As a former F-117 maintainer from TTR Im SO HAPPY to see these not just flying, but actively training new systems. And even more happy to see the old TR tailcode. Brings back some of the best days of my youth. Thank you to everyone of our Bandits past, present and future and all maintainers past, present and future!
@@PpAirO5 they were taken to Holloman AFB after TTR, then retired. But are once again flying as test aircraft for new systems. Not sure how many but I assume there are a few. Many ended up on static displays and in museums.
Hey!... I am curious about something.. how many times are those drag chutes used before deemed unsuitable for use on the F-117?... those F-117 are crazy looking!
They have at least twelve F-117s on static display in American museums already! If watching them on UA-cam isn't enough for you -- they've been spotted regularly for the last 14 years since "retirement" -- you can find the closest museum to you that has an F-117 on display.
As a very little kid in the early 90s I used to plane watch at Langley Air Force base and I knew every military airplane there was by heart. One day I looked at something in the sky like the when the first South Americans saw Spanish Ships. Being so little I had absolutely NO mental concept of what shape I was looking at. I screamed in terror for my Dad and said "WHAT IS THAT!!" I remember his voice like it was yesterday say... "Son....I...don't...know...."
I grew up in newport news and my mom lived on base! Px! Lol we jse to drive by the hamgers with the doors open with these.chilling in there. The crazy one was the b2 flying over at tree top level!
Bunch of oldtimers watching this getting all excited! lol. I gotta say wathching the flight controls go through the start up routine got me a little... Miss that jet.
Loved the look of the F117 ever since I saw it in the museum in Belgrade. I know its not really that great for today's standards, but it always looked like the coolest stealth jet.
They had some of these come to Korea when i was stationed there in 1992/93, I worked w/a guy that came from them when they were black projects at TTR and he knew some guys that came over w/them so he arranged us crew chiefs a sneak peek (this would be in the "tree" area at Kunsan) Anyway, my memory is faded but I do remember going up the ladder and seeing a very old analog cockpit that wasn't unlike the Block 15 A/B model F-16's I started on. Cool aircraft however and I'm so glad I was in the USAF, our technology is incredible and fearsome for the people on the receiving end of it.
Ever since I was a kid and the world first saw the 117 in dessert storm I was obsessed. To this day it’s my favorite aircraft. It kicked open the door on an entirely new generation of jets
I STOOD LESS THAN AN ARMS REACH FROM THE PITOT OF THE GLORIOUS F-117 ... ABBOTSFORD INTERNATIONAL AIRSHOW... GOT THERE ON MY SUZUKI RG500 GAMMA . IT WAS THE NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE OF SU-37 & MIG-29 WAS THAT YEAR .
DSLR? Every time your shutter activates it jiggles the camera at the beginning as the 117 taxied in. Did your shots come out alright? Best Regards and Best Wishes!
Seeing an F-117 in person doing a pattern or just landing is something else, forget F-22 35 whatever those are cool too and powerful but 117 stands out!
Just something about that paint being black like the SR-71 makes it mesmerizing. Top Aircraft in my books is: 1)SR-71 2)F-22 3)F-16 4)F-35 5)F-117 only cause it looks cool😂😂 I was did depot level service/overhaul on rotary wing. HH-60Pavehawk,UH-60 blackhawk, AH-64 Apache, OH-58 Kiowa, UH-1N Huey. Learned alot and thank you to those that showed me the ropes. Learned the pavehawk from Top to bottom FWD & AFT. Seen some crazy things on those aircraft. Thank you to all the Men/Women past, present and future for your service.
The F-117 is an absolutely beautiful aircraft. Unique and pushed the limits of airframe design. As a teen loved that airplane so much when it came out because to me no one really pushed the limits with the design. Every other fighter jet shares common design characteristics however the F-117 doesn’t. It’s like the Skunkworks threw the design manual out the door and said we’re gonna show you something new. Unfortunately they should have made it a tad bigger for bigger internal weapons bay, made it able to carry air to air weapons and thrown bigger engines in it giving it the ability to fly a bit faster and carry a bigger payload.
