By Air Force News Agency on Thursday, June 13th, 2013
Fleet Grows, Training Increases for F-35
The largest fleet of F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighters grew to twenty-five aircraft because the F-35 Integrated Training Center here welcomed two new Air Force F-35A variants of the multi-role fighter to the Emerald Coast, June 5.
The expansion gives the 58th Fighter Squadron the power to fly an expanded schedule and more readily put student pilots throughout the F-35 training course, in step with Maj. Jay Spohn, assistant director of operations on the 58th Fighter Squadron.
“We’ll be capable to fly a ‘four-turn-four’ or ‘six-turn-four’,” he said. The numbers indicate what number of training sortie flights are accomplished within the morning schedule, then maintained and serviced to be turned back out to be flown for the afternoon schedule.
Currently, the Air Force team on the 33rd Fighter Wing is within the latter component to F-35A Pilot Class Number 4 and has started Class 5. The Marine Corps pilots listed below are in F-35B Class Number 4 and the Navy has completed one F-35C course and commenced a second this week. Greater than 30 pilots from all three variants were trained on the F-35 Integrated Training Center.
The world class training devices, full mission simulators and comprehensive curriculum are preparing them for the challenges of engaged on the 21st century battlefield.
The Air Force expects to declare F-35A Lightning II initial operating capability by December 2016. For the Marines, the objective date for F-35B IOC is in late 2015 and the Navy is asking at F-35C IOC in February 2019.
For now, the stairs taken every day at Eglin help in moving the F-35 program forward enterprise-wide because the team trains more people at the unprecedented, technologically-advanced 5th generation fighter.
About 72 pilots from the Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy are slated to graduate F-35 transition pilot training this year. It truly is made possible by a fleet of well-maintained aircraft to fulfill the educational needs.
One such maintainer paving the best way for F-35 success is Tech. Sgt. Lance Murphy, 58th Aircraft Maintenance Unit here. He received one of the crucial two new F-35s and was tapped to be the dedicated crew chief for that aircraft.
“This is awesome knowing the jet belongs to you,” he said. “It’s my responsibility to grasp the final maintenance of this actual jet bearing my name at the side.”
Murphy likened his F-35 maintenance experience to that of vehicle racing. “Each NASCAR has its own chief and every jet has its own crew chief. There’s that very same excitement when the jet is maintained after which goes out for a successful flight rather like a successful race.”
Spohn believe the steady stream of accomplishments for the F-35 are an immediate results of the brand new training course, specifically designed for the brand new aircraft.
“It’s an accomplishment that during lower than six months since we started pilot training, we now have been ready to produce a course pretty much as good as any fighter course created within the last twenty years,” said Spohn.
Murphy agreed in regards to the progress. “Each day is something new and it’s awesome to be part of this.”
At Eglin, the Air Force has 12 F-35A joint strike fighters, the Marine Corps has 11 F-35Bs and the uk embedded with the Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron-501 has two F-35Bs. The Navy is slated to get its first two F-35C variants within the next coming weeks.
In the out years, when operating at full capacity, the Eglin fleet will grow to 59 aircraft with about 100 pilots and a couple of,100 maintainers graduating yearly.
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