Forum: F-35 Lightning II

Finally ... First F-35B Flight out of Eglin Amy Butler May 22, 2012

http://www.aviationweek.com/Blogs.aspx? ... 32fa72105e

"The F-35B today conducted its first flight out of Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., one of several steps needed to officially stand up pilot training for the new Lockheed Martin stealthy jet at the base....

...To date, 47 F-35A sorties have been executed at Eglin in addition to today’s F-35B flight, says Chrissy Cuttita, a spokeswoman for the base...."

FINALLY? more stuff at the Blogess site! Rolling Eyes

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another take on the announcement;

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articl ... fb-372203/

USMC F-35B starts local area flights at Eglin AFB

USMC Maj Joseph Bachmann, one of two test pilots assigned to the base, flew the first F-35B local area flight.
Smile

"Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501 (VMFAT-501) has had an exciting year with the arrival of our first three aircraft in January, the official roll out ceremony in February and now generating sorties along with other military service and contract partners here," says USMC Lt Col David Berke, commander of VMFAT-501.

Another go here with a lot more background information:

F-35B makes first flight at Eglin By Philip Ewing | May 22nd, 2012

http://www.dodbuzz.com/2012/05/22/f-35b ... -at-eglin/

"...“It’s amazing to believe 100 years ago Marine Corps aviation started and here today we launched a fifth generation aircraft,” said Marine Sergeant Eric Spence, VMFAT-501 plane captain for the first F-35B sortie. “It’s history in the making. Every time one of those engines fires up I get pumped up and today it was a little extra.” The power plant mechanic said he prepared for the last six months by being involved in any F-35 maintenance training he could at the 33rd FW...."

More at the JUMPjet URL!

Some info about the other Lightnings at Eglin....

USMC F-35B starts local area flights over Eglin AFB By Dave Majumdar on May 23, 2012

http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/the-d ... rea-f.html

"...But while today was the STOVL model's day [22 May 2012], the wing's F-35A fleet is performing very well, a senior USAF official says.

The F-35A had already flown 47 sorties to date, but today they added to that total.

The unit "launched a two turn two of F-35As, another first," the senior official says. That makes "for a total of five sorties flown today."..."

Anuvver story with some good pilot comments...

Initial F-35 training cadre starts JSF transition 23 May 2012 by Dave Majumdar

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articl ... on-372258/

"...Kloos had actually started his F-35 academics and simulator training last October. The training ran through January and culminated in engine runs and taxi trials. But because the military flight release for the F-35 was delayed, he had not had an opportunity to fly the stealthy new jet until 8 May. That was when the USAF Aeronautical Systems Center amended the F-35A's flight release to allow non-test pilots to fly the aircraft.

"The power was pretty nice, its got a pretty big engine in it," Kloos says. The F-35 feels "stiffer" than an F-16 and rumbles more under G-loading or at higher angles of attack. "For how big the airplane is in weight and overall size compared to an F-16, I thought it was very well balanced, powerful, and very easy to fly," he says.

Kloos says that he is pleased with the aircraft's performance thus far given the system's immaturity. No previous fighter has shown the kind of stability and sortie generation rate that the F-35 is showing at this early stage, he says...."

Much More at the URL! Cool

Some MORE Kloos:

Eglin F-35 initial cadre starts transition training By Dave Majumdar on May 24, 2012

http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/the-d ... start.html

"...33rd FW is working on getting its first non-test pilot checked out on the F-35. Lt Col Lee Kloos, the commander of the 58th Fighter Squadron, should be finished his six-ride transition course in the next week or two.

The veteran F-16 operational tester and Weapons School grad shared some of his impressions the F-35. The jet is powerful, stable and easy to fly.

"One of the things this aircraft usually takes hit on is the handling because it's not an F-22," Kloos says. "An F-22 is unique in its ability to maneuver and we'll never be that."

But compared to other aircraft, a combat-configured F-35 probably edges out other existing designs carrying a similar load-out. "When I'm downrange in Badguyland that's the configuration I need to have confidence in maneuvering, and that's where I think the F-35 starts to edge out an aircraft like the F-16," Kloos says.

A combat-configured F-16 is encumbered with weapons, external fuel tanks, and electronic countermeasures pods that sap the jet's performance. "You put all that on, I'll take the F-35 as far as handling characteristic and performance, that's not to mention the tactical capabilities and advancements in stealth," he says. "It's of course way beyond what the F-16 has currently."

The F-35's acceleration is "very comparable" to a Block 50 F-16. "Again, if you cleaned off an F-16 and wanted to turn and maintain Gs and [turn] rates, then I think a clean F-16 would certainly outperform a loaded F-35," Kloos says. "But if you compared them at combat loadings, the F-35 I think would probably outperform it."

The F-16, Kloos says, is a very capable aircraft in a within visual range engagement--especially in the lightly loaded air-to-air configuration used during training sorties at home station. "It's really good at performing in that kind of configuration," Kloos says. "But that's not a configuration that I've ever--I've been in a lot of different deployments--and those are the configurations I've never been in with weapons onboard."..."

Not much more at the JUMP!