The thing about the Nighthawk is that it was a product of an era where stealth technology was in its infancy, and trying to make a stealthy platform with aerodynamics that can actually fly was a massive technical hurdle. Modern stealth aircraft like the F-35 are able to use more "conventional" aerodynamics while still retaining stealth characteristics due to the lessons learned from the F-117. Hell, the F-35 already has the qualities you want, having a larger weapons bay able to carry more weapons, can carry air-to-air weapons, and is capable of supersonic flight.
@@StrikeNoir105E yep exactly! The only problem with the F-35 is it follows the same practical design standard. It’s claimed the by some the RCS on the F-117 is still smaller because the airframe itself was designed to be stealthy. Whether it is or isn’t no-one really knows because that kind of data is obviously very classified. The only other modern or shallow we say semi modern airframe that was actually built that tired to push the limits of airframe design to its limits for a fighter was the YF-23. In all honesty if it went into production today the YF-23 airframe would be a very advanced airframe when compared to 99% of the fighters in the world today. Of course with modern computers/avionics. I just like it when I see the manufacturers push the limits of design and not follow the same old standard design profile. The SR-71 was an amazing technological achievement and absolutely beautiful especially seeing it was initially designed in the late 50’s with nothing more than a slide ruler. They pushed the limits! Nothing else like it existed! All these other countries are building their new fighters and they all have one thing in common. They all either look similar to the F-22 or a combination of the F-22 and F-23. I want to see the U.S. come out with something that bring that wow and shock factor the same way the F-22 and especially the YF-23 did when foreign nations saw them for the first time. It really surprised me how many countries tried obtaining the rights to build the YF-23.
O i love flying into SAV . Side note if you look at SAV on google earth runway 10/28 about mid field. You can see the grave markers head stones for the graves they were not allowed to move when the airport was built.
Yes everything about the F-117 is about deception. F is obviously deceptive. 117 is deceptive as is it not a century series fighter. It is really a light attack airplane or light bomber. It is a surprisingly BIG airplane. Longer than an F-15. Also they recruited only the best fighter pilots in the 80s to first fly the NightHawk. And the best fighter pilots only want the F designation lol
Can you imagine what it was like for the first pilots who were chosen to fly the F-117 when they saw it in person for their first time? They weren’t told what they would be flying. Just offered a new posting and very few details.
and then imagine being told it is inherently unstable on all axis of flight and requires 100% computer augmentation to control🤣 might as well be in a helicopter.
Anybody have any information on if these aircraft have ever been flown around the Raleigh, NC area? I think it was....2019? 2020? In maybe april? Mayish? We had for several consecutive days of military jets flying low and fast over our house, usually in the mid to late morning. I was never able to get a look at them except for one time, I briefly saw two jets from side on, they looked black with twin tails. For a lot of reasons I may have perceived the color being darker than it was. But for the briefest moment I saw those jets, they did resemble a f117. My buddy told me that is prolly f-15's or maybe even f22's and I agree, that is more likely, but I still can't fully shake what I saw. In all likelihood I didn't see an f117 but it doesn't hurt to ask. Does anyone have any more information about the aircraft and what exercise they were participating in doing if any?
the fact you got to work on a F4E makes me jealous let alone load weapons for the 117, both are such awesome aircrafts. Thank you for your service keeping these birds in the air during the time you did, its much appreciated by people like me.
Ah, brings back memories from TTR. Surprised to see the RAM coating is still maintained. F-117's on display have it removed. Also the reflector is gone from the side.
I got a toy Nighthawk as a little kid and thought it was really detailed. 1 of my fav toys. Found out later a Nighthawk was a real military aircraft I thought it was the coolest piece of aviation ever created. It just looks mean 😂
When you so far a head of the game that you need to use a nearly 50 year old design to simulate the emerging stealth capabilities of your "near peers".
With our military shifting away from Counter Terrorism combat, the relevance of these fighters has come back, they still are good at being Stealth and can strike targets planes like the F-15 can't and it won't cost as much as sending the F-35, these were Retired because we had no use for a Stealth Fighter Bomber in the skies of Iraq or Afghanistan but now the Russian threat is back and they have advanced radars that call for all the Stealth craft we can get our hands on.
F-22 Rapture is by far the most advanced fighter jet ever known. No doubt. I play the flight simulator in DCS. Like it seams so, so real I would assume if this is really what it is like flying without flying if that makes sense. If you guys never tried this Combat Simulator I implore you to go try DCS on pc.
