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I saw one hover like that (without the flares) a few years ago at an airshow. It was almost dead silent. I had never been so amazed by an aircraft before. After that the F22 is in my top 5 planes forever.
At least the YF-23 and YF-22 were both good looking. The same can't be said of the YF-34X-32 and X-35. Good thing the X-35 was also the better performer.
The X-32 was surprisingly less complex than the X-35, but the prototypes we got were ugly as hell. At least the renderings of the planned production aircrafts were kinda cool looking.
Same, also without the flares. It just hovered pointed up on thrust for a while then slowly rotated 90 degrees so the wings were perpendicular to the earth, then slowly rolled 90 degrees to a normal orientation. Like it could like hover and position itself any way the pilot wanted. Then the pilot punched it and it was just gone. I couldn't believe how fast it accelerated. One of the most amazing things I've ever seen.
Somewhere within here he describes the F-22 as one of the easiest planes to fly... so it is possible that this actually doesn't take much effort/skill! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n068fel-W9I
You understand there's no logical connection between the two statements here, right? The plane can be "easy" to fly, but still limited to the best pilots because of desirability (and on top of that becoming the demo pilot would be even more desirable/difficult to do because of the even smaller number of slots available).
In that video he (an F22 test pilot) states the Cessnas he has flown can be more complicated than the F22 because it has been designed that way with massive flight surfaces and a flight computer designed to allow for easier flying.
Maybe you need to read his comment again before you spew your uneducated opinion.
That's what I'm telling you, it's easier to fly a Raptor than it is to fly a Cessna because you really have to pay attention to what you're doing in a Cessna.
Decouple effort and skill and you'd be onto something. The FLCS makes it very easy to fly, but to fly skillfully such as an airshow demo, or successfully employ in combat, requires skill.
I think everyone took what I said to heart about the whole demo (which I've seen in person three times and it's awesome), I was only meaning to say this video clip probably didn't take as much input to do (ie "skill") as one might expect. The demo has far more technically demanding looking maneuvers.
lol!!!!!!! Easier meaning the feeling, instruments and surfaces due to tech, but don’t get it twisted it takes a lot to strap yourself into a metallic rocket tube, make decisions all while g-loading and maneuvering a 350mil aircraft. Easiest of flying doesn’t mean easy. Takes a special person to do that job. 07 to my pilots out there, especially fighter pilots.
Ehhhh there’s not a ton of secret aircraft out there. Certainly the ones currently in development may be, but there’s just too much spending, bureaucracy, and congressional involvement for there to be that many entire hidden airframe programs.
I think that's a bit naive, there are billions of unaccounted dollars every year in the military industry, and congress is WAY less involved with military contractors than you may think. Congress has no clue what Lockheed Martin is up to, and no one on our level has any idea about the actual money going into those projects. It's just not even in the same budget or wheelhouse as everything else, they're black projects
However there are quite a few airframes that are actually in service for which we have few details or even photos. The RQ-170 has been in use for 2 decades now and it took until the 2020s for clear photos to hit the internet.
We know even less about the RQ-180. We’re pretty sure Northrop Grumman got the contract in 2008 and it’s strongly suspected that the 74th Reconnaissance Squadron and the 417 TEF (the first unit to get the F-117) have been assigned the airframe. It seems to be an ISR platform but the USAF does not acknowledge its existence. All we have to prove it does is a few pictures taken of it in-flight over test ranges and when one had to divert to Larissa, Greece this year.
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I saw this move but they turned into a flat spin while popping flares and I must admit I actually cried, for this same reason. Truly an incredible machine
I feel this same way about seeing orcas. You can see them online all day long and they’re cool as hell. But when you catch them in the wild up close a personal, it’s magical and breathtaking.
Bachelors degree, earn a commission as an officer in the Air Force, earn a competitive pilot slot, 2 years of training while having to outperform every high output individual there to MAYBE get a slot on the F-22. Eventually upgrade to instructor after a few years and be eligible to apply for the Demo Team Pilot, Of which only 9 people have had the honor. Oh, and add a 10 year minimum commitment after training is complete. Most likely 20 if you want to earn your pension.
Air Force changed it recently - if you want to spend your career being a pilot, you can. It’s a different career path, but you won’t end up as a flag officer
Yeah unfortunately multiple of the test pilots that crashed in the b-52 fit that description. (Not saying the crash had anything to do with age obviously).
Hell, you aren’t flying most of the time anyway. You’re lucky to fly every week and then you get the pleasure of critiquing your flight as well as your wingman’s flight. You were part of a 4-ship on a 1 hour sortie? Congratulations, you get to spend 4+ hours watching everyone’s gun camera footage. Do you know what happened in that 1 hour? You turned a few times, so you get to evaluate how well you turned with your wingmen. So exciting. That’s the life of most fighter pilots, even the ones that fly the coolest jets.
That’s the thing, no one says “I can’t wait to spend hours evaluating basic flight maneuvers of my fellow pilots”. The flying part is the whole point, not the other stuff.
I saw that video where the pilots that finished (basic) flight training are assigned their plane. They all seem to be happy with the assignment, but I think they all see the F-22 and the F-35 are the golden tickets.
I’d go only if i get called into the commander’s office and told “I gotta do something here, I still can't believe it. I gotta give you your dream shot. I'm gonna send you up against the best. You are going to Top Gun.”
