PATUXENT RIVER, Md. - A Royal Air Force officer on Tuesday became the first active-duty service pilot from the United Kingdom to fly an F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. RAF Squadron Leader Steve Long piloted BF-2, the second short takeoff/vertical landing F-35B, over Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., logging the aircraft's 18th mission. He flew to 20,000 feet before landing 1.3 hours later. Both the RAF and the Royal Navy plan to operate the F-35B. Long said he was pleased with the level of situational awareness. He was the third active-duty service member to fly the F-35. It's also been flown by U.S. Air Force and U.S. Marine Corps pilots. (Source: Lockheed Martin, 01/27/10) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., will be home to the Joint Strike Fighter training center.
NEWS: A digest of aerospace, defense and technology news from the Gulf Coast I-10 region
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
First UK service pilot flies F-35
PATUXENT RIVER, Md. - A Royal Air Force officer on Tuesday became the first active-duty service pilot from the United Kingdom to fly an F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. RAF Squadron Leader Steve Long piloted BF-2, the second short takeoff/vertical landing F-35B, over Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., logging the aircraft's 18th mission. He flew to 20,000 feet before landing 1.3 hours later. Both the RAF and the Royal Navy plan to operate the F-35B. Long said he was pleased with the level of situational awareness. He was the third active-duty service member to fly the F-35. It's also been flown by U.S. Air Force and U.S. Marine Corps pilots. (Source: Lockheed Martin, 01/27/10) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., will be home to the Joint Strike Fighter training center.
