072 - F-117 Nighthawk
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- Опубліковано 12 лют 2020
- Lockheed Skunk Works is well known for its outrageous aircraft designs and cutting-edge technology. From the long list of visionary platforms comes today's subject--an aircraft Lockheed wasn't even originally invited to contribute a proposal for: the F-117 Nighthawk, also known as the "Stealth Fighter." Retired Michigan ANG Major Robert "Robson" Donaldson joins us to describe this once-top secret mystery craft including all the usual 'aircraft series' topics as well as a DESERT STORM story that will have you equally rolling with laughter and trembling in fear.
During the listener question segment, guest co-host Tra "Fish" Calisch addresses how the term "cockpit" came to be, the use of drop tanks, and whether high altitude training can reduce aircrew susceptibility to hypoxia. Please visit our sponsor for this episode, Hawthorne and remember to use code JELLO for 10% off your first order. And if you'd like to help spouses and dependents of naval aviation members, check out the Wings Over America Scholarship Foundation and their 2020 event at wfw2020.givesmart.com.
Episode artwork adapted by Janek Krause / music by Jaime Lopez / announcements by Clint Bell. This episode was produced by our friends at The Muscle Car Place Podcast Network. - Наука та технологія
That boom operator definitely deserved a morale medal
Love this podcast! Learned more about the 117 in 60mins then from watching every discovery/ military channel documentary combined from the last 21 years
Robson was a wealth of information!
pro tip: you can watch movies at InstaFlixxer. Been using it for watching lots of of movies these days.
@Franklin Rowan yea, I have been using InstaFlixxer for years myself =)
@Franklin Rowan Yup, have been using InstaFlixxer for months myself :D
@Franklin Rowan Definitely, I've been watching on instaflixxer for months myself =)
16:11 interview begins
This has to be one of the best Episodes to date.
Awesome Host, awesome Co-Host, awesome Guest and to finish it all of ...one awesome Jet.
Armin thank you! Had a great time making it and learning a ton in the process!
big bird😀😃😄
Thank you for adding graphics so that my chromecast audio doesn't cut out every 3-5 seconds! Honestly, I really appreciate it and I'm sure I'm not alone.
This is an awesome interview. I had no idea it had A2A capability with the specific anti-AWACS mission pivot in or out of a high threat area. The tanker story and LGB blast effects on the bridges and aircraft was crazy.
LRRPFco52 definitely a lot more under the hood for sure!
@@FighterPilotPodcast
Between @ and @ Major Robert Donaldson said, that the F-117 could carry every weapon except the Sparrow missile and that the F-117 had an Air to Air capability!
In the "The WARZONE" article "No, The F117 never had Air to Air capability" from June 19th 2020, the author writes, that he contacted "The Fighter Pilot Podcast" to verify Major Donaldson`s quote on the F-117s A to A capabilities and Maj. Donaldson denied any A to A capability of the F-117.
What is the truth now?
Does the F-117 have an A to A capability, or was Major Donaldson not telling the truth?
!!!!! I have to clarify, that I do not accuse Major Donaldson of lying and thank him for his service to protect the Western World. !!!!
THE ARTICLE:
@t
What a great episode, just when I think I've heard an episode that can't be topped, another comes along and blows me away. Robson, I salute your sense of humor, and story telling ability. Your refueling/low alt bombing mission story had me on the edge of my chair, and I've listened to it 4 times now. Very, VERY interesting tidbit about the F117 anti-Awacs mission vs the Soviets in Europe during the cold war. I guess Tom Clancy got that bit right (along with so many other things) in Red Storm Rising which was written in 1985 and published in 86, only a couple years after the F117 wing became active. Unreal. Must have been some sort of lock on after launch for the Aim9L/M, I can't imagine them being mounted outside of the weapons bay. What a shocking surprise that would have been to the Mainstay Soviet Awacs, having that black bat wing show up a few miles out pumping Aim9s into their airplanes.
Absolutely, SerHaHa. Lots of great history hidden behind classifications...hopefully some day we’ll get to hear the rest!
117-Wet dream! That was dope!🤣😂
I don't think you guys are doing anything wrong, the funny/risque story is fine and thoroughly entertaining. I'm sure there are people that don't want their young children to hear that, but most of us are adults and there's nothing offensive or grisly. Keep doing what you're doing. I almost never smile, but this episode had me smirking. I would also love longer episodes. I would happily listen to this show for 8 hours a day (I do).
