Lt. Col. Hank Griffiths, director of the F-35 Integrated Test Force at Edwards AFB, California, completed his first flight in the F-35. Griffiths performed several test points on the 1.6-hour flight in AF-2 from Fort Worth. His post-flight comments: “The performance and handling qualities were better than I expected. The fleet users are going to enjoy how well the airplane handles while under tight control. Formation, air-to-air refueling, and air-to-air tracking are going to score high marks. It was a thrill to fly and easy to land—a perfect combination for a brand new pilot in a single-seat fighter.”
