At 25 years old the F-117 still draws a crowd

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Phil Ventura
  • 49th Fighter Wing Public Affairs office
HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  On the eve of its retirement from the Air Force inventory, the F-117A Stealth Fighter continues to impress crowds wherever it flies.

At the recent Joint Services Open House, one of the Department of Defense's largest air shows, held annually at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., the Nighthawk drew tens of thousands of interested attendees.

"It's a very unique aircraft, I still remember seeing it for the first time 10 years ago," said Mr. Bill Sorenson, a visitor to the show.

Many of the air show attendees who stopped by to see "the black jet," were surprised it was retiring. Due to the classified nature of the jet in its early years, few realized it is in fact celebrating its Silver Anniversary this year.

"It seems like just yesterday we watched them fly over Constitution Avenue celebrating the victory of the first Gulf War," said Mr. Dean Honeycutt, who was visiting the air show with his family. "I can't believe its retiring."

For members of the F-117 Stealth Demonstration Team, from Holloman Air Force Base, these types of reactions are the norm.

"The F-117 is definitely a fan favorite," said Mr.Jason Yeargin, a structural repair technician with the team.

At the Joint Services Open House, the F-117 static was positioned tail-to-tail with an F-22, U-2 and F-35 prototype. And while the iconic spy plane and third generation stealth fighters drew admirers, the Nighthawk routinely had the largest crowd gathered around.

"It gets a great response, people just love this jet," said Staff Sgt. Santos Montalvo, a dedicated crew chief with the F-117 Demo Team. "For us it becomes an everyday aircraft, but for many it's totally unique."