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This article appeared in the January 2001 issue of Code One Magazine.
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16 December: X-35C First Flight
 The US Navy version of the Lockheed Martin JSF demonstrator takes to the skies at 9:23 a.m. Pacific Time, initiating a flight test program that will focus on carrier-suitable flying qualities and aircraft performance. Company test pilot Joe Sweeney launched the X-35C carrier variant from the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics plant in Palmdale, California, and flew the aircraft twenty-seven minutes to Edwards AFB. The aircraft climbed to 10,000 feet and accelerated to 250 knots. Sweeney, a former Navy attack pilot, cycled the landing gear and performed aircraft flying-qualities evaluation, including rolls, sideslips, and overall systems checks. The Navy variant has extra control surfaces and a special structure to absorb high-impact carrier landings. The flight test program also includes up-and-away handling quality tests and engine transients at varying speeds and altitudes.
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