You just know that this guy has a very lucky rabbit's foot. Maj. Michael Hoepfner said he has the greatest job in the world. As the first local fighter pilot to complete his F/A-22 Raptor checkout flight at Tyndall AFB, few would argue.

"I feel so lucky that I got to be the first to qualify," he said of his recent feat.

The assistant director of operations for the 43rd Fighter Squadron is one of only three fighter pilots here currently qualified to fly the F/A-22, and he is the first pilot to qualify in a Tyndall-stationed Raptor. Lt. Col. Jeffrey Harrigian, 43rd FS commander, and Maj. Steven Luczynski, a 43rd FS flight commander, both completed their training at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.

"Training Major Hoepfner provided a tremendous sense of pride for everyone in the 43rd Aircraft Maintenance Unit and the Raptor team as a whole to include all our contractor support," Colonel Harrigian said.

Major Hoepfner arrived at Tyndall in May 2002. As an F-16 Fighting Falcon veteran, he continues to fly out of Eglin AFB, Fla., supporting operational testing.

"As an F-16 pilot, I think it's one of the most beautiful planes on earth and does so many different things. We call ourselves the jacks of all trades and the masters of none," Major Hoepfner said. "In the F/A-22 though, we'll be the masters of all."

Being able to get up high and fast stacks the fight in the Raptor's favor as the fifth generation of fighter jet, he said.

The mantra of the F/A-22 program is stealth, integrated avionics, increased maneuverability and supercruise leading to an increased precision and attack capability.

"The big difference is in the aircraft's capabilities," Major Hoepfner said. "The F/A-22 is two steps above the F-16 in every area I can think of. It's an absolutely amazing jet."

The F/A-22 also outperforms the F-15 Eagle, proving to be more maneuverable, more reliable and less detectable than the Eagle. Essentially, the F/A-22 elevates U.S. technological advantages and updates '70s technology, providing first-look, first-shot, first-kill capability.

Initial flight training for the single-seat aircraft included a trip to the Boeing headquarters in Seattle for ground school academic training that lasted two weeks. Then, Major Hoepfner traveled to Atlanta for training on the high-fidelity tactical simulators.

Emergency procedure simulator training was conducted here and after numerous sessions, he said he felt more than ready to take the Raptor up for the first time.

When he flew his first Raptor sortie Nov. 12, he realized he had been working toward that day for two and a half years.

"At Eglin, I kept saying I want to fly that jet someday," Major Hoepfner said.

"Finally getting to do it was purely amazing. I'd heard all the stories how maneuverable the jet was and how the radar performed, but until you see it yourself, you really don't get an appreciation for the ability of this jet to do whatever you ask it to do."

After the core cadre of seven pilots here gets qualified by early spring, three other F-15 pilots are scheduled to arrive at the 43rd for F/A-22 training. Officials are expecting to bring in an initial cadre small classes from Langley AFB, Va. [ANN Thanks Christine Sullivan, 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs]

FMI: www.af.mil