two-seater, from the Block 52 batch. For specific performance, please refer to the exhibition board on site. In addition to this F-16D, there is another F-16 on the air show site that can also be boarded and experienced. It is the F-16D+ with conformal fuel tanks. After visiting the F-16D, I took a lot of detailed photos on site, including close-ups of onboard weapons and engines.
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