Posted on 01/04/2012 2:11:01 PM PST by Doogle
Nice video of the F-35B aboard the USS WASP for Sea Trials
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=Ki86x1WKPmE&feature=colike
(Excerpt) Read more at youtube.com ...
Question for Freeper military types.
I noticed in a few of the frames the pilot’s name painted on the base of the canopy of the F-35. Two readable frames identified one pilot as “Maj.” and another as “Lt. Col..”
Were these air forces pilots participating in the sea trials of the F-35?
Marines
Short Take-off, Vertical Landing (STOVL). No catapaults on the LHA/LHD flight decks.
I need to whip out my loan calculator to see if I can pull it off.. #occupy new ride! Lol!!
Ahhh ...
They are U.S. Marine pilots.
I used to slightly yaw my Piper Colt by sticking my hand out the door; then because of the wing dihedral it would sometimes bank a bit.
Trials...The F-35’s internal weapons bay can carry four missiles or bombs. If it carries the AIM-9X outside under the wings, it lose its stealth capability
Neither. They were playing with the video to make a dramatic shot.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great production, but it’s a promo vid. Gives the taxpayers a chance to see the aircraft is real. And, since there has been a lot of questions about the B-variant, it’s understandable the Navy and Marines would want to show it off in a good light.
Excellent bird — providing they keep squeezing out the bugs.
I remain convinced that a major concession for the JASDF F-35 purchase, by the US to Japan, was a written understanding that Japan would have the option of purchasing the B-variant for use on their new baby flat-tops at a later date.
If China keeps advancing on naval aviation, the JMSDF will need a credible counter.
Understand about the internal stores. But this is flight testing. I would expect that they might actually hang something under the wings while testing the flight envelope here. After all the need for Stealth kinda goes away after air defenses have been dealt with, or against foes that don’t possess at least a 2nd-rate air defense. IOW’s the F-35 is going to do a great deal of flying with something slung beneath it.
Makes things dicey when you signal for a turn.
...this was only one of three sea trials sched’d.....more to test the surface of the deck ...maybe “outside stores” added in later test
... they didn’t ‘melt’ the deck as some ‘experts’ feared. The engine nozzle doesn’t rotate downward until very late int he takeoff roll.
use of ceramics too...
Thank you and thanks for posting a great video.
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