From the 'Snafu351' redirect there is this selective quote:
"...Despite plans for the vertical landing pads, the F-35B has not proven as unwieldy as critics of the program initially predicted. Some said, for example, that the F-35B would damage decks and injure crew aboard ships.
But successful sea trials conducted aboard the amphibious assault ship Wasp in October proved them wrong. The trials were the first to see the aircraft land on a ship while underway and went without a hitch.
“There was no special pad required for the initial ship trials,” according to Victor Chen, a Naval Air Systems Command spokesman in Patuxent River, Md.
Although the aircraft can operate without them, construction of extra durable pads is also slated at MCAS Miramar, Calif...."
Last edited by SpazSinbad; 25th Mar 2013 at 19:37.
Reason: this to there