After 27 years, 7 of those years as a Black Project, The Nighthawk is being retired to free up funds for Air Force's modernization plans. Our first "Stealth" Fighter, the research that made it possible paved the way for the B-2 Spirit and other aircraft that came (and will come) after it. When I was younger, as they unclassified the project, I remember reading encyclopedia articles (yes this was before Google) about the F-117a and marveling at the engineering that went into creating this cutting edge machine.
As should be present at all goodbyes, those that knew it well are sharing their stories. Some more information can be found at www.f-117a.com (Including an explanation as to where the name Wobbly Goblin might have come from).
Goodbye Nighthawk! I hope to see one of you ("clean" of course) on the Intrepid soon, so I can say thank you personally!
As a follow up to the post that started this blog the USS New York was christened Saturday, March 1st, 2008. Present at the christening were some friends and family of those who died when the towers fell on 9/11/2001.
The hulking gray USS New York, trimmed in red, white and blue banners, bore a seal on its bow, which included two gray bars to symbolize the Twin Towers and a banner over that declaring "Never Forget." The bow stem contains 7.5 tons of steel from the site.
Oddly enough, a previous holder of the name, USS New York (BB-34), had its keel laid on September 11, 1911, exactly 90 years to the day before the WTC was attacked.
