5 July: First X-35A Engine Runs
LM test pilot Tom Morgenfeld is at the controls for the first run of the Pratt & Whitney JSF F119-611 engine after the engine is installed in the X-35A.
24 August: X-35A Conducts Full Afterburner Runs
The early evening test runs, with Morgenfeld at the controls, validate performance predictions of the JSF F119-611 engine.
13 October: X-35A
Moves Under Its Own Power
21 October: X-35A Completes Taxi Tests
Morgenfeld completes medium-speed taxi tests on Runway 7 at Palmdale. Maximum speed during test is ninety-four knots.
Morgenfeld verifies the airworthiness of the X-35A during its thirty-minute flight from Palmdale to Edwards AFB. “An awesome aircraft,” says Morgenfeld after the flight. “This aircraft looks and flies like a fighter.”
3 November: Air Force Pilot Flies X-35A
The lead government test pilot, Lt. Col. Paul Smith, flies the X-35A on its fifth flight.
Smith flies a 0.8-hour mission in the morning followed by a 0.6-hour mission by Morgenfeld in the afternoon.
7 November: X-35A Completes First Aerial Refueling
Smith completes several aerial refuelings with a KC-135, transferring a total of 14,000 pounds of fuel. This 2.9-hour tenth flight is the longest to date.
Morgenfeld presses closer to the supersonic portion of the flight envelope in the eleventh and twelfth flights, reaching speeds of 0.98 Mach at 25,000 feet.
10 November: USMC Pilot Flies X-35A
USMC test pilot Maj. Art Tomassetti gets his turn in the X-35A cockpit. The flight coincides with the 225th birthday of the US Marine Corps.
LM test pilot Joe Sweeney becomes the third pilot to fly the X-35A in its nineteenth flight.
18 November: UK Pilots Fly X-35A; X-35A
Completes Four Flights In One Day
Hot pit refueling, ground refueling without shutting down the engine, allows the flight test team to complete four flights in one day. Flights twenty and twenty-one, the first two of four, are also the first X-35 flights for BAE test pilot Simon Hargreaves. Flights twenty-two and twenty-three are the first X-35 flights for RAF test pilot Sqd. Ldr. Justin Paines.
The Lockheed Martin X-35 poses with the Boeing X-32 on the ramp at Edwards AFB for the media.
21 November: X-35A Goes Supersonic, Reaches 34,000 Feet
Morgenfeld completes several field carrier landing practice approaches (FCLPs), air-to-air tracking, and formation maneuvering and reaches an altitude of 34,000 feet on flight twenty-four (a 2.5-hour flight) before taking the X-35A to supersonic speeds on flight twenty-five.
Smith completes aerial refueling qualification with a KC-10 in a 2.5-hour flight. Later in the day, Morgenfeld flies the aircraft from Edwards back to Palmdale after collecting performance data and completing several touch and goes. The X-35A accumulates 27.4 hours in twenty-seven lights, achieves Mach 1.05, and reaches a maximum altitude of 34,000 feet. The aircraft heads back into the hangar to begin its transformation into the X-35B.
14 December: X-35C Passes Taxi Tests
LM test pilot Joe Sweeney completes medium-speed taxi tests on Runway 7 at Palmdale. Maximum speed during test is ninety-seven knots.
Sweeney, a former Navy pilot, flies the X-35C on its maiden flight from Palmdale to Edwards AFB. The aircraft climbs to 10,000 feet and accelerates to 250 knots. Sweeney cycles the landing gear and performs aircraft flying-qualities evaluations, including rolls, sideslips, and overall systems checks.
19 December: X-35C Completes Two Flights In One Day
X-35C is hot pit refueled to complete two 0.7-hour flights in one day. Sink rate of 8.8 feet per second is reached on the landing of the second flight of the day.
22 December: Navy Flies X-35C
US Navy Lt. Cdr. Brian Goszkowicz flies the X-35C on the aircraft’s fourth mission, an envelope expansion flight.
3 January: X-35C Completes
Three Flights In One Day; First FCLP
Sweeney flies the first field carrier landing practice in the first flight of the day after completing the prerequisite test points for FCLPs. Sweeney flies second flight. Goszkowicz flies the third.
