Ship suitability testing with the F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing
variant of the Lightning II continued on 4 October 2011, as Marine Corps
test pilot Lt. Col. Fred Schenk flying BF-2, the second F-35B test
aircraft, successfully carried out a short takeoff from the deck of the
USS Wasp (LHD-1) at sea. Called Development Test 1, test pilots
will verify F-35B basic performance and handling qualities in a flight
envelope that approximates that used by fleet pilots during amphibious
assault ship qualification flights. |