The integrated team of airmen, marines, and sailors at Eglin AB, Fla., on Tuesday launched the first F-35A sortie from the base since the Air Force last week cleared the F-35A for initial flight operations at the Florida installation, home of the first joint F-35 schoolhouse. “Our first sortie is truly a milestone for the program,” said Col. Andrew Toth, commander of the 33rd Fighter Wing that oversees the schoolhouse. However, the operational check flight was abbreviated due to the pilot returning the aircraft to base 15 minutes into the planned 90-minute mission due to an “in-flight emergency” that may have been a fuel leak, said Eglin officials. “Unfortunately things happen. We didn’t want it to happen today, but we were prepared. Our pilot did the exact right thing in returning the jet back to Eglin,” said Toth. Still, “we met both objectives today: get the aircraft airborne and start local area operations,” said Lt. Col. Eric Smith, the Air Force’s first F-35 pilot. The wing is slowly building until it can initiate the F-35 training syllabus. (Eglin report by Chrissy Cuttita)
PHOTOS: 12 B-2s Conduct Massive Fly-Off, Elephant Walk
April 19, 2024
The Air Force carried out the largest B-2 Spirit fly-offs in recent history, when 12 aircraft—the majority of the nation's stealth bombers—took off one by one on April 15 from Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo. The event also created a massive elephant walk as the aircraft taxied to and took…