2 hours ago
Marine pilots moving from the newly retired Harrier to the F-35 must unlearn old instincts.
The F-35 eases much of the physical work of flying, but gives pilots far more data to manage.
Former Harrier pilots say breaking those patterns takes repeated simulator training and practice.
The first time a former Marine Harrier pilot brings an F-35 fighter jet in to land on the deck of an amphibious warship, skills honed by hundreds of hours in the old jet might work against them in the new Lightning II.
The AV-8B Harrier, the Marine Corps' short take-off and vertical-landing fighter, saw its pilots carefully manage three different controls — one to control direction, an engine throttle, and a nozzle lever that directed engine thrust, allowing the aircraft to hover.
#harrier #pilots #former #fighter
The F-35 eases much of the physical work of flying, but gives pilots far more data to manage.
Former Harrier pilots say breaking those patterns takes repeated simulator training and practice.
The first time a former Marine Harrier pilot brings an F-35 fighter jet in to land on the deck of an amphibious warship, skills honed by hundreds of hours in the old jet might work against them in the new Lightning II.
The AV-8B Harrier, the Marine Corps' short take-off and vertical-landing fighter, saw its pilots carefully manage three different controls — one to control direction, an engine throttle, and a nozzle lever that directed engine thrust, allowing the aircraft to hover.
#harrier #pilots #former #fighter
