The Friedman Files

This was the view from the crowd today – gathered along the fence at the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base to watch aviation history.  The very first test flight of the new F-35B fighter jet happened here around 10:15 this morning.   The plane is being designed and built at Lockheed Martin’s plant on the West side of the base.

Most of the people in the crowd were people who work at the plant – or family members of people involved in the project.  This is the day they live for — like Christmas and the 4th of July wrapped in one.   It’s the day they see their work take flight – and it’s a celebration for a project they believe will help protect America for years to come.

I love to watch airplanes — and I gotta admit these first flights are a cool thing to see.   You have to admire the engineering that goes into building the planes and the courage of the pilots who are willing to jump in and roll it down the runway for the first time.

The F-35B is designed for short take-offs and vertical landings.  It will be really cool to see those vertical landing test.  But we’ll have to wait until sometime this fall or winter. 

We’ll have video of today’s flight and an interview with the pilot who flew it coming up tonight on NBC5 News at 5 &6.