F-117 Retired??

[johnboyA6E]

after DS, probably summer '92, there was an F-117 at the Oceana air show. on the Monday after the show, the 117 was parked at our ramp and the AF driver was nice enough to give us a little tour. During the show it was roped off and nobody was allowed very close.
My main impression was how primitive the cockpit looked, i was expecting all sorts of wiz bang stuff. instead it looked a lot like an A6 or anything else from the 60s-70s. Nothing modern like a hornet or S-3 of that time.

 

[number9]

There was a sizeable flattened building on Victory Base Complex that everyone 'knew' was the target of an attack to hit Iraqi leadership, the story was a bunch of generals were watching 'Pretty Woman' the night before the war when it got bombed killing them all. How true the story was I don't know but the building was untouched since it had been bombed and causeway to get to what was left of that building was permanently closed off.

I loved this line from the 117 pilot to the tanker crew:

“Well, I’m about 4,000 pounds lighter,” Hoehn said. “I can’t wait to go back and find out exactly what we hit, but you guys were a big part of it.”

Great to see the credit getting shared.

 

[Flash]

after DS, probably summer '92, there was an F-117 at the Oceana air show. on the Monday after the show, the 117 was parked at our ramp and the AF driver was nice enough to give us a little tour. During the show it was roped off and nobody was allowed very close.
My main impression was how primitive the cockpit looked, i was expecting all sorts of wiz bang stuff. instead it looked a lot like an A6 or anything else from the 60s-70s. Nothing modern like a hornet or S-3 of that time.

IIRC they used the A-7 as a 'trainer' aircraft because of the similarities in flight characteristics and cockpits, in addition to being a 'good' cover.

 

[zipmartin]

IIRC they used the A-7 as a 'trainer' aircraft because of the similarities in flight characteristics and cockpits, in addition to being a 'good' cover.

Guy in my new-hire class at "The Show" was an ex-AF 117 driver and had flown A-7's prior to that. He said many of the drivers went that route.

 

[Swanee]

It's possible I'm misrembering or heard this on one of the old Discovery Wings shows, but I thought the F-117s went in with -111s for support. While it turned out that the F-117s were very capable on their own, I was under the impression that they weren't actually "stealthy" that first night because of all of the extra 'trons going out from the package.

I have no doubt that they had Raven and Prowler support. I'd be surprised if they didn't. I'm also not surprised that the dudes flying the stinkbugs would leave that detail out.