Originally Posted by
Cubdriver
Wonder what the lift to glide ratio is for an F-16? That's a single engine bird and it would have to be a fairly low ratio, I am guessing 6 to one. I am sure they are trained to think fast at low altitude in those airplanes when the engine quits. Most other jets you have two engines so it's not as much of a possibility to lose both, although it does happen.
Pretty good guess. The classic answer is 1 NM per 1,000 ft AGL (or 6:1 as you guessed). A completely clean jet is actually a little closer to 8.5:1, but it's best to err to the conservative for some non-jettisonable stores, etc cuz landing in a field is not really an option (the 16 is F-16 is not derived from any 4x4 capabilities).