Eglin F-35A OKd to fly

The F-35As at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., have been cleared to fly. Officials at the Aeronautical Systems Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, issued a Military Flight Release Tuesday to allow the F-35A to begin initial operations at Eglin, home of the Joint Strike Fighter training center. The decision was made after an airworthiness board conducted an assessment that evaluated potential risks and the mitigation actions for unmonitored flights. Flying the Air Force variant of the F-35 will increase pilot and maintainer familiarity with the aircraft, exercise the logistics infrastructure and continue to develop aircraft maturity. These initial F-35A flights will be limited, scripted, conducted within the restrictions and stipulations of the MFR and flown by qualified pilots, officials said. Eglin also has three F-35B aircraft, the Marine Corps variant. (Source: AFNS, 02/28/12)