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I have just found out today that there is an F-35 on display here at the Avalon Air Show for this week. I was just wondering if anyone thinks it might be a possibility it will fly, or if this might only be a mock-up and a static display? Has the F-35 performed at any other Air Shows yet as far as anyone knows?

If it DOES go up over the weekend, rest assured I'll get photos of it...

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Enthusiast Joined: Nov 21, 2005 Posts: 79 Status: Offline

It is most deffinately a mock-up/static display. The only F-35 flying today is Aircraft AA-1 at Fort Worth, Texas. This aircraft is only being used as a flying testbed as it does not meet the new lower weight requirements demanded by the F-35B STOVL design. Sorry if this disappoints you. I would have to say that the earliest you might see an F-35 flying in Australia would be 2010-2012 at the earliest.

Elite 1K Joined: Aug 01, 2006 Posts: 1003 Status: Offline

Its a mock up and it actually does not even look like the AA-1 or the forthcoming AF-1. For one thing, the upper fuselage is too "slim". The F-35 is notably fleshier to accommodate its ~8300 kg of internal fuel. The F-35 despite weighing around 70% the F-22's weight, having half as many engines and being a notably smaller aircraft carries roughly 80% of the F-22's fuel load. Remember, the fuel that the F-35 carries weighs as much as an entire F-16.

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