It’s hard to explain the impact of the appearance of the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor at AirVenture more than a decade ago. It is one of the few planes to fly into OSH that was so eagerly awaited that everyone on the field stopped mid-stride or mid-conversation to stare up and gawk at the world’s first fifth-generation fighter, as it did things that no fixed-wing airplane should be able to do, including small-radius turns at speeds so slow a Super Cub would be hard pressed to match, bookended by high-speed passes that thrilled the masses.
