Here is the "Lightning II" piloted by David "Doc" Nelson. The "Lightning II" departed Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base and achieved successful air refuels at a maximum load of 19,800 pounds during the flight. At Patuxent River, the F-35C will conduct air-to-air refueling and performance testing.
Most naval aircraft eventually get a "real nickname," not the one given to it by the manufacturer or the government...for example, the E-2C Hawkeye is known as the "Hummer" (due to turboprop noises), the F-14 Tomcat was Turkey (due to its look as is goes vertical at slow speeds), etc. I am wondering what the F-35 real nickname will become one day...time will tell!
I will do a serious blog on the "Lightning" sometime in December, but if you want more info now...Read more about the "Lightning II" here at the JSF (Joint Strike Fighter) web site...
