F-35 Lightning II Flight Test Update 5

The previous installment of the F-35 Flight Test Update wrapped up with the F-35 program reaching 1,000 cumulative flight hours during an AF-1 and AF-4 formation flight at the US Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB, California, on 8 March 2011. Since then, the program has completed more than 200 additional flights and, as of late June, had surpassed 1,400 flight hours and 1,000 total flights. Five F-35s have surpassed 100 total flights, and sixteen F-35s are flying at four locations, the newest of which is not a test facility, but is the 33rd Fighter Wing, the F-35 training center at Eglin AFB, Florida. A total of twenty-five pilots have flown the F-35, and twenty-one of them are currently flying the aircraft.

F-35A AF-1 expanded the flight envelope to Mach 1.53. F-35C CF-3 joined the test force at the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland. CF-2 began jet blast deflector testing at Lakehurst, New Jersey, in preparation for carrier trials. By mid-2011, the F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing variant had logged ten times more vertical landings than in all of 2010. F-35B pilots have also performed more than 230 short takeoffs since arriving at NAS Patuxent River in late 2009.

15 March 2011
100th Short Takeoff
Lockheed Martin test pilot David Nelson was at the controls of F-35B BF-1 as the aircraft completed the 100th short takeoff for the F-35B fleet. The milestone occurred on Flight 102 for BF-1 from NAS Patuxent River, Maryland. The 1.3-hour flight included two short takeoffs, one slow landing, and one vertical landing.

17 March 2011
100 Flights For AF-2
US Air Force test pilot Maj. Scott McLaren was at the controls for Flight 100 of F-35A AF-2. The 1.3-hour flight from Edwards AFB, California, included 360-degree loaded rolls and positive-g maneuvers.

7 April 2011
First STOVL Mode For BF-4
US Marine Corps test pilot Lt. Col. Fred Schenk put F-35B BF-4 into STOVL mode for the first time on Flight 43. The flight took place at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland.

21 April 2011
100 Flights For BF-3
Lockheed Martin test pilot David Nelson was at the controls for Flight 100 of F-35B BF-3. The flight originated from NAS Patuxent River, Maryland.

22 April 2011
Edwards Adds A Pilot
US Air Force Maj. Steven Speares became the twentieth pilot to fly the F-35 when he took off from Edwards AFB, California, in F-35A AF-1 for a 1.6-hour test mission. The mission was Flight 122 for AF-1.

27 April 2011
BF-4 Completes First Vertical Landing
The fourth F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing jet, BF-4, descended to its first vertical landing at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland, with Marine pilot Lt. Col. Fred Schenk at the controls. This was Flight 47 for BF-4.

Pax Adds A Pilot
Marine Maj. Richard Rusnok became the twenty-first pilot to fly the F-35 when he took off in F-35C CF-1 from NAS Patuxent River, Maryland, for a 1.5-hour test mission. The mission was Flight 55 for CF-1.

29 April 2011
CF-2 First Flight
Lockheed Martin test pilot Bill Gigliotti was at the controls for the first flight of F-35C CF-2 from NAS Fort Worth JRB, Texas.

BF-3 Completes First Vertical Landing
Lockheed Martin test pilot David Nelson was at the controls of BF-3 on Flight 102 as it became the fourth short takeoff/vertical landing F-35B to complete a vertical landing at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland.

6 May 2011
AF-8 First Flight
The third production model of the F-35 Lightning II, F-35A AF-8, completed its inaugural flight from NAS Fort Worth JRB, Texas, with Lockheed Martin test pilot Bill Gigliotti at the controls.

AF-7 Delivered To Edwards
Air Force Maj. Scott McLaren flew F-35A AF-7 on a three-hour ferry flight from NAS Fort Worth JRB, Texas, to Edwards AFB, California. The ferry marked Flight 7 for AF-7.

F-35 STOVL Mode Gear Up
Marine Lt. Col. Fred Schenk took the F-35B into STOVL mode with landing gear up for the first time. The test, which occurred on Flight 118 for the aircraft, was part of the envelope expansion for the F-35B.

