THE NORTH SPIN

The first group of maintenance crews for the F-35 Lightning II have successfully completed classroom instruction and certification training in preparation for F-35 test-site stand up at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., and Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md... NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, or SOFIA, has passed a significant mission milestone. It has completed the first phase of experimental flight tests, which confirmed the structural integrity and performance of the modified 747SP SOFIA aircraft that carries a huge infrared telescope... After a longer than expected wait, F-35A 'AA-1' landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California on Oct. 1 at 1:30 p.m. The aircraft was flown from the Lockheed plant based at Naval Air Station Fort Worth, Texas. This first F-35A will be used to perform a series of tests, including air-starts and noise level data collection.

Also known as: North Spin