VT F-35's

[luke28]

Are these visible at all or completely hidden away?

[Starbuck]

Think they're tucked away somewhere in the Reapers nest

[mdobuk21]

One was towed infront of the viewing area yesterday, there was a photo on Facebook

[sschofield]

One has been noted in a HAS by the 06 end (494FS?), XWP29 caught it in shot number 10 in this link

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=204184

[luke28]

Thanks for the replies

Attempting to work out what days best to pop over to maximise my chance of catching them. That 06 end HAS picture is great information

[Thunderbolt II]

Hopefully these two will fly at some point this week? Are they being used to familiarise the base personnel with with the F-35A prior to the new squadrons standing up, I wonder?

[luke28]

Hopefully these two will fly at some point this week? Are they being used to familiarise the base personnel with with the F-35A prior to the new squadrons standing up, I wonder?

Thats pretty much what one of the chaps on facebook has said, "ground crew familiarisation and acoustic testing".

Apparantly one was towed over to the Northern HAS side of the base yesterday and has been doing Engine runs today.

[slogen51]

It's is a weird one?

What ground crew? Surely the ground crew will all be being trained at Fort Worth or wherever they do these things.

[RJ79]

If you look at photo 10 in this.... viewtopic.php?f=16&t=204184 it shows one of the F-35's hangared up. I would assume that the other one is as well.

[XWP29]

It's is a weird one?

What ground crew? Surely the ground crew will all be being trained at Fort Worth or wherever they do these things.

In some other Photos I haven’t published there were people around the aircraft not in uniform. I expect it’s the contractors and the deployment is purely for tests and tryouts on the ground. Seems logical and I would guess they will move the aircraft around. I wondered if the crews had returned to the US in the interim, being ANG.

[sschofield]

One was towed infront of the viewing area yesterday, there was a photo on Facebook

Do you happen to know where on Facebook please?

[slogen51]

I heard that F-35 in the HAS was the Red VMFA-211 machine CF-01? Does that make sense as I saw the fin tips of CF-01 from the A1065 but I can't recall if that was after the photo?

[sschofield]

Mike,

It does and it doesn't make sense, as follows!;

If they wanted to show off an F-35 to either important people or just the ground crew (sorry, I guess the ground crew are important too!), then it would probably make sense to use the specially marked jet. BUT - Wouldn't it have made more sense to have parked it outside for photos etc? Surely someone would want to record the event for posterity? That wouldn't be easy to do from inside a HAS.

Second - If the jet in the HAS WAS being used to familiarise ground crew with the new jet, then surely they would be given an Air Force F-35A to play with, not a Marine Corps F-35B, which is effectively useless to them as it is a substantially different jet? And, if that was the case, then what was the point in bringing the 2 VT ANG jets over at all?

The jet was reported in the HAS on Friday, and there were reports (Dougie Couch for 1) of all 10 jets lined up on the Thursday. Make of that what you will!

Personally I think it is more likely it was one of the USAF jets, but that is based on conjecture, not any solid fact. I've even spent some time just now googling images of both VT ANG and VMFA-211 jets to see what colour engine inlet covers they have. Clutching at straws I realise! (They were both red!)

[slogen51]

I agree. I assumed the sheltered jet in the photo was a F-35A but as I say someone told me in good faith it was CF-01 and I was surprised but didn't think any more of it as I forgot that I saw (just) CF-01 on the line from the A1065

[tommc]

The one inside the HAS had a distinctly lighter coloured radome and canopy frame compared to the rest of the fuselage colour.

Unless it was a weird trick of the light, my guess was F-35A.

Compare VT pictures to VMFA-211 ones.

[twinstar]

The one in the HAS also had no modex or star and bar on the nose so definitely an F-35A. I tried to read the serial off the nose gear door last Friday but sadly too much haze. Also the red CAGbird was on the line at the same time.