On This Day in History / November 23, 2023 1998: Air Force pilot Lt Col David Nelson (seen here in 1999) pushes the F-22 during a 3.1-hour mission to the 183-flight-hour mark mandated by the US Congress before funds will be released for long-lead items for the first six production F-22s. He is part of the F-22 Combined Test Force that includes Lockheed, Boeing, and Pratt and Whitney.