F-35 test pilots train for Cavour sea trials

NAVAL AIR STATION PATUXENT RIVER, MD, UNITED STATES

02.03.2021

Photo by Dane Wiedmann 

F-35 Lightning II Pax River ITF   

U.S. Marine Maj. Dylan “Bilbo” Nicholas, test pilot with the Air Test and Evaluation Squadron TWO THREE (VX-23), conducts short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) training in an F-35B aircraft from the F-35 Patuxent River Integrated Test Force (ITF) at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., Wednesday, Feb. 3. This Field Carrier Landing Practice (FLCP) flight training is integral to preparing pilots for the ITF test team’s detachment to the Italian Navy aircraft carrier Cavour scheduled between February and March. During carrier-based flight test, also known as sea trials, ITF members with the engineering and test pilot expertise and experience will gather data that will verify compatibility between the 5th generation fighter aircraft and the Italian naval fleet's flagship. This information will contribute to certifying the ship for the Italian Navy’s operation of its own F-35Bs, the key weapon system of the carrier.

• Date Taken: 02.03.2021
• Date Posted: 02.08.2021 22:22
• Photo ID: 6513245
• VIRIN: 210203-O-ZB537-869
• Resolution: 3000x2400
• Size: 2.32 MB
• Location: NAVAL AIR STATION PATUXENT RIVER, MD, US