A USAF F-35A out of Arizona's Luke Air Force Base will perform airshows with classic warplanes
Appearances announced in Florida, New York, Nevada, Illinois, Maryland
CNN
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Adele, Beyonce and Springsteen are planning tours this summer. Now you can add another pricey attention-grabber to the list: The F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter.
America’s newest and most technologically sophisticated fighter jet kicks off a tour of airshows in the West, Midwest, South and Northeastern United States in April alongside 20th century war birds, like the F-86 Sabre, the P-38 Lightning and the P-51 Mustang.
The F-35 Heritage Flight Team tour will feature precision flying in tight formation just a few feet apart. Combining the newest fighter with some of the classics is a way to honor the past, present and future of the U.S. Air Force, organizers said.
In a way, the tour is tacit acknowledgment of the aviation community’s fascination with this stealthy airplane. Why does the F-35 have so many fans? “Because it’s the backbone of the Air Force fleet of the future,” said the team’s F-35 pilot, Maj. William Andreotta.
Based at Arizona’s Luke Air Force Base, Andreotta is better known by his call sign, D-Rail. When people ask the 33-year-old F-35 flight instructor what it’s like to fly the jet, he tells them, “It’s like being on a roller coaster controlled by an iPad — it’s like flying a roller coaster.”
F-35 Heritage Team pilot Maj. William Andreotta prepares for take-off at Davis Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona, earlier this month.
Staff Sgt. Staci Miller/U.S. Air Force
Like a roller coaster, there have been more than a few ups and downs for the F-35, a plane the Pentagon has indeed pinned much of its aviation future on. The program has been criticized for delays, technical glitches and its huge price.
According to projections, the entire program will cost nearly $400 billion, making it the most expensive weapons system in history. Supporters say the plane will save the Pentagon money in the long run because it’s designed to be flown by all military branches, saving the cost of designing and constructing several types of fighters.
How to invite an F-35 to an airshow
The Air Force has carefully orchestrated the F-35’s public unveiling. In fact, the heritage tour comes less than a year after its first ever performance and static display at a civilian airshow.
Thousands of fans watched awestruck last July in Wisconsin at the Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture airshow as a pair of F-35s from Florida’s Eglin Air Force Base maneuvered fast and low over Wittman Regional Airport.
Most had never seen one of these machines in person.
With smartphone cameras raised high, they watched in fascination as the single engine, twin-tailed planes performed go-arounds and tight turns that threw ribbons of condensation off their wingtips.
Inside the cockpit, the pilot wears a special helmet that lets him or her virtually see through the plane to the ground below.
Enticing the Air Force to bring the most high-profile jet fighter in the world to come to its first civilian airshow wasn’t easy.
“We had kind of been asking for three or four years,” said EAA spokesman Dick Knapinski. “A lot of it has to do with relationships we’ve built in the past, so somebody says, ‘I know a guy in the F-35 program.’ That’s really how it starts.”
Parking an F-35 in a public place amid thousands of spectators adds an entirely new level of security, as you can imagine. Knapinski and his team worked with U.S. military officials to make sure everyone was comfortable with security.
The F-35 tour is scheduled to perform in Cleveland; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Jones Beach, New York; Reno, Nevada; and elsewhere.
There also appears to be a gap in the schedule right around July’s AirVenture airshow in Wisconsin.
“The discussion is open,” Knapinski said with a chuckle. “We’d love to have them.”
About the same time as the F-35 was stealing the show in Wisconsin, a newly leaked test pilot report was alleging the plane wasn’t as nimble in a dogfight as the jet it was designed to replace: the fourth generation F-16.
Andreotta knows something about the F-16. That was his fighter jet before he became an instructor for the F-35. Andreotta’s take on the difference between flying the two planes in a dogfight is this: “It’s comparative to any fourth generation fighter out there.”
More recently, The Aviationist republished a firsthand account by a Norwegian F-35 pilot and F-16 veteran who said the F-35 allows him to “be more forward and aggressive” than he could be in an F-16.
‘Known deficiencies must be corrected’
Meanwhile, a report released last January on the plane’s progress added to the controversy. The report, by the senior adviser to the secretary of defense on operational test and evaluation, questioned the F-35A’s ability to fly at maximum allowable airspeed with its weapons bay doors open and its ability to sustain an “energy advantage” during a dogfight with an F-16D.
