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From: brndlfly@athena.mit.edu (Matthew T Velazquez)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: F-117A Performance?
Message-ID: <1991Feb6.033211.22782@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 6 Feb 91 03:32:11 GMT
Sender: military@cbnews.att.com (William B. Thacker)
Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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From: brndlfly@athena.mit.edu (Matthew T Velazquez)

In article  <1991Feb4.065635.21784@cbnews.att.com> tkogoma@triton.cirt.unm.edu writes:

>What *is* the 'official' name for the F-117?  I've heard the name
>"Ghostrider" somewhwere (maybe a Tom Clancy book), but I don't recall
>a more 'official source for it...

Well, let's see...

Clancy called it the Frisbee. I don't know the source for "Ghostrider".

An early report in Popular Mechanics or Popular Science (I never can keep those
two damn mags straight), said that the pilots called it the Wobbly Goblin,
apparently due to a not-entirely-trustworthy active-control system. The problem
was fixed in a hurry, and nobody since will admit to have EVER called it the
Wobbly Goblin.

The chosen Air Force name for the F-117 is Nighthawk. It was decided upon in
the last few months.

Pilots still refuse to call it what it is supposed to be called. The tarmac
nickname for the plane is, in keeping with a pre-unveiling security measure,
the Black Jet.

			T Velazquez
			MIT Aero/Astro
			brndlfly@athena.mit.edu