The US Air Force has announced that it has completed the training of the 500 F-35 pilot Lightning II with the joint international training program at the Eglin base.
Major Chris Campbell, director of operations of the 461 Flight Test Squadron, is an F-16 test pilot, with more than 1.000 flying hours on fighter jets and 245 hours of combat. He began training on the F-35 at the 33 ° Fighter Wing last summer and it was the 500 ° pilot who completed the training program.
"As a test pilot, working on the F-35 represents for me the opportunity to be a real force multiplier"Commented Campbell. "Flying with the F-35 is a goal I have been pursuing for a long time. I am excited to be part of the program and I hope to make a positive contribution."
During training with the F-35A at the Eglin Air Force Base, Campbell followed approximately 200 hours of lectures, 14 hours with the simulator, a high-speed taxi and six flights on the aircraft before obtaining the necessary qualification .
The course uses the most advanced technologies and uses virtual reality to prepare pilots to fly with the most advanced military weapon system.
"As new ways of using the F-35 emerge, thanks to the expansion of the aircraft's capabilities, we must adapt the pilots' training to meet the needs of the air combat forces", Commented the col. Paul D. Moga, commander of the 33 ° Fighter Wing. "Fifth generation tactics are rapidly evolving. They are changing the way we think, train and operate as a multinational group and as a joint force."
From the delivery of the first aircraft in the 2011, the F-35 program and theintegrated training program have delivered more than 200 aircraft, format more than 4.500 maintenance workers, and passed the 100.000 flight hours.
"The F-35 and the capabilities it brings to the operational theater are fundamental to guaranteeing the Air Force the ability to dominate every airspace", Commented Moga. "The Airmen who finish their training today are the best in the world. Their skill, coupled with the level of survival and capabilities guaranteed by this weapon system, will be able to ensure the air superiority of the United States, its partners, and its allies for decades to come.".
"This great result is the result of a group work: the active staff, the Guard, the Reserves, the civilians, the contractors, the Air Force and Navy personnel, all together with the sole aim of bringing to completion a shared mission - complete the training of exceptional professionals for air combat forces."
Campbell intends to take advantage of his fourth-generation test pilot experience to improve the performance of the fifth-generation fighter jet.
"The F-35 will be the backbone of the Defense Department's tactical fighter jet fleetCampbell added. "Maximizing the aircraft during tests will have enormous positive effects for the Combat Air Force in the future."
Eglin AFB is one of the two bases of the Air Education and Training Command responsible for the training activity with the F-35. Together, Eglin AFB and Luke AFB, Arizona, contribute to the activities of the Air Education and Training Command with the training of flight personnel and maintenance staff of the F-35.
