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Last flight of Stealth Fighters from Holloman AFB, April 21, 2008 |
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The last four Lockheed-Martin F-117A Nighthawks from the 49th Fighter Wing flew from Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico to Air Force Plant 42 at Palmdale, California on Monday, April 21, 2008. They will depart for Tonopah, Nevada this afternoon.
A few other airplanes landed on Runway 25 while I waited for the arrival of the Stealth Fighters. Airport security photographed the waiting photographers and their vehicle license plates in ordeer to add us to the no-fly list for photographing airplanes without a profit motive. He hadn't been informed of the imminent arrival of the last flight of Stealth Fighters.
Slideshow of the visit of the last Stealth Fighters at Palmdale.
Beech 1900D N27NG shuttles between Northrop-Grumman facilities around southern California.
US Marine Corps Cessna UC-35D (Citation V) BuNo 166766 is based at MCAS Miramar.
General Dynamics F-16C Block 25 Fighting Falcon 83-1118 of the 412th Test Wing is based at Edwards Air Force Base.
The flight of Stealth Fighters called the tower as Stealth One One shortly after 11:00.
F-117A 88-0843 of the 49th Fighter Wing is the last Stealth Fighter built.
F-117A 88-0843.
F-117A 84-0824 of the 49th Operations Group.
F-117A 82-0800 of the 8th Fighter Squadron.
F-117A 84-0809 of the 9th Fighter Squadron.
A short while after the Nighthawks landed, X-ray One One called the tower and was cleared to land. It was a naked Lockheed U-2S.
Lockheed U-2S 80-1085 was flying unpainted after maintenance. It made a long series of touch-and-go landings. Each time, another U-2 pilot in a Camaro raced onto the runway behind the U-2 to provide altitude call-outs for the pilot.
U-2S 80-1085
U-2S 80-1085
U-2S 80-1085
The black stripes under the wing of U-2S 80-1085 are where the superpods attach.
Slideshow of the visit of the last Stealth Fighters at Palmdale.
F-117A NighthawkWingspan: 43 feetLength: 66 feetWing Area: 1140 square feetMaximum Take-off Weight: 52,500 poundsMaximum Bomb Payload: 2x 2,000 pound bombsMaximum Range: 690 milesPowerplant: 2x 10,800 pound st General Electric F404-GE-F1D2 turbofans |
The last four Lockheed-Martin F-117A Nighthawks from the 49th Fighter Wing departed from Air Force Plant 42 at Plamdale, California for Tonopah, Nevada on Tuesday, April 22. Their wings will be removed and they will be stored in their old hangars. The four Stealth Fighters took off from Runway 25 at 2:00 PM.
Here's a retrospective of photos of the Stealth Fighter going back to their first public appeaances in 1990.
Visit the Holloman AFB Home Page
You can buy a 2009 calendar featuring my photographs of Lockheed F-117A Stealth Fighters.
A dozen photos of Lockheed F-117A Stealth Fighters. Nine of the photos depict the last flight of four Stealth Fighters arriving at and departing from Air Force Plant 42 at Palmdale, California on their way to retirement at Tonopah, Nevada.
Put a copy of the Lockheed F-117A Stealth Fighter Retirement: 2009 Calendar in your Lulu.com shopping cart for $19.42.
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