@@MikeKillian Understood, Some time ago I heard on websites about defense issues that the USAF would relocate the F-117 NightHawk in operation again but only a few units.
@@MikeKillian it was a joke, you know how some people confuse stealth with being invisible? and being that 3 of the aircrafts shown in this video are stealth aircraft
Heck bring the F-117s out of storage... While they are at it, bring out the SR-71. F-4s, F-104s, the F-14.... Just charge it on our four trillion dollar + bar tab hahaha....
@@magnatarbeing8749 Actually YES! I would build a museum and sell TICKETS for $10. I Guess on getting 300 visitors aday on average(School visits, Military holidays, walkins, etc). that's $3000.00 times 365 days equaling $1,093,000.00....Plus I would create some SIMULATED 3D animations of the FIGHTER in Flight and in Battle complete with Explosions and HOW I FLEW over BAGHDAD ....you know ..just to get the VISITOR entertained! hahahahahaha .Not bad!..here are some of my 3D animations...ua-cam.com/video/VzaudmUaLdw/v-deo.html
As a former F-117 maintainer from TTR Im SO HAPPY to see these not just flying, but actively training new systems. And even more happy to see the old TR tailcode. Brings back some of the best days of my youth. Thank you to everyone of our Bandits past, present and future and all maintainers past, present and future!
But wasn't they retired ?
@@PpAirO5 they were taken to Holloman AFB after TTR, then retired. But are once again flying as test aircraft for new systems. Not sure how many but I assume there are a few. Many ended up on static displays and in museums.
@@kinch613 .. Okay, thanks.
Beautiful and something "alien" about this aircraft. Lucky you, for having worked on it 😊
@@PpAirO5 it was an honor and thanks. Definitely some great folks in this program through the years
Hey!... I am curious about something.. how many times are those drag chutes used before deemed unsuitable for use on the F-117?... those F-117 are crazy looking!
They really need to get Knighthawks back on the airshow circuits to preserve its history so today's generation can see it.
They have at least twelve F-117s on static display in American museums already!
If watching them on UA-cam isn't enough for you -- they've been spotted regularly for the last 14 years since "retirement" -- you can find the closest museum to you that has an F-117 on display.
the previous generation didn't see it either
Do you have any idea how expensive it is to maintain these planes just for an airshow?
It looks like they have been put back into operation and are being used to test new tech
We need a F117 demo team!
They need to have a Stealth heritage flight program for airshows next year.
The stuff avgeek wet dreams are made of
now this is a great idea. these planes are too iconic to end as museum pieces only
As a very little kid in the early 90s I used to plane watch at Langley Air Force base and I knew every military airplane there was by heart. One day I looked at something in the sky like the when the first South Americans saw Spanish Ships. Being so little I had absolutely NO mental concept of what shape I was looking at. I screamed in terror for my Dad and said "WHAT IS THAT!!" I remember his voice like it was yesterday say... "Son....I...don't...know...."
I grew up in newport news and my mom lived on base! Px! Lol we jse to drive by the hamgers with the doors open with these.chilling in there. The crazy one was the b2 flying over at tree top level!
anyone else notice the guys holding the wings and working on the plane have skunk works t shirts on.. amazing
THE NIGHTHAWKS ARE LEGENDARY AND NEED TO BE HONORED AND PRESERVED!!!
There are certainly more modern and more powerful LO platforms out there today, but none will ever have the mystique of the Nighthawk!
checkout the guy who saw a ufo in a jungle as soldier and they were trafficking stuff
No more problems in the air.
Note the tail number "828" on the bomb bay door at 4:12
No "tail" number? Not advertising how many are in service??
Still look pretty darn good. It's amazing what the engineers can come up with using crude tools to design this beast! An engineering marvel!
Bunch of oldtimers watching this getting all excited! lol. I gotta say wathching the flight controls go through the start up routine got me a little... Miss that jet.
Loved the look of the F117 ever since I saw it in the museum in Belgrade. I know its not really that great for today's standards, but it always looked like the coolest stealth jet.