10 May 2011
200th Short Takeoff
Lockheed Martin test pilot David Nelson was at the controls of F-35B BF-1 as the aircraft completed the 200th short takeoff for the F-35B fleet. The milestone occurred on Flight 121 for BF-1 from NAS Patuxent River, Maryland. The 1.2-hour flight included two short takeoffs, one slow landing, and one vertical landing.

12 May 2011
100th Vertical Landing
The F-35B fleet at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland, completed 100 vertical landings as BAE test pilot Peter Wilson touched down in F-35B BF-1 on Flight 123 for the aircraft.

13 May 2011
AF-6 To Edwards
Air Force Lt. Col. Hank Griffiths was at the controls of F-35A AF-6 for a successful 3.6-hour ferry flight to Edwards AFB, California. AF-6 is the first production F-35 Lightning II. Griffiths is the director of the F-35 Integrated Test Force at Edwards.

AF-9 Makes First Flight
The fourth production model of the F-35 Lightning II, F-35A AF-9, completed its inaugural flight from NAS Fort Worth JRB, Texas, with Lockheed Martin test pilot Bill Gigliotti at the controls. AF-9 is one of the first two F-35A production aircraft that will be delivered later in 2011 to Eglin AFB, Florida, where it will be used for pilot and maintainer training.

16 May 2011
CF-2 Delivered To Pax
Marine Lt. Col. Matt Taylor landed F-35C CF-2 at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland, for the first time. Taylor ferried the second F-35C on a 2.9-hour flight from Fort Worth, Texas. The ferry was Flight 6 for F-35C CF-2. The second F-35C joined five other F-35s operating at the test site.

21 May 2011
First F-35 Airshow Appearance
F-35C CF-2 successfully completed the first F-35 public flyby at the Joint Base Andrews NAF Washington Joint Services Open House airshow in Suitland, Maryland, during the opening ceremony. The appearance was Flight 7 for CF-2, which was piloted by Navy Lt. Cdr. Eric Buus.

CF-3 First Flight
Lockheed Martin test pilot Dan Canin was at the controls for the first flight of F-35C CF-3. The flight, from NAS Fort Worth JRB, Texas, lasted 0.7 hours. It was cut short due to weather.

25 May 2011
Most Flights In One Day
The F-35 program completed the most flights in one day with a combined total of ten flights at all three flight test locations.

Al Norman, the F-35 chief test pilot, completed his first F-35 flight. Norman flew F-35A AF-4 on a one-hour mission from Edwards AFB, California. The mission was Flight 31 for AF-4.

31 May 2011
AF-1 Reaches Mach 1.53
Lockheed Martin test pilot Jeff Knowles flew F-35A AF-1 to Mach 1.53, the fastest speed to date for the F-35 fleet. The milestone was achieved during a flutter test flown by Knowles from Edwards AFB, California.

2 June 2011
Edwards Adds Another Pilot
Vince Caterina, a US government test pilot, became the twenty-third pilot to fly the F-35 when he took off from Edwards AFB, California, in F-35A AF-2 for a 1.6-hour test mission. The test mission was Flight 128 for AF-2.

3 June 2011
CF-3 To Patuxent River
Lockheed Martin test pilot Dan Canin ferried F-35C CF-3 to NAS Patuxent River, Maryland, during a 2.9-hour flight from Fort Worth, Texas. The ferry was Flight 5 for CF-3. The aircraft joined six other F-35B/Cs being flown at the US Navy flight test center.

13 June 2011
Pax Adds A Test Pilot
Navy Lt. Chris Tabert became the twenty-fourth pilot to fly the F-35 when he flew F-35B BF-3 on a 1.1-hour mission from NAS Patuxent River, Maryland. The mission was Flight 115 for BF-3.

20 June 2011
1,000th F-35 Flight
Air Force Lt. Col. Leonard Kearl was at the controls for the 1,000th F-35 flight. The 1.8-hour flight, completed in F-35A AF-6, originated from Edwards AFB, California.

25 June 2011
CF-2 To Lakehurst
Navy Lt. Cdr. Eric Buus ferried F-35C CF-2 to the Naval Air Engineering Station at Lakehurst, New Jersey, where the aircraft will undergo jet blast deflector ground testing. Jet blast deflector testing ensures the aircraft is compatible with jet blast deflectors installed on US aircraft carriers.

See F35.com for more news and information on the F-35 program.