pjd@curie.ces.cwru.edu (dr. funk) (07/25/90)
From: pjd@curie.ces.cwru.edu (dr. funk)
The F117A was indeed on static display at the Dayton Airshow
last weekend. It was surrounded by a fence and a few armed guards --
nice ambience. Viewing distance was about fifty feet.
Sure is a wild lookin' critter after viewing jet aircraft with
nice, smoothly faired curves. Here are some features:
* The first most striking characteristic is that there ain't
nothing underneath it! All that extends below the A/C are
the tricycle landing gear. This looks strange after roughly
N decades of slinging all manner of ordnance from every
nook and cranny.
* I didn't note any leading edge devices, but it was parked
flaps down.
* The nose has several sensors/antenna. There appears to be
an infrared sensor turret mounted in the the nose. Three
antenna extend from the nose flush with the lower surface
of the A/C.
* The cockpit windows are triangular in shape with some kind
of coating. (NB. The armed guards/fence were probably there
to prevent people from taking "paint" samples!) Two of the
windows had sawtooth edges. Overall it looks like a phone booth
for coneheads. :-)
* The V-tail is all flying.
* The air intakes had a grating similar to those found over
some building ventilation systems. I can see where it would
hide the compression fans.
* No engine exhausts were visible! The Dayton paper stated that
the F117A taxi'd to a hanger immediately after landing (just
before a massive storm, BTW.) There appeared to be a slight
difference in shading between the fuselage and some "covers"
that may have been installed over the exhausts.
Makes you wonder if I saw the real thing......
Anyway, I may have more to report once the film comes back from
the lab.... I got better shots of the F177A (which I could walk
around) than the MiG-29 which was roped off. So much for the
"new Soviet Union" -- kind of like the "new Nixon." :-) The MiG-29
high-alpha maneuver was impressive even in comparison with the
slow-speed, high-alpha demo included with the Blue Angels F-18
show.
I had a good time and the weather eventually co-operated. The
F117A is definitely worth a look.
--
paul j. drongowski usenet: {decvax,sun,att}!cwjcc!pjd!pjd
case western reserve university csnet: pjd@alpha.ces.cwru.edu