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F-22, fighter of the future, set to scream into Tucson
Arizona Daily Star ^ | Feb 26, 2006 | Carol Ann Alaimo

Posted on 02/26/2006 7:12:29 AM PST by SandRat

The newest bird in the Air Force fleet — and one of the noisiest — will make its Tucson debut next weekend. The F-22 Raptor, a sleek and supersonic stealth jet that's more advanced than any other in Air Force history, will be among dozens of new and vintage warplanes in town to train for the 2006 air- show season.

Two or three of the futuristic fighters will touch down during the annual Heritage Flight Conference at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, a three-day event that allows pilots to practice formation flying for eight to nine hours a day. It's part of the certification process to perform on the air-show circuit.

The training conference runs from Friday through Sunday.

To military aircraft enthusiasts, the Raptor's arrival is cause for ooh-ing and aah-ing.

"The F-22 is a pretty spectacular bit of technology," said Scott Marchand, director of collections and aircraft restoration at the Pima Air and Space Museum. The radar-defeating aircraft, which cost about $130 million apiece, came into service three months ago, so recently that few civilians have ever seen one in flight.

"This is a rare chance to get a sneak peek at the next generation of air-dominance fighters," Marchand said. The F-22 "is a much noisier airplane" than the A-10 attack jets that typically fly above Tucson, Marchand noted.

And the Raptor also has much more advanced capabilities, such as the ability to cruise at supersonic speed without afterburners, and sophisticated sensors that allow the pilot to track, identify and shoot a threat before it detects the F-22. But some Tucsonans concerned about military-jet noise see the extra flights as an added headache and safety risk.

National security requirements are one thing. Practicing for air shows is another, said Daniel Patterson, city planning commissioner.

"I'm not sure it's appropriate to have all these additional overflights in a big city. It seems like it would be more appropriate for a remote location," said Patterson, who is also a co-chairman of Tucsonans for Quality of Life, a citizens group concerned about the environmental impact of the air base.

He said the air-show training heaps one more aggravation onto residents already negatively affected by things like extra helicopter flights and on-again, off-again night training at D-M.

Col. Michael Isherwood, D-M's vice commander, said he doesn't expect a major increase in noise because the F-22 is not at full power when flying in formation.

According to an Air Force noise study, an F-22 flying 500 feet above ground level sounds about the same as a chain saw operating nearby.

About 40 aircraft will take part in the training sessions, including historic warplanes such as the World War II-era P-51 Mustang and the F-86 Sabre, which was flown during the Korean War.

While the training flights will be visible to city residents, the event is not open to the public.

Marchand said a prime viewing spot is the parking lot of the air museum, 6000 E. Valencia Road, between South Wilmot Road and Interstate 10.


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; US: Arizona
KEYWORDS: airshow; f22; f22raptor; fighter; future; raptor; scream; tucson; usaf; wahmypuyhurts
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To: JoeGar

I believe you are correct.


61 posted on 02/26/2006 11:15:40 AM PST by SandRat (Duty, Honor, Country. What else needs to be said?)
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To: Willie Green
Yeah, F104 Starfighters used to make some really nice booms when my elementary class was out for recess (not that you couldn't hear them from inside the building!!). It always gives me pause that this is a sound most of the younger generation in this country has never heard.
62 posted on 02/26/2006 11:19:46 AM PST by steve86 (Acerbic by nature, not nurture)
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To: Donald Meaker

interesting bird but the wing design was radical. not sexy enough to be the signature fighter of the USAF.

63 posted on 02/26/2006 11:25:09 AM PST by APRPEH (the UN is the biggest cartoon. lets riot......)
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To: RightOnline

Tucson is a "Progressive DhimminiCrat" enclave. In every presidential election it goes that way.


64 posted on 02/26/2006 11:28:14 AM PST by SandRat (Duty, Honor, Country. What else needs to be said?)
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To: mad_as_he$$
Good afternoon.
"But my favorite is BUFF's on two minute intervals..."

I watched that happen on Guam once. We were there just under an hour and the B-52s took off one after the other the whole time.

It was spectacular and knowing what was going to happen at the end of the trip made it more so. You've got to love the military.

Michael Frazier
65 posted on 02/26/2006 11:31:16 AM PST by brazzaville (no surrender no retreat, well, maybe retreat's ok)
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To: BearWash
It always gives me pause that this is a sound most of the younger generation in this country has never heard

If they're not TOO close, the sound is actually quite comforting when you're reminded of exactly who is up there and what they're doing.
I used to enjoy trying to spot them if you could still hear the engine after the initial boom. It wasn't easy --- you had to look waaaaaaay out ahead of where the sound was coming from. More often than not, they were already out of sight. But whenever you could catch a glimpse, it was well worth it.

66 posted on 02/26/2006 11:33:27 AM PST by Willie Green (Go Pat Go!!!)
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To: Donald Meaker

Mark Twain hadn't been there. Japan made some land for airports, no Twain there either.

Ya'd think he could at least have gone to Hawai'i, land is being made there as we speak. Not that mushy Dutch or Japanese mud either. Good solid 'Merican ROCK.


67 posted on 02/26/2006 11:37:32 AM PST by null and void (Imagine what they would be doing if it wasn't a religion of peace!!!)
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To: Willie Green
you had to look waaaaaaay out ahead of where the sound was coming from.