What an fun interview, love this podcast
Thank you, You Tuber.
Great podcast!
The tanker story was the best!
There were 117 likes - I wasn't sure I can add one more. Great bird, my first plastic model, thx guys.
My first metall plane toy as a kid. Looks awsome.
@@jizburg mine was a SR72 , over 30 years later I’d love to still own it.
I love that pilot, such a nice voice and charisma. Wish him all the best in retirement!
God bless America. A special thanks to the brave and cunning woman of our armed forces.
Probbaly most insane airplane ever designed. This thing looks like it would never airborne. Seeing it in person is very cool.
This is my 1st episode of your podcast. Very entertaining and informative I can't wait to dive into the others.
I was a weapons loader on the 117 out at holloman afb back in 1998 :)
What weapons did you load onto it 😂😂😁😁
What type of Sidewinders or other AA weapons was used for anti AWACS missions?
@@Anonymous-ce6zg We only loaded bdu-33's... and occasionally 2 gbu-27's
@@bazej1080 I never knew it could carry aa weapons.... we loaded bdu-33's and occasionally 2 gbu-27's :)
Awesome episode! I love how the pilots of the older birds can go into the tactics and war stories in more detail.
No doubt, Robson was the man! Sure seems strange to think of an F-117 as an "older" bird.
My favorite toy in my box of toy soldiers as a kid was a small metal f117. Man I miss that thing listening to this episode. This is such a cool plane. I even remember as a kid looking up how to become an f117 pilot
Quite a podcast, Jell-O! Back in the 90s MicroProse published an F-117 flight sim for the PC which featured two versions of the NIghthawk: the "realistic" version which was limited the way everybody thought the real one was in terms of performance and capabilities, and the "Hollywood" version, which was better at dogfighting, stealthier, and carried air to air weapons. I had no idea the real one had air to air capability as well!
I had no idea the F-117 had an air to air capability. great information! great podcast! keep up the great work Jello and team!
Thank you, Crushenator!
@@FighterPilotPodcast
Between @ and @ Major Robert Donaldson said, that the F-117 could carry every weapon except the Sparrow missile and that the F-117 had an Air to Air capability!
In the "The WARZONE" article "No, The F117 never had Air to Air capability" from June 19th 2020, the author writes, that he contacted "The Fighter Pilot Podcast" to verify Major Donaldson`s quote on the F-117s A to A capabilities and Maj. Donaldson denied any A to A capability of the F-117.
What is the truth now?
Does the F-117 have an A to A capability, or was Major Donaldson not telling the truth?
!!!!! I have to clarify, that I do not accuse Major Donaldson of lying and thank him for his service to protect the Western World. !!!!
THE ARTICLE:
@t
@@xyzaero9656 Originally conceived for A/A capability but in practice never actually did.
@@FighterPilotPodcast So it was an original idea but did not have the equipment necessary or did it have everything necessary to fire an A2A missile if they had loaded one on to the bird but they just never loaded one up? If it would have needed a lot of equipment added to it other then the missile then that's more of an idea then a capability. Just curious since the article was wrote. Thanks Jello
Love the way you put yourself and your guest on the spot in answering fan questions.
One of the best episodes, thank you so much guys!
That was the best episode yet!
Hilarious in parts!
My favourite podcast so far. Really cool pilot
Great stuff, I thoroughly enjoyed this interview. Keep them coming!
I love this whole podcast but this was certainly one of the best episodes to date. No wonder Robson counts that as the most surreal night of his life, what an incredible story!
You're intuition is sound. 28 episodes from now a listener survey on our 100th episode celebration reveals this episode as the listener's overall favorite.
@@FighterPilotPodcast Amazing! Plus one to my intuition.
San Diego guys. .. Cool. BTW back in the day, the O.G. Lockeed "Skunk-Works" were Valley Boy's. Now their high desert guys. In 69, I was an AVROC guy out of NAS Los Alimitos, CA. A ruptured disc ended the dream of being an F-4 jockey. Although I have learned, via UA-cam I might've been a RIO(?) even with wings in the early 70s? Some Pensacola grads, back then, I believe got backseat assignments?
What an awesome interview, loved it! Thanks for sharing.
You're welcome. This episode ended up being #1 when we later polled our audience.
I worked on the f-117 at Holloman AFB from 1992 until 1995
Thanks for your service, Michael!
