Originally Posted by Hempy
Perhaps you need to check how the 'VL' component of you STOVL is traveling before asking that question.
Just sayin'
The VL bit seemed to be ok in the video on this link from August 2013:
Marines Test F-35B Vertical Landing on USS Wasp
This week -
US Marine Corps Begins F-35B Operational Trials
Six U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II jet aircraft arrived Monday evening aboard the USS WASP off the coast of the United States’ Eastern Seaboard to mark the beginning of the first shipboard phase of the F-35B Operational Test (OT-1).
I think we can safely assume it will perform as desired in the STOVL shipborne regime.
My questions about personnel/skill issues come partly from reading an article by a CVS Cdr(Air) in which he warned of the danger of RN aircrews (rotary was well as fixed wing) losing familiarity with the environment of a warship, and of carrier personnel losing familiarity with having jets embarked. This was three years before SDSR 10, and seemed to be backed by anecdotal evidence that basics like FOD awareness (as well as other whole ship aspects - something
I have often been concerned about) were suffering due to not having fixed wing aircraft embarked often enough.
If you look at the Royal Navy website you might notice the efforts made post Afghanistan to reacquaint other aircraft and personnel, namely the Junglies and Baggers, with the maritime environment.