Forum: F-35 milestones

Last edited by Lieven on Mar 02, 2009 - 09:59 PM; edited 8 times in total

I'm trying to keep an overview of all AA-1 test flights. If you have any updates, special remarks about a certain flight or new dates please post them here.

#1: 15 Dec 2006 (Jon Beesley) [<a href="f-16_forum_viewtopic-t-6861.html">forum discussion</a>]
#2: 08 Jan 2007 [<a href="f-16_forum_viewtopic-t-7080.html">forum discussion</a>]
#3: 10 Jan 2007
#4: 23 Jan 2007
#5: 24 Jan 2007
#6: 29 Jan 2007
#7: 30 Jan 2007
#8: 05 Mar 2007
#9: 13 Mar 2007 (First afterburner take-off and first 360º rolls)
#10: 04 April 2007 (First HMD flight)
#11: 05 April 2007
#12: 11 April 2007 (Jeff Knowles' first flight) [<a href="f-16_forum_viewtopic-t-8014.html">forum discussion</a>]
#13: 12 April 2007 (Jon Beesley - First touch-and-go landing)
#14: 18 April 2007 [<a href="f-16_forum_viewtopic-t-8111.html">forum discussion</a>]
#15: 26 April 2007 (Jeff Knowles) [<a href="f-16_forum_viewtopic-t-8111.html">forum discussion</a>]
#16: 26 April 2007 (Jeff Knowles)
#17: 27 April 2007 (Jon Beesley) (1st time > 1 flight test in 24 hrs)
#18: 02 May 2007
#19: 03 May 2007 (Jeff Knowles - In-flight power failure) [<a href="f-16_forum_viewtopic-t-8137.html">forum discussion</a>]
#20: 07 Dec 2007 (Tested engine performance and aircraft handling qualities at up to 20,000 feet as pilots and crew prepare for air refueling in the coming weeks)
#21: 13 Dec 2007 (We think Jon Beesley was PIC and the chase plane was an Edwards AFB test F-16. Probably another fuel dump flight.)
#22: 18 Dec 2007 (Beesley)
#23: 19 Dec 2007 (Knowles)
#24: 08, 09 or 10 Jan 2008 (Knowles as PIC and Beesley as chase.)
#25: 10 Jan 2008 (Beesley)
#26: 30 Jan 2008 (Lt. Col. James "Flipper" Kromberg, the first military service pilot to evaluate the F-35 Lightning II - <a href="news_article2729.html">news article</a>)
#27: 30 Jan 2008 (Knowles)

Note that I will update this first post here with any updates that may follow below.

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Forum Veteran Joined: Jul 01, 2007 - 07:22 PM Posts: 620

Since you're making up a master list, could you include the milestone events on each flight?

The latest edition of Code One (V22#2) does that - up to a point. The list is not complete or official. I'll paraphrase from the text:

#1 - subsystem performance, air data system issue
#2 - first gear cycle, first formation flight (with gear up)
#3 - first military power takeoff
#4 - first low altitude maneuvering
#5 - first afterburner engine transient
#6 - fuel dump test, higher AoA maneuvers
#7 - speed brake operation (control surface deflection)
#8 - software fix for air data system issues seen on flight #1
#9 - first afterburner takeoff, close formations, power approaches, maneuver blocks to 16 deg AoA at 20Kft
#10 - first HMD flight, full stick 360 deg rolls, snap engine transients in AB, 15 kt crosswind landing
#11 - lower altitude maneuver blocks, speed brake maneuvers
(Flights 1-11 flown by Beesley)
#12 - Jeff Knowles first flight
#13 - Beesley, 30K ft altitude, touch & go landing, 17 deg AoA maneuver block

That's as far as the article goes... it's not online yet but should be soon, I've had my issue for more than a week.

@ habu

Somebody said this...

Quote:

Read the latest Code One Magazine by Lockheed. They were able to cruise in the high subsonic region at about 40 percent of available mil power. You can interpolate from there. I still don't like the 28k pound empty weight, but I love the fact that it'll carry 20k pounds of dinosaurs internally.

Can you shed some light as to what what the Code One Article actually says? It it mentions it at all that is.

Forum Veteran Joined: Jul 01, 2007 - 07:22 PM Posts: 620

Yeah, that was me. Basically all it said about available power was that. Oh, it also said that he was "pleasantly surprised" to find out that at Mil it took about a 30 degree climb to keep it at 250. I was just alluding to how much excess power it has. The PW220 powered Vipers need full AB to get a 30 degree climb on takeoff (in a clean jet) and need at least full Mil to get in the high subsonic at altitude for comparison.

Any dates for flight 22 and 23?

Lieven wrote:

Any dates for flight 22 and 23?

Flight 22 - Dec 18 (Jon, I think)
Flight 23 - Dec 19 (Knowles)
Flight 24 - Jan 08 (Knowles)
Flight 25 - Jan 10

Flight 22 was Beesley, Flight 25 was Beesley, and Flight 26 will be a newbie.

Flight 27? January 30, 2008

Flight 27?
January 30, 2008

More on LTC Kromberg as PIC:

http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123084455

Turnaround time between flight 26 and 27 was 60 minutes.

SnakeHandler wrote:

Yeah, that was me. Basically all it said about available power was that. Oh, it also said that he was "pleasantly surprised" to find out that at Mil it took about a 30 degree climb to keep it at 250. I was just alluding to how much excess power it has. The PW220 powered Vipers need full AB to get a 30 degree climb on takeoff (in a clean jet) and need at least full Mil to get in the high subsonic at altitude for comparison.

Very interesting.............I can't tell you how many posts I've read that complain that the F-35 is either over weight or underpower or both!

Note: Haven't at least two of the Test Pilots remarked about the awesome power of the F-35. Especially, with the gear up......... Wink

SnakeHandler wrote:

Yeah, that was me. Basically all it said about available power was that. Oh, it also said that he was "pleasantly surprised" to find out that at Mil it took about a 30 degree climb to keep it at 250. I was just alluding to how much excess power it has. The PW220 powered Vipers need full AB to get a 30 degree climb on takeoff (in a clean jet) and need at least full Mil to get in the high subsonic at altitude for comparison.

Do you have a link to your article? Very Happy

Flights 28 (Beesley) and 29 (Kromberg) today.

Corsair1963 wrote:

[Do you have a link to your article? Very Happy

I believe Beesley said that following his first F-35 flight. Check the Code One site for that article.

www.codeonemagazine.com

Forum: F-35 milestones

Overview of F-35 test flights