They had some of these come to Korea when i was stationed there in 1992/93, I worked w/a guy that came from them when they were black projects at TTR and he knew some guys that came over w/them so he arranged us crew chiefs a sneak peek (this would be in the "tree" area at Kunsan) Anyway, my memory is faded but I do remember going up the ladder and seeing a very old analog cockpit that wasn't unlike the Block 15 A/B model F-16's I started on. Cool aircraft however and I'm so glad I was in the USAF, our technology is incredible and fearsome for the people on the receiving end of it.
amazing aircraft spotting and the engine sound is really cool
I really love F-117 ❤💙🤍 THX USAF
Ever since I was a kid and the world first saw the 117 in dessert storm I was obsessed. To this day it’s my favorite aircraft. It kicked open the door on an entirely new generation of jets
GOOD TO SEE FLYING AGAIN.
They using them for aggressors in Red Flags? I've heard that was the case.
The Return of F-117
Awesome. I heard the F-22 Canopy alone cost like 6 million ?
That's a beauty right there - with Steve's Irwin voice
Ya never see close up shots of the trailing edge of the wing root even at air shows when it's on display not that I've seen ' wonder why ?
I STOOD LESS THAN AN ARMS REACH FROM THE PITOT OF THE GLORIOUS F-117 ... ABBOTSFORD INTERNATIONAL AIRSHOW... GOT THERE ON MY SUZUKI RG500 GAMMA . IT WAS THE NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE OF SU-37 & MIG-29 WAS THAT YEAR .
VERY COOL !! I love the Nighthawk 😎💜💜
Did he say 48 flyable?? That's interesting
they have to reattach the wings first, the rest are on poles at museums, couple were cut up
I'm 48, hard to believe this thing first flew on June 18th, 1981, summer break before going into the 1st grade.
Great videos. Thank you.
The Grandad of stealth is back !!
35 yrs later & the F-117 still looks like a lethal alien death machine.
DSLR? Every time your shutter activates it jiggles the camera at the beginning as the 117 taxied in. Did your shots come out alright? Best Regards and Best Wishes!
I don’t know the location of this airbase but it’s definitely not former RAF Coltishall. Jeez there’s a lot of aircraft there!
They should have never stopped using these. Such an amazing plane.
Who says they stopped? 😉
Interesting tail assembly ... for different assignments!
Great shots, Mike!
The design is something like sonic the hedgehog would fly
Seeing an F-117 in person doing a pattern or just landing is something else, forget F-22 35 whatever those are cool too and powerful but 117 stands out!
The Wobblin Goblin! Love it!
Just something about that paint being black like the SR-71 makes it mesmerizing.
Top Aircraft in my books is:
1)SR-71
2)F-22
3)F-16
4)F-35
5)F-117 only cause it looks cool😂😂
I was did depot level service/overhaul on rotary wing.
HH-60Pavehawk,UH-60 blackhawk, AH-64 Apache, OH-58 Kiowa, UH-1N Huey. Learned alot and thank you to those that showed me the ropes. Learned the pavehawk from Top to bottom FWD & AFT. Seen some crazy things on those aircraft.
Thank you to all the Men/Women past, present and future for your service.
The F-117 is an absolutely beautiful aircraft. Unique and pushed the limits of airframe design. As a teen loved that airplane so much when it came out because to me no one really pushed the limits with the design. Every other fighter jet shares common design characteristics however the F-117 doesn’t. It’s like the Skunkworks threw the design manual out the door and said we’re gonna show you something new. Unfortunately they should have made it a tad bigger for bigger internal weapons bay, made it able to carry air to air weapons and thrown bigger engines in it giving it the ability to fly a bit faster and carry a bigger payload.
The thing about the Nighthawk is that it was a product of an era where stealth technology was in its infancy, and trying to make a stealthy platform with aerodynamics that can actually fly was a massive technical hurdle. Modern stealth aircraft like the F-35 are able to use more "conventional" aerodynamics while still retaining stealth characteristics due to the lessons learned from the F-117. Hell, the F-35 already has the qualities you want, having a larger weapons bay able to carry more weapons, can carry air-to-air weapons, and is capable of supersonic flight.
@@StrikeNoir105E yep exactly! The only problem with the F-35 is it follows the same practical design standard. It’s claimed the by some the RCS on the F-117 is still smaller because the airframe itself was designed to be stealthy. Whether it is or isn’t no-one really knows because that kind of data is obviously very classified. The only other modern or shallow we say semi modern airframe that was actually built that tired to push the limits of airframe design to its limits for a fighter was the YF-23. In all honesty if it went into production today the YF-23 airframe would be a very advanced airframe when compared to 99% of the fighters in the world today. Of course with modern computers/avionics.
