Maus92 : Nobody is trumpeting the Italian F-35A crossing the Atlantic?
The pilot said what he thought.
Ninja Discusses His F-35 Flight Across the Atlantic: The Right Stuff Italian Style | SLDInfo
NINJA DISCUSSES HIS F-35 FLIGHT ACROSS THE ATLANTIC: THE RIGHT STUFF ITALIAN STYLE
"2016-02-08 On Feb. 5, the Italian Air Force’s first F-35, AL-1 with code “32-01” and markings of the 32 Stormo Wing landed at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, at the end of the JSF’s first ever transatlantic flight.
The aircraft was piloted by “Ninja,”an Italian Air Force test pilot, belonging to the Reparto Sperimentale Volo (Test Wing) from Pratica di Mare, and who had successfully completed his initial F-35 flight training at Luke AFB in November 2015.
To put this in perspective, the pilot had only 50 flight hours of F-35 flying experience.
And the Lightning II which Ninja flew across the North Atlantic in winter had only 15 flight hours on before he took off on his historic flight. 32-01was the first plane to came off of the Italian assembly line at Cameri Italy.
And this was done in the middle of winter, flying in and out of cloud layers over the turbulent North Atlantic against 120-knot headwinds....
...Question: You flew in formation and through heavy clouds, we understand?
Answer: We had four aircraft total; and kept tight formation; and refueled in the clouds as well. We had two C-130s just in the case; the tanker, a Typhoon headed to Red Flag and the F-35.
Question: So you were in a new aircraft, single engine, flying in the middle of winter across the North Atlantic in heavy headwinds?
Answer: That characterizes it.
Question: Did you hand fly the plane to stay in formation?
Answer: The plane is very reliable, and I hand flew some times, but auto pilot handled a great deal of the flight.
Question: What about the air refueling events?
Answer: We had 100% success even in the clouds; the big thing here is that the plane is very stable and reliable with no problems. We had no disconnections; the F-35 is a very stable airplane....
...Question: When you sit in the F-35 cockpit and flew across the Atlantic how did the various systems assist you in the flight?
Answer: The great thing about the F-35 is that the human-machine interface (HMI) is so good and so built around the pilot that you don’t have to learn how it works. You just use it. You can configure the screens to configure for the mission.
The aircraft is built to understand; you are building a strategy, not focusing on managing the sensors or really focused on the flying function. I was able to see the aircraft surrounding me through the clouds, such as keeping distance with my tankers, by using my helmet and the Distributed Aperture System and see the C-130s below me below the clouds.
Question: Did you have any problems with your helmet?
Answer: No. I used the Gen II helmet and the Gen III has improved the helmet, but my helmet worked flawlessly during the flight. I was able to fulfill the mission and I am here.
Question: How different is flying the Tornado compared to the F-35?
Answer: How can answer and be polite? There is no comparison. Recently, I flew the Tornado after learning to fly the F-35. It was a real shock to go back in time. I had to move my head and focus on the switches and sensors – you have to manage the aircraft to fly. The F-35 is totally different....
...Question: How was the airplane ergonomically?
Answer: I did not think about it until you asked the question. The seat is very comfortable. You can stretch your legs in front of you. The helmet was confortable, and the seat was very supportable and comfortable. With this helmet I do not have to turn my head, which makes it easier as well for the pilot....