https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/your-marine-corps/2022/12/15/pilot-ejects-after-f-35b-crashes-on-texas-runway/ Lockheed owned jet. "Lockheed Martin assembles the fighter jet at a facility that shares the north-south 18/36 runway with the joint reserve base." https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/pilot-ejects-from-f-35-at-fort-worth-joint-reserve-base/3149776/ Pilot had 2 choices. Stay..... or git while the gittin's good. .
Looks like the pilot is okay......not sure why he bailed when the plane had already landed. Good bye another $100M.
The plane had not yet been transferred from Lockheed Martin to the U.S. military, but the pilot works for the government, according to Lockheed Martin spokeswoman Jacqueline Lorenzetti. I wonder who picks up the bill for this since it isn't a fixed price contract?
I cannot imagine he'd willingly put himself through the crazy rigors of ejection and all the associated risks of that had he not had a very sincere concern something was gravely wrong with the F35 Jedi
And some people wonder why I so intensely detest all of the multi-mega-computer "brilliance" in cars.....
Air Force pilot who ejected from F-35B released from the hospital "Lockheed Martin hadn’t yet transferred the jet to the U.S. military ....." https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/your-marine-corps/2022/12/16/air-force-pilot-who-ejected-from-f-35b-released-from-the-hospital/ Witness account https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/witnesses-describe-seeing-pilot-ejecting-from-f-35b-during-failed-vertical-landing/3150288/ .
I am with him. An uncontrolled pitch-down like that could have ended with the aircraft inverted. Luckily did not so damage is reparable. Pretty much all the seats since Aces II have a zero-zero capability, some much better than that.
