Beesley Flies F-22
14 September 1997: Lockheed Martin test pilot Jon Beesley makes the second flight of the first F-22 Raptor 01 (Air Force serial number 91-0001) from Dobbins ARB in Marietta, Georgia. Beesley is the only test pilot to fly both the YF-22 prototype and a production F-22.
Best Of 1997
11 November 1997: Popular Science designates the F-22 as one of the 100 “Best of What’s New for 1997.”
F-22 Arrives At Edwards
5 February 1998: Raptor 01 arrives at the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB, California, aboard a C-5 Galaxy from Westover ARB, Massachusetts. The F-22 was partially disassembled for the flight.
USAF Museum Receives YF-22
31 March 1998: The first YF-22 prototype is enshrined in the Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio.
First Flight At Edwards
17 May 1998: Raptor 01 is flown for the first time at Edwards AFB. The 1.5-hour flight is the third flight for the aircraft and the first for a US Air Force pilot, in this case Lt. Col. Steve Rainey.
Photo by Judson Brohmer
Raptor 02 First Flight
29 June 1998: Paul Metz flies Raptor 02 (Air Force serial number 91-4002) for its inaugural flight, which takes place from Dobbins ARB.
Killberg Flies F-22
9 July 1998: Boeing chief test pilot Chuck Killberg makes his first flight in the F-22. The flight marks Killberg as the first heritage Boeing pilot since the 1930s to fly a pure fighter as part of a development program.
Photo by Kevin Robertson
First Aerial Refueling
30 July 1998: An F-22 is refueled in flight for the first time at the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB. The tanker is a KC-135 Stratotanker.
Photo by David Drais
First Cross-Country Flight
26 August 1998: Lt. Col. Steve Rainey flies Raptor 02 nonstop to Edwards AFB, California, from Marietta, Georgia. During the four-hour flight, Rainey reaches an altitude of 28,000 feet and a speed of 325 knots.
Photo by Kevin Robertson
First Supersonic Flight
10 October 1998: An F-22 is flown supersonically for the first time during a flight from Edwards AFB. Lockheed Martin test pilot Jon Beesley reaches a speed of Mach 1.1 at 29,000 feet in Raptor 01 for Flight 31 of the aircraft.
Photo by Kevin Robertson
183-Flight-Hour Mark Surpassed
23 November 1998: Air Force pilot Lt. Col. David Nelson pushes the F-22 during a 3.1-hour mission to the 183-flight-hour mark mandated by the US Congress before Congress will release funds needed for long lead items for the first six Lot 1 production F-22s.
Photo by Derk Blanset
Block 1 Software Delivered
25 November 1998: F-22 Block 1 avionics software is delivered for installation in the Boeing 757 Flying Test Bed.
