There at the beginning: Celebrating 15 years of F-22 flight Published Sept. 11, 2012 By 412th Test Wing Public Affairs EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Lt. Col. Daron Drown, 411th Flight Test Squadron commander, recognizes F-22 Combined Test Force members who supported the first flight of the F-22 Raptor during a ceremony Sept. 7. From left to right: Brent Stenseth, Jeff Thoman, Cheryl Hamblin, Richard Paquette and Herminia Hernandez. All five members were part of the first flight and continue to work on the fifth-generation fighter. The F-22 made it's first flight Sept. 7, 1997 over the skies of Marietta, Ga., flown by F-22 Chief Test Pilot Paul Metz who took off from Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Ga. The F-22 was delivered to Edwards and made its first flight over the High Desert, May 17, 1998.