@MonkeyJedi99
I remember watching an interview with one of the F-117 pilots from the strike and he talked about his post-strike count to make sure everyone in his airgroup made it (using satellite markers, I think, no radio traffic) and he kept coming up one short, and as he was on the way to panic-land, he realized he forgot to count himself.
@homiedaclown4381
One of my favorite stories of the development of the Nighthawk is when during testing, Skunk Works put a model of it up on a pedestal and hit it with different radar waves to see if they could get a return off of the model. They ended up getting a return off of the pedestal, then hovering a few feet above it they got a return from an object about the size of a bird. The technicians then looked out at the model and saw, sitting on the cockpit, a small bird.
@awesome_by_default
22:58 There's a poetic beauty in the shot of an F-117 and F-22 flying side by side.
@ItsShainess
This is honestly one of the best YT channels in existence
@Leatherbelt665
My parents were both in Security Police during the 90s in the USAF. My father used to tell me a lot of stories about his time at Eglin AFB and this aircraft was his all time favorite. One of his favorite (and most boring) posts was watching over the 117s. What’s funny is he was always told to NEVER touch these aircraft due to the material on these aircraft but he ended up touching one secretly lolol. One of the best moments of his life. My father passed away in 2016 sadly but I still have a picture of him standing next to this beautiful aircraft with his m16. I have never been huge into aircrafts until my father passed and anytime I see the F-117 anywhere I always think of him. Rest in peace dad.
@awgates85
The Nighthawk that was shot down, also had the fact it flew a regular route at a regular time, and advance spotters visually confirming the takeoff and route relaying that information to the aerial defense. I think knowing the route and time really played against the aircraft's effectiveness.
@j4s0n39
23:20 The F-117 lost in Serbia wasn't due to the Serbians' doctrine. In fact, they had to violate the doctrine by activating the radar a second time in the same location. This second sweep happened when the pilot had the bomb bay doors open, so the radar was able to detect the Nighthawk. Additionally, the Serbians wouldn't have known where to look if USAF hadn't gotten lazy and used the same flight paths for multiple strikes.
@daraqnet
The nighthawk pilot that was shot down, and the SAM operator in Serbia later connected and became best friends.
@AugmentedGravity
Still to this day one of the single coolest pieces of technology humanity has ever created. The look of the Nighthawk is just legendary.
@thaileinh9877
I am reading "Skunk Works" by Ben Rich. Not only it is an illuminating story about how these incredible aircrafts were developed, but also some lessons about leadership and manufacturing. When 2 operational F-117 test models were taking test flight, someone asked Ben Rich: "How much do they cost?" Ben Rich answered "35 millions." The other man asked again "No, not each of them. I mean the entire development." Ben replied "35 millions." This was developed when Lockheed was in financial trouble. Ben put faith in his engineers at Skunk Works to create the breakthrough of aviation technology, while keeping it perhaps the only case of a cost "under-run" in military technology development.
@FloridaManMatty
My Uncle Tommy was an engineer for the -117. One thing that I love about that airplane is the fact that Have Blue used so many off the shelf parts to make it happen. They used bits and bobs from the F-15, F-16, F-18, F-111, B-52(!!!) and it came in on time, on budget, and changed the future of air power as much as, if not even more than, jet engines.
@MichaelLundy-qk6zh
I was training to get my pilot's license, learning about smooth airflow over lifting surfaces so the first time I saw a F-117 with all the angles and hard edges, my first thought was "That thing flies?" Fast forward several years. I watched a documentary where they interviewed all the first test pilots. ALL of them, every one said the first time they saw it they thought "That thing flies?"
@lemster101
I watched the video on Nebula, but unable to comment there. Your content has become so good recently. The people doing your animations combined with all the details you provide, just absolutely next level quality. There's others that do similar content, but your content sets the bar.
@gannethackett9323
Insane how advanced this is, so much more engineering went into this than the F-22. Every angle was calculated. The mesh on the engine intakes, and the wiper for it is crazy too.
@repapeti98
With so many channels using text-to-speech programs, reading only the first numerical information found by googling without fact-checking and deliberately making mistakes so people comment how the video is wrong, therefore bringing engagement, It's nice to see well-researched, high quality documentaries that have clearly had a lot of thought and effort put into them.
@danielficke131
I currently work at the Strategic Air Command and Aerospace Museum in Ashland, Nebraska, home of F-117 Nighthawk 85-0831, which currently holds the record of most flight hours of any Nighthawk and was the one that flew with the Skunkworks logo on its belly for the retirement of Ben Rich.
@thegunslinger1363
During Desert Storm. The Saudis nicknamed them "ghosts." If you haven't already. I highly recommend the book Skunk Works by Ben H. Rich.
@bumpedhishead636
Thank you for talking about the very complex F-117 mission planning system. Very few discussions of the F-117 recognize this critical aspect of the F-117 system. One thing you did not mention is the very advanced (for its time) flight control system of the F-117. This was required due to the airframe being aerodynamically unstable in pitch, roll & yaw. This was made possible by the airflow probes on the nose of the F-117, which was yet another very complex and underappreciated breakthrough from the ADP engineering team.
@live_monkey2485
As a 90s kid, the f117 always fascinated me. This was a very informative video. Thanks for the upload.
@CaptainBrawnson