F-35C Lands at Lakehurst For Testing

[smsgtmac]

I'm probably minus 30-40 points by now on an A-10 post earlier in the week...

And you actually care about such a thing?

Nope. I EXPECT such a thing.
I dropped a t*rd in the punchbowl of their pity party early, danced with a couple of their most earnest ignorami a day or two to bring out a logical fallacy here or there and then left them to their appeals to emotion, knowing my job was done.

[spazsinbad]

F-35C Carrier Plan Closely Watched As Flights Remain On Hold
03 Jul 2014 Amy Butler | AWIN First

"The F-35 flight test program has missed about 30 "flight test opportunities," or scheduled flight test sortie slots, since the fleet remains on the ground after an F-35A caught fire June 23 while preparing for takeoff, says U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan, the program executive officer overseeing the project.

Two days after the fire, local commanders of F-35 bases across the country had all decided to halt flights of the single-engine fighter. This included a stop on all flights of each of the three variants, including at manufacturer Lockheed Martin. Additionally, Pratt & Whitney has stopped tests of its F135 engine, thought to be the source of the fire.

The incident marks what will likely be the first F-35 Class A mishap, a term associated with damage over $2 million. The pilot safely egressed.

"Is it a big deal in the big scheme of things? It is not," Bogdan said of the effect of the stand-down thus far. To catch up, testers can simply add a couple of flights weekly for a short period — but only if flights resume soon and if no major shortcomings are found in further flight tests.

The F-35C, designed for use on U.S. aircraft carriers, is the variant most sensitive to schedule disruptions at the moment because it is being tightly managed leading up to its initial at-sea trials on an aircraft carrier this fall. "That is the thing to make up the most time on" once aircraft return to flight, Bogdan says, noting carrier schedules are rigid. "Their schedule is not going to flex for us."

If the F-35C misses its window for sea operations in the fall, Bogdan says there are backup opportunities for those tests in 2015.

No software development has been delayed due to the fire and Bogdan predicts commitments to declare initial operational capability for the Marine Corps next summer, followed by the Air Force in 2016, will be met...."

Source: http://aviationweek.com/awin-only/f-35c ... emain-hold

[spazsinbad]

The main photo from the AIR International July? 2014 Special Edition about the F-35....

Shake Rattle and Roll
Air International Special F-35 Edition July 2014

"The US Navy is to stage three Development Test (DT) periods involving the F-35C embarked aboard a Nimitz-class super carrier to prove and verify the type’s carrier suitability to launch and recover safely. The fi rst event, DT I, is scheduled for late 2014, subject to completion of the necessary prerequisite testing that is currently being undertaken.

Shake Testing
“At this point, we have to complete a survey on the aircraft, also known as a ‘shake, rattle and roll’,” explained LCDR Tony Wilson, F-35C carrier suitability lead with Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX-23) ‘Salty Dogs’ based at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland.

“We fly various manoeuvres here at the field to our Mk7 arrestor site, which models the same arresting system installed on the carrier, to explore the corners of the aircraft’s envelope in the worst case scenarios a pilot can find himself at the boat.”

Shake testing includes catapults and arrested landings. Catapults build up in longitudinal acceleration up to 5.5g and include shots with the aircraft deliberately off the centre in the shuttle. Arrested landings include high sink rates up to 20 feet per second (1,200 feet per minute or about a 5-degree flight path angle), maximum deceleration points and free flight engagements.

“Here at the field we don’t have the ability to heave or roll the runway pitch like the boat does so we high sink the aircraft up to its limits and simulate a very hard landing. We come down at various roll and yaw attitudes, and a combination of both, to simulate pitching and rolling of the deck.

“And finally we do what we call ‘max Nx’ [maximum engagement speed] – really hit the gear hard to see the effects on the aircraft and the gear and whether we can get the hook to engage the wire prior to the aircraft coming down.

“We do that in a very controlled manner. We call it a free flight [inflight arrest], to ensure that both the arresting wire and aircraft can handle the stress in the event that a pilot tries to fly away from the boat and grabs the wire while the ‘plane is either going straight [ordinary] or on an upward vector [inflight arrest].”....

...To address these issues, the programme has designed modifications to the tailhook point and hold-down damper components. The hook point redesign both reduces the blunt face geometry with a pointed front end and lowers its apex point by 0.5 inches (68%) such that it is now below the arresting gear cable centreline to better enable scooping performance. The hold-down damper redesign consists of modifications to the AHS actuator damper such that a lesser number of orifices will temper tailhook bounce dynamics. The AHS redesigned components underwent Monte Carlo probability of engagement analysis as a lead-in effort for design review....

...Since rolling engagements represent only the initial stages leading into full carrier suitability demonstrations of the F-35C, proof of the redesigned components’ ability to perform under nominal and off-nominal approach to engagement conditions could not be gained until testing at Lakehurst and Pax River started.

