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Elite 2K Joined: Oct 20, 2005 Posts: 2097 Status: Offline

BlueFour wrote:

Hmmm..there's probably already some internal shuffling going on there. For one thing, 2 jets have already been transferred down to the 43rd at Tyndall, specifically, tails 42 and 43, and those are the first 2 of 6 total aircraft to be transferred down to Tyndall. Eventually, tails 41-46 will all be TY tails, giving the 43rd 29 Raptors.

BlueFour posted this very important info on January 24, 2007, in the topic "27th FS or 94th FS". In a PM, I asked BlueFour for ferry dates to Tyndall, but I got no reply. Today, I got a helpful PM from checksixx who hot-linked me the following shot, released on Tyndall´s public website probably on March 19, 2007:

Capt. John Echols, 43rd FS pilot, taxies in F-22A #03-4045 on March 9th, 2007, as one of the final two Raptors to join the 43rd FS assembly. Both aircraft from the 1st FW at Langley AFB, arrived at Tyndall AFB, on March 9th & 11th, 2007. The 43rd FS and AMU now boast 29 Raptors to effectively accomplish their mission as the only F-22 training squadron in the USAF. All in all, six Raptors were transferred from Langley AFB to Tyndall AFB.

<a href="http://www.tyndall.af.mil/shared/media/photodb/photos/070309-F-3217N-076.jpg">hi-res</a>

If BlueFour is right with the five other ex-FF serial numbers, the 43rd FS currently consists of the following 29 Raptors:

4018 - 4027 (10)
4028 - 4040 (13)
4041 - 4046 (6), ex 27th FS, 1st FW

Anybody who can/will provide us the transfer (ferry flight) dates of the other five aircraft, related to identified serial numbers? We urgently need this info to update our F-22 Aircraft Database, which is already online on F-16.net. We also want photos of the six transferred 1st FW Raptors with their new TY tailcode. We would be very grateful for any related support!

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Elite 2K Joined: Oct 20, 2005 Posts: 2097 Status: Offline

More than hundred reads but not a single reply. That sucks! Are there really no people on the F-22 forum who can/will provide me at least some of the requested info?

Newbie Joined: Jan 24, 2007 Posts: 13 Status: Offline

There are shots of 042 with TY tails on FenceCheck from this weekend's Gulf Coast salute airshow. That former 1FW bird flew the first ever public F-22 Demonstration flight.

http://www.fencecheck.com/forums/index. ... 2.150.html

Also on FenceCheck are pics of tail 046, a former 1FW tail that was static at Luke for their airshow this past weekend.

http://www.fencecheck.com/forums/index. ... 70.60.html

Tail 043 is now the squadron flagship, having taken that position over from tail 018, which held it previously.

You can already account for 045, which is shown in that shot of its arrival.

Newbie Joined: Jan 24, 2007 Posts: 13 Status: Offline

Oh, and as for the arrival dates? No idea. They arrived, they went through jet acceptance, it was just another sortie. It wasn't even a "ferrry" flight, just a normal cross country. Never kept track, not that important.

F-16.net Editor Joined: Sep 23, 2003 Posts: 2848

We need to have a regular non-training squadorn of F-22s down that way. I don't think Hugo would ever do anything, but having a Squadron of big SUs in our own back yard has to be addresses.

Elite 1K Joined: Jul 20, 2005 Posts: 1034 Status: Offline

elp wrote:

We need to have a regular non-training squadorn of F-22s down that way. I don't think Hugo would ever do anything, but having a Squadron of big SUs in our own back yard has to be addresses.

They are fully combat capable aircraft, no other squadron is necessary.

-Check

Elite 2K Joined: Oct 20, 2005 Posts: 2097 Status: Offline

Thank you very much for the links to fencecheck.com, BlueFour! This website and their forum are absolute new for me. Very helpful to get additional input far away from f-16.net. I already use airliners.net for Raptor pics, but they are mostly from air shows. On fencecheck.com there are some more professional photographers with a "green card" for the flightline or with the opportunity to make shots from tankers. Very nice!

Note that aircraft changes between units (especially in case of F-22As) are a little bit more to me as "a normal cross country". Such changes are significant (especially related to our F-22 Aircraft Database) and I will get 100 % verified info (like arrival dates or photo proofs). Another question: What´s the real date for such unit changes? "Ferry flight" to the new assigned air base, any acceptance flight by the new assigned unit or simply repainting the tailcode? So I think, the "Ferry flight" date should be important. At least for the public, this date really marks the movement.

