Released: Jul 1, 1998
F-22 Chief Test Pilot Paul Metz flew the aircraft from Dobbins Air Reserve Base here, lifting off the runway at 140 knots with the aircraft's two Pratt & Whitney F119-PW-100 engines at military power (full power without afterburner). The Raptor flew to an altitude of 20,000 feet at speeds as high as 250 knots (280 mph).
Flying chase in an F-16 aircraft for this first flight was Lt. Col. Steve Rainey. Rainey flew chase for the first flight of the first F-22 back on Sept 7, 1997 and was also the first Air Force pilot to fly the F-22. He made that flight on May 17 at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.
Metz performed flying qualities maneuvers during the flight, including bank-to-bank rolls, flight at varied engine settings, and landing gear retraction and extension. He flew in formation with the chase F-16 and found the second Raptor was responsive and rock-solid. The flight lasted one hour and six minutes.
"First flight of the second F-22 is testimony to the viability and vitality of this program," said Tom Burbage, F-22 Team Program Office general manager. "We worked hard to incorporate the lessons we learned on Raptor 01, and we succeeded. This airplane was brought to flight much more easily and efficiently than the first. We'll continue to learn and improve through the remaining seven engineering and manufacturing development aircraft as we prepare to enter production next year."
The contractor team was able to substantially reduce the labor hours required to assemble the second F-22, and there were significantly fewer open items required to prepare the aircraft for flight after completion of final assembly.
After a number of test flights from Marietta, the F-22 will fly to the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards. There, this second F-22 will join the first F-22 Raptor in flight tests.
The F-22 is widely regarded as the most advanced fighter in the world, combining a revolutionary leap in technology and capability with reduced support requirements and maintenance costs. It will replace the aging F-15 as America's front-line air superiority fighter, with deliveries beginning in 2002.
The F-22's combination of stealth, integrated avionics, maneuverability, and supercruise (supersonic flight without afterburner) will give Raptor pilots a "first-look, first-shot, first-kill" capability against enemy aircraft. The F-22 is designed to provide not just air superiority, but air dominance, winning quickly and decisively with few U.S. and allied casualties.
The F-22 also has an inherent near-precision air-to-ground capability. (Courtesy of Air Combat Command New Service)