In response, F-35 program executive officer Lt. Gen. Chris Bogdan described the report as “factually accurate,” but added that “it does not fully address program efforts to resolve known technical challenges and schedule risks.” Bogdan said that although the “development program is 80% complete, we recognize there are known deficiencies that must be corrected. … Our commitment to overcoming challenges is unwavering.”
The first versions of this long-range heavy bomber flew in 1954. A total of 744 were built, the last of those in 1962. The Air Force maintains 58 B-52s in the active force and 18 in the Reserve. A single B-52 can carry 70,000 pounds of mixed munitions, including bombs, missiles and mines. The eight-engine jets have a range of 8,800 miles.
Photos: In the U.S. Air Force fleet
U.S. Air Force/Senior Airman Nicole Sikorski
C-130 Hercules transport —
A C-130J Super Hercules from the 37th Airlift Squadron flies over Normandy, France, June 3, 2015. First delivered to the Air Force in 1956, the C-130 remains one of the service's most important airlift platforms. More than 140 are still in active units, with more than 180 in the National Guard and a hundred more in the Reserve. The C-130 is powered by four turboprop engines.
Photos: In the U.S. Air Force fleet
U.S. Air Force
AC-130 gunships —
The AC-130H Spectre and the AC-130U Spooky gunships are designed for close air support, air interdiction and force protection. Armaments on the Spectre include 40mm and 105mm cannons. The Spooky adds a 25mm Gatling gun.
Photos: In the U.S. Air Force fleet
Justin Connaher/U.S. Air Force
F-22 Raptor —
The twin-engine F-22 stealth fighter, flown by a single pilot and armed with a 20mm cannon, heat-seeking missiles, radar-guided missiles and radar-guided bombs, can perform both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. The service has 183 of the Raptors, which went operational in 2005.
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US Air Force/Airman 1st Class Elijah Chevalier
The single-engine F-35A is the Air Force's eventual replacement for the F-16 and the A-10. The supersonic jets, which will be able to conduct air-to-air and air-to-ground attacks, are just beginning to enter the Air Force fleet. Here, an F-35 Lightning II from the 34th Fighter Squadron at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, flys at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, April 15, 2017.
Photos: In the U.S. Air Force fleet
Master Sgt. Kevin J. Gruenwald/USAF
B-2 Spirit bomber —
The four-engine B-2 heavy bomber has stealth properties that make it hard to detect on radar. Flown by a crew of two, it has an unrefueled range of 6,000 miles and can deliver both conventional and nuclear bombs. Twenty B-2s are in the active inventory. They joined the fleet in 1997.
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Airman 1st Class James L. Miller/USAF
B-1B Lancer bomber —
The four-engine jet can fly at 900 mph and carry the largest payload of bombs and missiles in the Air Force inventory. The Air Force has 62 B-1Bs in the fleet.
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Airman 1st Class Chad Warren/USAF
F-15 Eagle —
The F-15 Eagle, the Air Force's main air superiority fighter, became operational in 1975. With a crew of one or two, depending on the model, the twin-engine jets are armed with a 20mm cannon along with Sidewinder or AMRAAM missiles. The Air Force lists 249 F-15 Eagles in its inventory.
Photos: In the U.S. Air Force fleet
U.S. Air Force/FILE
F-15E Strike Eagle —
The Strike Eagle is a version of the air superiority fighter adapted to perform ground-strike missions. With a crew of two, the twin-jet can carry and deploy most weapons in the Air Force inventory and operate in any weather. The F-15E was first delivered in 1988. The Air Force lists 219 in its fleet.
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U.S. Air Force/FIle
A-10 Thunderbolt —
The A-10 Thunderbolt jets, nicknamed "Warthogs," are specially designed for close air support of ground forces. Key to their armaments is a 30mm Gatling gun. The pilot is protected from ground fire by titanium armor, and the plane's fuel cells are self-sealing in case of puncture.
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U.S. Air Force
RC-135U —
The RC-135U Combat Sent, based at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, provides strategic electronic reconnaissance information to the president, secretary of defense, Department of Defense leaders and theater commanders.
