Saw my first Raptor today...

Two of them actually. I live probably 10 miles from Scott AFB, so it was a little odd, but every now and again we have a few fighters out this way. What a huge plane! The pictures don't do it justice, absolutely incredible that thing can do what it does in the air. Also didn't realize how loud they were. I've had 15's 16's and 18's over the house before and they were nothing like these. Car alarms were going off up and down the street... Puts a smile on your face

 

They are loud and they are big, but man can they do some cool stuff in the sky!

 

You aint kidding.... saw the display at Edwards AFB a couple of years ago..just blown away, didnt thing planes could do stuff like that.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dly6DQ0fNA]Aviation Nation 2008 - F-22 Raptor Demo - YouTube[/ame]

 

Spent a week in Alamagordo, NM, last year.......the windows in the dealership I was working at shook from the sonic booms we got 2-3 times a day from the Raptors based out of Holloman AFB. The locals loved it when this happened.

 

Just a reminder of that old adage: Jet Noise - The Sound of Freedom!

 

A few pictures from the Reno air races....2008
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Just imagine what a plane could be designed to do if it didn't have to accommodate the limits of humans. Crazy.

GT

 

That plane is already here.

 

The USAF X-37B?

GT

 

I have a friend who was in the AF and is now a private civilian contractor working on the F22 test program at Edwards, he told me that the biggest limiting factor in the F22 is the human and that he thought this would be the last air superiority fighter that had a pilot on board...seems a shame in a way but thats progress for you.

 

While golfing at my favorite course in Utah (davis county) you can watch them all day its really neat. They take off from Hill Air Force Base.

 

Love the shot with the Lightning & the Mustang & the Raptor!

 

I'm necromancing an old thread about the Raptor.

All fighters have their own signature jet-whine sound from the intakes. If I throw the following birds out, you most likely can already hear them in your head:
- The Tweet
- Phantom
- The Buff
It you're an aviation nut, there's something about the sound a certain bird emits. Now, what does this have to do with anything? Well, I happen to notice, on YouTube, virtually
every single video of the F-22 Raptor, is always in afterburner.
Believe it or don't, the Raptor too, has its own 'sound' with A/B off. I didn't catch this trend, until this video started circulating like wildfire;
https://www.facebook.com/reel/877431169958869

YouTube featured ONE

 

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So no more rear refueling shots with the KC46, that's is a shame!!! Love the F22 much better than the F35. I bet the F35 has higher mtx per flight hour than the F22?

 

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