Any USAF people with a better insight? If yes, please post your opinion!

Newbie Joined: Jul 03, 2006 Posts: 16 Status: Offline

J.J. wrote:

Aircraft changes between units (especially in case of F-22As) are a little bit more to me as "a normal cross country". Such changes are significant (especially related to our F-22 Aircraft Database) and I will get 100 % verified info (like arrival dates or photo proofs). Another question: What´s the real date for such unit changes? "Ferry flight" to the new assigned air base, any acceptance flight by the new assigned unit or simply repainting the tailcode? So I think, the "Ferry flight" date should be important. At least for the public, this date really marks the movement.

Any USAF people with a better insight? If yes, please post your opinion!

Tyndall sent people up to Langley to do an acceptance inspection before the aircraft left here. Typically the owning squadron's tail flash is removed and the aircraft is flown to the gaining unit with just the AF and radio call numbers (tail number) displayed. Due to the workload in the LO shop they left with FF on the tail. Tyndall had to remove that and put TY in it's place.
I don't remember the exact dates that they transferred. It was in the last 3-4 weeks though.

Elite 2K Joined: Oct 20, 2005 Posts: 2097 Status: Offline

Many thanks for these details, staphory! Very helpful! But what means the abbreviation LO? And can/will you provide any F-22 shot (excluding #91-4001 in his well-known first outfit as "Raptor 01") with just the AF tail number (without wing tailcode)? In the future - especially in case of our F-22 Aircraft Database - I will use the official Lockheed Martin term "ferry flight" only for post-delivery flights from Lockheed Martin´s Marietta plant to USAF units, and the term "transfer flight" for Raptor movements between USAF units. So I hope, that should be the best way to document such important events.

Oups! That was my 1111th post. Beer and drinks for all! Cheers

Elite 1K Joined: Jul 20, 2005 Posts: 1034 Status: Offline

JJ...call it a ferry flight if you want to. It doesn't really matter other than the airframe was transferred. "LO" Low Observable...the coating.

Newbie Joined: Jul 03, 2006 Posts: 16 Status: Offline

J.J. wrote:

Many thanks for these details, staphory! Very helpful! But what means the abbreviation LO? And can/will you provide any F-22 shot (excluding #91-4001 in his well-known first outfit as "Raptor 01") with just the AF tail number (without wing tailcode)? In the future - especially in case of our F-22 Aircraft Database - I will use the official Lockheed Martin term "ferry flight" only for post-delivery flights from Lockheed Martin´s Marietta plant to USAF units, and the term "transfer flight" for Raptor movements between USAF units. So I hope, that should be the best way to document such important events.

Oups! That was my 1111th post. Beer and drinks for all! Cheers

Yes LO simply means Low Observables. It's the coatings that are on the outside of the jet.
Because of where I work, pictures are not allowed.
Sorry.

Elite 2K Joined: Oct 20, 2005 Posts: 2097 Status: Offline

Many thanks again for your latest reply, staphory! At least in my eyes, that means, Langley AFB (and probably all other current Raptor bases) should have their own LO shop, like the well-known facility at Lockheed Martin´s Marietta, Georgia, plant.

Elite 1K Joined: Jul 20, 2005 Posts: 1034 Status: Offline

JJ...its not a secret that its there, but rather the materials and technology that is. Yes, Langley has a LO shop and I'm sure the other Raptor bases will have them also as it was being funded in the standard 'Raptor facility projects' going on at each base. At least its supposed to, but you know how military funding can be thrown around!

Elite 1K Joined: Apr 26, 2004 Posts: 1198 Status: Offline

JJ...in most cases the aircraft is not transfered until it has arrived at its new station and been though the transfer dock and accepted. That can be anywhere from 5-10 days after it has arrived at it's new home, therefore the flight dates really do not matter.

Elite 2K Joined: Oct 20, 2005 Posts: 2097 Status: Offline

Many thanks for your latest replies, checksixx and Purplehaze! That really helps. Special thanks to Purplehaze for his "transfer info"! In this case, the dates of transfer flights should be important, but we must also check some other dates like "transfer dock date" and "accepted date". In this case, I got a lot of additional info.

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Raptor transfers from Langley to Tyndall