contrail_dash said:.....He said that the Hornet didnt do well vertically against the Viper. .......when 18's come and play with the 120th, they cant make the climbout of the "Sandbox" departure (a crazy vertical climb to avoid KDEN traffic) from Buckley...straight from the Hornets pilots mouth....
The F-18 can't make a published departure? I seriously doubt that -- I'd have to see that one to believe it.
I have gone 1V1 against both F-18 and F-16 strapped to an old, belching, clunky, smoky, leaky, gasping Douglas A4. The verdict? The F-18 is superior overall to the F-16. As always, it all depends how the aircraft is flown. There are good pilots, there are not so good pilots, and there are a whole bunch of average pilots.
One man's opinion ... based on experience ... period.