LUKE DAYS - FLYING THE F-35
Nov-Dec 2018 Andrew McLaughlin
"...An RAAF F-35A pilot explains what it's like to fly the next generation jet
When I got to fly it I had a mix of emotions, I was both excited and nervous - excited to fly an F-35A, but nervous about making a mistake. We rehearsed the flight in the sim the day prior with our IP (instructor pilot), and on the day I was grateful for the 7:00 am walk time in the Phoenix heat!
After finally getting up the ladder and successfully strapping in, I was ready to start. From then on the whole experience was just like the sim, even taxing to the EOR (end of runway) was the same. I did briefly have one thought, 'I can't believe I am doing this', but that was short lived as my focus returned to the checklist.
The first time I noticed something different was on the takeoff roll. We did a mil power (non-afterburner) take off, and this was the first time I had felt the acceleration - the F-35A has more 'go' than the classic, that's for sure. We took off in mil power with 18,000 pounds of fuel, whereas the classic would have a maximum of 16,500 pounds with three external tanks and need to do a full AB (afterburner) takeoff.
I flew the departure just like the sim. I would say you feel a bit like you're floating in the F-35 because there is not much aircraft in your field of view, he added. In the Hornet you have the LEX (leading edge extension) which you can see, and the wings are not that far behind you. On the F-35 there is no LEX and the wings seem further back and are a shorter span.
We decided to transit supersonic, so I selected full AB and started to climb, and again I was reminded that this thing has some thrust! I only went to Mach 1.2 as we had already reached our airspace, and once in the airspace I started to pull some alpha (angle of attack, AOA).
The point of this was to get a feel for the different AOAs and roll rates. As briefed, the F-35 felt similar to the Hornet in differing AOA regimes - I was quite aggressive and the jet was extremely stable. After this I did some break turns - these are done faster in the F-35 so are more about G than AOA.
Overall, I found the seat and HMD (helmet) very comfortable under G. The F-35A tends to bleed less at high speeds than the Hornet, so I think we might be fighting faster than what we did in Hornet which loved to fight slow. The F-35 is also faster than the Hornet in the approach and landing phase. At Luke this is not a factor as we share the airfield with F-16's, but at Williamtown there will be some procedures to work out with slower civilian aircraft.
On the return leg the thing that stood out the most was all the air tracks on my tactical situation display - with zero input from me the jet was giving me the picture. The advanced sensors and how they are fused is one of the jet's biggest strengths. In a 4th gen fighter you spend a lot of your effort manually working sensors or interpreting them, leaving not much mental capacity for tactical decision making.
I pitched on downwind and conducted my pre-landing checks. These are somewhat simplified as you just put down the gear down which changes the flight control laws. As I rolled out on finals and slowed to on speed, I remember thinking, 'this is my first landing in an F-35A', but I used the technique I was taught and the jet touched down very gently.
Overall the jet was very easy to configure, fly around base and finals, and land - in some ways easier than the Hornet. I did a touch and go, and we then did a precautionary flameout (PFO) which I was nervous about as the jet is very slippery and very hard to slow down. With the PFO done I just did some more circuits until it was time to full stop.
I taxied back and shutdown to be greeted by my squadron mates and my family. I clearly remember the sense of relief knowing that I had done it.
Overall compared to a Hornet, The F-35 is noticeably faster while carrying more fuel, and was extremely stable and easy to fly. I can't wait to get to the tactical flying!"..."
Lähde ADBR Nov-Dec 2018 Volume 37 No.6