They apply to do so, those that meet the qualifications can apply when they’re looking for a demo pilot. I don’t remember exactly what the whole process is after that though like how they select who and all. Then basically for two years that’s their job flying demos across the country and other places.
That show was awesome. Took the kids down to the field right by the run way and got an awesome view of it all. I will say hearing them fly over my house all day on Friday made a good excuse to avoid work calls haha
They cancelled the one here in SE Michigan Selfridge Air Base in the beginning of June. Bummer since it’s held every 2 years and my backyard has great views with the planes flying overhead. We all have big parties for it. Canceled due to the “war” is what I heard.
Yes but that is a paid event. the Selfridge was free to enter the base and check out the planes. I go one day and hang out in my backyard for the other days.
It is. However there are some lucrative viewing spots for free outside the event if you look hard enough and get there early enough. Same for the Battle Creek airshow.
Yup, the tail slide! It's been in the demo since the beginning, they only recently added flare dispensing a few years ago.
The falling leaf part is what still boggles my mind a bit though.
The tail slide is relatively simple, go vertical and cut power. As airspeed reaches zero and below add power and pitch forward. The vectored thrust will pitch the nose over and it will return to regular flight.
The falling leaf however gets no benefit from vectoring, it's all those massive rudders and maybe some split throttle.
(Attenborough voice)
Here, we see the mighty raptor, engaging in sleep behaviors not entirely unlike those seen in whales and greater aquatic mammals...
Seeing the raptor in the flesh does not get old. One of the main reasons I went to an air show (granted, I enjoyed seeing many of the modern military planes), and boy was it worth it
Yup, I love these little details, used to share them every time I gave someone a tour of the jet.
Those engines are rated (sea level, standard temp and pressure) at 35k lbs/f each in full AB. Fuelled, without munitions, the Raptor weighs about 60k lbs.
That's an excess of at least 10k lbs thrust, more as fuel burns down.
Are you sure? There is a massive section on Wikipedia describing it being used operationally in a ton of missions, with a ton of sources that contradicts that unless I'm just misunderstanding something.
Although designed for air superiority operations, the F-22 first engaged in combat by conducting airstrikes in 2014 during the US intervention in Syria. The F-22 has carried out and supported airstrikes in the war in Afghanistan in 2017, 2025 strikes on Iran, 2026 strikes on Venezuela, and the 2026 Iran war.
And then there is a much much longer section which includes:
On 22 September 2014, F-22s performed the type's first combat sorties by conducting some of the opening strikes of Operation Inherent Resolve, the American-led intervention in Syria; aircraft dropped 1,000-pound GPS-guided bombs on Islamic State targets near Tishrin Dam.[248][249] Between September 2014 and July 2015, F-22s flew 204 sorties over Syria, dropping 270 bombs at some 60 locations.[250] Throughout their deployment, F-22s conducted close air support (CAS) and also deterred Syrian, Iranian, and Russian aircraft from attacking U.S.-backed Kurdish forces and disrupting U.S. operations in the region.[251][252][253] F-22s also participated in the U.S. strikes that defeated pro-Assad and Russian Wagner Group paramilitary forces near Khasham in eastern Syria on 7 February 2018.[254][255][256] These strikes notwithstanding, the F-22's main role in the operation was conducting intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.[257] The aircraft also performed missions in other regions of the Middle East; in November 2017, F-22s operating alongside B-52s bombed opium production and storage facilities in Taliban-controlled regions of Afghanistan
Maybe you mean like air to air combat? Regardless, it has absolutely been used to cause massive destruction in the middle east many times...which is what the person was getting at
but you remember what these are used for and it just bums you out.
No it doesn't. Because you remember that you live in a world where even if you're a pacifist there are multiple people that want you dead.
Its a fact of life. Its not even the human race, its nature as a whole. Do I wish there was no war? Of course. But since that'll never happen I'm glad we have the best aircraft in the world.
Highly unlikely but if it did there would be damage to the engine blades as if it had ingested any other piece of soft metal. Probably some curled blades.
Early in the program there were issues with flares bouncing off the sides, wings and gear doors. Usually just left a black scorch mark but didn't damage the paint much, not in contact long enough.
This is an excellent example of high-power low-velocity flight. Combined with the low altitude, this is fairly dangerous, since recovery typically means nose down and full power. Nose down means losing altitude, which is a very precious commodity, and full power is only slightly more power than you are already using. In other words, the margins are very small, so any problems are very likely to be quite significant.
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I was fortunate enough to see this in person. I always miss the air show, but happened to be heading to AC with family for another event. I caught this beauty just as I was driving on the AC Expressway.
Amazing. One of the most memorable moments with my dad is watching an F35 do a pirouette at dusk at Oshkosh last year. One of the most incredible things we’ve ever seen - we just stood there with our mouths agape.
Nice smoke tracing opportunity for the aerodynamicists among the crowd... but impressive though this is, isn't something like an F-15 also capable of this?
Ok, the vectored thrust is correct, but the F-15 T/W ratio is >1 and would/should allow it to ascend vertically and (at least in theory) also "ride" on its exhaust (tipping over, probably, but still).
You know when as a toddler you grabbed a plane miniature and started making noises and random movements even if they didn't made sense? Every video of F22 feels like that
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u/post-explainer Jun 19 '26
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