IF 'LO' can make wild guesses (incorrectly IMHO - see previous page) I feel free to proffer my own - so bear that in mind. Perhaps the modified CF-3 nose gear needs further mods for the sake of testing? As has been pointed out earlier - testing at PaxRiver is rigourous and every part of the aircraft needs to be at best possible state. Stats, that follow the quote below, probably point to why the USN - in particular - is meticulous & cautious about their preparations.
F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) DOTE Jan 2014
http://www.dote.osd.mil/pub/reports/...nualReport.pdf (48Mb)
"...F-35C Flight Sciences
Flight Test Activity with CF-1, CF-2, and CF-3 Test Aircraft
• F-35C flight sciences focused on:...
...-- Carrier suitability testing in preparation for the first set of ship trials scheduled for mid-CY14. The program configured aircraft CF-3 with a modified and instrumented nose landing gear system to begin initial catapult testing in August 2013. The test team modified CF-3 with the new arresting hook system and began on-aircraft testing with rolling engagements in late CY13...."
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Admiral: China Will Likely Learn Carrier Ropes Faster than U.S. USNI News Editor
Published: May 16, 2013
Updated: March 6, 2014
Admiral: China Will Likely Learn Carrier Ropes Faster than U.S. | USNI News
"...The U.S. Navy’s education in carrier aviation came at a high price. From 1949 to 1988, “the Navy and Marine Corps lost almost twelve thousand airplanes of all types (helicopters, trainers, and patrol planes, in addition to jets) and over 8,500 aircrew,” according a section of the book “One Hundred Years of U.S. Navy Airpower” by Robert C. Rubel."