Forum: F-35 Units

Eglin F-35s fly 200th sortie
By: Dave Majumdar Washington DC

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US Marine Corps (USMC) Major Joseph Bachmann, a test pilot assigned to VMFAT-501, flew Eglin's 200th sortie on 24 August, 2012. Bachmann was instructing one the unit's transitioning pilots, USMC Major Mike Rountree-a highly experienced weapons school instructor. Rountree is converting over to the F-35B from the Boeing AV-8B Harrier II.

"The aircraft have matured dramatically since the early days," Bachmann says. "What we're seeing is just leaps and bounds of maturity here with the airplanes we have."

[...]

Right now, the base has started to fly with enhanced Block 1B aircraft-which adds mostly improved software but also some hardware modifications. Block 1B aircraft are much more stable and predictable than Block 1A aircraft, Rountree says.

The next step for instructor pilots at Eglin is to validate the courseware for the Block 1B software, Rountree says. That is necessary in order to train USMC aviators who are standing up the service's first operational F-35B in Yuma, Arizona, later in the year.

[...]

The F-35 no longer requires a chase aircraft, Rountree says. "We no longer have a requirement to be chased by a dissimilar aircraft," he says. Instead, the F-35s now operate as a normal two-ship element.

Additionally, pilots are readying themselves to start aerial refueling operations with the F-35 "in the next couple of weeks," Bachmann says.

Source: http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articl ... ie-375794/

Airman flies 100th F-35A sortie at Eglin AFB.
August 16, 2012

Link: http://www.nwfdailynews.com/articles/-51749--.html

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Eglin has both F-35As and F-35Bs. Note that the 16 Aug caption is '...F-35A Sortie...'.

For those with deja-vu same stuff here:

http://www.f-16.net/f-16_forum_viewtopic-t-20264.html

Good point!

Now that there are 9 A's and 9 B's, will the flight sorties become balance between the AF and the Marines, perhaps??

"..to fly with enhanced Block 1B aircraft-which adds mostly improved software but also some hardware modifications. Block 1B aircraft are much more stable and predictable than Block 1A aircraft...."

I also noticed the comment that Eglin is flying Mission System Block -1B on the 6-LRIP3 A/Bs. With 100 flights in 8 days, -1B should be wrung out fairly soon and be moved up to the full training command. With 18 (12-LRIP2) planes on the ground in Eglin, the 100 flight events should be coming fairly regular (unless hurricane Isaac comes to visit). Should be interesting to see the -1A retrofitted with hardware and software upgrades to -1B! (I would expect Eglin to evacuate back to FW if the hurricane hits the Pensacola area).

[quote="neptune... Suspect you are right about FW -- at this point not sure where they would go otherwise.

http://www.nwfdailynews.com/articles/-51749--.html

Airman flies 100th F-35A sortie at Eglin AFB.

August 16, 2012

....

Eglin has both F-35As and F-35Bs. Note that the 16 Aug caption is '...F-35A Sortie...'.