From F-15 demo to Raptor

The F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team replaced Air Combat Command’s F-15C demonstration team in 2007, two years after the Raptor reached initial operational capability. Major Paul Moga was selected as the first F-22 demonstration pilot in February 2006 and moved to Langley that August to build the routine. The team belongs to the 1st Fighter Wing at what is now Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, and draws its pilot from the wing’s F-22 squadrons.

A thrust-vectoring routine

The display is a solo routine built on the jet’s thrust-vectoring nozzles: a power loop, a tail slide, a high-angle-of-attack pass, a high-speed pass and a dedication pass. The team also flies USAF Heritage Flight formations with historic aircraft. The pilot is supported by a crew of around 14 enlisted maintainers and specialists. Recent pilots have included Major Dan “Rock” Dickinson, who flew more than 20 shows a season up to 2017, and Major Paul “Loco” Lopez, who first displayed at MCAS Yuma in March 2018.

Langley, one pilot and a small crew

Captain Nick “Laz” Le Tourneau of the 27th Fighter Squadron was named commander and pilot in January 2025, succeeding Major Samuel “RaZZ” Larson. The 2026 schedule, marking 20 years of the Raptor in service, listed 28 shows including Wanaka in New Zealand and Cold Lake in Canada. Like Air Combat Command’s F-16, F-35A and A-10 single-ship teams, the Raptor demonstration is certified each winter at the Heritage Flight Training Course at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona.