F117A Nighthawk Pilot's Flight Operating Instructions

The first operational fighter aircraft to utilize “stealth” radar evading technology, the Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk astonished the world when it debuted in 1982. With a maximum speed of about 700 mph, and a service range of just over 500 miles, the subsonic F-117A serves primarily as a precision ground attack platform, and not as a fighter. The USAF currently has about 50 of these aircraft in service, and plans to retire them in 2017. Originally printed by the Air Force, this Flight Operating Handbook taught pilots everything they needed to know before entering the cockpit. Classified “Restricted”, the manual was recently declassified and is here reprinted in book form. This affordable facsimile has been slightly reformatted. Care has been taken however to preserve the integrity of the text — all 647 PAGES are included!