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The United States Air Force and Lockheed Martin are reportedly starting to develop an aerobatic demonstration routine with their newest fighter jet, the F-35A Lightning II, for the 2018 airshow season. They have been developing the routine and practicing it in the simulator this year, and they are ready to begin practice flights at their F-35 production facility in Fort Worth.

Most of us will have to wait until 2018 to see the demo, but those attending the 2017 Paris Airshow will actually see the first performance. The Air Force says they will “build our demonstration profile based on the experiences and lessons learned from F-35 participation in other airshows and the Lockheed Martin demonstration at the 2017 Paris Air Show.”

The F-35 Heritage Flight Team stood up at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona in 2016. The team performed at 15 airshows in 2016 and is scheduled to perform at 14 airshows in 2017. It has not been announced where the demonstration team would be based out of, but the Heritage Team operates out of Luke AFB in Arizona. We’ll provide more information as we learn it.

More info:
https://airshowstuff.com/v4/2017/first- ... w-in-2018/

Lockheed Martin has begun flying practice flights in Ft. Worth in preparation for the display at the Paris Air Show.

https://youtu.be/daiLrGm59o8

Sounds like they're going to be stuck with the Block 3i software and will be restricted to 7 G's. Looking good so far though.

Snowbird552 wrote: ↑Fri Jun 02, 2017 12:14 am Lockheed Martin has begun flying practice flights in Ft. Worth in preparation for the display at the Paris Air Show.

https://youtu.be/daiLrGm59o8

Sounds like they're going to be stuck with the Block 3i software and will be restricted to 7 G's. Looking good so far though.

I was just watching this also. Not super impressed especially compared to other company demos, but I guess we'll give it time to develop. Looks like a high alpha loop there in the middle, almost Raptor-esque. Otherwise pretty straightforward. Then again, super maneuverability was never the selling point I guess

Here's another video going around

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsEl_IL_5-M

Yeah seeing as how super maneuverability inst its thing,I'm sure the demo will be very 4th gen fighter-esqe.

Those wingtip vorticies though...

Meet the pilot who will be performing the F-35A's first ever performance at an international airshow, Canadian test Pilot Billie Flynn.

The Paris Airshow will run from June 19-25.

Here is a Facebook link from Skies Magazine introducing Billie Flynn.


https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_ ... 2452926095

The new aerobatic routine for the F-35A, that will be performing at the Paris Airshow, has been revealed. Test pilot Billie Flynn stated in an interview with Aviation Week the following:

After 10 years since its first flight, with our first opportunity to demonstrate the capabilities and the maneuverability of the F-35, we are going to crush years of misinformation about what this aircraft is capable of doing

The Paris Airshow runs from June 19 - 25.

https://theaviationist.com/2017/06/19/p ... -revealed/

Since we cant be there to get the video....enjoy Lockheed Martins video from earlier today in Paris.
[media]https://youtu.be/93NdwZAeXhI[/media]

Even though it was weapon-less and I'm sure fairly light on fuel...Still an impressive Min Radius turn. Much tighter than I had assumed it could do.

Looks to me like an early-variant F-16 type of maneuverability.