F-16.net

I should have mentioned that I wrote about the gun and its needed maintenance over in the armament section.

As for X, I dont see why he keeps fighting after such a severe schwacking, but then again, I am not X

F-16.net Sponsor

This message from our sponsor will disappear if you log on as a member.

It cracks the blkhead or frame at the gun mount point, thats why they cannot fire the gun. There are 2 other blkheads or frames that are cracking, the major one for the MLG and the major one for the vertical.
Listen to the mechanics, they can tell you things that are not reported on paper.

I could be mistaken, but didn't the YF-23 show up at the ATF competition NOT able to shoot Sidewinder, only a promise that it would "in the future"? That ultimately may not have had a lot to do with the AF's decision, but it couldn't have helped.

The launch of a SW was not part of the requirements for the fly-off.

Elite Joined: Jun 29, 2004 Posts: 961 Status: Offline

Wow...the X-man finally got one right!

Newbie Joined: Feb 01, 2006 Posts: 15 Status: Offline

OK newbie I am;
but I was on the YF-23 team, then the F-22 team later (go figure aerospace), we at NG after loosing the ATF became everybody’s support and everybody’s best friend, I have ID badges from 4 companies....

ximeno, you do keep me amused! F-111 doing Mach 3 !!! BS I have been around a few Mach 3 aircraft….for the F-111 Outside the envelope, it would break…not just melt, but break, the airframe would not handle it….not a fan for the F-111 so am biased, drives like a truck…

on the YF-23 and SW was an issue but not a requirement, some concerns over inside wing tip con trail in a turn,

Main loss reason, no faith in Northrop (Not Northrop Grumman yet) management team to handle another big project, and B-2 was priority, if we had shifted management duties to MD, we would have had a much better chance, Gov does not mind putting all their financial eggs in one basket as mentioned before, as long as they have faith in the teams, here they did not have their faith in Northrop…

This is the main loss reason, not the only reason...

How fast was YF-23, can not tell ya, but a lot faster than YF-22

the photos from ximeno are PAV 2 undergoing a resurfacing about 2 years ago at the NG El Segundo plant, it was at the Western Museum of Flight for the last 10 years or so, I have heard talk of them sitting at Edwards etc....they were until 96 or so...since then the darker Pav 1 is at Wright Patt and as photos showed in not so good of shape, the lighter Pav 2 that had the GE engines, now has had no engine since 92 (?) Pav 2 went to the Western Museum of Flight a mainly Northrop museum that sits on Northrop Field at the end of the runway in Hawthorne...it got a sprucing up with grey paint (household paint) it lasted a few years, it was outside...a and then Northrop in a possible bid for a YB-23 took it back from the Museum and gave it a proper sprucing, and you can see it in ximeno's photos, note the Northrop Grumman logo in the back, so we know it was more recent than the ATF competition...

The speed is again classified, but again it was a considerable amount faster than YF-22,

Pail Metz the First Flight Pilot for YF-23 went on to move to Lockheed and First Flight the F-22 and is a hell of a great guy, as were both test teams, I still see them all regularly all 6 company pilots that is LM-Beesley, LM-Morganfield, LM- Ferguson, N-Metz, N-Sandberg, and MD-Lowe…

Want more??

See this DVD….I does not have anything to do with it but I liked it and it is a good product…

Web of Secrecy - YF-23 Black Widow II – DVD

http://www.wci-productions.com/

Enjoy

Newbie Joined: Feb 01, 2006 Posts: 15 Status: Offline

more pics

F-16.net Editor Joined: Sep 23, 2003 Posts: 2832

Great photos!!! Smile

The`23 was a DAMN cool looking airplane! Especially from the angle shown in the "Northrop family" pic. Thanks SoCAL CJ!

Newbie Joined: Feb 01, 2006 Posts: 15 Status: Offline

snypa777 wrote:

The`23 was a DAMN cool looking airplane! Especially from the angle shown in the "Northrop family" pic. Thanks SoCAL CJ!

thanks guys....do appreciate the welcome, on the Family photo, Tony Chong from El Segundo NG Model Shop took this once in a lifetime shot while the LA Museum of Science was doing a re-model and loaned the F-20 to the Western Museum of Flight, the F-20 is back at the Science Museum and YF-23 is still at NG for resurfacing, he got up on top of the Quonset hut / hanger at the end of Hawthorne's runway and had all 4 pulled together...you can get a copy I think he wants like $10 for a 8x10, I got mine signed myself...

On the re-surfacing of YF-23 at NG, it has been there for 2 years. Why??? this lead to the FB-23 stories and YF-24 and all the other "things" out there on the internet...like "you know every plane since 71 was built with Alien technology" Rolling Eyes

makes me think we did it wrong, all that sweat and all we had to do was place a few calls to Roswell and get all the answers...seriously just look at the aesthetics of both JSF contenders (X-32 and X-35 both fugly) and you can see alien all over them both Razz

Attached you will see a "collectors data plate" from Aviation Collectables in Lancaster CA, cool and gives you the data as well

also attached is but one of the Lucites you have seen me gripe about I got heisted, anyone ever come across any of these please let me know, even one just sort of like it, any plane any project...I will pay a finders fee

Newbie Joined: Feb 01, 2006 Posts: 15 Status: Offline

just got sent a restoration photo..

Newbie Joined: Feb 01, 2006 Posts: 15 Status: Offline

there is 3 in front of the Pima Air Museum, do not know why??? or where they came from???
but they are there...

Elite Joined: Oct 21, 2005 Posts: 757 Status: Offline

Those pics of the YF-23 are very good SoCal_CJ. No doubt it is a beautiful aircraft and a reason for pride for Northrop/Grumman.

Newbie Joined: Feb 01, 2006 Posts: 15 Status: Offline

Scorpion1alpha wrote:

Those pics of the YF-23 are very good SoCal_CJ. No doubt it is a beautiful aircraft and a reason for pride for Northrop/Grumman.

thanks man, did not mean to get carried away but figured I had a few pics folks had not seen before...

Keep `em coming SoCal CJ, great pictures! Pity we can`t get some hi-res versions!

F-16.net

Forum: F-22A Raptor

YF-22 vs YF-23