How to “Fly” an F-22 in Missoula, Opportunity Only Comes Once in Fifteen Years

Missoulians will have a unique opportunity this Thursday, June 20, to get a feel for what it would be like to fly for the United States Air Force. The program is called Air Force: Rapid Strike and is only able to make the rounds to a city once every 15 to 20 years.

"I've been around the Air Force for 15 years and this is the first time I'm going to get to experience it," said Missoula Staff Sgt. Russel Graves. "What it is, is a flight simulator. So, you can get in there and see what it is like to fly in an F-22 and a C-17. There's some additional events on the side, like showing you what it is like to perform a free-fall halo jump."

The installation weighs roughly 6,500 pounds and will be wheeled into Southgate Mall on a tractor trailer early Thursday morning, where it will sit for the day. On Friday, Air Force: Rapid Strike will head off to Kalispell as it winds its way through the United States.