Me too 1998-2001ish :) Loaded the bdu33's everyday :) Good ol Alamogordo.....
I was a Martian or coater so my body gave out chipping ram all the time
Really great episode! What a story!
I've always loved this one. Great episode! :)
Thanks, Rantam!
Been waiting for this aircraft for a long time. Love
Hope you enjoy it!
Awesome to learn more of these planes that inspired us.
Best one yet!
such a beautiful bird!! made before the Tesla Cybertruck
*well* before.
Lol. It is the cybertruck of airplanes for sure.
You havent seen nothing yet compared to what they have now 😁
@@Anonymous-ce6zg Maybe some day we can do an episode on whatever is out there now.
Haha
Again, Another great episode!
Nice
Those images of F-117’s flying over the past few months include some with aggressor paint schemes
A fantastic episode. Well done chaps.
I LOVE hearing a show ran by Veterans for Veterans! Well done Sir! Im a Royal Marine and starting to reach out to other groups that do media for veterans, we're not waiting on someone else doing it for us I admire your assertion. I used to have an F117 Knight hawk Citizen watch that I gave to a chick, she was almost worth it, like a caramel panther, anyway did they really get issued to the pilots?
That was great. Got to love a good sport on a sortie.
sweet! just got home from work.. now i only need a full pan of coffee with this..
I just discovered this podcast.. great info on all the ones I've listened to so far. I'd love to see you do a podcast based on the maintainers point of view too. Then again I am biased. I was a F-117A Crew Chief for most of my military career.
Back in the 70's when I was at England AFB and A1C I had the pleasure to meet Capt Ralph Getchell, who was a Lt Col in Dessert Storm commanding the Stealth Fighters.
I had a VHS tape documentary of this plane as a kid, one of 4 tapes I had so got alot of viewing. To bad I loaned it to someone. Really interesting plane.
Very good episode! Thanks!
Thanks.
Great guest ! Loved the episode. Keep it up Guys!
Will do COOPER FP!
Outstanding podcast. Thank you!
You're welcome! When we celebrated 100 episodes later and polled our listeners, this episode came out on top.
What a podcast! God bless America! Haha
Yes, keep it longer. As long as you can.
The Tuskegee airmen inspires me to be the best.
Gotta be one of the best Podcasts from the series to date........I even looked the lady up on Google and found her....
Still gotta finish that F117 model too.....a very tiny 1/72 Scale one too...
That was awesome. Robson seems like a real good dude.
He definitely is.
🤘 PATRICIA 🤘
For president!
Absolutely fantastic episode! his story was great haha
This might be our number 1 fan favorite episode.
One of the best guys, thank you!
You should check the results of our episode 100 survey. 😉
Thanks, enjoyed the interview.. Cheers mate
👍😎
This is Awesome GO USA
My dad worked on F117. Cant say more then that, but living in Vegas, you see a lot. A fellow Navy guy was CMC at Fallon NV. I didn't do much when I was in Navy, except see mist of the East Coast Sub Fleet. Love Podcast.
Oh boyyy i am excited to listen to this!!
Good stuff!
Nice
Real fun interview.
Thanks. 🙏
Great podcast. Loved learning more about my favorite "Fighter" since I was a kid. (CF-188 hornet is a close second). I remember as a kid who loved Star Wars, my dad tried to tell me about the laser on the F-117, which I thought was cool until he explained it didn't actually burn holes like the guns in a X-wing or TIE fighters, only just used to guide weapons which at the time I thought wasn't as cool. I feel differently now :)
All a matter of perspective, I guess, Gerard! (I think I would be disappointed by that laser as a kid as well!)
man.. you're getting great interviews :)
Indeed! 👍
Awesome chat and stories
Thanks! This was one of our all time favorite episodes, according to listeners.
Thank you for helping to maintain our freedom and western cultures.
Wow love the show. Was most interested in # 72 the F117 show. The guest mentioned Al Whitney who I knew at Nellis when he was flying the A10 in the 422 test squadron ( FWS ). What a great guy. Just prior to Desert Storm he became the wing CO for the F117s and the next day I think deployed to Saudia Arabia.. Much respect for him.
Thanks for all the great show's
Msgt. Larry ( hotdog) Morin
You're welcome, hotdog!
Forget to add Retired.
The best years of time in the USAF were when I worked with pilots in the nellis squadrons. Great people like the NAVY guy's I met during ACEVAL / AIMVAL.
