First Marine to Begin F-35C JSF Training

Marine 1st Lt. Catherine Stark earned her Wings of Gold as a U.S. Marine Corps aviator with Training Air Wing 2, Naval Air Station Kingsville, and is now preparing to begin training on her assigned fleet aircraft: the F-35C Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF).

Stark, currently attached to the “Fighting Redhawks” ofTraining Squadron (VT) 21, has been in training since early 2016. She completedtraining as Marine Corps officer aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia,and reported for flight training aboard NAS Pensacola, Florida. After more thantwo years of flight training in the T-6B Texan II primary flight trainingaircraft and the T-45C Goshawk advanced jet training aircraft, she has beenselected to be the first female Marine to fly the F-35’s C variant.

The F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter is an advancedjet aircraft used by the Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and nine othercountries. Currently the Marine Corps has been employing the F-35B, which hasshort takeoff and vertical takeoff capabilities. The Navy’s F-35C has greaterrange and stealth capabilities, while still capable of landing on aircraftcarriers.

Implementation of the F-35C into Marine Corps fleetsquadrons will greatly expand their mission capabilities. The F-35B brings withit the capabilities for taking off and landing on most airfields and the F-35Cwill provide greater range and a larger payload capacity.

“Advanced jet training is very demanding and our instructorstake extreme pride in training future naval aviators,” said Executive Officerof VT-21 Cmdr. Christopher Glandon. “Navy and Marine Corps aviators whocomplete this program develop a diverse array of skills to execute the multiplemissions in Naval Aviation. All who earn the Wings of Gold are prepared tocontinue learning the capabilities and tactics of the respective fleet jetcommunities for which they are selected.”

The “Argonauts” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 147 becamethe Navy’s first operational F-35C fleet squadron this year. The Marine Corpsdoes not yet have an operational F-35C squadron, however Stark’s selectionmarks the beginning of that integration.

During her time in the advanced jet phase of flighttraining, Stark scored exemplary scores on graded events such as Basic FighterManeuvering, Tactical Formations, and Section Engaged Maneuvering. Her overallNavy Standard Score through flight training distinguished her among her peers.

Stark is scheduled to begin her training with the “RoughRaiders” of VFA-125 Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS). The FRS takes pilots whohave recently completed training and transitions them to their assigned fleetaircraft.