I just like it when I see the manufacturers push the limits of design and not follow the same old standard design profile. The SR-71 was an amazing technological achievement and absolutely beautiful especially seeing it was initially designed in the late 50’s with nothing more than a slide ruler. They pushed the limits! Nothing else like it existed!
All these other countries are building their new fighters and they all have one thing in common. They all either look similar to the F-22 or a combination of the F-22 and F-23. I want to see the U.S. come out with something that bring that wow and shock factor the same way the F-22 and especially the YF-23 did when foreign nations saw them for the first time. It really surprised me how many countries tried obtaining the rights to build the YF-23.
O i love flying into SAV . Side note if you look at SAV on google earth runway 10/28 about mid field. You can see the grave markers head stones for the graves they were not allowed to move when the airport was built.
Does anyone know why they chose to give it the F fighter designation? Its obviously more bomber/recon than fighter.
Yes everything about the F-117 is about deception. F is obviously deceptive. 117 is deceptive as is it not a century series fighter. It is really a light attack airplane or light bomber. It is a surprisingly BIG airplane. Longer than an F-15. Also they recruited only the best fighter pilots in the 80s to first fly the NightHawk. And the best fighter pilots only want the F designation lol
Kill AWACS aircraft
If you do some searching on the web it does talk to why there are a few documentaries that explain why mainly for secrecy
That's some legit Independence Day sh*t going on there.
that is a LOOOOT of money sitting on that tarmac..also hard to believe that the newest F-22A is over 10 years old now.
still looks sleek and agressive.thank you to all of our military personel who stand in the defence of our great country.
awesome upload
Maybe it's just me, but I like the engine sound of the 117 better than the 22. I think it has a higher pitch zingy sound.
Can you imagine what it was like for the first pilots who were chosen to fly the F-117 when they saw it in person for their first time? They weren’t told what they would be flying. Just offered a new posting and very few details.
and then imagine being told it is inherently unstable on all axis of flight and requires 100% computer augmentation to control🤣 might as well be in a helicopter.
Project Have Blue
117 and 22 are just so beautiful and alienlike
The black T-38s are they’re a part of ATC I may be showing my age it was ATC when I was in during the 80s
Anybody have any information on if these aircraft have ever been flown around the Raleigh, NC area? I think it was....2019? 2020? In maybe april? Mayish? We had for several consecutive days of military jets flying low and fast over our house, usually in the mid to late morning. I was never able to get a look at them except for one time, I briefly saw two jets from side on, they looked black with twin tails. For a lot of reasons I may have perceived the color being darker than it was. But for the briefest moment I saw those jets, they did resemble a f117.
My buddy told me that is prolly f-15's or maybe even f22's and I agree, that is more likely, but I still can't fully shake what I saw. In all likelihood I didn't see an f117 but it doesn't hurt to ask.
Does anyone have any more information about the aircraft and what exercise they were participating in doing if any?
In California we called them the flying diamond 💎😊😊😊😊
They’re not even pretending anymore. “Retired” I don’t think so. It’s awesome that they’re still flying.
Maybe it's just perspective, but buddy in the black shirt at 5:22 came extremely close to getting 3000 psi of aluminum to the spine.
Very cool. I love F117!!!
If you look really close you can see the shock diamonds on the F-16’s.
Diamonds? Where?
The S200 watching the F117: 😚
fanatstic i first saw one fly & in the static park at Raf Mildehall Airfete in 1992 mazing piece of engineering & design
In my 20 years in the USAF as a Weapons loader the F117 was my second favorite (and easiest) Aircraft to work favorite...F4E.
the fact you got to work on a F4E makes me jealous let alone load weapons for the 117, both are such awesome aircrafts. Thank you for your service keeping these birds in the air during the time you did, its much appreciated by people like me.
Ah, brings back memories from TTR. Surprised to see the RAM coating is still maintained. F-117's on display have it removed. Also the reflector is gone from the side.
People still use DSLR's?
Was that an F-22 or 35?
I love this jet...f117 glad to see it flying again, although as a training one but still...great news.
How about that mach .99 through Star wars canyon?
How about I fly through Star Wars Canyon again? And again. And again…
ua-cam.com/video/gmdt2Q8BULo/v-deo.html
@@MikeKillian This was pre hornet mishap?
