YF-22 First Flight Pilot - Dave Ferguson
29 September 1990: Lockheed test pilot Dave Ferguson makes the first flight of the YF-22 when he ferries the aircraft from Palmdale to the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB, California.
Photo by Denny Lombard
YF-22 First Air Force Pilot
25 October 1990: Maj. Mark Shackelford becomes the first Air Force pilot to fly the YF-22 prototype. This flight also marks the first time the YF-22 is flown at supersonic speeds.
Photo by Denny Lombard
YF-22 First Aerial Refueling
26 October 1990: First aerial refueling of the YF-22 takes place. Fuel is supplied from a KC-135 tanker.
Second YF-22 Flies
30 October 1990: Lockheed test pilot Tom Morgenfeld completes the first flight of the number two YF-22 prototype in a flight from Palmdale to Edwards. This aircraft, called PAV-2, is powered by two Pratt & Whitney YF119-PW-100 turbofan engines.
Morgenfeld Flies First Flight Of Second YF-22
30 October 1990: Lockheed test pilot Tom Morgenfeld completes the first flight of the number two YF-22 prototype in a flight from Palmdale to Edwards. This aircraft, called PAV-2, is powered by two Pratt & Whitney YF119-PW-100 turbofan engines.
Beesley Launches AIM-9 From YF-22
28 November 1990: General Dynamics test pilot Jon Beesley, flying PAV-2, fires an AIM-9 Sidewinder over the range at the Naval Weapons Center at China Lake, California. This is the first live missile firing in the entire ATF program.
First Formation Flight With Two YF-22s
11 December 1990: YF-22s are flown in formation for the first time.
High Angle Of Attack Testing Completed
17 December 1990: YF-22 high angle-of-attack testing is completed on the eighty-seventh anniversary of the Wright Brothers’ first flight. The YF-22 attains an unprecedented sixty-degree angle-of-attack attitude and remains in full control.
First YF-22 AMRAAM Launch
20 December 1990: Lockheed test pilot Tom Morgenfeld fires an unarmed AIM-120 missile from PAV-2 over the Pacific Missile Test Range at Point Mugu, California.
YF-22 Testing Complete
28 December 1990: Flight test portion of the dem/val phase ends with the two YF-22s accumulating a total of 91.6 hours in seventy-four flights.
YF-22 No. 1 To Marietta
23 June 1991: PAV-1 is flown to Marietta aboard a C-5. This YF-22, which will not be flown again, will primarily be used as an engineering mockup.
Photo by John Rossino
YF-22 Flight Testing Resumes
30 October 1991: Flight testing of PAV-2 resumes at the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB. Lockheed pilot Tom Morgenfeld makes a 1.6-hour sortie. Test points include functional checks, handling qualities, and gathering aerodynamic loads data.
