Did I make it in before @Bullf-16?

My 30+ years wrenching and living with them says you are wrong. Your year at the Kun didn't teach you much.

Those guys have a great show up here in AK last month.  

I've always heard it referred to as viper, except in FMS brochures.  And even those now are marketing it as the F16V Viper upgrade model.

Spent 3 years in a viper unit and seven years in fighter ops groups fwiw.

Looks like you did.

Probably busy, out having a life.

Saw that one fly this year

Fucking awesome, is what I call it

I think it is a "what year" situation. As I posted above, I never heard the F-16 called anything but "electric jet" and less commonly "Falcon" or "Fighting Falcon" up through my departure from the USAF in 1987. I never heard it called Viper even in my limited interactions with pilots during the early/mid 80's. But the pilot community did not talk to us a lot in those days, outside of maintenance debriefing. I never heard Viper used as a universal name for the F-16 until the early 90's. The pilots might have been doing their own thing far earlier with the Viper name.

Or love handles

This.  The loud and obnoxious little brother to the F-15.

LOL

I didn't bother to dig up the where are they now.

Guess who I am gonna corner for a laugh at work tomorrow.

Again...

http://www.f-16.net/articles_article10.html

Viper: the unofficial nickname
The F-16 is often referred to as the "Viper", a nickname especially popular with people involved with the F-16.
Before "Fighting Falcon" was selected as official name, pilots at Hill AFB, the first F-16 base, came up with a number of proposals, including "Viper".
Lt. Col. Pat "Gums" McAdoo, USAF Ret., one of the first F-16 pilots at Hill AFB, recalls the origin of the name "F-16 Viper":

At end of runway, the F-16 did resemble a cobra or something as it approached you.
However, I think Northrop had already taken that name for the YF-17.

We all voted, and Viper came in really high.
Seems there was a series on TV that had 'colonial Vipers' flying off of Battlestar Galactica (a term later used for the Eagle).

In any case, the Generals didn't want a plane 'named after some snake'!

Falcon was a good name, and it fit in with the motif that the Eagle had created.
Sort of a little brother, but still a 'Bird of Prey'.
In fact, GD had a great promo out in late 70's called "Bird of Prey", and it used the Falcon as the real world model.

Even when F-16 Fighting Falcon became the official name, Viper stuck around and became the unofficial nickname for the F-16.
The name "Viper" is even officially used for the Joe Bill Dreyden "Semper Viper" award, which is awarded for excellent airmanship by F-16 pilots.

I am properly chastened. I’ll try to do better in the future.

When we fly NATO support out of Geilenkirchen we use Esso call signs.  Those are local gas stations.

When we tanked we were "Texaco".

I wonder why.

Viper /thread

Meh, I no longer check in to these threads.  What do I know...

LOL

....

We proudly proclaim it as the Viper because if you don't pay it proper respect it will hurt you bad.

Just like any Pit Viper will.  Simple as that I guess.

Yes a Falcon will eat a bunny or two....lol...Im shaking in my flight boots.   Love me the Viper and the Hog will really wreak havoc.  Get both, I have.  

Here's me paying proper respect to a Viper this past Friday night, early Sat morning while stalking hogs....oh, they will also ruin your day if the cutters hit you.

That you, Chappie Sinclair?

Like the Hornet/Super Hornet. Developed from, looks like, but not the same. Not even the same size.

Yep, you are absolutely right.  Don't know where I came up with that one, my bad!  Thanks for the correction.