Episode 126 – F-35 Update: Test Flight Perspective

Episode Summary:

In Episode 126 of the Aerospace Advantage, F-35 Update: Test Flight Perspective, John Baum discusses what happens when an F-35 rolls off the production line and executes its first flights with Lockheed Martin F-35 test pilot Tony “Brick” Wilson and J.R. McDonald, Vice President for F-35 Business Development.

Back in December, the Mitchell Institute met with the key folks who are building America’s newest fighter, the F-35. We learned about how one factory in Texas is revolutionizing what it means to produce cutting-edge 5th generation combat aircraft at a build rate we haven’t seen since the Cold War. Given the threats facing our nation and the imperative to refresh the Air Force fighter inventory, we need to get these planes on the flightline fast. So do the Marine Corps, Navy, and our allies. Today, we’re going to circle back on this topic to talk about the other half of the equation: what happens to the jets when they first take to the sky, and what do we need to consider when it comes to flight operations?

Credits:

Host: John "Slick" Baum, Senior Fellow, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Producer: Shane Thin

Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey

Guest: Tony "Brick" Wilson, Chief of Fighter Flight Operations, Lockheed Martin

Guest: J.R. McDonald, Vice President, F-35 Business Development, Lockheed Martin

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