The Pax River F-35 Integrated Test Force first received the new tailhook in October 2013 and has been testing it since December. Wilson explained: “It’s very promising. It differs from the original hook in that the structure itself is more substantial, to handle the stresses, and the hook point has a different profile to allow it to engage the wire more successfully than the old hook.”...

...the focus of the testing with the F-35C is on the wing fold system, the launch systems, the recovery systems, the avionics specific to the Instrument Carrier Landing System (ICLS) which allows us to recover on the boat at night and the approach handling qualities with the new delta control flight path.

He described the boat as the great equaliser. “You can only simulate so much while shore-based so we have a wide range of LT&E [Logistics Test & Evaluation] testing planned: jacking, tyre changes, elevator runs, engine runs and many different maintenance activities typically performed when under way.”

The LT&E division conducted chain down testing at Pax in February 2013 to determine if the chains interfered with the landing gear doors or if there were any problems with the procedure. None was found. “But the majority of testing when embarked will focus on catapult launches and recovery because our goal is to provide envelope launch and recovery bulletins to the fleet,” concluded LCDR Wilson...."

Source: Air International July 2014 F-35 special edition

[spazsinbad]

Further to the above post here are the final paragraphs about testing onboard the CVN....

...Nimitz Class
When AIR International closed for press a 14-stage plan was in place for DT I which currently involves personnel, support equipment and aircraft deploying to Naval Air Station North Island in California prior to the first carrier landings onboard a Nimitz-class carrier.

“In a very similar way to when a fleet squadron embarks on a carrier, we’re going to pack up all our materials, tools and the equipment required to support the aircraft and move out to the boat to start the testing,” said LCDR Wilson.

This will include a group of up to 250 personnel, aircraft CF-03 and CF-05, two F/A-18s for chase support, four F-35 pilots and others to fly the F/A-18s. Immediately prior to repositioning for DT I, the four F-35 pilots selected will conduct field carrier landing practice (FCLP) events with the landing signal officers (LSOs) assigned to VX-23. This involves flying a carrier-style landing pattern at Pax to ensure they are safe to go to the carrier."

[spazsinbad]

THE HOOK is me favourite problem chile so I'll post this lot here even though a lot could go elsewhere - feel free to paste and cut....

Salty Dogs & Funky Jets
Jul 2014 Mark Ayton, AIR International F-35 Special Edition

"...Flight Sciences Testing in 2012...

...BF-01 also continued loads testing with unflared slow landings in Mode 4, also known as STOVL mode. Mode 4 envelope expansion continued and included the first flight with internal stores...

...[BF-02 carried] a fully instrumented version of the gun pod on station 6. The missionised gun pod is being developed to house the 25mm GAU-22/A cannon on both naval variants. The tests were performed to characterise the environment around the pod during flight, to ensure the store was not excessively vibrating and that the stresses placed on the racks are within the design limits.

BF-02 also tested dry runway brake performance, propulsion, flying qualities and conducted night evaluation of a modified taxi light....

...CF-03 returned to Pax after completing final finishes in Fort Worth in early March and continued mission systems testing and initial catapult tests on the standard steam TC-7 system and the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System.

The aircraft also performed a tailhook evaluation which included cable roll-overs and roll-in arrestments at Pax and Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division Lakehurst, New Jersey. The new hook point design was validated at speeds up to 100 knots, trapping on each attempt....

...On May 10 [2013], F-35B BF-01 completed the first-ever Vertical Take-off (VTO) – a capability required for repositioning the STOVL variant in situations where it cannot perform a short take-off but, with a limited amount of fuel, can execute a VTO to fly a short distance....

...CF-03 conducted carrier suitability testing at Pax and NAWCAD Lakehurst, defining the scope of the technical challenges discovered with the F-35C landing and arresting gear systems. During this testing, the aircraft performed the first field roll-in arrestment to MK-7 arresting gear. Later in the year, CF-03 conducted more than 40 successful roll-in arrestments to MK-7 and E-28 EMALS arresting gear and performed five operationally representative fly-in arrestments to MK-7 arresting gear....

...Fuel Dump Subsystems
The OT-IIE report gave the following details about the Fuel Dump Subsystems: “The current fuel dump design has shown to be ineffective in dumping fuel clear of the aircraft surfaces, resulting in pooling and wetting aircraft surfaces with the potential risk of fire due to integration into the Integrated Power Package exhaust. Fuel dump test results on CF-01 and BF-04 were non-compliant with airworthiness certification criteria and JCS requirements due to the aircraft landing with wet surfaces and fuel spillage on deck from fuel accumulation in the flaperon. This situation poses a fire risk, more critical to STOVL given the larger number of hot surfaces and exhaust flow, as fuel on the deck could be ignited during aircraft taxi after landing. This also presents a maintenance burden for inspection, panel removal, and LO restoration following dump event.

