Flying the F-117 Stealth Fighter at Area 51 - Dave Southwood (Part 3)

[@mesonparticle]

I was an admin officer at FJTS back in the early to mid 90s and remember Dave well (he was ETPS at the time and visited often from across the way). A lovely man and such a talented test pilot . I remember the F117 being listed against Colin Cruickshank on a framed list in the office of all the types tested by former OCs. This was after declassification of course! This interview was wonderful ❤️

[@joshtafari806]

My uncle worked from 88-2008 at groom lake as a fire chief inspector, and all though he could t and wouldnt talk about anything, he was able to sneak us a vhs tape of the f-117 test flights and before he passed knowing i was i interested and loved and honored his achievments and experiences, shared with me a few stories of some interesting things , and listening to this has been amazing as he says some things that i remember hearing my uncle speak about.. i have all of my uncles stuff from all his time at groom lake and beyond and its been challenging but fun cyphering what his notes are talking about and where…he always honored being truthful to his work and careful even with his notes not to disclose anything that would reveal anything however being someone who has researched and studied the world of top secret projects, particularly unique aircraft, bases and what hangers and places house the things that go in and out…etc i was able to distinguish certain places and events during some inspection jobs he was on and some of what his duties were…all interesting and cool stuff…

[@sebahoste]

What a remarkable career this man has. Brilliant! Loved this interview. Thanks!

[@matthayward7889]

Wonderful interview! All the F-117 stuff is incredible, and I have a tenuous link to Dave myself: my father was a drinking friend of another of Charles Church’s pilots, and I got to go to some of his private open days to see the Spitfire and Me109 flying

[@old_guard2431]

I had that Microprose Stealth Fighter Game, and spent many happy hours with it. Much more on the “game” end of the spectrum than a simulator. Hard to quantify, but I think the developers made some fairly good guesses on how the plane would operate. Wildly off on the configuration of the plane of course.

[@JL-uv1ms]

What a wonderful interview , with a soft spoken intelligent man.Flying the F-117,sorties of 6 1/2 hours,everything top secret,restricted air space, some of the highlights,that I learned 2,000lb laser guided bombs,IFR designation cannot see through clouds, so not good in cloudy coastal areas? Mission planning with capability of .1mile per hour accuracy ,advanced technology for the time.If that is the technology from 34 years ago, I cannot imagine what we have now.. I wonder what the steep climbs and maneuvering would have been like,the design looks very angular,but Mr Southwood said it was like flying any other aircraft, statement from a true test pilot. The design is unique....looks like someone was using Japanese origami,sorry. Thank You,so much, very well executed interview in a relaxed manner,helps anyone watching, to absorb the material easily.

[@10percenttrue]

Thanks, Jan. The origami comment is spot on - it's exactly how you might describe it to someone who has never seen it before. :)

[@Jarvo147]

Excellent interview, great job. Been a fan of Dave Southwood since 1986 when he was at ETPS and I was training for my PPL!

[@1905flyer3]

Excellent!!! You’ve put together some really good interviews. This has got to be one of my favorites! Thoroughly enjoyed Dave’s comments and experiences.

[@10percenttrue]

Thanks, Paul. Glad you enjoyed it!

[@adventureswithchristian6967]

Great interview thank you.

[@10percenttrue]

Thanks, Christian. Just subbed to your channel.

[@eddyson2638]

That was a fascinating interview. You made it look easy, but I’m sure it took a lot of planning and forethought.

[@10percenttrue]

Thanks, Edwin. It was a lot of fun, and Dave is a great interviewee.

[@scottfeatherstone7156]

Great interview, thanks!

[@finchleyflyer]

Very good, fascinating guy and great stories.

[@mivecsi]

Excellent interview. Very interesting. Could listen to Dave all day, such a fascinating career. I met Dave when I worked at ETPS in Boscombe Down a few years ago. I'm sure I strapped him into one of the Boscombe Hawks.

[@10percenttrue]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@ngfan7476]

A great piece of history and an excellent insight into the black world and its playgrounds, TTR and Groom Lake, Steve! Looking forward to many more interviews on this subject. How about interviewing i.e. Hal Farley and Tom Morgenfeld? An a new book of yours about these places would be great as well!

[@10percenttrue]

Appreciate the feedback and kind words! I know Tom and may well drop him a line... stay tuned!

[@0MoTheG]

I wonder what LO shapes were tested at say 1:3.5 scale. Computing it is nice but once you have a test stand and a simple model shop measuring seems straight forward.

[@britfrog]

you must interview him about flying the spitfires etc

[@duke8022]

is there any airplanes you would have liked to have flown in your career? I just the X-15, its only the first Hypersonic airplane out there. this guy is great!

[@melissajennings8938]

I'm really enjoying these interviews, thoughtful, intelligent questions coupled with fascinating speakers. On a personal note; I just can't imagine flying these stealth aircraft being very interesting, flying high level at night, akin to a computer game. No offence meant to any former pilots.

[@10percenttrue]

Thank you, Melissa! I suspect that getting shot at would have turned these rather dry missions into something a little more exciting :)

[@bushgreen260]

*Did you ask him if he had flown any other classified vehicles that is still classified and how many?*

[@10percenttrue]

I think I did and the answer was no... but I'll ask him again to be sure!

[@bushgreen260]

@@10percenttrue ask him if he knows about any classified aircraft aswell.

[@terifarley4770]

Cat A bee, cat B humingbird, cat C sparrow.

[@paulmurphy42]

From 32:23 to 34:00 just like EB