concrete
06-19-2007, 12:57 PM
F-35 is performing better than expected
Heavyweights take to the skies over Europe
By BOB COX
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
Related Content
F-35 is performing better than expected
PARIS -- The performance of Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II continues to impress its handlers, even when something goes wrong.
An electrical-system problem during the last test flight in mid-April provided engineers some valuable insights into some needed improvements, said Tom Burbage, one of the Lockheed vice presidents overseeing the program.
But the same incident, which led to the pilot returning to base and making a quick emergency landing, also showed that the aircraft's backup systems had worked as planned.
"You never really get a chance to test your backup systems" in realistic conditions, Burbage said, until something unplanned happens.
In the 18 test flights since they began in December, 15 were "Code One," meaning no significant problems surfaced from the time the plane taxied out to take off to its return to base, Burbage said.
On three flights, there were caution lights, suggesting a problem in some part of the plane's many complex systems, but nothing remotely jeopardized the jet or even caused the pilot to cut the flight short.
But on flight 19, in mid-April, with the pilot putting the aircraft through some hard maneuvers, a warning light came on indicating a more serious malfunction with the plane's electrical system. Indeed, it had briefly lost electrical power before the backup system kicked in, not a good thing in a jet heavily controlled by electronic systems.
The plane continued to fly fine, and the backup systems all worked as planned, Burbage said, but the test protocol called for the pilot to return to base immediately.
In the real world with a mature aircraft, the pilot would likely have continued the mission.
"At this point in the program," Burbage said, "you don't want to mess around."
After the aborted flight, the F-35 was shut down for previously scheduled maintenance and software upgrades. Testing has not yet resumed.
Engineers examined instrument data from the aircraft and quickly found that one of the electro-hydrostatic actuators that move the flight control surfaces had suffered a power arc because of stresses from the maneuvering.
Program engineers are already trying to find ways to prevent a reoccurrence, Burbage said. The whole flight-test organization reviewed how it had handled the incident and changed procedures.
"This is why we do flight testing, to find these kinds of things early," Burbage said..
The testing has gone better than expected in almost every way. "So far, [the F-35] is performing better than the simulations predicted," Burbage said. "Flying, quality-wise, it's been superb. Every pilot remarks how easy it flies, how well it flies."
Lockheed is expected to "mate," or join, the forward and midfuselages and the wings of the first F-35B test aircraft any day now. The F-35B, made for short takeoffs and vertical landings, contains all the design changes made since 2003 to cut weight and improve performance. It is the costliest and most complex of the three planned F-35 versions.
The second test aircraft is not scheduled to fly until late spring or early next summer.
Bob Cox, 817-390-7723
rcox@star-telegram.com
Heavyweights take to the skies over Europe
By BOB COX
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
Related Content
F-35 is performing better than expected
PARIS -- The performance of Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II continues to impress its handlers, even when something goes wrong.
An electrical-system problem during the last test flight in mid-April provided engineers some valuable insights into some needed improvements, said Tom Burbage, one of the Lockheed vice presidents overseeing the program.
But the same incident, which led to the pilot returning to base and making a quick emergency landing, also showed that the aircraft's backup systems had worked as planned.
"You never really get a chance to test your backup systems" in realistic conditions, Burbage said, until something unplanned happens.
In the 18 test flights since they began in December, 15 were "Code One," meaning no significant problems surfaced from the time the plane taxied out to take off to its return to base, Burbage said.
On three flights, there were caution lights, suggesting a problem in some part of the plane's many complex systems, but nothing remotely jeopardized the jet or even caused the pilot to cut the flight short.
But on flight 19, in mid-April, with the pilot putting the aircraft through some hard maneuvers, a warning light came on indicating a more serious malfunction with the plane's electrical system. Indeed, it had briefly lost electrical power before the backup system kicked in, not a good thing in a jet heavily controlled by electronic systems.
The plane continued to fly fine, and the backup systems all worked as planned, Burbage said, but the test protocol called for the pilot to return to base immediately.
In the real world with a mature aircraft, the pilot would likely have continued the mission.
"At this point in the program," Burbage said, "you don't want to mess around."
After the aborted flight, the F-35 was shut down for previously scheduled maintenance and software upgrades. Testing has not yet resumed.
Engineers examined instrument data from the aircraft and quickly found that one of the electro-hydrostatic actuators that move the flight control surfaces had suffered a power arc because of stresses from the maneuvering.
Program engineers are already trying to find ways to prevent a reoccurrence, Burbage said. The whole flight-test organization reviewed how it had handled the incident and changed procedures.
"This is why we do flight testing, to find these kinds of things early," Burbage said..
The testing has gone better than expected in almost every way. "So far, [the F-35] is performing better than the simulations predicted," Burbage said. "Flying, quality-wise, it's been superb. Every pilot remarks how easy it flies, how well it flies."
Lockheed is expected to "mate," or join, the forward and midfuselages and the wings of the first F-35B test aircraft any day now. The F-35B, made for short takeoffs and vertical landings, contains all the design changes made since 2003 to cut weight and improve performance. It is the costliest and most complex of the three planned F-35 versions.
The second test aircraft is not scheduled to fly until late spring or early next summer.
Bob Cox, 817-390-7723
rcox@star-telegram.com