F-22s Will Once Again Amaze Crowd

The Lockheed F-22 "Raptor," one of the world's most advanced military jets, will return and fly during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2008, "The World's Greatest Aviation Celebration," this year at Oshkosh, WI. Two of the airplanes will arrive at Wittman Regional Airport with an aerial performance on July 31, and at least one aircraft will fly an aerial demonstration each afternoon on Friday through Sunday, August 1-3. 

"One of the big questions we've received this winter from EAA AirVenture attendees is whether the F-22s would be returning to Oshkosh this year," said Tom Poberezny, EAA president and AirVenture chairman. "The Raptors' aerial abilities, either flying solo or in formation during Heritage Flights with World War II- and Korean War-era aircraft, were among the top highlights of last year's daily air shows."

Many of the aerial maneuvers displayed during an F-22 performance are unique to the type, and were discovered and refined during flight tests and simulated aerial combat. They have unique names such as the "Mongo Flip," "J-turn," and "Pedal Turn," which showcase the unprecedented agility of the aircraft. Extreme slow-speed passes and maneuvers such as "The Cobra" are also part of the demonstrations.

The cutting-edge abilities of the F-22 are possible through a combination of high power, vectored thrust and integrated avionics. The airplane's stealth technology also allows it to elude detection and be more effective as a weapon. In training exercises, the F-22 proved to extremely successful, compiling impressive victory totals against traditional front-line jet fighters.

These advanced attributes also allow the F-22 to perform air show maneuvers not seen from any previous US military aircraft. Its afterburners allow it to climb vertically as soon as its wheels leave the ground, while the Raptor's control surfaces allow it to maneuver at speeds as low as 80 miles and hour, although its top speed is Mach 2 (twice the speed of sound, or more than 1,400 mph).

There are currently 91 Raptors in the Air Force inventory. As ANN reported, F-22s based at Langley AFB in Virginia received FOC (full operational capability) in December 2007.

The 56th annual edition of the EAA fly-in convention will be held July 28-August 3.

FMI: www.airventure.org, www.eaa.org, www.f22raptor.com