Milestone Set By Pilot Who Was Part Of F-22 Test Program

A significant milestone has been reached by a pilot of the F-22 Raptor fighter. The US Air Force reports that on November 4 at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska, Lieutenant Colonel David Piffarerio, commander of the 302nd Fighter Squadron, became the first pilot to fly 1,000 hours in the F-22.

Piffarerio (pictured) commented, "This is a great milestone for the pilots, maintainers and contractors working on the jet and the F-22 program as a whole. The aircraft is maturing and getting better the more we fly and perform maintenance on it."

Piffarerio was a part of the initial group who stood up the 477th Fighter Group in 2007, under which the 302nd Fighter Squadron falls. Before he was assigned to the only reserve unit in Alaska, Piffarerio says he served 13 years on active duty in a variety of F-15E Strike Eagle and F-22 assignments. His history with the Raptor goes back to 2002, when he helped test the F-22 during follow-on evaluations. He then served as program manager and F-22 test director at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada.

So, was the four-month safety stand-down of the F-22 earlier this year, which delayed his milestone, frustrating? Piffarerio says, "More important to me than this milestone is that the F-22 fleet is safely in the air and accomplishing the mission. Air Combat Command's plan to resume flight operations was done in a deliberate and methodical manner with the safety of the pilots in mind." (Text and photo by Capt Ashley Conner)

FMI: www.af.mil/information/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=199