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Airman 1st Class Jeffrey Schultz/USAF
An F-15 Eagle takes off from the Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, flight line as two E-3 Sentries are seen in the background.
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USAF/Getty Images North America/Getty Images
OV-10 Bronco —
A 21st Tactical Air Support Squadron OV-10 Bronco aircraft fires white phosphorus rockets to mark a target for an air strike during tactical air control training.
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Airman 1st Class Dillian Bamman/USAF
A-29 Super Tucano —
An A-29 Super Tucano taxis on the flightline during its first arrival, Sept. 26, 2014, at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. Afghan Air Force pilots trained on the planes that will be used in air-to-ground attack missions in Afghanistan.
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Master Sgt. Keith Reed/USAF
KC-135 Stratotanker —
The four-engine KC-135 joined the Air Force fleet in 1956 as both a tanker and cargo jet. It can carry up to 200,000 pounds of fuel and 83,000 pounds of cargo and passengers in a deck above the refueling system. More than 400 of the KC-135s are flown by active, Air Guard and Reserve units.
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Master Sgt. Kevin J. Gruenwald/U.S. Air Force/File
F-16 Fighting Falcon —
The single-engine jet is a mainstay of the Air Force combat fleet. It can perform both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions with its 20mm cannon and ability to carry missiles and bombs on external pods. More than 1,000 F-16s are in the Air Force inventory.
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SSgt Sean M. Worrell/USAF
C-17 Globemaster transport —
The four-engine jet joined the Air Force fleet in 1993 with a primary mission of troop and cargo transport. Each plane can carry up to 102 troops or 170,900 pounds of cargo. The Air Force has 187 C-17s on active duty, 12 in the Air National Guard and 14 in the Reserve.
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Jason Minto/US AIR FORCE
C-5 Galaxy transport —
The C-5, with a wingspan of 222 feet, a length of 247 feet and a height of 65 feet, is the largest plane in the Air Force inventory and one of the largest aircraft in the world. The first versions of the four-engine jet joined the force in 1970. The Air Force expects to have 52 versions of the latest model, the C-5M, in the fleet by 2017.
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U.S. Air Force/Staff Sgt. Markus Maier
CV-22 Osprey —
The Osprey is a tiltrotor aircraft that combines vertical takeoff, hover and landing qualities of a helicopter with the normal flight characteristics of a turboprop aircraft, according to the Air Force. It is used to move troops in and out of operations as well as resupply units in the field. The Air Force has 33 Ospreys in inventory.
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US Air Force
E-3 Sentry AWACS —
AWACS stands for airborne warning and control system. This four-engine jet, based on a Boeing 707 platform, monitors and manages battle space with its huge rotating radar dome. The planes have a flight crew of four supporting 13 to 19 specialists and controllers giving direction to units around the battle space. The Air Force has 32 E-3s in inventory.
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Brian Dyjak/USAF
KC-10 Extender —
Based on the DC-10 passenger jet, the triple-engine KC-10 is a gas station in the sky with the ability to carry 75 people and 170,000 pounds of cargo. In its six tanks, the KC-10 can carry up to 356,000 pounds of fuel and dispense it while airborne. The Air Force has 59 KC-10s on active duty.
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Master Sgt. Lance Cheung/USAF
T-38 Talon —
The twin-engine jet trainer, used by the Air Force to prepare pilots for the F-15E Strike Eagle, F-15C Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, B-1B Lancer, A-10 Thunderbolt and F-22 Raptor, first flew in 1959. Almost 550 are in the active force.
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USAF/Getty Images
U-2 —
The single-engine, single-pilot U-2 is used for high-altitude reconnaissance and surveillance. Flying at altitudes around 70,000 feet, pilots must wear pressure suits like those worn by astronauts. The first U-2 was flown in 1955. The planes were used on missions over the Soviet Union during the Cold War, flying too high to be reached by any adversary. The Air Force has 33 U-2s in its active inventory.
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U.S. Air Force/Josh Plueger
WC-135 Constant Phoenix —
The four-engine WC-135 is used to fly through airspace to detect the residue of nuclear blasts. "The aircraft is equipped with external flow-through devices to collect particulates on filter paper and a compressor system for whole air samples collected in holding spheres," the Air Force says. It has two of these jets in the active force.
