Elegance in Flight: A comprehensive History of the F-16XL Experimental Prototype and its Role in NASA Flight Research

A comprehensive case study covering all aspects of the F-16XL saga from its early conceptual design—including wind tunnel and ground testing, computer simulations, and program advocacy—through construction of the two prototypes and their use in both the Air Force flight demonstration effort and NASA aeronautical research. As much a NASA story as it is an Air Force and General Dynamics/Lockheed Martin story, the F-16XL is one of the most elegant American fighters ever built.