Jon Beesley former F-22 and F-35 Test Pilot..
In terms of aerodynamic performance, the F-35 is an excellent machine, Beesley said.
Having previously been only
the second man ever to have flown the F-22 Raptor, Beesley became the first pilot ever to fly the F-35 in late 2006.
As such, Beesley is intimately familiar with both programs. According to Beesley, the four current test pilots for F-35
have been most impressed by the aircraft's thrust and acceleration.
In the subsonic flight regime, the F-35 very
nearly matches the performance of its' larger, more powerful cousin, the F-22 Raptor, Beesley explained. The
"subsonic acceleration is about as good as a clean Block 50 F-16 or a Raptor- which is about as good as you can
get." Beesley said.The aircraft flies in "large measure like the F-22, but it's smaller, and stiffer" than the Raptor however, Beesley
explained, adding that the aircraft handles superbly. The reason for the similar flight characteristics, explained the
test pilot, is because the man who designed the flight control laws for the Raptor, is also the same man who is
responsible for the flight control software for the F-35. As Beesley explains, the flight control laws of modern fighters
determine to large extent the flight characteristics of a given aircraft. Beesley said that the aircraft is so stable and so
comfortable that the test pilots find themselves inadvertently drifting too close to their wingmen in formation.
What Beesley expects will surprise future F-35 pilots is the jets' superb low speed handling characteristics and poststall manoeuvrability. While the F-22 with its thrust vectored controls performs better at the slow speeds and high angle of attack (AOA) flight regime, the F-35 will be able match most of the same high AOA manoeuvres as the
Raptor, although it will not be able to do so as quickly as the more powerful jet in some cases. Turning at the higher
Gs and higher speed portions of the flight envelope, the F-35 will "almost exactly match a clean Block 50 F-16 and
3/5
comes very close to the Raptor", Beesley said.Ironically, the Navy version, which has larger wings but a lower G limit of 7.5G, has the best turning capability of the
three F-35 versions Beesley explained. The Air Force version, meanwhile, has the best acceleration and is rated for
9Gs, Beesley said. Davis, explaining that the Marine Corps deemphasizes manoeuvrability in its air combat
doctrine, said that the short take off, vertical landing (STOVL) USMC plane has a 7G limit. Beesley said that the
aircraft makes up for the lower G limit by offering the flexibility in basing required by the Marines. Nor does the
STOVL give up too much in range because of the engine driven lift fan installed behind the cockpit, Beesley said.
The jet has "a range of more than 500 miles", while the Air Force and Navy planes both have ranges greater than
600 miles, Beesley explained, adding that the USAF version has as much internal fuel capacity as the larger twin
engined F-22 Raptor.
While supersonically the F-35 is limited to a seemingly unimpressive Mach 1.6 in level flight, Davis explains that the
JSF is optimized for exceptional subsonic to supersonic acceleration. Transonic acceleration is much more relevant
to a fighter pilot than the absolute max speed of the jet, Davis said. Davis, who was previously the program manager
for the F-15 Eagle, explains that while the Eagle is a Mach 2 class fighter, it has rarely exceed the threshold of Mach
1.2 to Mach 1.3 during it's entire 30 year life span. Additionally, the time the aircraft has spent in the supersonic flight
regime can be measured in minutes rather than hours- most of the supersonic flights were in fact during specialized
flights such as Functional Check Flights (FCF). "I don't see how that gets you an advantage" Davis said, referring to
the Mach 2+ capability. Beesley said that in terms of supersonic flight that the F-35 is still more than competitive with
existing designs.
Comparisons to the F-22 Raptor are unfair as "supersonically, the Raptor is in a class by itself. It lives there,"
Beesley explained. "In many ways the Raptor is the first true supersonic fighter," Beesley added, referring to that
aircrafts' much publicized and unique supersonic cruise capability.download/file.php?id=23836