Again keep up the good work.
the first time I ever saw one in person was at an air show at McClellan Air Force base back around 93'. Had B17 a B24 A few Eagles and Vipers but the F117 was the only bird cordoned off by a fence and had multiple armed (M16s in hand and not slung) Airforce security guys. As a city boy I don't think I had ever seen an AR in person before either.
was a wild experience
Saw them in the air a couple few times without anything of note aside from them seeming to be a bit quieter than a typical fighter sized jet.
Wet dream 🤣 such a show. Great one as always
Thanks Mani!
Thanks for sharing. We are all curious about why the F-117 is still in flyable status, and being flown up in Nevada.
Here's the simple reason:
www.tampabaydefensealliance.com/news/we-now-know-why-f-117-still-flying?fbclid=IwAR0EgLEp05o7MZIL9IlmA-T5McmBxcMKidm3VJX-SbS3p1TBHFq_-84FMbw
How funny is it that this plane is still out there, Nellis and Fresno!
Another great one Jello! I've read the drop tanks in WWII were made of molded compressed paper to cut down metal usage and cost. Also I just saw a vid yesterday that said ME-163 Komet rocket interceptor planes were not pressurized and that pilots of it were forbidden to spend any length of time below 2K metres (6500 ft) to build up hypoxia resistance.
terry boyer interesting!
I wish these were filmed. Still great though.
48:20 that's some effective moral uplifting 🤣🤣🤣
Great!
The summer before I joined the USAF (1980) I was climbing with a buddy in the Cascades in Washington State. We had just summited and were sitting on the peak and eating PBJ sammiches when I noticed an odd black dot on the horizon East of us, and coming right at us. It was a warm summer day with scattered cumulus clouds with a ceiling about 500 feet above the peak we were sitting on. As it got closer I figured out what it was, it was an F-117 coming right at us!! We sat there dumbfounded as this weird flying arrowhead blasted 200 feet above our heads!! SWEEEEET!!! That was the one and only time I saw an F-117 in person.
Crazy, Richard! That’s an awesome story, too bad you didn’t have a video camera! Would’ve made for an am amazing video.
The nickname the pilots gave the F-117...I was not ready for that. I did a spittake all over my computer monitors. I'm still laughing about it. It is too perfect.
No doubt!
exelent
Question on the AWAC hunting mission, how would the F-117 find the AWAC? The F-117 didn't have an air-to-air radar, so would they try to find the AWAC by using their threat receiver to get in the vicinity and then their FLIR? Where it would be at night, pretty hard to find something with just the Mk1 eyeball.
Yeah, not sure. And what would they fire at it if not the Sparrow? AMRAAM didn't exist then.
@@FighterPilotPodcast There were another anti bomber US interceptor with internal weapon bay and infra red sensor with laser range finder - F-106 Delta Dart. It used GAR-4 (AIM-4G) Ma4 air to air heat seeking missile with 18kg warhead.
@@FighterPilotPodcast how about an AIM-9?
@@larrythorn4715 Plausible.
@@FighterPilotPodcast one parting thought... The AIM-7 Sparrow was developed into the AGM-45 Shrike. The Shrike used a passive radar seeker to attack enemy SAM sites by following the radar back to it's source. There was a similar project called "BRAZO" that would have made an air to air version of this also based on the Sparrow, successfully tested but not developed past test projects. Similarly the radar guided Sidewinder the AIM-9C (Used only by the F-8 Crusader in small numbers) was converted to the AGM-122 Sidearm, an anti radar missile like the Shrike. Could those perhaps have been adapted or modified for use against Soviet AWACS? I know nothing, just speculation, but there's a thought.
Allegedly passive anti radar versions of Russian air to air missiles, the R-27/AA-10 exist as the R-27P and R-27EP, but I don't know if those are for air or ground targets or if they really exist at all.
Assuming the 117 could carry a passive radar or an IR homing missile, though, that were capable of tracking an AWACS radar...
The SR-71 is my favorite aircraft. Maybe not as heavily armed as the Eagle but it's gonna sneak up on them MiGs real quiet like and shoot them with its camera.
My neighbor is an old F-4 Phantom pilot. He saw a little action in Vietnam. I keep telling him to write a book. He had his share of close calls and narrow escapes from MiGs.
