F-35A Instructor Pilots Qualify In Aerial Refueling | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-09.29.25

AirborneNextGen-
09.30.25

Airborne-Unlimited-10.01.25

Airborne-Affordable Flyers-10.02.25

AirborneUnlimited-10.03.25

Fri, May 24, 2013

F-35A Instructor Pilots Qualify In Aerial Refueling

One Calls Flight 'Easiest Tanking Event In My Career'

The initial cadre of F-35A Lightning II instructor pilots qualified in aerial refueling last week, adding another capability for student pilot training at the 33rd Fighter Wing's F-35 Integrated Training Center at Eglin AFB in Florida. "Eleven pilots had flown 14 refueling missions across the boom with the help of a KC-135 Stratotanker based here all last week," said Col. Andrew Toth, the commander of the 33rd Fighter Squadron. "Prior to this, only test pilots had done so."

The pilots discovered refueling the F-35 was an easy process, given the stability of the jet in flight and the preparation they received flying aerial refueling missions during ground school with the high-fidelity F-35 full-mission simulator. Pilots have said there were times they forgot they were in a simulator, given its realistic feel amplified by a 360-degree view of the air and ground projected around the pilot.
 
"This was the easiest tanking event I've had in my career," said Toth, who besides spearheading efforts for three branches of service and internationals here is also an F-35 instructor pilot. "The aircraft is very stable and smooth, making it easier to connect with the boom than I had experienced with flying other weapons systems."
 
Toth said he foresees the new lieutenants, fresh out of initial pilot training, to have the same positive experience one day as well -- But for now, the seasoned operators and maintainers are carrying the load.
 
Laying in a pod in the belly of the KC-135, the operator maneuvering the boom to offload gas to formations of fighters chimed in with the same observations about the Lightning II and the pilots' performance. "He basically parked the aircraft 50-feet behind us at 310 knots," said Staff Sgt. Joe Parker with the 336th Air Refueling Squadron at March Air Reserve Base, CA.
 
Parker has refueled about 30 different aircraft, ranging from "F-16 (Fighting Falcon)s to C-5 (Galaxies) and everything in between," in his almost 10-year career. This includes the F-35s performing test missions at Edward Air Force Base, CA. "The F-35 is like a breath of fresh air when they come up to refuel because I know they are going to be an incredibly stable platform in the air refueling envelope," he said.
 
With the instructor pilots trained, the 58th Fighter Squadron has incorporated the aerial refueling capability into F-35A Student Pilot Class Number 4, which began training May 20, and is anticipated to be complete in approximately two months, Toth said. Students execute the flying curriculum in the latter month. Those F-35A pilots who have graduated will get top-off training to fly aerial refueling at their unit -- just like the test pilots who recently graduated from Eglin AFB and are assigned to Edwards AFB.
 
For the future, flying unit members at Eglin said they welcome the new capability because they can now train longer and in essence "knock out two training sorties," Toth said. "A formation can conduct air-to-air combat training, go to the tanker, get gas and conduct an air-to-air or air-to-ground training mission."
 
Pilots and other aircrew alike seem to be impressed with the expanded training events and the performance of the joint strike fighter. "It's always a privilege to work with any new airframe," Parker said. "I am fortunate enough to also be a part of F-35 flying."
 
ANN salutes Maj. Karen Roganov 33rd Fighter Wing Public Affairs

(USAF image)

FMI: www.af.mil

Advertisement

More News

Airborne 10.03.25: Phantom 3500 Buy, ‘Chinese Military Company’, NOTAM Redesign

Also: Lufthansa Chops 4000, FlyNow eCopter, Pilatus PC-12 PRO, USMC Buys 99 CH-53Ks Otto Aerospace announced that Flexjet will be its first fleet customer and its launch customer f>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (10.05.25): Terrain/Obstruction Alert

Terrain/Obstruction Alert A safety alert issued by ATC to aircraft under their control if ATC is aware the aircraft is at an altitude which, in the controller's judgment, places th>[...]

Airborne Affordable Flyers 10.02.25: MOSAIC Start Date, AFE25 Tickets, ePulitzer

Also: Bristell Receives Part 23, Sonex Highwing Webinar, AV-30-C Update, MOSAIC Consultancy The GA community is eagerly anticipating the date that marks the beginning of a new era >[...]

NTSB Final Report: Zodiac CH 650B

The Airplane Ballooned About 10 Ft Above The Runway When It Encountered A Wind Gust Analysis: The pilot was conducting takeoffs and landings in the airplane at the time of the acci>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: RDD Enterprises' LX-7 - Taking The Lancair to a Whole New Level

From 2019 (YouTube Edition): Company Updates Its Program For Highly Modifying Lancair IV-P Airframes RDD Enterprises, a company that was created to modify Lancair IV-P airplanes in>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC