Is it legal to fly a fighter jet

Question

If I were to buy a fighter jet like a mig or an f-16 would I be able to fly it around like a normal civilian airplane or would I have the millitary chasing me down. If Its legal do I need a special pilots license?

Answer 1

Maybe, yes, I think you need a license to fly a fighter plane.

Answer 2

al lot of civilians own fighter jets---minus the rocket etc. expensive to run,,,,rotten gas mileage.

Answer 3

Yes. Definitely you need a special pilot license.

Answer 4

Yes, it's legal.  You do need some tickets on your license.  The best buys are early model MiGs:  15/17/19; more exotic but still somewhat affordable are MiG21s.   There are F80s & F86s around.  Also I've seen a Saab Draken in civilian colors.  From the Vietnam era:  A37s ( a FAC version of the T37).  Supersonic capable civilian aircraft must remain subsonic in the USA.

You would be best off purchasing a trainer.  The most common are the Czech L29/L39 series.

Check barnstormers.com and trade-a-plane for the current market.

Answer 5

YES.

You CAN fly a jet, however you can't have ordnance of military avionics.  

Answer 6

You need a type rating to fly jet propelled aircraft. This type rating can be added to any license, i.e. the Private, Commercial, or ATP license.

F-16's are out of the question. You need to be in the military to fly that aircraft.

Yes you can own and operate a MiG - only because it's made in another country.

Answer 7

Go to eBay. Some old fighter jets are sold there. Those auctions will tell you how to legally flying those things.

BTW, I don't believe you can fly an f-16 legally without being in the air force.

Answer 8

The question is "is it legal" -- of course, if you have access and permission/license to do so - military pilots, as I understand aren't really licensed - they need to acquire civilian licenses to fly outside the military.

To fly any kind of turbojet powered aircraft in the US legally (solo) you must have a type-rating in the aircraft. [See link below.] You do not have to have a type-rating to touch the controls or be a crew-member, however, so if you know someone with a fighter jet, and they let you take the controls for a couple of minutes you will have "flown" the jet.

For a private citizen to OWN a fighter plane is a different question.

If you own an old military airplane from the East Bloc (it's possible, L39 fighter-trainers are fairly common) you can fly it, but the operation of these aircraft is, from discussing this with pilots who own them, very restricted. They can be flown around their home base airport, but, as I recall, they need specific permission to do any cross country flights that involve landing at other airports.

Answer 9

You can fly it as long as it's not armed.  Fighter jets are expensive, though, and they require a lot of maintenance.  And you'd only be able to buy used fighters, not the state of the art, and of course you wouldn't be able to include any classified equipment (fancy avionics and ECM and such).

You don't need a special pilot's license per se, but you'd have to be rated and checked out for the aircraft in question, which might be troublesome to arrange.

There are some fighter and trainer jets in private hands (usually rich private hands).

Answer 10

Yes you can fly a fighter jet, and yes you can own one, however there is some restrictions.

First, it can not be a current airframe used by the military, meaning the design has been decommissioned, and have to be demiltiaized before they are sold-removal of the weapons guidance systems, bombs, target radars..etc.

Second, they have to certified as restricted or experimental.

If the aircraft can not be operated above mach 1.

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Depending on the aircraft, a type rating is required, high altitude flight training required, and insurance companies will defiantly require a traiining program for the pilot before they will insure it, and probaley a Commerical instrument rating too.

Its common for civilans to own and operate former fighter jets such as Mig's, F4's, f5's, A-4 skyraiders, F-86's, and many trainers such as a T5, t37, L-29/39's, Iskra's

Answer 11

If you fly it in civilian airspace or military airspace you would probably be chased around and shot at by the military. You can fly it as a civilian but you will need a special pilots lisence if your not military personel. You will also have to fly it away from any kind of international airport, military base, and international land/waters.

Answer 12

Try the Classic Jet Aircraft Association (CJAA) or go to www.eaa.org and click on the Warbirds of America links.

It is certainly legal and done every day (the weapons systems are inert).  There are FAA issues for qualifications and rating.  Not to mention operating costs and insurance.

But, the Collins Foundation operates an F-4 Phantom.  There are 3 F-104 Starfighters out of Tampa and another in Arizona, also the older, Korean era jets already mentioned.

There is also a civilian F-16A somewhere in the Midwest but nobody that I know has seen it.

Answer 13

I don't think anyone can own a F-16 unless its owned by the military and you have a right to fly it.