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President’s Corner 2 F-117 Archives 5
The First Nighthawks 3-4 Join The SFA 6
Volume 11 Issue 4
Winter 2014
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Inside This Issue
Stealth Fighter Association Newsletter
Since the F-117 retired, there is virtually no news about our favorite jet. This last
year there were a couple of news articles where someone had claimed to see the
F-117 flying over the Nevada skies and the AF acknowledged that the F-117 was in
a ‘flyable’ storage status. ‘Flyable’ storage means that the aircraft are occasionally
flown to keep them in flyable condition. No real news there. I would like to thank
Ron Brabec for his article in this month’s newsletter. These are the kinds of articles
we would like to see. I would like to ask that all of you out there to send us your
stories from your time with the F-117. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy or
long. A Story of any length will be fine. Your story may inspire another member to
remember a significant event in his/her time with the jet and lead to another interest-
ing story. Please send your stories to [email protected].
Editor—Greg Meland
SFA Board of Directors
2012-2017
Andy Papp, President
Lou Gum, Vice President
Mary Burris, Secretary/Treasurer
Kent Burns, Board Member
Greg Meland, Board Member
Nighthawk Newsletter Team Editor: Greg Meland
Web Site: Dave Walker Graphics: Dave Walker
Newsletter: [email protected] Contact us
F-117 Stealth Fighter Association PO Box 151196
Ft Worth, TX 76108-1196
Web: www.f117sfa.org Info: [email protected]
Happy New Year to all. I hope everyone had a re-
laxing and enjoyable holiday break with friends and
family.
As we pass into 2015, we also pass the halfway
point from our last reunion to our next. As dis-
cussed previously, we are looking at a weekend in
June 2017 for the next reunion in Las Vegas. The
board and our expert party planners (Tnle McClos-
key with her able assistant Zzip) are narrowing
down our options and should be semi locked-in to a
venue by the next newsletter.
As I have suggested before, the association and the
reunion are only as good as the organization so
please keep poking at your stealth friends to get in
contact, help out if so inclined, and most of all, join
and plan to come to the Las Vegas event which I am
sure will be epic.
That's about it this time around but Silvia and I wish
everyone a very happy, healthy, prosperous and en-
joyable 2015!
Thanks,
Andy
Andrew Papp,
President
Stealth Fighter Association
President’s Corner
V O L U M E 1 1 I SS U E 4 Page 2
A Blast from the Past
V O L U M E 1 1 I SS U E 4 Page 3
35 Years Later - A Remembrance By Ron Brabec, MSgt (Ret), USAF
I believe each of us can recall when and where someone said, “pssst, we have a job for you.”
In my case it was the 1st week in June of 1979. I was a Technical Sergeant, stationed at McClellan AFB, CA.
The previous fall we had completed a two year flight test program in which we integrated the PAVE TACK
Infrared/Laser Designator into the F-111F. I was preparing to kit proof the 1st aircraft and waiting for an as-
signment to Lakenheath AB, England. We were standing at the coffee bar when Major Phil Duell whispered,
“General Creech send me to talk to you. Can we talk in private?” In the parking lot he said, “We have a job
for you, are you interested?”
Forward ahead two months: As Phil drove through the gate at the Burbank airport I noticed the sign
‘Lockheed’. As we stood in that small lobby in Bldg 310, a model of the U-2 and SR-71 sitting on a table
and the words “Advanced Development Projects” on the wall, the hair on the back of my neck began to tin-
gle. The security guard makes
a call and pretty soon Phil and
I are being escorted to the 2nd
floor and led into a well used
conference room. (I think to
myself, “There is some history
in these walls!) Phil says to
the gentlemen in the room,
“I’d like you to meet Ron.
Ron this is Don (Merkl), Alan
(Brown), Ben (Rich) and
Norm (Nelson).”
Later I would learn who these
remarkable men were but at
that moment we shake hands
and then Don asks me to read
and sign some papers. While
I’m doing that Alan, in a dis-
tinctive British accent, asks
Don if he can try ‘the experi-
ment?’ Don agrees and Alan
leaves the room. After I had signed the papers, Don asks me to stretch out my arms on the table, with my
palms up and to close my eyes. He says Alan is going to place an object in my hands and after he does, they
want me to look at it and tell them what I think.
I looked at the small aircraft model for maybe 15 seconds before Don, rather impatiently says, “Well?” I
said, “I don’t believe it shows up on radar very well.” Don shoots a quick dagger glance at Phil and in a
raised voice says, “Phil?” Phil replies, “Boss, I haven’t told him anything.” The group gathered around me
and wanted to know why I thought as I did. I told them my thoughts and then Don says to Phil, “I think you
have the right guy.” That was at 1500 hours on 6 August 1979. At 1900 I was on a flight back to Sacramento
with the task of mailing to Phil the next day the manpower roster of avionics personnel I thought we’d need
to support a squadron of 22 aircraft. Thus began my 14 year involvement with the F-117A, a lifelong love of
A Blast from the Past
V O L U M E 1 1 I SS U E 4 Page 4
the airplane, and a deep admiration and fondness for the people I was fortunate enough to be involved with
and work with.
A month later at my first PMR I would meet my new bosses - CMSgt Roy Reece and Colonel Robert A.
‘Burner Bob’ Jackson. On 1 Oct 1979 the 4450th Tactical Group came into being and I received an assign-
ment to Nellis AFB. I arrived in Las Vegas Thanksgiving week with my job being defined as, “You are Tacti-
cal Air Commands avionics maintenance lead for engineering and logistics for the program and on Fridays
it’s your turn to empty the wastebasket.”