“Due to these issues, the Air Force and Navy consider the present fuel dumping capability unacceptable. Two STOVL fuel dump design modifi cations were attempted unsuccessfully, resulting in an aircraft operating limitation (AOL) preventing fuel dumping except in an emergency situation or in pursuit of specific flight test points. Operationally, this could lead to the need for stores jettison as an alternative to adjust landing weight. The Air Force has prohibited fuel dump on CTOL.

“Further development of a long-term solution is required; however, the path forward is unknown at this time. Repositioning of the fuel dump valve would present a significant concurrency issue. Any additional structure, such as dump mast, would potentially impact LO properties for all variants.
Conclusion: Major Concurrency Risk – This is a significant current safety hazard and requires an aircraft hardware change.”

Landing weight is a big factor for approach speeds to L-class Landing Helicopter Dock amphibious assault ships and CVN-class super carriers, so the F-35B and F-35C variants need to be able to offload fuel. Each variant has a fuel dump system first evaluated on the F-35B while last year VX-23 undertook the first fuel dump evaluation with the F-35C.

Capt Etz described the work undertaken to resolve the fuel dump issues: “We are actually testing changes to the STOVL system here at Pax which may have correlation to F-35C. On the F-35B the IPP exhaust is below the aircraft so, if any fuel migrates out of the dump exhaust to elsewhere on the airframe, that can be a concern. The minor changes in test here at Pax have allayed those fears although we are still pursuing a technical resolution.”

In mid-2013, BF-04 received additional modifications - including a reshaped dump nozzle and redesigned flap blade seals - in order to increase fuel separation from aircraft surfaces and minimize fuel dripping on deck. BF-04 was flown through early 2014 to complete 15 fuel dump test points, in both CTOL and STOVL modes, some of which were conducted with external pylons to assess the risk of weapon wetting. Results have shown that these modifications have eliminated post-flight fuel dripping and fuel migration to hot areas and have significantly reduced fuel retained in the flap cover during the dump process. The results have led to the approval of identical design changes for production F-35B aircraft, and the programme is on-track to authorise the regular use of fuel dump in the F-35B fleet by early 2015.

In late 2013, CF-01 received similar modifications and its fuel dump performance has improved similar to BF-04. Aircraft CF-01 also completed a fuel dump test point while carrying external GBU-12s to confirm that the weapons are not wetted by the dumped fuel.

Aircraft CF-03 and CF-05 will be also be modified in time for Developmental Test Phase One, the first sea trial of the F-35C scheduled for later this year....

[Then some paragraphs about the IPP which are not excerpted herein.]

...Arresting Hook System
One of the tests undertaken by VX-23 with the F-35C over the past 24 months involved the Arresting Hook System (AHS). “We completed a lot of work to both characterise the issues we had with the [original] tailhook and to analyse the changes made to the system,” said Etz.

During the initial roll-in arrestment testing at NAWCAD Lakehurst, New Jersey, the tailhook failed to engage with the MK-7 arresting gear in eight attempts. Analysis identified three key design issues: the aircraft’s geometry, the design of the tailhook point and the performance of the tailhook’s hold-down damper (for more details see Shake, Rattle and Roll p74-79).

Before the new hook was fitted, testing continued using the original version to characterise performance and determine the loads being induced on the airframe during arrestment. In the summer of 2012 the VX-23 F-35 test team successfully engaged the MK-7 arresting wire on five out of eight attempts, a good demonstration of progress in the arrestment capability of the F-35C.

Design modifications were made to the tailhook point and its hold-down damper mechanism and, according to Capt Etz, achieved a 100% pick-up rate during the latest test period which started in October 2013.

The DOT&E FY2013 AR stated: “The AHS remains an integration risk as the development schedule leaves no time for new discoveries. Other risks include the potential for gouging of the flight deck after a missed cable engagement (due to an increase in weight of 139lb) and the potential for sparking from the tailhook across the flight deck because of the increased weight and sharper geometry of the redesigned hook.”...

...On December 6-7, 2013, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force engineers from the ITF tested a prototype remote-controlled trolley known as an Electric Shipboard Handler (Aircraft) by moving F-35B BF-05 around the Pax flight line. Designed to move the Lighting II around the hangar deck of HMS Queen Elizabeth-class carriers, this was the first time it had been used....

...Another major test programme currently under way at VX-23 is high angle-of-attack (AoA) envelope expansion. Initial envelope expansion and intentional departure testing, which required the use of a spin recovery chute, was conducted with F-35B BF-02 and F-35Cs CF-01 and CF-05. The ITF then conducted initial low-speed departure resistance testing, high AoA loads testing, and high AoA buffet testing with F-35B BF-03 and F-35C CF-02 to prove the recovery characteristics of each variant from uncontrolled flight.

