US Air Force,
ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE: The first Air Force reservist chosen to fly the most technologically advanced fighter jet on the planet said his experience with the aircraft so far has been ?eye watering.
Maj. Randall W. Cason, an F-16 pilot stationed at 10th Air Force headquarters at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Carswell Field, Texas, was selected by the Air Force as the first member of Air Force Reserve Command to fly the F-22A Raptor.
After completing about three months of ground- and air-based training, Major Cason will move from the F-16 into the F-22. By the end of August, Major Cason said he should be piloting his first sortie. He?ll then be assigned to the 43rd Fighter Training Squadron at Tyndall AFB, Fla., as an instructor pilot.
I want to help new pilots become as lethal as possible in this jet, the Abilene, Texas, native said.
His selection came as a result of what he termed a nonstandard flying career that included 11 years on active duty, two deployments patrolling the skies over the former no-fly zones in Iraq and time as an Aggressor at Nellis AFB, Nev. He?s also flown almost every variety of the F-16 on the market the Block 30, the Block 40 and the Wild Weasel? F-16CJ Block 50.
During his time as an Aggressor, Major Cason said he flew about 40 missions against the Raptor while the fighter was still in development. He said only rarely did the F-16s get kills against the F-22 and for good reason.
Fighting an F-22 is like being blindfolded and trying to hit a pin he said. Its stealth gives it an overwhelming advantage and the ability to come and go as it pleases.
He vividly remembers one of his first experiences against the in-development Raptor.
?I got on the radio and said, ?Now I know how the F-4 guys felt when they fought the F-16 for the first time. It's an eye-watering thing.
Maj. Gen. Richard Collins, 10th Air Force commander and Major Cason's boss, said he couldn?t be prouder of the Air Force?s decision to train the major to fly the F-22.
“Randy's selection typifies what the Air Force Reserve brings to the fight an unrivaled wingman who's trained and ready for duty,” General Collins said. “I'm a little jealous that he gets to go fly the Raptor, but we'll be better served having an Air Force reservist as an instructor at Tyndall showing our future fighter pilots the Raptor ropes.”
Major Cason said he's aware of the importance of his selection.
My role is also to help establish the Air Force Reserve in the F-22, he said. So, it's a tremendous honor to be selected and be amongst the first.
