While the U.S. Air Force still has some F-117A Nighthawks actively involved in flying operations, others are being removed from storage and transported for display at a select number of museums. This stripped-down F-117A was delivered to the Hill Aerospace Museum at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, yesterday.
The fuselage of the aircraft arrived by truck, direct from Tonopah Test Range Airport (TTR) in Nevada. Staff from Hill AFB, which is adjacent to the museum, assisted in moving it from the truck and into the museum. The aircraft arrived having been stripped of its trademark black Radar Absorbent Material (RAM). The demilitarization process for the Nighthawk is extremely complex, and it is detailed in this previous War Zone feature. The USAF has established a special facility to assist in the demilitarization of the F-117s at Tonopah.
The museum staff at Hill AFB will now re-attach aircraft 82-0799s wings, rear stabilizers, and other parts of the aircraft before it is repainted and put on display at the museums Lindquist Stewart Gallery. Some of these parts will be totally fabricated to look like the real thing as their structures are still highly classified and they cannot be kept within reach of the public. This particular aircraft flew some 21 missions during Operation Desert Storm in 1991.
The airframe appeared to have been delivered without its wings or tails and in an uncovered state, which is different than how we have seen F-117s transported in the past. This aircraft could be the same one the Department of Defense listed on its internal surplus exchange last March.
Another F-117 is shortly due to go on display at the Palm Springs Air Museum for its new Houston Pavilion, along with The Air Zoo Aerospace and Science Museum, in Michigan, which says it will be the first non-government museum to exhibit the aircraft.
The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, in Dayton Ohio, is due to receive an F-117A to complement YF-117A serial 79-10781 that is currently on display. F-117A serial 82-0803 is now loaned to the Reagan Presidential Foundation and on display at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley, California. This particular Nighthawk was actually demilitarized at the Air Force Plant 42 at Palmdale, California, rather than at Tonopah. The preparation of the aircraft for display can be seen here.
The USAF has earmarked a dozen F-117s for loan to museums for public display. With the exception of the remains of Vega 31 in Serbia, the few other Nighthawks currently on display are pre-production YF-117s.
All told, the USAF looks to be moving fast to place the 12 F-117s set aside for display around the country, while a handful of others remain active flying missions from TTR. The rest of the airframes still being stored at the remote airbase are set to slowly be destroyed over the coming decade.
Contact the author: jamie@thedrive.com
Continue reading here:
Stripped F-117 Nighthawk Arrives at Hill Aerospace Museum Direct From Tonopah - The Drive
- why can't i print in the message area? - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- smoke detectors - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- Insulation drawings - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- Boiler. - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- Electrical Harmonics - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- axial thrust - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- Pl inform which make suitable for this specification - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- CapsLock - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- How to Calculate Drag Reduction Factor for surge analysis - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- cable..pls help - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- 11Kv joints - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- how to calculate required torque? - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- IP rating for enclosures - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- 11kv JOINTS SPACING ON PARALLEL CABLES - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- beep sounds - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- Increse speed of pneumatic cylinder - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- Pipe fittings-Manufacturing/Quality Assurance - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- kango memolition hammer - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- Loss calculation in undergound Transmission Cables - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- Design in ASP.NET - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- axial pump - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- Auger bit - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- Pipe - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- Centrifugal oil filter ideas - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- When to install Horizontal Condensate Pot (Probably also called Spun Type) ?? - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- Confusion about a Resistance Bulb - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- Loop testing for a NON-HART 4 wire instrument - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- My VAWT Project, next phase - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- voltage doubler - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- How to build corners and joints using Red Oak timbers? - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- THERMAL OIL BOILER - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- How Do You Get a Degree in Green Energy? - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- deareator pegging - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- 99 ford ranger with no brake pedal at all - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- CAD tool for electronic circuitry design - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- hvac - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- Unfinalized video miniDVD data recovery - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- eletronics - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- codless phones programming - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- Effectiveness in cooling a drink with ice than water? - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- Free Vibration Analysis of Tapered Composite Wings - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Can You Treat Composite Beams or Wings Mathematically like Isotropic Wings? - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Particle, Particle in Space, Tell Me About Earthquakes - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Russian Rocket Engine – Best in the World - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- New Online Evaluation of Laminated Composite Stiffnesses - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- 'Autonomous' helicopters teach themselves to fly - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Next Target – Jupiter - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- NASA's FERMI, Space, and Time - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Lunchtime Salon Today in L.A. - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- A vote for McCain is a vote against science - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- NASA Study Investigates Mental Overload in Pilots - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- NASA Releases Columbia Crew Safety Report - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- What the Stimulus Package Means for Science - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- All Scientists Have Conflicts of Interest (Duh) - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Congress Considers Killing Open-Access Journals - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Transmission Swing Angle - December 12th, 2009 [December 12th, 2009]
- Long Weld Neck Flanges - December 12th, 2009 [December 12th, 2009]
- Super Critical Fluid Extraction for Rose Oil - December 12th, 2009 [December 12th, 2009]
- Capacitor Bank Calculations - December 12th, 2009 [December 12th, 2009]
- Power Supplies and Dummy Loads - December 12th, 2009 [December 12th, 2009]
- Standards for Piping Vibration - December 12th, 2009 [December 12th, 2009]
- Automatic Generator Changovers - December 12th, 2009 [December 12th, 2009]
- Synchronous Generators - December 12th, 2009 [December 12th, 2009]
- Suzuki Swift Brakes - Squeaks and Whistles - December 12th, 2009 [December 12th, 2009]
- Flange Serration - December 12th, 2009 [December 12th, 2009]
- Hydraulic Shapes and Reciprocating Machines - December 12th, 2009 [December 12th, 2009]
- No Shortage of Engineers After All! - December 12th, 2009 [December 12th, 2009]
- Delta Starter Diagram - December 12th, 2009 [December 12th, 2009]
- 2002 Chevy Duramax Diesel - Low Voltmeter Reading - December 12th, 2009 [December 12th, 2009]
- Energy Survey and Consumer Mapping Methodoogy - December 12th, 2009 [December 12th, 2009]
- Setback for Geothermal Energy - December 12th, 2009 [December 12th, 2009]
- Darlington Amplifier - December 12th, 2009 [December 12th, 2009]
- Diesel Storage Tank Design - December 12th, 2009 [December 12th, 2009]
- Car MPG Questions - December 12th, 2009 [December 12th, 2009]
- Dark LCD Display - December 12th, 2009 [December 12th, 2009]
- Calculating the Strength of Concrete Floors - December 12th, 2009 [December 12th, 2009]
- Hitachi Projection TV - December 12th, 2009 [December 12th, 2009]
- WW II Water-Injected Engines - December 12th, 2009 [December 12th, 2009]
- Soap to Prevent A1H1N1 Contamination - December 12th, 2009 [December 12th, 2009]
- Car won't shift out of first gear - December 12th, 2009 [December 12th, 2009]