4 January: X-35C Completes Five Flights In One Day
Goszkowicz flies the first three X-35C missions and Sweeney flies two. Goszkowicz engages the approach power compensator, an autothrottle system for reducing pilot workload during landings, on the second mission of the day. The APC works as advertised. Twenty-eight total FCLPs for the day: twenty with manual throttle control and eight with the APC.
11 January: Lift Fan Installed in X-35B
The lift fan installation, completed in less than three hours, includes the fan, a vectored nozzle, clutch, and all actuation and service systems in an integrated unit.
23 January: USAF Flies X-35C
Lt. Col. Smith flies the X-35C for the first time on an aerial refueling qualification mission. Smith lands with the APC and is impressed with the system. Morgenfeld flies the X-35C on the second and third flights of the day. X-35C reaches twenty total flights.
25 January: X-35C Passes Tanker Qualification
Smith completes aerial refueling qualification with KC-10 at 20,000 feet and then at 10,000 feet in a second flight of the day. At 1.6 hours, the first flight is the longest yet for the X-35C. Sweeney uses hot pit refueling to complete two more of the four total flights for the day.
29 January: X-35C Lands In Crosswinds
Sweeney successfully lands the X-35C in crosswinds up to twenty knots.
30 January: US Marine Pilot Flies X-35C
Tomassetti flies the X-35C in the first two of four missions. He completes six FCLPS, one with the APC. Sweeney flies third and fourth missions of the day.
31 January: X-35C Goes Supersonic
Sweeney takes the X-35C to Mach 1.05 in the first of two missions. In second mission, he expands the envelope to Mach 1.1 at 25,000 feet.
1 February: X-35C Takes Longest Flight
Tomassetti completes a 3.1-hour flight, which includes aerial refueling qualification with KC-135 and flutter expansion test points.
2 February: RAF Flies X-35C
Paines flies the X-35C for the first time on the aircraft’s thirty-fourth flight. The 1.5-hour flight includes formation maneuvering and pattern work.
7 February: X-35C Reaches Mach 1.15
Seventh Pilot Flies X-35C Tomassetti reaches Mach 1.15 in a two-hour flight. Hargreaves becomes the seventh pilot to fly the X-35C on the second mission of the day.
Sweeney flies the X-35C on the first of two legs to cross the United States. After its 2.9-hour flight from Edwards AFB, the aircraft is put on display for employees at LM Aeronautics in Fort Worth.
10 February: X-35C Ferries To
NAS Patuxent River, Maryland
Tomassetti flies the X-35C on the second of two legs across the United States. The three-hour flight delivers the Navy JSF demonstrator to the Naval Air Warfare Center’s Aircraft Division at Patuxent River.
After a short weekend, the X-35C jumps back in the air with Tomassetti at the controls for some FCLP testing.
18 February: Second Navy Pilot Flies X-35C
Lt. Cdr. Greg Fenton, taking over from Goszkowicz, becomes the eighth pilot to fly the X-35C.
22 February: Lift Fan Engages First Time On X-35B
Hargreaves, a veteran Harrier pilot, puts the propulsion system of the X-35B through operations the aircraft will encounter during actual flight. In this and subsequent tests, sensors determine that the aircraft’s flight-control system generates a proper mix of control forces from the propulsion system.
1 March: X-35C Completes Fifty Flights
Fenton is at the controls for the fiftieth flight, the first of five on this day. The X-35C completes its one hundredth FCLP.
8 March: X-35C Completes Six Flights
In One Day Sweeney and Fenton combine for three flights each. Total flights surge to sixty-five (52.8 hours of total flying time for the X-35C ).
X-35C Flight Test Program Ends
Morgenfeld takes the X-35C to Mach 1.22 at 25,000 feet in the third of five flights. Fenton flies the aircraft on its last two flights for this phase of the JSF program. The X-35C accumulates fifty-eight hours in seventy-three total flights, achieves Mach 1.22, and completes 252 FCLPs. The aircraft subsequently goes into storage at NAS Patuxent River.
16 March: X-35B Completes Hover Pit Testing
The hover pit tests are conducted with a special landing gear that allows load cells to measure STOVL lift forces and moments directly, while keeping the airplane from lifting into hover at higher power settings. Over a two-week period, the team conducts more than 100 test series with all control functions fully under pilot command.