@@JSFGuy nope, that no-fly BS is only for active military planes, it doesn’t apply to privately owned & operated jets
@@MikeKillian Right, didn't know if that extended, sounds good.
US will achieve victory upon all challenges by using this Air Power ❤❤❤❤❤❤
Sorry, we didn't know it was invisible 😂
Serbian PVO got u HAHAHAHAHAHA
Talk about a Lockheed bird farm!
I love America because they have always had all the best cool military hardware and this plane being one example
F22 always steals the show
I got a toy Nighthawk as a little kid and thought it was really detailed. 1 of my fav toys. Found out later a Nighthawk was a real military aircraft I thought it was the coolest piece of aviation ever created.
It just looks mean 😂
Looks Sci Fi! Next we might see one boosting into space.
Outstanding jet" and well ahead of its time, 💯👌
Look like Lamborghini with wings
Love them all but for me the Viper ( I actually prefer Falcon ) is King and she's still going.
This was a great video, I like how it ends with the Ch-47 prop wash on the stealth planes lol (I know it was far away and was no danger)
Prop wash ?
Wow that is incredible. they are so much smaller than i thought.
Epic video broo
Still the most beautiful looking her ever made. 🥰👍
Got to still love the F22
Is invisible??
When you so far a head of the game that you need to use a nearly 50 year old design to simulate the emerging stealth capabilities of your "near peers".
Younger i though it was a brand new plane, only saw it like 20 years ago on tv
With our military shifting away from Counter Terrorism combat, the relevance of these fighters has come back, they still are good at being Stealth and can strike targets planes like the F-15 can't and it won't cost as much as sending the F-35, these were Retired because we had no use for a Stealth Fighter Bomber in the skies of Iraq or Afghanistan but now the Russian threat is back and they have advanced radars that call for all the Stealth craft we can get our hands on.
I want the black Nighthawk t-shirt!
Thanks for sharing video 🇺🇲 , fuckin things are so badass looking
Mighty America 👊👊👊
i just had to make another comment. there is a lot of airpower at this one airport.
O my god night hawk jets has been retired from the military base...now it is a ghost jet
The "Wobblin' Goblin"
F-22 Rapture is by far the most advanced fighter jet ever known. No doubt. I play the flight simulator in DCS. Like it seams so, so real I would assume if this is really what it is like flying without flying if that makes sense. If you guys never tried this Combat Simulator I implore you to go try DCS on pc.
Is the F-117 still operational in the USAF ?
Supporting training exercises yes, but not as a combat platform (not that we know of)
@@MikeKillian Understood, Some time ago I heard on websites about defense issues that the USAF would relocate the F-117 NightHawk in operation again but only a few units.
Even though retired... The US still uses this plane for training.
What base was this from
where is the f117 16 minutes and all i have seen was a t-38, a few f-16’s, a passenger airplane and a helicopter?
Half the video is up close with the thing dipshit, pay attention
@@MikeKillian it was a joke, you know how some people confuse stealth with being invisible? and being that 3 of the aircrafts shown in this video are stealth aircraft
@@torres4148 hard to know what’s a joke and what isn’t on the internet, an "LOL j/k” would have made it more clear 😂 I get it now sorry
Heck bring the F-117s out of storage...
While they are at it, bring out the SR-71. F-4s, F-104s, the F-14....
Just charge it on our four trillion dollar + bar tab hahaha....
Man just beautiful😎
I still think that is the most beautiful plane ever made! I want one!
@@magnatarbeing8749 Actually YES! I would build a museum and sell TICKETS for $10. I Guess on getting 300 visitors aday on average(School visits, Military holidays, walkins, etc). that's $3000.00 times 365 days equaling $1,093,000.00....Plus I would create some SIMULATED 3D animations of the FIGHTER in Flight and in Battle complete with Explosions and HOW I FLEW over BAGHDAD ....you know ..just to get the VISITOR entertained! hahahahahaha .Not bad!..here are some of my 3D animations...ua-cam.com/video/VzaudmUaLdw/v-deo.html
Lovely chemicals in that sky
It only carried 2 bombs but youd never see it coming
Great video.
Nothing to see here… “they’re just training” lol stay tuned. Gonna get real juicy.