Lightning At Eglin

An F-35 Lightning II test aircraft was flown to Eglin AFB, Florida, on 21 April to educate the base and local community about the new fighter. The arrival of F-35 AA-1 at Eglin, which is slated to be the F-35 training wing, kicked off a week of events to showcase the aircraft. The Lightning II was later flown over the base and local area during a sortie on 23 April with two F-16 Fighting Falcon chase aircraft. The 33rd Fighter Wing at Eglin will transition from an operational fighter unit into a joint training unit in October 2009. The first F-35s are scheduled to arrive at the base in March 2010.