gambit
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I have seen the F-16 when I was assigned to the F-111. But it was only when I was actually reassigned to the F-16 and saw it up close, the size of the vertical stab was damn near shocking. -16 crew chiefs said it was the normal reaction. The reason why the -16 had such a large vertical stab was because of the AoA demand. As AoA rises, the fuselage blocks airflow to that axis stabilization device, aka 'rudder'. The -15 and -18 relocated their vertical stabs to the fuselage edges and that alleviated that blockage problem. But for the -16 it had no choice but to have an oversize vertical stab to catch as much air flow as possible in the event of a rising AoA.
Same problem for a dorsal intake. The problem is not altitude but ATTITUDE with respect to air stream and this is important. If the aircraft with a dorsal intake takes off vertically like a rocket, then there is no problem. But that is not the case here. An aircraft flies in the horizontal axis, to put it simply, and airflow will be in that axis with respect to the body. As AoA increases, the aircraft still have horizontal or 'forward' movement and the fuselage will begins to deny air flow to that dorsal intake. The further to the aft that dorsal intake on the fuselage, the sooner it will begin to starve for air flow, hence the lower its AoA capability. That is why the F-16 have the intake on the fuselage underside and why the F-15 have its intakes on the sides.
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