LetLetLet ~ Warplanes

Let Let Let - Warplanes => Warplane Art => Topic started by: No.1 on September 30, 2014, 07:10:38 AM

Title: Lockheed F-117
Post by: No.1 on September 30, 2014, 07:10:38 AM

Famous invisible airplane ;)

Title: Re: Lockheed F-117
Post by: Nico Braas on September 30, 2014, 08:48:39 AM

The F-117 is definitely not an invisible aircraft.
It only has a very low radar profile; that's all!
Many years ago I have seen at the Paris Airshow a flight demonstration of the F-117.
It did not impress me at all and the plane can only fly thanks to its on-board computer.
Without this device it will not fly at all.
The strange facetted shape of the plane was used since computers of that time could not calculate with blended surfaces!
If designed today it would look quite different; much more like the JSF F-35 Lightning II.

Title: Re: Lockheed F-117
Post by: No.1 on September 30, 2014, 09:34:51 AM

I know my friend, we proof here his 'visibility' ;)

Title: Re: Lockheed F-117
Post by: No.1 on September 30, 2014, 12:46:31 PM

Update on details

Title: Re: Lockheed F-117
Post by: No.1 on October 01, 2014, 04:19:11 PM

Now shadows on details and markings ;)

Title: Re: Lockheed F-117
Post by: No.1 on October 02, 2014, 09:57:50 AM

Side view is ready ;)

Title: Re: Lockheed F-117
Post by: Second Air Force on October 02, 2014, 04:45:21 PM

Great profile of a rather unattractive machine!

Somewhere in my library I have a book written by Ben Rich, the Lockheed chief during the F-117 development. It's very interesting reading, especially the development of the faceted shape. This was really a transition airplane between designing by slide rule and using computers.

A side story to this topic---my brother was driving near Offutt AFB in Omaha late one night and saw a very unusual airplane heading for the runway at Offutt. He called me the next day and described it as best he could. Several months later the F-117 was officially "unveiled" to the public and that was what he had seen landing that dark night.

Title: Re: Lockheed F-117
Post by: No.1 on October 02, 2014, 04:48:02 PM

Interesting spotting from your brother and book you mention also sound interesting. How many pages it have?

Title: Re: Lockheed F-117
Post by: Nico Braas on October 02, 2014, 05:10:45 PM

Another interesting book on the F-117 ('Lockheed Martin F-117 Nighthawk') was written by Dennis R. Jenkins.
It was published in 1999 as Vol. 25 in the Warbird Tech series of Specialty Press, U.S.A. ISBN no. 1-58007-020-5.
In the UK and Europe is was distributed byAirlife Publishing. The book contains 100 pages with many rare photographs including some nice shots of the Have Blue demonstrators.

Title: Re: Lockheed F-117
Post by: No.1 on October 02, 2014, 05:12:58 PM

There was excellent article in World Air Power Journal. I hope that one day I will get all issues of this great magazine