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F-35B pilot instructor Maj. A. C. Liberman greets Yuma-based Marines upon his arrival to Marine Corps Air Station Yuma after flying in Third Marine Aircraft Wing's first F-35B to the station flightline on November 16th, 2012. [Photo by Cpl. Aaron Diamant]
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SSgt. Brittney Lehr, 412th AMXS JSF, and Marine SSgt.Thomas Mitsch, Marine VMX-22, work to remove a panel on an F-35 on November 29th, 2012. For more than 18 months, developmental test personnel from the F-35 Integrated Test Force have been responsible for training operational maintainers from the 31st TES and VMX-22; the marines who will maintain the F-35B Short Takeoff Vertical Landing variant. Seventy-six personnel have successfully completed the program with 15 maintainers currently participating. [USAF photo]
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Maj. Joseph Scholtz, (right) 706th FS operational test pilot, salutes Col. Andrew Toth, 33rd FW commander, upon completion of his first training sortie in the F-35 Lightning II on October 30th, 2012. Scholtz is a reservist assigned to Nellis AFB, as the installation's first qualified F-35 pilot. [USAF photo]
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RAF Squadron Leader Frankie Buchler became the first international student-pilot to fly a sortie in the F-35B Lightning II on March 19th, 2013 at Eglin AFB. [USAF photo by Maj. Karen Roganov]
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RAF Squadron Leader Frankie Buchler became the first international student-pilot to fly a sortie in the F-35B Lightning II on March 19th, 2013 at Eglin AFB. He received his F-35 STOVL patch after completing the flight. [USAF photo by Maj. Karen Roganov]
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Maj. Matthew Johnston, (left) 58th FS, instructor pilot, shakes hands with Col. Stephen Jost, 33rd OG commander, upon arriving at Eglin AFB with the advanced F-35 Lighting II on May 6th, 2013. [USAF photo by SSgt. Nicholas Egebrecht]
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Lt. Cdr. Chris Tabert pilots the first F-35C Lightning II flight at Eglin AFB on August 14th, 2013. Before arriving to U.S. Navy F-35 Strike Fighter Squadron VFA-101 in February, he served as a test pilot for the joint strike fighter program at NAS Patuxent River. He will become the squadron's first instructor pilot and join a collocated team of Marine, Navy, Air Force and international partners training here. [USAF photo by Samuel King Jr.]
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Lt. Cdr. Chris Tabert puts on the specialized helmet before piloting the first F-35C Lightning II flight at Eglin AFB on August 14th. Before arriving to U.S. Navy F-35 Strike Fighter Squadron VFA-101 in February, he served as a test pilot for the joint strike fighter program at NAS Patuxent River. He will become the squadron's first instructor pilot and join a collocated team of Marine, Navy, Air Force and international partners training here. [USAF photo by Samuel King Jr.]
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Jeff Babione, Lockheed Martin Vice President and Deputy Program Manager of the F-35 Program; and Air Vice-Marshal Kym Osley, Royal Australian Air Force Program Manager for New Air Combat Capability, celebrated the beginnings of the first F-35 Lightning II for Australia at a ceremony in Fort Worth. [Lockheed Martin photo by Angel DelCueto]
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Australia’s first F-35 Lightning II in the factory in Fort Worth. [Lockheed Martin photo by Beth Groom]
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Lorraine Martin, Lockheed Martin Executive Vice President and General Manager of the F-35 Program; Navy Vice Adm. David Buss, Commander, Naval Air Forces; Navy Adm. William Gortney, Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command and Navy Cmdr. Steven Orren were keynote speakers at the Navy's F-35C rollout ceremony on October 1st, 2013 at the Navy's VFA-101 hangar, 33rd FW, Eglin AFB. [Lockheed Martin photo]
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The U.S. Navy and the 33rd Fighter Wing officially reconstituted the highly decorated VFA-101 Grim Reapers Squadron during an October 1st, 2013 ceremony at Eglin AFB. [Lockheed Martin photo]
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Maj. Laurens Vijge, a RNlAF pilot, gets fit tested for his helmet mounted display for the F-35A Lightning II on December 11th, 2013 at Eglin AFB. On December 18th, Vijge became the first RNlAF pilot to fly the joint strike fighter and the flight marks the first sortie for the RNLAF. [USAF photo by SSgt. Nick Egebrecht]
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Maj. Laurens Vijge, a RNlAF pilot, climbs into the seat of an F-35A Lightning II for his first flight in the aircraft on December 18th, 2013 at Eglin AFB. Vijge became the first RNlAF pilot to fly the joint strike fighter and the flight marks the first sortie for the RNlAF here. [USAF photo by Samuel King Jr.]
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Maj. Gen. Jay Silveria, USAF Warfare Center commander, has a laugh with A1C John Patterson, 33rd AMXS, after completing his final qualifying flight in the F-35A Lightning II on September 26 at Eglin AFB. Silveria became the first general officer in the Department of Defense to qualify in the fifth generation fighter. He completed his training with back-to-back flights and hot pit refueling. [USAF photo by Samuel King Jr.]
