Just so's youse blokesses and blokes wot are going to be flying the RN F-35Bs (the one with the waggerly tail) news about dem is included. :-)
VX-23 Strike Test News 2010 - 14 INDEX:
Welcome to the Naval Air Warfare Center - Aircraft Division | www.navair.navy.mil/nawcad
VX-23 Strike Test News 2014 [02 Sep 2014]:
"SHORT TAKEOFF AND VERTICAL LANDING (STOVL)
The F-35B continued sea trials last summer aboard the USS Wasp (LHD 1). Lessons learned from the previous ship trials in 2011 were incorporated and evaluated. Centerline tracking during short takeoffs (STOs) was drastically improved with the combination of an improved NWS schedule and the use of the Three-Bearing Swivel Nozzle (3BSN) for yaw control. BF-1 and BF-5 were utilized for the sea trials to further expand the wind and performance envelope for F-35B STOVL operations on L-class ships. Mission systems testing, to include the Night Vision Camera (NVC) and Distributed Aperture System (DAS) was accomplished by BF-4.
The F-35B STOVL envelope expansion continued last year. The Rolling Vertical Landing (RVL), Creeping Vertical Landing (CVL), Vertical Landing (VL), Slow Landing (SL), Short Take Off (STO) and Vertical Takeoff (VTO) envelopes were all expanded. RVL testing included main runway testing with some crosswind testing. CVL testing began and was completed on both the main runway and the Expeditionary Airfield (EAF). The VL wind envelope was further expanded, with up to 10 knots of tail wind and 15 knots of crosswind. SL and STO testing included crosswind expansion out to 20 knots, completed primarily at Edwards Air Force Base and NAWS China Lake during a wet runway and crosswind detachment. STOVL formation testing began this year, which included formation STOs and SLs. VTO expansion occurred concurrently with AM2 soft soil pad certification....
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...F-35C CARRIER SUITABILITY
This is a very exciting time for F-35C Carrier Suitability team. We have been busy testing the F-35C at our unique shore-based catapult and arresting gear test facility to ensure it can withstand the punishing forces associated with shipboard flight operations. The TC-7 catapult and Mk-7 arresting gear sites at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland and Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) - Lakehurst located aboard Joint Base Mcguire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, are fleet representative and almost identical to the equipment aboard today's CVNs. In addition to arrested landings, the team has been hard at work validating the current control laws in preparation for initial sea trials, as well as developing a new set of control laws to increase safety margins and boarding rates.
The road to initial sea trials began in December 2013 with the return to flight of CF-3 — the third F-35C aircraft to roll off of the production floor — after receiving a redesigned hook during a major modification period. The first order of business was to ensure the new hook worked. The team traveled to sunny Lakehurst in January to conduct arresting gear roll-ins. During this phase of testing, we targeted an engaging speed and validated loads on the arresting hook. After achieving the maximum engaging speed, we executed off-center engagements to a maximum of 20 feet off-centerline. The team successfully completed more than 35 roll-in engagements with no hook skips. We used the data from the roll-ins to create an interim Aircraft Recovery Bulletin (ARB) for use at the Patuxent River Mk-7 site and during initial sea trials. Having gained confidence in the new hook system, the team returned to Patuxent River to conduct the next phase of testing — structural survey — in which we evaluate the aircraft structural strength to ensure that it is sufficient for shipboard operations. This is accomplished by conducting several series of arrested landings outside of a normal touchdown envelope. The landing series consist of high sink landings, rolled-yawed landings, maximum engaging speed landings and free flight landings. The free flight landing is similar to an in-flight engagement since the hook engages the cross deck pendant prior to the main wheels touching down; however, the aircraft still has a downward vector. The ultimate goal of this testing is to ensure the aircraft can handle the harsh forces it will experience while a nugget is safely executing night CQ.
The F-35C team as a whole is busy developing the next generation of control laws that aim to increase boarding rates and safety margins while operating around the aircraft carrier. A new control scheme called Delta Flight Path (DFP) is featured on the F-35C. DFP is a form of autopilot in which a flight path is commanded, nominally 3 degrees. The pilot is then free to make lineup corrections with lateral stick without the need to compensate for lost lift with power or longitudinal stick inputs. If the pilot requires a glideslope correction, the sink rate can be increased or decreased using forward or aft stick until a center ball is achieved and then release the stick input. The control laws will then return the aircraft to the commanded flight path. The pilot will have the ability to change the desired glideslope as required by the environmental conditions for any given day. DFP’s goal of increasing boarding rate and safety margin has shown promise during field testing. But, as all good naval aviators know, the boat is the great equalizer and we are eagerly awaiting the opportunity to test DFP during initial sea trials...."
http://www.navair.navy.mil/nawcad/in...ownload&id=820 (PDF 2.8Mb)