Though most of my time is involved in the 'Armorama' side, I still very much enjoy checking out what is going on over here. And though I work for Boeing on the F-22 everyday, I saw this video and was in awe of what this 'wingy thing' can do. So I thought I'd share it and let the video do the bragging. It's about 5 minutes long, but worth it (especially last 50 some seconds). Be sure to put your headphones as it sounds as cool as it looks. Enjoy the "Raptor".
http://www.f22-raptor.com/media/video_gallery/videos/F22_AirShow_Langley.wmv
Blade48mrd

Mike where you been, haven't seen you in sometime. Anyhow...WOW! just WOW! is all I can say. It just amazing how this thing can flip, flop and turn. I was also impressed on how she went from horizontal to a 90 degree then to an almost flat spin. How about that vertical stall then drop…again WOW! Thanks for sharing.

Joe

Holy cow. That thing has moves beyond belief. I can see why they did so well at red flag.
Amazing video.
Jim

Cool video - thanks for sharing

Yeah, its worth watching.

No offense at all to any Raptor folk, but while I do love that particular vid, I've always found this Su-30 vid even more impressive: http://youtube.com/watch?v=MOMYYLDqQ_s It seems to me there's much more changes in attitude throughout the demo. Mind you, I doubt the Raptor vid is in any waya show of it's full potential either.

Simply awe inspiring, what a machine. Looking forward to it's UK debut which i hope will e sooner rather than later. Thanks for sharing.

I have to agree, the Su-30 did a better show. Incredible! It looks like the Raptor had to keep the afterburners on the whole time, but the Su-30 may have been in non burner mode (?)
Thanks for sharing
-Derek

Well until the Raptor came along, it was said that the SU30 was the only aircraft in the world that could perform some of those sliding maneuvers. However now, it is said that the Raptor MIGHT be able to do them. Althogh I have heard the experimental F15 with the vectored thrust AND the movable canards was capable of doing things similar it still couldn't perform the sliding maneuvers. I think that maneuvers like that for our pilots are banned. In which case if we ever get into an aerial war with Russia, we're screwed. LOL. Those Russian pilots really know their stuff and their aircraft, I would love to see this kind of stuff performed at our airshows. Most American airshows(or most other country's airshows for that matter) are generally all the same aerobatics, and it gets old. The only thing out of the ordinary I've seen is i was at a local show, and there was an F14 being flown around and the pilot decided to have a little fun with the crowd, he flew in REAL close, just a couple of hundred feet off the ground, and went to a FULL banking turn and poured on full afterburners right above the crowd, and I ain't talking the stands, i'm talking the midway area with the exhibits. You could feel the heat, It was like an instant oven, and it was actually kind of painful. It was an experience I will never forget though. Aside from that, I watched the thunderbirds perform, and that was it. Rest of the time was spent getting up close and personal with the aircraft. Sitting in them, talking to the pilots about flying them, etc.

Airshows are not good indicators of real world performance as they do not demonstrate combat configurations (the F-22 has flown some demos with (inert) weapons loaded such as at Tyndall this year, but I do not know if it flew such a configuration at the Langley show). Bear in mind that the Su-30 is performing those maneuvers with no weapons and a light fuel load.

Any Flanker with minimal weapons and a light fuel load is to be taken very seriously, but burdened by a full weapons load and fuel, they have shown a very noticeable difference in performance.