Britain’s first two operational F-35 pilots have begun flight training at the strike fighter’s schoolhouse at Eglin AFB, Fla., reports Florida’s Crestview News Bulletin. “It’s an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” stated Royal Air Force squadron leader Franki Buchler in the newspaper’s Nov. 23 report. Buchler and Royal Navy Lt. Cdr. Ian Tidball represent both British services that will eventually operate the F-35. Since the United Kingdom opted to purchase the F-35B short-takeoff and vertical-landing variant, just like the US Marine Corps, the two British pilots, along with 12 maintainers and two supervisors, are embedded with the marines’ training presence at Eglin. Two British F-35Bs are already stationed at Eglin, augmenting the marines’ training fleet there, according to the newspaper. Once their F-35 initial flight training at Eglin is complete, the two pilots are slated to join a British F-35 test force at Edwards AFB, Calif., to prepare the F-35B for entry into British service. (See also First International F-35 Delivered.)
The Air Force’s study of possible links to elevated rates of cancer among personnel who worked on intercontinental continental ballistic missiles has begun, the commander in charge of the U.S. ICBM fleet confirmed March 28. The initial phase of that study will mine cancer registries for information and compile a…