6 April: X-35B Completes
Accelerated Mission Testing
The STOVL propulsion system is subjected to the equivalent of 132 JSF missions, or two entire flight test programs.
12 May: Flight-Ready Lift System
And Engine Installed In X-35B
Hargreaves is at the controls for this first ground test of the flight-ready STOVL propulsion system.
20 June: X-35B Completes Taxi Tests
For Conventional Takeoff
BAE test pilot Hargreaves completes medium-speed taxi tests on Runway 7 at Palmdale. Maximum speed during test is sixty knots.
23 June: X-35B Begins Vertical Flight Operations
Hargreaves completes four hops in a no-go vertical takeoff configuration. The last of the four hops breaks the ground and the aircraft is in the air for two to three seconds.
24 June: X-35B Achieves Vertical Takeoff To Sustained Altitude
Hargreaves completes one vertical press up to twenty feet above the ground and maintains a controlled hover for thirty seconds before completing a soft vertical landing.
27 June: X-35B Hovers For Two Minutes
Hargreaves hovers for two minutes on two separate flights of the day. Hot pit refueling is used between flights.
Tomassetti flies the X-35B for the first time. He hovers the aircraft in two separate flights, hot pit refueling between flights. The tests are in preparation for vertical landings in ground effect (landings without the use of a hover pit). The longest hover lasts 1.5 minutes.
30 June: RAF Pilot Hovers X-35B
Paines accumulates over eight minutes of hover time in his two flights of the day. Hot pit refueling is used between flights.
Hargreaves performs a functional check flight and takes the X-35B from Palmdale to Edwards AFB in a thirty-minute flight, the twelfth mission for the STOVL demonstrator. The doors of the lift fan bay are opened during the flight as well.
Tests For Short Takeoffs
9 July: X-35B Converts to STOVL; Goes
Supersonic In Same Flight Hargreaves takes off, climbs to 9,000 feet, and successfully engages the shaft-driven lift fan propulsion system at 180 knots. He then accelerates to Mach 1.08, marking the first time a JSF demonstrator has achieved a STOVL mode conversion and sustained supersonic flight in a single sortie. The 1.4-hour mission is the longest flight to date on the X-35B.
Landing After Short Takeoff And Wingborne Flight
Hargreaves guides the aircraft to its first vertical landing in ground effects from wingborne flight on his second flight of the day. The first mission of the day includes a slow landing at just over sixty knots.
19 July: RAF Pilot Completes Vertical Landing
Paines completes a vertical landing in ground effect on his second flight of the day. His first flight concludes with a slow landing at eighty knots.
Tomassetti completes short takeoff, takes the X-35B to Mach 1.05, and lands vertically in the same flight in his second flight of the day. His first flight concludes with a slow landing at eighty knots. Hot pit refueling is used between flights.
21 July: RAF Pilot Completes Three Flights In One Day
Paines conducts acoustic tests followed by a transition and vertical landing. Next two flights include short takeoffs at eighty knots. Final flight of the day includes five minutes of hovering and a vertical landing.
The X-35B performs an automatic short takeoff at sixty knots, using approximately 500 feet of runway. Hargreaves performs the second Mission X flight, beginning with a shot takeoff, reaching Mach 1.05, and landing vertically. Morgenfeld becomes the fourth pilot to fly the X-35B in the second flight of the day and expands the high-speed end of the flight envelope to Mach 1.2.
30 July: USMC Pilot Completes Three Flights
In One Day; All X-35B Test Objectives Met
Tomassetti’s first flight of the day includes a five-minute hover. After hot pit refueling, he conducts a military power takeoff in conventional mode, and climbs to 25,000 feet for formation maneuvering. The X-35B completes its STOVL flight test program with all objectives achieved or exceeded.
Morgenfeld flies the X-35B from Edwards to Palmdale, bringing the ten-month JSF X-35 flight test program to a close. The 3.7-hour flight, which includes a maximum power climb to 34,000 feet and accelerations to Mach 1.2, is the longest flight of the X-35 flight test program. The X-35B accumulates 21.5 hours of flying time, reaches a speed of Mach 1.2, lands vertically seventeen times, and completes fourteen short takeoffs and six short landings in thirty-nine flights. All of the X-35B vertical takeoffs, hovers, and landings are accomplished at 2,500 feet elevation, at temperatures up to ninety-four degrees Fahrenheit.
