F-35 Production Costs, Line Changes Drop: LM

F-35B on the USS WASP
"F-35B ship suitability testing aboard the USS WASP (LHD-1) on Oct. 7, 2011. Aircraft is test jet BF-2 with US Marine Corps pilot Lt. Col. Fred Schenk at the controls."
BigPic:
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6096/623 ... ed3f_b.jpg

spazsinbad

Thanks for the added comments on WOD. I'm downloading your PDF (whew!!) to try to update my knowledge. Your comment about not having internet based information available 40 odd years ago I will take personally, as the carrier suitability tests I worked on the F-111B were 43 years ago.

Speaking of WOD, that airplane was required to meet zero WOD requirements.

johnwill, are you suggesting your work suffered 40 years ago by not having intertubal access? I would say that and not having any training aids to speak of whatsoever our A4G and general training suffered. I have learnt more about Naval Aviation from that era (my world in those days was very small) from the freely available DVD videos which can be bought in 'military nut' stores; or nowadays very cheaply in the local newsagent on sale; and of course everywhere online. Bloody hell. One item that escapes me though are the now restricted (by US Home Land Security) videos about ACM tactics for the Skyhawk for example. A real shame - however one can download PDFs online about same easily. I live in hope. For too long my local area had no broadband internet access - in a few years we will have very high speed broadband [called National Broadband Network or NBN in Oz] - so watch out.

My RAN (FAA) time started in 1966. In late 1972-early 1973 I was in USofA experiencing the wonders of the precursor intertrouble 'autovon' network. I did not have permission to use it to make calls but could receive them no worries. From little things big things grow eh.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autovon

"...The non-hierarchical routing structure was intended to get around any number of nodes destroyed in war. This system inspired similarly survivable ones for message networks, including in future decades the Internet...."

Of course my work suffered, but I just didn't know any better at the time.

I haven't thought of autovon in many years and didn't realize it was related to the internet. I first ran onto it at Edwards in 1971.

I live in a rural area so had dialup internet for 10 years, yuk! Then satellite came along, faster, but with miserly download limits, then a fixed wireless with mediocre performance, and now a fine fixed wireless system, fast, reliable, and reasonable cost.

In 1999, I lucked into a month assignment at RAAF Salisbury and was able to take my wife with me. Took a little extra time to see a little of your country, wonderful time.

johnwill, good to know you have had a gander at South Australia at least. Big Place huh. I have landed (in a Macchi MB326H) at RAAF Edinburgh [Salisbury] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAAF_Base_Edinburgh) TWICE! Long Nav from NAS Nowra with a VIP enroute to WOOMERA and a backup SAR Macchi (with a maintainer) in formation (long desert overflights). This was the mid 1970s when security at WOOMERA was fierce so we did not see anything except the airfield (not that there is a lot to see in the vast deserts of inland Oz anyway).

....And I still don't know any better! Internet or not. Always plenty to learn however....

Here is one 'TINS' tale about 'chasing the carrier at dusk/'night'':

CHASING THE BOAT
http://a4skyhawk.org/?q=2d/tins/trout.htm

This photo shows the flexibility - quick/concurrent recovery cycle - of the F-35B (compared to the F-35C for example). Probably the instrument precision recoveries for the F-35C with JPALS will be a lot more efficient (night/low cloud) compared to the Hornet family (only my guess though - perhaps similar if all aircraft are using JPALS). And as 'johnwill' suggests anything that minimises flat deck time for landing ops is a good thing.

"111015-N-ZZ999-932 ATLANTIC OCEAN (Oct 15, 2011) An Aviation Boatswains Mate maneuvers BF-04, bottom, the Marine Corps variant of the Joint Strike Fighter F-35B Lighting II, after a vertical landing. The BF-02 (back), the second F-35 Lighting II approaches the flight deck for landing on the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1). The F-35 B was designed to perform short takeoffs and vertical landings to provide air power for the Marine Air Ground Task Force. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Tommy Lamkin/Released)"
BigPic:
http://www.navy.mil/management/photodb/ ... 99-932.jpg

My RAN (FAA) time started in 1966.

I was seven years old. I salute you, Spaz, for helping to defend the Western world while I was but a child! Thank you!

Thank you stereospace - joined the RAN at 17 years and two months (having gained the Leaving School Certificate - I guess High School Diploma equivalent in USA?).

Interesting the the U.S. Marines F-35B has only one tire on the front landing gear. Never noticed that before. I would've thought it would have dual tires on the front landing gear like the Navy's F-35C.

Catapult launch requires a very strong nosewheel (and a carrier landing same - aircraft touches down, hook, main wheels then nosewheel during arrest - perhaps a more violent nosewheel contact depending on these variable circumstances with ship moving) a lot of load on nosewheel. An A4G and other single tyre nosewheel aircraft use a strop around catapult hooks on aircraft connected to catapult shuttle thus transferring load in a different way. Today that dual nosewheel strut is connected directly to the catapult. The thread showing this for the F-35C illustrates it well. I'll attach another ZOOMed photo also.

F-35C Lands at Lakehurst For Testing Scroll down page
http://www.f-16.net/index.php?name=PNph ... ult#200802

F-35A does a conventional landing with a flare hopefully to minimise undercarriage load with the nosewheel being held off for aero braking then gently lowered during rollout (above a certain speed otherwise likely the nosewheel may drop more sharply of its own accord - best to lower it deliberately probably).

The F-35B is doing vertical landings or RVLs with hopefully lighter loads on the single nosewheel setup.
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BigPic: http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6026/5978 ... bcab_b.jpg

F-35C Catapult Testing
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lockheedma ... 1438420763
“F-35C carrier variant test jet CF-3 demonstrates proper catapult hookup at NAS Patuxent River, Md. in preparation for the first catapult launches at Lakehurst, N.J.”
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http://attach.high-g.net/attachments/a4 ... ke_116.jpg

Don't recall any other info about the wing spoilers (for wing drop control at altitude) on the F-35C other than they will not be used (for now). Does this mean the spoilers will still be manufactured on LRIP aircraft - but not used - in place, just in case?

F-35C Spoiler Tackles Wing Drop by Graham Warwick at Aug/5/2009

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs/de ... 7414e42786

"...The spoilers have been installed as insurance against wing drop,...

... The spoilers on the F-35C are described as a flight-test mitigation. If they prove not to be needed, they will be removed on production birds and the wing cavities "scabbed" over. J.D. says the hydraulically actuated spoilers are about 18in long by 5in wide and add only 10lb...."

http://sitelife.aviationweek.com/ver1.0 ... .Large.jpg
&
http://sitelife.aviationweek.com/ver1.0 ... .Large.jpg [Jay Miller photo for Aviation Week]

And... talking about roll control....

NASA’s Frankenstein F-18 Flight-Test Workhorse By Jason Paur Nov 24, 2011

http://www.wired.com/autopia/2011/11/na ... workhorse/

"...Above/Below: No. 853, high above the Mojave in 2004 during one of its more interesting projects, the Active Aeroelastic Wing project. The goal was to explore twisting, or warping, the wing to provide roll control at transonic and hypersonic speeds."

http://www.wired.com/autopia/wp-content ... no-853.jpg