***The OFFICIAL aviation pics thread***

[71chevellejohn]

In the 80s, my Dad was stationed at Mildenhall.... We lived in base housing at Lakenheath AFB(Tail markings pictured in CJ's first F111 pic). I remember a bunch of stories of Lakenheath bombing Libya. They said we dropped a bomb in Gaddafi's bedroom. He wasn't there at the time, but it put him into hiding for a little bit.

The acronym for Libya was Lakenheath Is Bombing Your Ass.

[mk5.0]

In the 80s, my Dad was stationed at Mildenhall.... We lived in base housing at Lakenheath AFB(Tail markings pictured in CJ's first F111 pic). I remember a bunch of stories of Lakenheath bombing Libya. They said we dropped a bomb in Gaddafi's bedroom. He wasn't there at the time, but it put him into hiding for a little bit.

The acronym for Libya was Lakenheath Is Bombing Your Ass.

That's cool, I was stationed there in the 90's. We dropped a ton of bombs on Kosovo too.

[likeitfast55]

Guess the plane------------------

[petyweestraw]

No

[likeitfast55]

ok

[Denny]

Looks kinda like a Boeing X-53

[Couver]

Guess the plane]

Without seeing the nose I would say YF-17 but it looks to small. Hornet knockoff of some sort.

[GhostTX]

Guess the plane------------------

Without seeing the nose I would say YF-17 but it looks to small. Hornet knockoff of some sort.

YF-17 became the F-18 which is a bigger plane, so I agree with you. It's the YF-17.

[Couver]

YF-17 became the F-18 which is a bigger plane, so I agree with you. It's the YF-17.

I wanted to see the nose since had a huge pitot like probe sticking out the radome. It doesn't have LEX fences but neither did the early early Hornets till they figured out the tails need some help breaking up the airflow before it got to them. Plus the landing gear is way Air Force. I've always heard we "borrowed" the design that made the Navy version from a Russian jet. I have no idea if it's true.

[GhostTX]

I wanted to see the nose since had a huge pitot like probe sticking out the radome. It doesn't have LEX fences but neither did the early early Hornets till they figured out the tails need some help breaking up the airflow before it got to them. Plus the landing gear is way Air Force. I've always heard we "borrowed" the design that made the Navy version from a Russian jet. I have no idea if it's true.

It started as part of a USAF program. So ya, YF-17.

[likeitfast55]

Yes, YF-17. The prototype for the USAF. It lost the contest for their light weight fighter. It was redesigned and became the F-18 for the USN.

"Although it lost the LWF competition to the F-16 Fighting Falcon, the YF-17 was selected for the new Naval Fighter Attack Experimental (VFAX) program. In enlarged form, the F/A-18 Hornet was adopted by the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps to replace the A-7 Corsair II and F-4 Phantom II, complementing the more expensive F-14 Tomcat.[1] This design, conceived as a small and lightweight fighter, was scaled up to the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, which is similar in size to the original F-15."

Wikipedia,

[Denny]

Close enough.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_X-53_Active_Aeroelastic_Wing

[David]

[46Tbird]

Back in 2004, I was doing some work in southern California. I drove past the Northrup Grumman plant, and had to do a double take when I saw this.

It's the Northrup Grumman YF-23, which lost out to the YF-22 for a production contract. Kind of strange to see a muti-billion dollar stealth fighter aircraft parked a few feet away from a major street (I think it was Aviation Blvd in El Segundo but it was a long time ago).

§Aircraft on display[edit]

Both YF-23 airframes remained in storage until mid-1996, when the aircraft were transferred to museums.[37]

YF-23A PAV-1, Air Force serial number 87-0800, registration number N231YF, was on display as of 2009 in the Research and Development hangar of the National Museum of the United States Air Force near Dayton, Ohio.[42]

YF-23A PAV-2, AF ser. no. 87-0801, registration number N232YF, was on exhibit at the Western Museum of Flight until 2004,[37] when it was reclaimed by Northrop Grumman and used as a display model for a YF-23-based bomber.[43] PAV-2 was returned to the Western Museum of Flight and was on display as of 2010 at the museum's new location at Torrance Airport, Torrance, California.[2]

(not my photo - I do have one somewhere)

[YALE]

Sweet!