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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 f117sfa@gmail.com.

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: f117sfa@gmail.com Contact us

F-117 Stealth Fighter Association PO Box 151196

Ft Worth, TX 76108-1196

Web: www.f117sfa.org Info: f117sfa@gmail.com

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: f117sfa@gmail.com