F-35B Finally Flies At Eglin Training Base

The F-35B conducted its first flight out of Eglin AFB, Fla., May 22, marking one of several steps needed to officially stand up pilot training for the Lockheed Martin stealthy jet there. The first F-35A conventional-takeoff-and-landing aircraft arrived at Eglin in July 2011 and the first B variant, optimized for the Marine Corps’ short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing requirement, arrived in January. Twelve F-35s are now at the base. Though pilot training was slated to start last fall, concerns raised by the Pentagon’s test community about the maturity of the aircraft and its software prompted the Air Force and Navy to delay this milestone ...