Up and Away

A Marine pilot made the first non-test flight in an F-35B short-takeoff, vertical-landing variant of the Joint Strike Fighter this week.

Lt. Col. David Berke, the commanding officer of training squadron VMFAT-501, conducted the flight on July 10 at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. It is the first of several flights lined up to certify him and other members of the squadron as F-35 instructors for the first batch of Marine Corps pilots that will arrive later this year.

“This flight represents the increasing maturity of the Joint Strike Fighter air vehicle system and logistical support required to commence the operational training flights to be conducted by Marine Corps pilots in the fifth generation aircraft,” reads a July 13 Marine Corps statement.