combat aircraft

modeling and simulation we have done

over the years. I’ve  own more than

2,000 SRVLs in the simulator, and am

honored to have been able to do the

 rst one on board HMS Queen Elizabeth.’

Lt Christopher Mould, the ship’s

landing safety o cer — a job critical

to the  rst SRVL — said, ‘It was a pretty

intense experience. It’s the  rst time

we’ve ever done it. As the independent

checker, I have to make sure that what

we are seeing in the  ying control

center is also what the pilot is seeing

and call it as I see it.’

US Marine Corps Maj Michael Lippert

said he was, ‘watching this part of the

a safe fashion. It’s all about the  ying
qualities, the friction on the deck, the
visual landing aids and how the helmet-
mounted display [HMD] performs.’
Previously known as the Bedford
array, the SRVL array is a set of visual
aids on the deck that the pilot must line
up with the HMD symbology. Wilson
says that aligning the two is ‘tricky’.
While proving out the SRVL modeling
isn’t a focus of the initial embarkation,
Wilson said if the conditions were
right, with calm seas and the testing
going well, there may be a chance for
an early look at this.
The chance to check out SRVL was a
clear indication of how the program
has advanced. After the  rst landing,
Wilson said, ‘I’m excited and thrilled
to have achieved this. I’ve worked
on this for the past 17 years and it’s
fantastic to know that it’s matched the

Right: The

downwash from

the F-35B’s

engine in the

hover is readily

apparent in this

view alongside

the Queen

Elizabeth.

Crown Copyright/

LPhot Kyle Heller

Below: BF-04

strapped down

to the deck, with

the pilot still in the

cockpit.

Lockheed Martin/

Dane Widemann

Bottom: The two

Pax River F-35Bs

being used for

the trials race

towards the ship.

Lockheed Martin

http://www.combataircraft.net // December 2018 79