There are so many ways that the short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) requirement for the F-35 program screwed up the design.
Today the fat-dumpy aircraft is still trying to get through certification so initial pilot training (that is for non-test pilots) can start at Eglin AFB. There are still safety concerns.
Non-test pilots can get into a bit more trouble. Take a look at the video below where a Canadian exchange test pilot in the USAF explains how something as simple as a hard turn with an F-16 can be an issue with an asymmetric load.
What are the flight certification challenges for the F-35? At almost 5 years after the first flight, they seem to be many.
Which makes you wonder how this 2007 flight test schedule could have been anything more than wishful thinking.
1 comment:
Good question.
And maybe it should be asked too; 'how many of the first 100 production F-35A aircraft will be designated for USAF training?'
Has the original program been modified to deliver 80-100 training aircraft ASAP, so that mass pilot training can begin to transfer over existing pilots into the full rate produced operational F-35 deliveries??
Regarding the F-16 video however... and the 'departure from flight with a hard turn @ 35k feet', that is where an F-22, F-15, or yes... an F-16XL variant would have no problem conducting such a hard turn at 35k. At the least, a standard F-16 platform with TVC would be able to recover very easily from such a departure with a simple soft-ware programmed vocal command by the pilot: "Control, Control".
God speed out there.
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