Forum: F-35 milestones

Thursday May 29th Graham Tomlinson made flight 43 in AA-1 (his 2nd) which lasted 1.1 hours. There were no problems and AA-1 should fly again June 4th.

BF-1 did taxi testing Friday and will likely be doing high speed taxi testing late this week.

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While AA-1 remains grounded since completing its 45th flight on July 23, aircraft BF-1, the first Stovl F-35B, has logged nine flights since its June 11 debut and has about 15 more flights in conventional takeoff and landing mode before it too ceases flying, for scheduled upgrades.

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

Where are the jets in the testing pipeline now?

Both AA-1 and BF-1, I think are back in the air because I'm getting JOAP samples from both jets, unless only ground runs are being done for an hour at a time.

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

Any news?

AA-1 hasn't flown very much since doing it's MACH run, BF-1 is going through some up grades, BF-2 has a heart beat P/W brought a JOAP sample from it's first GND run earlier this past week

AA-1 returned to flight at the FW facilities yesterday.

http://www.fencecheck.com/forums/index. ... c=689.2160

B. Bolsøy
Oslo

AA-1 Returns To Flight

AA-1 returned to the skies last week with two Code 1 flights (70, 71). The Feb. 24. sortie lasted 1.6 hours and was the first F-35 flight for 2009. The weapon bay doors were opened for the first time in flight, making this a milestone event for the program.

Source: Lockheed Martin.

Regards
B. Bolsøy
Oslo

BF-2 and AA-1 both flew last week.

http://www.fencecheck.com/forums/index. ... #msg216611

AA-1 should do more flying this week.

YIPPEE!!!

AA-1 Flights 71, 72 and 73

The Feb. 26, Flight 71 was accomplished Code 1 with a 1.1 hour sortie. After a maximum power takeoff, AA-1 accomplished weapon door closed flutter, flying qualities, throttle transients and landing gear cycle.

Flight 72. AA-1 completed flight 72 last Wednesday (March 4th) with mock weapons on board and returned Code 1 after 1.3 hours, logging 99.5 hours to date. Profile included a maximum power takeoff, weapon door open flying qualities (FQs) testing, a touch and go prior to a straight in landing.

Flight 73. On March 10 Slim (Jeff Knowles) got AA-1 airborne for a 1.0 hour sortie, returning Code 1. On this flight AA-1 surpassed the 100 flight hour mark, with a total flight time of 100.5 hours. The primary objectives achieved were weapons bay doors closed/full bay loadouts (GBU-31’s and AIM-120’s) and flutter flying qualities, before a straight in landing

Source: Lockheed Martin

B. Bolsøy
Oslo

AA-1 flew again today.

Also heard that BF-1 did some sort of hover testing today as well... Smile

Ztex wrote:

AA-1 flew again today.

Also heard that BF-1 did some sort of hover testing today as well... Smile

Things are ramping up indeed. Smile

B. Bolsøy
Oslo

Cumulative Flight 90

FORT WORTH, Texas, March 19th, 2009 - Maj. Joseph T. "O.D." Bachmann today became the first U.S. Marine Corps pilot to fly the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, logging the flight-test program’s 90th mission. He is the fifth pilot to fly the stealthy, multi-role fighter.

Bachmann departed the runway at Lockheed Martin's Fort Worth plant at 11:29 a.m. CDT and flew the aircraft to 15,000 feet, checking handling qualities and engine response before landing one hour and 15 minutes later.

"The plane performed wonderfully," said Bachmann, a member of the F-35 Integrated Test Force and one of the team test pilots who will fly the F-35B Lightning II at the Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., test site, beginning this summer. "The U.S. Marine Corps will be getting an aircraft with extraordinary capabilities that is very easy to fly. Today is another step toward delivery of the first jets to Marines on the front line."

Link to Lockheed Martins full press release:

http://www.lockheedmartin.com/news/pres ... light.html

B. Bolsøy
Oslo

Flight 74 and Flight 75 (cumulative Flight 90)

On March 17th Jon Beesley successfully completed Flight 74 for a 1.2 hour sortie, returning Code 1. The flight profile included a MAX power takeoff, flying qualities with weapons bay doors open, throttle transients and landing gear extension before a straight in landing. This flight concluded all remaining planned technical objectives for AA-1. On Wednesday, the GBU-31s and AIM-120s were downloaded from the bays.

AA-1 conducted Flight 75 on Thursday March 19 for a 1.3 hour sortie, landing Code 1. This was the first flight flown by our Marine Corps JSF pilot, OD Bachmann. Flight profile included a Military Power takeoff, Flying Qualitys (FQ) and throttle transients, descending formation, Power Approach ( PA) FQs, touch and go and a full stop landing.

AA-1 has now returned 59 out of 75 times Code 1.

The CATBird returned to flight also on Thursday. On Friday, CATB Mission Systems test flight (Flight 47) was conducted for 2.1 flight hours. CNI (Communication, Navigation, Identification), RADAR and EW (Electronic Warfare) testing was performed.

Source: Lockheed Martin

B. Bolsøy
Oslo

Forum: F-35 milestones

Overview of F-35 test flights