F-35B JSF fIrst STOVL-mode flight
Lockheed Martin video of the Jan. 7 2010 first flight of the F-35B Joint Strike Fighter with the STOVL propulsion system engaged. The shaft-driven lift fan, just behind the cockpit, was engaged for 14 minutes during the flight from NAS Patuxent River. The video shows the STOVL doors opening and the three-bearing aft nozzle swivelling downwards slightly as the F-35B lead pilot Graham Tomlinson transitions aircraft BF-1 from conventional to STOVL mode.
