im an aircraft mechanic. ANY kind of prop strike is cause for a total tear down. mandatory in aircraft that arnt experimental. the FAA defines a prop strike as any event that causes a sudden drop in engine rpm, or event that causes propeller damage regardless of if the engine is running. this is most likely registered…

The engine might not necessarily be damaged. It looks to me he shut her off and it was just windmilling since when it struck the tarmac it immediately stopped. It's a guess.

The information I've posted is all publicly available now, whether it be from FOIA or other media. Otherwise, I would not have divulged what I did.

I'm 99.9% sure that there are plenty of spare parts, enough to keep a small fleet of them operating for decades. Even beyond that, there's a bunch of complete airframes sitting in hangars, those can also be counted as a complete set of spare parts.

I don't think referring to it by its widely known name instead of explaining the manage of names that it has been called for various reasons as indicative of a "dumb press." Maybe I should just do a whole piece on Blackwater and its many aliases to get it straight.

It's probably good your releasing this information online. If not classified it may be sensitive and your "friend" may be totally wrong for telling you such details. Ask your "friend" if he ever heard about a thing called opsec.

that was stealth'y', so you're not wrong, but not the same league as the 117 or any of the modern stealth.

The SR-71 was developed from the A-12, which used it's altitude as it's primary form of 'stealth'. Among the goals of the SR-71 development, was to develop a low RCS (radar cross section) airframe. Due to the extreme heat the outer surface was exposed to, at the extreme altitudes and speeds that the SR-71 flew at,…

I'm unaware of it's classification, however if we (general public) know this already, our adversaries do as well, and probably more so. I know far more than I'm leading on to, and that information will remain with myself and others within the programs, until either, more information becomes public knowledge, or said…

This makes the most sense give just how expensive and time consuming it is to fly a B-2 compared to any other type of aircraft in the USAF. You could retro fit F117 system interfaces to that of a B2 and use the F117 to test all future upgrade with no risk to an irreplaceable bomber this make some sense given they…

Is this information declassified?

I once listened to an in-depth interview on Hungarian national radio with Hungarian-Serbian Colonel Zoltán Dani who was the "mastermind" behind locating and shooting down one of these planes in the Balkan Wars. He went into in-depth details how they managed to locate the plane on the radar. The pilot - Dale Zelko -,…

Right. The C130 requires no special support equipment, no special training for support personnel, no logistical support of any kind. It can be kept flying by shadetree mechanics from Billy Bob's Radiator Shop using nothing but Sears Craftsman tools. Every part on it is fully interchangeable with a similiar part on…

I thought the 1st one was the SR 71?

Your dad is awesome.

While I do agree that converting them into unmanned aircraft for high-risk strike missions is a good idea, the fact of the matter is that since they don't make them any more, there are no spare parts, and without parts, plus the insane amount of maintenance required to keep them stealthy, in the long run it would cost…

"Nighthawks were unique and temperamental aircraft and required a comprehensive logistical train to keep them in the air." Name one fucking aircraft for which this is not true.

One of the F-117A's that still flies is flown by civilian LM pilots that operates out of Plant 42. I know this because the photo you posted of the 'Grey Dragon' flying at from head-on, was taken by a close friend of mine who was a boom operator. He's refueled that same plane multiple times over the Southwestern skies,…

Good article; good speculation. Some of those answers are probably even right.

haha I live in vegas and have seen them fly over on their way to the test range. It's funny because two of the photos you guys used my dad took (combat camera) during the persian golf war.