Air Force Reserve pilot the first to reach 1,000 F-22 flight hours

  • Published
  • By Capt. Ashley Conner
  • 477th Fighter Group Public Affairs
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska (AFNS) --  An Air Force Reserve pilot made history here Nov. 4 when he flew his 1,000 flight hour in an F-22 Raptor.

Lt. Col. David Piffarerio, the 302nd Fighter Squadron commander, became the first Air Force pilot to reach the historic milestone.

"This is a great milestone for the pilots, maintainers and contractors working on the jet and the F-22 program as a whole," Piffarerio said. "The aircraft is maturing and getting better the more we fly and perform maintenance on it."

Staff Sgt. Hank Robinson, a 525th Aircraft Maintenance Unit crew chief, launched Piffarerio on his sortie but was focused on ensuring it was a safe flight.

"It is neat to know that I was a part of launching a 1,000-hour flight," Robinson said. "Whether it is a 1,000-hour flight or a routine sortie, I am focused on the job I have to do."

Upon landing Piffarerio was met by his wife Jennifer along with active duty and Reserve pilots and maintainers, including Col. Dirk Smith, the 3rd Wing commander.

Piffarerio was a part of the initial cadre who stood up the 477th Fighter Group in 2007, of which the 302nd FS falls under. The pilots and maintainers from the 477th FG are fully integrated with the 3rd Wing's active duty F-22 mission.

Prior to being assigned to the only Reserve unit in Alaska, Piffarerio said he served 13 years on active duty in a variety of F-15E Strike Eagle and F-22 assignments. After being selected in 2002 as part of the initial cadre to test the F-22 during follow-on evaluations, he served as program manager and F-22 test director at Nellis AFB, Nevada.

Although the four month stand-down of the F-22 fleet earlier this year did delay the 1,000 hour flight, Piffarerio remained unfazed.

"More important to me than this milestone is that the F-22 fleet is safely in the air and accomplishing the mission," he said. "Air Combat Command's plan to resume flight operations was done in a deliberate and methodical manner with the safety of the pilots in mind."

When Piffarerio looks back on his time in the F-22, he said an event that stands out the most was when initial operating capability was declared in December 2005. He credits the decision to declare IOC to the work of the pilots, maintainers, flight test engineers and analysts leading up to the decision.

"There were significant hurdles that we had to overcome but the Edwards (Air Force Base) and Nellis (Air Force Base) team pulled it together to deliver a combat ready jet to the combatant commanders," Piffarerio said. "I was proud to have been a part of that team."

The legacy of stellar pilots is not new to the 477th FG as the units lineage can be traced back to World War II and the famed Tuskegee Airman.

"Reaching the 1,000 hour milestone is a significant accomplishment for both Lt. Col. Piffarerio and the entire F-22 industry team," said Col. Bryan Radliff, the 477th FG commander. "We are proud to share this time with (him) as we recognize him along with our total force partners and our Tuskegee Airman legacy."