I remember that.

68 posted on 02/26/2006 11:38:55 AM PST by steve86 (Acerbic by nature, not nurture)
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To: BearWash
It always gives me pause that this is a sound most of the younger generation in this country has never heard.

Yeah. Sad, really.

69 posted on 02/26/2006 11:40:19 AM PST by null and void (Imagine what they would be doing if it wasn't a religion of peace!!!)
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To: SandRat
He said the air-show training heaps one more aggravation onto residents already negatively affected by things like extra helicopter flights and on-again, off-again night training at D-M.

I feel soooooo sorry for these poor sensitive people. < /sarcasm>
I live close to a civilian airport and not far from Langley Air Force Base – and they have the Raptor assigned. I do occasionally hear the planes – but it doesn’t bother me a bit. I’m glad they’re up and flying.
70 posted on 02/26/2006 11:48:10 AM PST by R. Scott (Humanity i love you because when you're hard up you pawn your Intelligence to buy a drink.)
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To: Veloxherc
It's not an AF plane but the Harrier has to be the nosiest jet there is. IMOI would agree... once saw (and felt!) one take off from a 1/2 mile away... The F-104's were taking off about 200 yards from my tent at 6am!
71 posted on 02/26/2006 11:49:32 AM PST by operation clinton cleanup
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To: bnelson44
My guess is the F-22 will end up being deployed at Luke.

The 27th Fighter Squadron has a dozen F-22s stationed at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia.
72 posted on 02/26/2006 11:52:50 AM PST by R. Scott (Humanity i love you because when you're hard up you pawn your Intelligence to buy a drink.)
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To: mad_as_he$$

F-18 Hornet. There have been a number of variations of that design, one of which I believe had Eagle in the name.


73 posted on 02/26/2006 12:02:12 PM PST by MensRightsActivist
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To: brazzaville
Good Afternoon to you!

You must have been in Guam during one of the Linebackers or Rolling Thunder!

74 posted on 02/26/2006 12:04:05 PM PST by mad_as_he$$ (Never corner anything meaner than you. NSDQ)
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To: null and void

A local group living near Oceana Naval Air Station was formed to fight jet noise – they call themselves Citizens Concerned About Jet Noise. This bunch of idiots moved near a major jet fighter base and started complaining about the noise. I call them idiots because – what did they expect? The base has been there a long, long time.
They raised so much ruckus that the BRAC decided to put Oceana on its hit list. Now people are starting to realize how much money the Navy pumps into the local economy and people are running scared. BRAC told them to either demolish homes in the noise area / crash zone or the jets leave.


75 posted on 02/26/2006 12:05:07 PM PST by R. Scott (Humanity i love you because when you're hard up you pawn your Intelligence to buy a drink.)
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To: MensRightsActivist
Don't believe so. Hornets have always been Hornets. Eagles have been Eagles since the early 70's. Maybe a project name or something. I am sure there's an AV buff around who knows the answer.
76 posted on 02/26/2006 12:06:10 PM PST by mad_as_he$$ (Never corner anything meaner than you. NSDQ)
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To: Veloxherc
"It's not an AF plane but the Harrier has to be the nosiest jet there is. IMO"

I was watching the military channel the other day, and they had a program on vertical take off flight. One of the segments showed a variation of the F-22 design doing a vertical take off. It is supposed to be a big improvement of the basic design idea of the Harrier. There are doors on top of the fuselage that open (inlet) and a fan powered by the engine directs the airflow that provides the lift.

The program mentioned that Marine Corp is the branch of the service that has the Harriers for close in support and accessibility. Interestingly, the Russians had a Harrier they used in Afghanistan, but after one or two landings, sucking in rocks, the engine was gone. Seems they were trying to find a cheap way to have Carriers like the U.S. I think they also mentioned that the U.S. had successfully used Harriers from the busted up runway at Bagram at some phase in that war.
I have to take my hat off to the Brits for making the Harrier work practically at some level.
The program was rather critical of the difficulty in the flying all of the vertical take off designs. I'm not a pilot and was never in the Air Force. I just find the technology employed in today's modern military aircraft absolutely amazing to behold, including the bio-technology employed to keep the limited design human being alive, while the jets perform their amazing capabilities. Today's modern military aircraft are truly one of the most extreme partnerships ever of man and machine.
77 posted on 02/26/2006 12:34:44 PM PST by MensRightsActivist
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To: SandRat

My Dad was a Docent at Pima.

Damn I miss him.

Cheers,

knewshound

http://www.knewshound.blogspot.com/


78 posted on 02/26/2006 12:43:06 PM PST by knews_hound (Now with two handed typing !)
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To: SandRat
A majority of Tucson residents ain't gonna like the Raptor -- Pima County, of which Tucson is a part always goes heavily DemonKat.

Send them right on up to Luke AFB, on the edge of the Phoenix Metro area, and Maricopa County, which wipes out the Pima County vote and always swings the state to the Republican side. They are welcome here!

We like seeing our military jets here in Phoenix, and we do see them regularly !!

79 posted on 02/26/2006 12:48:49 PM PST by Babu
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To: MensRightsActivist

That was not a Raptor. That was the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.


http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1582781/posts


80 posted on 02/26/2006 12:54:07 PM PST by Spruce (Keep your mitts off my wallet)
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