February 2, 1974 - TODAY IN AVIATION HISTORY

At Edwards Air Force Base in California, test pilot Philip F. Oestricher flew the General Dynamics YF-16 Light Weight Fighter prototype, 72-1567, for the first time. The plane achieved 400 knots (740.8 kilometers per hour) and 30,000 feet during the 90-minute flight (9,144 meters).

The prototype was unveiled on December 13, 1973, in Fort Worth, Texas. It was flown to Edwards on a Lockheed C-5A Galaxy heavy-lift cargo plane. The YF-16 began to wobble on the roll axis during high-speed taxi tests on January 20, 1974, threatening to touch the wingtips to the ground.

To avoid further damage, Phil Oestricher took off to regain control and landed six minutes later.

The right horizontal stabilizer of the plane had been damaged. The airplane's roll control was overly sensitive, and the exhaust nozzle was poorly wired, resulting in too much thrust at low throttle levels, according to engineers. On February 2, the YF-16 was repaired and ready for its first test flight.

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