These are my 3 favorite aviation books:
- Her Majesty's Top Gun by Sharkey Ward
- A Reluctant Warrior by Kenneth Volker
- Great Fighter Jets of the Galaxy 1 by Tim Gibson
Thanks so much for the Podcast!!!!!. The guest was very interesting. F-117 forever!!!!
Please tell me where I can find an archive footages about the air war in the Gulf in high resolution?. Very need about F-117 Stealth operations in Desert Storm. Very necessary. I can not find anywhere. Can you help me?
Maxim DeSieno glad you enjoyed it. I’d suggest The History or Military Channels, although UA-cam may have some video as well.
Where can we find more info about the announced 2nd channel (the simulation one mentioned at the start of this podcast). Great idea, I'm in.
redcircle.com/shows/air-combat-sim
Had me LOL On this one guys!!!!! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
🤩
Oh snap! This is gonna be good.
ImpairedWraith how’d we do?
I learned a lot about the F-117 from this than i have reading books
Way back before anyone caught sight of the F-117, Testors, one of the plastic model companies, put out a modeling kit of the "F-19 Stealth Fighter". It looks a little like the offspring of an F-16 and an SR-71. There are several kits listed on eBay.
I have good question, Do the older pilots prefer the F-14 or the FA-18???
It depends.
Such a great episode ! And what a great guest.
I was very surprised about the air/air capability of shooting awacs. Do you know where I could learn more about it ? (A book, a documentary ?)
Thank you very much
There are many different books available on Amazon. Perhaps try this one:
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011M8DBI6/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=ftrpltpdcst18-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B011M8DBI6&linkId=45d22c5e8785bae81bd0ba9619d9eeed
@@FighterPilotPodcast thank you very much !
@@Francoismag1 👍
How on Earth would an F-117 have found a Soviet AWACS to shoot down on its way in or out?
It didn't have either a radar or (more importantly for counter-AWACS) an RWR/ESM package, so they would have needed external direction from some other platform to find and identify an AWACS.
Wow I had never heard that this plane had air to air capability. Others may have already said this but in Tom Clancy's book Red Storm Rising, he wrote about a WW3 fight between NATO and the Warsaw Pact. He wrote it when there were rumors of stealth aircraft but they were not yet revealed to the public. In the book they are used to take out the Soviet awacs aircraft. Fascinating to hear that this was actually part of their mission. What a smart guy Clancy was.
True.
The Fighter Pilot Podcast if the F117 is in TAKE OFF gains the FLAPS and AILERONS position is in line or down or only flaps ?
The F-117 Wet Dream!!!! Damn! That’s Hilarious!!!! Very Original!🤣🤣🤣
F-117..definitely a aircraft that's a classic and an aircraft that I didn't think would make it onto this podcast..and of course,this aircraft has the misfortune of being downed by a SAM(the incident over serbia) when it was supposed to avoid such systems..the Serbs even said "we're sorry,we didn't know it was supposed to be stealth(or something to that effect)". And then it looks like they're still around in some capacity...
But,I'm glad overall,the f-117 is one of those aircraft that you don't hear about much.
You do now!
what is the music in the start?
I remember UFO sightings because of the Nighthawk. If you seen this thing back in the early 80's what would you think? lol
Unsure if this has been mentioned, but according to Wikipedia (grain of salt here) there were two planned variants - the F-117B and the F-117N. The latter came as a result of testing by none other than the United States Navy, who deemed it unsuitable for carrier use; they proposed a version of the '17 called the 'Seahawk', with the addition of elevators, a bubble canopy, a shallower wing angle and a different tail. Upgrades proposed were GE F414 afterburning engines, additional hardpoints and a new radar which would give enhanced A/G capability, as well as the ability to use the AIM-120 AMRAAM.
The 'B' variant came as a result of the DOD refusing the 'N' (due to it requiring money diverted from the Joint Strike Fighter program) - this variant was similar to the 'N', but ultimately was land based, had afterburner capability and development to make it a true multirole aircraft. This variant (also known as the A/F-117X) was proposed to the USAF and the RAF - as Robson mentioned in the interview, the RAF did indeed test the F-117, but ultimately declined.
Very interesting.
This was outstanding. Wow.
Flying from Pensacola to El Centro when they crashed one...all of a sudden had to re-route to El Centro..radio traffic was interesting.
Those "Frisbees" in Tom Clancy´s "Red Storm Rising", are those F-117s or did that other, can´t remember what it was called now, exist? The role sounds like the F-117 described here iirc..
It is also in Under Siege 2.. :)