“The ‘B was not expected to be much different from the ‘A because the wings are a similar shape, the tails a similar shape, but the mass properties distribution differs because the propulsion systems are different, and each variant’s fuel load is carried differently. Fundamentally the aerodynamic shape of the ‘B and ‘A is broadly similar, whereas the C has a different wing and a massive tail. While the B is turning out to be very nice, the C is the most remarkable, it’s absolutely awesome at 50 alpha and very controllable,” said Peter Wilson STOVL lead with the Pax F-35 ITF.

Testing will continue during 2014. Jake Piercy explained: “The first part of the programme repeated some of the testing at lower angles-of-attack without a spin chute. This was required to characterise and hopefully eliminate the possibility of the spin chute causing a difference in handling qualities of the aircraft.” Both aircraft will have the chute removed for the remaining test points....

....VX-23 also tested internal and external weapon load asymmetries on the F-35B for the first time. This involved carrying a 1,000lb bomb in the internal weapon bay on one side only and similarly, but in a separate test, with just one missile carried externally. The objective of both tests was to determine if the aircraft could be brought to the hover carrying an asymmetric load. According to BAE Systems test pilot Peter Wilson, STOVL lead with the Pax F-35 ITF: “We can. The pilot doesn’t even notice it.”

The test team also completed vertical landings loaded with external stores (pylons), AIM-9 missiles on stations 1 and 11 and the gun pod on station 6 for the first time in 2013.

The first vertical landings with weapons carried externally will follow this year.

And the most recent event is wet runway testing and cross-wind envelope expansion using F-35B BF-04. The aircraft left Pax on April 10 for an expected two-month stay at Edwards where the tests will be conducted. Edwards was chosen because it gets regular cross-winds of 25 to 30 knots which are required to complete that part of the F-35B’s envelope. The resident 412th Test Wing and 461st Flight Test Squadron have personnel experienced in wet runway testing having already completed a series for the F-35A...."

Source: AIR International F-35 Special Edition Jul 2014

[KamenRiderBlade]

“The ‘B was not expected to be much different from the ‘A because the wings are a similar shape, the tails a similar shape, but the mass properties distribution differs because the propulsion systems are different, and each variant’s fuel load is carried differently. Fundamentally the aerodynamic shape of the ‘B and ‘A is broadly similar, whereas the C has a different wing and a massive tail. While the B is turning out to be very nice, the C is the most remarkable, it’s absolutely awesome at 50 alpha and very controllable,” said Peter Wilson STOVL lead with the Pax F-35 ITF.

I love the 'C' model even more with that crazy High AoA controllability.

[spazsinbad]

PUHleez. Did you really have to 'quote' all the post to add your one liner? Puhleez.

[KamenRiderBlade]

PUHleez. Did you really have to 'quote' all the post to add your one liner? Puhleez.

Fixed for you

^_^

[spazsinbad]

Thanks.

[spazsinbad]

From the ubiquitous AIR International F-35 Special Edition July 2014....

[spazsinbad]

F-35s Flying In Restricted Envelope
17 Jul 2014 Amy Butler | AWIN First

"...Though the aircraft have returned to flight, these limits will affect the kinds of test points the team can address. Last week Program Executive Officer Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan said the lag thus far did not jeopardize the planned operational debut of the F-35B for the Marine Corps on July 1, 2015. However, the constraints could affect the F-35C's ability to address test points needed to conduct its first round of ship trials on the aircraft carrier Nimitz this fall, he said."

Source: http://aviationweek.com/defense/f-35s-f ... d-envelope

[spazsinbad]

ON page 18 of this thread [ viewtopic.php?f=57&t=15767&p=232640&hilit=F+111B#p232640 ] and various other pages there is info for 'johnwill' about the F-111B whilst he himself has provided a ton of interesting info about same throughout these forum pages/sections. Here is some more info:

A Brief History of the F-111B Flight Test Program
17 Jul 2014 Tommy H. Thomason

Bunch o'info about the Bs and how they ended up and....

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rn5QEY6IIws/U ... erview.jpg

Source: http://thanlont.blogspot.com.au/2014/07 ... -test.html

[lookieloo]

Ok, soes I plops over to Wiki for a quick look at F-111B.

For the first time, I'm noticing what appear to be a pair of fully-movable forward canards. I really hope johnwill can tell us more.

[spazsinbad]

I was interested to get a better quality pic: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... ly1968.jpg

[basher54321]

For the first time, I'm noticing what appear to be a pair of fully-movable forward canards. I really hope johnwill can tell us more.

I think they all had those canards - they do look fairly unique.