F-35 Practice for the 2017 Paris Airshow & B-2s landing

[Winston]

F-35A Filmed Rehearsing Its New Flight Demonstration Routine For Paris Air Show 2017

Prank: Announce over the PA system that "The F-35 will now begin it's demonstration", play back at very high volume a recording of this video through the PA, announcing every maneuver. At the end say, "Now THAT's stealth, folks!"

[video=youtube;PsEl_IL_5-M]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsEl_IL_5-M[/video]

B-2s passing at very low level overhead while landing:

[video=youtube;7hS8VgUeycw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hS8VgUeycw[/video]

 

[TangoJuliet]

Back when the B-2 was brand new (before the USAF even accepted it from NG), I was stationed at Whiteman AFB, MO, first as a B-2 Phase Maintenance Inspector and later as a Crew Chief working them on the flight line. I had gone to them from the B-52H. Like taking a step into the future! Both aircraft will forever hold a special place in my heart. While I think the F-35 is pretty cool in its technology, I have my doubts about its combat usefulness and overall lifespan. The F-117 really didn't last very long you know.

 

[Winston]

Back when the B-2 was brand new (before the USAF even accepted it from NG), I was stationed at Whiteman AFB, MO, first as a B-2 Phase Maintenance Inspector and later as a Crew Chief working them on the flight line. I had gone to them from the B-52H. Like taking a step into the future! Both aircraft will forever hold a special place in my heart. While I think the F-35 is pretty cool in its technology, I have my doubts about its combat usefulness and overall lifespan. The F-117 really didn't last very long you know.

I agree, the B-2 is a beautiful aircraft. A pilot motto should be, "I'm Batman!"

He's a very nice B-2 compilation. Includes massive inert JDAM drop with post-drop video of targets, beautiful HD refueling near end:

[video=youtube;XiTpAHw-vJk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiTpAHw-vJk[/video]

 

[Viperfixr]

Back when the B-2 was brand new (before the USAF even accepted it from NG), I was stationed at Whiteman AFB, MO, first as a B-2 Phase Maintenance Inspector and later as a Crew Chief working them on the flight line. I had gone to them from the B-52H. Like taking a step into the future! Both aircraft will forever hold a special place in my heart. While I think the F-35 is pretty cool in its technology, I have my doubts about its combat usefulness and overall lifespan. The F-117 really didn't last very long you know.

As a fellow aircraft maintainer who worked the F-117A, it didn't stay in the fleet nearly as long as it could have mainly because the all important cost per flying hour was quite high, primarily driven by the low observable method. Later improvements trickled down from the Raptor helped, but the Nighthawk was an expensive jet for a platform that carried only two bombs. Compare that to even a Raptor carrying SDBs with eight boom boom, let alone a B-2. I'll always love my Stinkbug, but despite how good the LO was she was an expensive one trick pony.

Combat usefulness for the Lightning II isn't the problem! It's actually the feature. Just got home after a year on the AFCENT staff in Qatar, and we could have really used the jet even at this threat level. That said, the 4th Gen fleet is getting so dogged out and minimally sustained that we need the Lightning II badly, all other things being equal (which they most certainly are not). Having flown the jet in the full-up simulator (I am an experienced civilian pilot), the capabilities are far above any 4th Gen aircraft. Any.

Truth in advertising, I am now working in the AF F-35A program in DC...but still an active duty AF member, not a contractor. If the baby was ugly, I would say so. This one isn't.