F-35 simulator ready for pilots

A world-leading flight engineering simulator created by BAE Systems is ready to be “flown” by F-35 Lightning II pilots for the first time as they prepare for flight trials on the UK’s new Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carrier next year.

The bespoke £2m simulator facility offers a 360-degree immersive experience for pilots to fly the jet to and from the UK carrier.

The 360-degree view for pilots is vital as potential obstacles on an aircraft carrier are often behind the pilots as they land. Over the coming months the simulator will be used by UK and US military test pilots who have experience of flying F-35s on US carriers.

Peter ‘Wizzer’ Wilson, BAE Systems’ test pilot for the short take-off and vertical landing variant on the F-35 programme, said the simulator trials will provide engineers with the data to begin flight trials on HMS Queen Elizabeth, the First of Class aircraft carrier in 2018.

Over the last 15 years, BAE Systems’ flight simulation has been used to support the design and development of the interface between the F-35 and the UK’s next generation of aircraft carriers.