AMT Mercury Power |  First Flights

New Life for BVM F-16's

Turbine Conversion kits for 11-17lb thrust engines.

The BVM F-16 has been in production for about 10 years as a ducted fan powered model. There are over 200 of these airframes and landing gear systems out there in various forms of completion.
BVM's conversion kit breathes new life into these models. Many parts were replaced and others were beefed up, and, most important to you - we have a great set of plans and photo instructions that will allow you to take a completed, flying Viojett powered model, gut it and turbinize it. Plan on about 10-15 hours of work.
You could also use these new parts and instructions, coupled with the originals that came with the kit to a build a still-in-the-box F-16 into a turbine powered modern day jet fighter.

Shown above are all new reinforcement parts included in the turbine conversion kit.
Below is the turbine installation kit.

F-16 with
AMT AT-180 power

This compact engine fits into the F-16 nicely because it functions well in our 4.5" diameter bypass system (suited for JetCat P-60, PST 600, RAM 500). Coupled with a double wall S.S. tailpipe the engine runs cool and gives the Viper some extra punch, it can carry the external stores without a struggle.
We set the top end power at 15lbs of thrust to respect this very old (1991) airframe. The resulting performance is very rewarding.

The BVM F-16 is Scale

Of all the F-16's that are available today, the BVM "C" model is still the most accurate in scale outline - even including the thin airfoils of the wings and stabs and fins. The fuselage features many molded-in details and panel lines.
The landing gear is very close to perfect scale in appearance and is designed to absorb the shock of less than perfect landings. It is also a landing gear that you can get repaired at BVM should you really prang it in.
The reliability of turbine power will greatly reduce the need for repairs however, since most occur from engine-out gear down landings in the rough.
This reliability and power will make the BVM F-16 a much more popular airplane at the jet fly-ins.

Economy of Operation

This size model (70" length, 46" wingspan) and power system does offer some economy of operation compared to the larger turbine projects. The airframes and landing gear kits cost less, the finishing materials are significantly less, the transportation vehicle can be more compact and of course the fuel burn per day is about half.

Improved Visibility

Hanging under wing stores such as missiles and tanks on scale fighters such as the F-16, F-86, F-80 and MiG-15 significantly improves visual reference even on cloudy days because these items help to define the wing shape against the sky.
A full compliment of (4) AIM 9 Sidewinder missiles and the (2) wing tanks, including the pylons, adds less than a pound to the model and as you can see, they give the model purpose and presence. A bare wing F-16 looks more like a missile than a fighter.

Laser Cut Parts
Improve pylon and missile kits

We applied our improved technology to the external stores for your F-16 to make them more scale and much faster to assemble and finish. Perfectly cut balsa, ply and poly ply parts, along with molded urethane nose cones (missiles), CAD drawings and assembly notes provide easy to assemble and very light weight components.

First Flights

We logged the first 3 flights on the model in light crosswind conditions on November 3, 2001 at the Florida International Jet Rally. These test flights allowed us to fine tune the C.G. location, control travels, exponential setup, fuel burn numbers, etc.
We also recommend using a gyro on the rudder/nose gear steering to make crosswind operations easier.
As the original flight instructions state, it is best to get familiar with the Falcon in light wind or wind down-the-runway conditions.
Fly with the missiles on the outboard launch rails for improved visibility and keep the throttle up in the landing configuration.

This F-16 was built and flown by Joe Grice in 1991 with Viojett/BVM .91 power. BV acquired it in '99 and now it is airborne again with AMT AT-180 power.

We saw an F-16 on the TV news the other day taxiing out for what was probably a NORAD mission. The rear portion of the canopy was clear and the front portion tinted gold as you see this model.

Looks Great in the Air

The F-16 looks very real in the air especially with some ordinance hanging on it and the speed with the 11-14lb thrust turbine seems about perfect - 150-170mph range. We think that F-16 enthusiasts will be pleased with this airframe and power package combination.

NOTE: The F-16 Turbine Conversion kit comes complete with Kevlar fuel cells, and U.A.T.
**Turbine engine mounts and straps are not included. **

Easy to Land

Over the years, we have seen some F-16 pilots struggle to land this model and other jets. It's all in how the model is set-up and a few, simple to apply, piloting techniques.
We do believe that installing the new, super accurate digital servo's (JR 8411's) on the stabilator are an important part of the formula. The easy-to-land set-up and techniques are described in the new conversion manual.

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