A couple of years later Larry Bohanan and I were sitting in his office in Bldg 90 eating lunch. Mr. ‘B’ asks,
“Ron, how old are you?” I told him 34. He chuckled and said, “That’s a damn shame son! Because, unless
you are really fortunate, you’ll never have another job with as much responsibility, authority, importance, and
fun as the one you have right now.” I turned 66 last May. To date, Mr. ‘B’ was accurate in his prophecy.
The engineering genius resident within the walls and halls of the Skunk Works made the technology of the F
-117A possible. However in my opinion, it was the people throughout the program that put the airplane into
the air and it was this eclectic group of folks, focused on the program objective, who made it possible for the
Air Force to declare Initial Operational Capability in less than 5 years after Full Scale Development go-ahead.
And by the way, as we went along, we built a base to house the beauty also.
The stories I could, shouldn’t or can’t tell would fill a book. Suffice to say I was privileged. Even though be-
ing an avionics ‘conehead’, I was able to visit each PS ‘program site’ at least once and some many, many,
many, many times.
Obviously it was our families who made the greatest sacrifices. Without their support to their always away
spouse, be it husband, wife, Dad or Mom – none of what we did could have happened. Cancer took my cham-
pion from me in 4 years ago but I’ll never forget that day at McClellan AFB when my wife and three children
stood on the ramp, staring at the ‘black jet’ and with tears in her eyes, Fran squeezed my hand and said, “You
did good Ronald!”
God Speed to all who have
flown on ahead of us.
My best wishes and “Thank
You” to each of you reading
this.
F-117 Archives
Page 5 V O L U M E 1 1 I SS U E 4
12/1/1977 - XST-1 (Have Blue # 1001) made it's first flight with Lockheed chief test pilot Bill Park at the controls.
11/16/1978 - Lockheed signed the contract with the US Air Force to build five full scale development stealth fighter air-
craft.
10/1/1979 - Construction of FSD-1 (aircraft 79-780) begins.
10/12/1981 - AW&ST reports in it's "Washington Roundup" section "The Lockheed Stealth fighter, approximately the size
of the Navy/Northrop/McDonnel Douglas F-18 will fly this year".
11/18/1981 - The first F-117 air refueling was accomplished with aircraft 79-780.
12/18/1981 - Aircraft 79-782 made its first flight.
10/17/1982 - The first F-117 (aircraft 80-0786) arrived as PS-66 (Tonopah Test Range, NV).
10/28/1983 - The 4450th Tactical Group achieved limited IOC with 10 aircraft on hand in the 4450th Test Squadron.
10/1/1985 - The 4453rd Test and Evaluation Squadron (Z Unit) was activated and assigned to the 4450th Tactical Group.
10/19/1986 - The Las Vegas Review-Journal ran a story titled "Air Force tests secret planes at night". Accompanying the
story was an aerial photo of the Tonopah Test Range airfield.
10/14/1987 - Aircraft 85-0815 crashed on the Nellis Range Complex and was destroyed. Maj Michael C. Stewart was
killed.
11/10/1988 - The Pentagon announced the existence of the F-117A and released the first photo.
11/16/1988 - Secretary of Defense Frank Carlucci visited Tonopah Test Range and presented a few awards to some of the
4450th TG personnel.
12/14/1988 - Squadron Leader Graham Wardell (RAF) became Bandit #282 and the first operational RAF F-117A pilot.
10/5/1989 - The 4450th Tactical Group and all associated units were inactivated. The 37th Tactical Fighter wing was
moved from George AFB, CA to Tonopah Test Range without personnel or equipment and assumed the 4450ths mission,
personnel and equipment.
12/20/1989 - Six F-117 aircraft deployed to support operation Just Cause. This was the first combat use of the F-117.
11/29/1990 - The 416th Tactical Fighter Squadron deployed 18 aircraft to Operation Desert Shield.
10/13/2000 - The 8th Fighter Squadron deployed 8 F-117s and 180 support personnel to Nellis AFB, NV to participate in
the first 'low observable' (LO) integrated Red Flag exercise.
11/2/2002 - Four F-117s from the 9th FS deployed to Nellis AFB, NV to participate in a Red Flag exercise. These aircraft
joined the four F-117s from the 8th FS that had deployed two weeks earlier.
10/24/2004 - President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush visited the 49FW on a brief stop to campaign at a local
Alamogordo NM high school.
11/14/2005 - Aircraft 782 made it's final flight from Palmdale, CA to Holloman AFB, NM where it was scheduled to be-
come a maintenance trainer.
http://www.f117sfa.org
Web Site Info
Join The Stealth Fighter Association
Page 6
For those folks reading this
Newsletter who are not current
members of the SFA, membership is
open to all personnel, civilian or
military, who at some time in their
career were associated with the F-117
Stealth Fighter Aircraft program.
Additional info is available on the
SFA web site, and hard copies of this
newsletter are available for mailing to
interested folks. Please ask a member
or drop a line to:
Stealth Fighter Association PO Box 151196
Ft Worth, TX 76108-1196
V O L U M E 1 1 I SS U E 4
Stealth Fighter Association Mission
Statement
The Stealth Fighter Association is an
affiliation of individuals brought to-
gether by the common bond of asso-
ciation with the world’s first stealth
fighter, the Lockheed Martin F-117,
produced by the Lockheed Martin
Skunk Works for the United States
Air Force. Our mission is to preserve
the memory of our struggles to attain
a stealth combat capability second to
none, maintain the legacy of the F-
117 “Nighthawk,” maintain the
bonds of brother and sisterhood be-
tween those who contributed to make
the awesome combat capability of
stealth a reality, and act as a govern-
ing board to oversee the planning and
execution of periodic reunions at ei-
ther five or ten year cycles.
You can reach us at: [email protected]
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