Lockheed-Martin F-22 Raptor

It's called the Raptor. The F-22 will be the U.S. Air Force's premier fighter for the first decades of the 21st century. Like other expensive military programs, the F-22 endured continuous scrutiny throughout its development - the aircraft that evolved was worth the wait. The F-22 is definitely "top gun" - it is more agile than current U.S. aircraft, has stealth capability, and is flexible in both air-to-air and air-to-ground attack missions. The Raptor is planned to start operational service with the U.S. Air Force in the year 2004, and when on-line, will provide a capability far beyond that of any other fighter aircraft.

Mike Wallace is Distinguished Professor of History at John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUNY) and director of the Gotham Center for New York City History. He is the coauthor, with Edwin G. Burrows, of Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898, which won the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for History. Gotham II, which he is writing on his own, will carry the story through the 20th century. Wallace was born and raised in New York City and its environs. He received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Columbia University, studying with Richard Hofstadter, with whom he collaborated on American Violence: A Documentary History. He is also the author of Mickey Mouse History and Other Essays on American Memory, winner of the Historic Preservation Book Prize, and of Terrorism. He has taught history to police officers and others at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York since 1971, served as adviser and oncamera commentator for Ric Burnss film New York: A Documentary History, and for 25 years has helped publish and edit the Radical History Review. Wallace lives in Brooklyn, New York.

William G. Holder is a retired U. S. Air Force officer and aerospace engineer and the author of Buick Muscle Cars and Camaro. He lives in Riverside, Ohio. Philip Kunz is a professional photographer who has been involved in boat racing for many years as a hydroplane driver and boat sponsor. He lives in Dayton, Ohio.