page_title: Steven M. Rainey
section_title: Civilian career
hierarchical_section_title: Steven M. Rainey / Civilian career
caption_attribution_description: English: Steven Rainey, Society of Experimental Test Pilots President, addresses the attendees of the 2012 Society Annual Banquet on September 29, 2012.
context_page_description: Steven M. Rainey is Lockheed Martin's chief F-22 test pilot and a former United States Air Force officer. He is noted for a number of achievements while flight testing the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor. He was the first USAF pilot to fly the aircraft, the first pilot to perform aerial refueling in the F-22, and the first pilot to fly cross-country in the Raptor.
  Rainey was the president of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots for 2012 and is a fellow of the organization.
context_section_description: After twenty years of military service, Rainey transitioned to commercial aviation as a pilot for American Airlines. Three years later, he returned to Edwards AFB after accepting a pilot position in the United States civil service. In 2005, Rainey joined Boeing Defense, Space & Security as the company's lead test pilot for the F-22. He participated in many testing activities including the initial missions to verify the aircraft could safely carry the GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb.
  Rainey has been a strong advocate for the F-22. On November 14, 2006, he described the aircraft's performance at the Aerospace Testing Exposition in Anaheim, California. Rainey and fellow test pilots, David Cooley, James Brown, and Bret Luedke toured the United States giving demonstrations of the F-22 cockpit simulator to raise awareness and support for the aircraft. After Cooley was killed flying an F-22 test mission, Rainey fondly remembered his friend as "a consummate professional and a true leader"
  Cadets from the USAF Academy come to Edwards AFB to receive instruction in aviation sciences and airmanship. Rainey participated in these events by providing orientation flights for cadets such as sophomore Callie Brown. In March 2008, Brown received her orientation flight in an F-16 piloted by Rainey. This flight was especially memorable for Rainey because cadet Brown is the daughter of fellow F-22 test pilot, James Brown, who flew in formation with another Air Force Academy cadet in his back seat.
  Rainey also encouraged civilian students to achieve academic excellence. In 2008, Rainey was the guest speaker at a dinner, sponsored by the Antelope Valley Athletic Club, that recognized outstanding students in local schools. Rainey has been a significant contributor to the Society of Experimental Test Pilots. He was the chairman of the West Coast section from 2005 through 2008 and was the society President for 2012.
  In March 2012, Rainey met with Harald and Margi Bauer and gave them a tour of the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB. As a teenager during World War II, Bauer tested the Heinkel He 162 for the German Luftwaffe. After the war, he graduated from the University of Kentucky, became a United States citizen, flew for U.S. Navy during the Korean War, and had a successful career as an Associated Press and United Press International journalist.
  During 2012, Rainey continued to perform F-22 flight testing at Edwards AFB. On April 6, he was on hand to congratulate his friend, James Brown, who became the first test pilot to reach 1,000 flight hours in the F-22.
  On May 4, 2012, Rainey piloted the first flight of the QF-16 Full-Scale Aerial Target (FSAT) at Cecil Field in Jacksonville, Florida. The QF-16 is a target drone variant of the F-16 that is planned to replace the aging QF-4. Rainey's 66-minute flight to validate flying qualities and drone operation is the first step of the QF-16 flight test program that will be performed at Tyndall Air Force Base, Holloman Air Force Base, and White Sands Missile Range.
  Rainey flew the 1,000th sortie of the Raptor program on April 19, 2013 in aircraft 4007 while testing the Increment 3.2A avionics software upgrade. Aircraft 4007 is the oldest flying Raptor and is often referred to as the "James Bond jet" due to the similarity with the fictional British secret agent's code name - "007".
  In January 2014, Rainey joined Lockheed Martin as F-22 chief test pilot. He spent the next year testing improvements and new capabilities on the jet. On January 22, 2015, Rainey reached a milestone 1,000 hours flying the F-22 Raptor. As test director, Rainey has been overseeing F-22 capability improvements including weapons, data links, and an automatic ground collision avoidance system.
  Rainey and his wife, Cindy, live at the Rosamond Skypark where they fly their Van's Aircraft RV-4 and Cessna 180 Skywagon.
  Rainey has worked on the F-22 program nearly from its beginning. On May 17, 1998, he was the first Air Force pilot to fly the F-22. Exactly twenty years later on May 17, 2018, now as Lockheed’s chief F-22 test pilot, R
caption: Rainey addresses SETP members at the Society's 2012 Awards Banquet
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