The first production model F-35 Lightning II to be assigned to the 33rd Fighter Wing, the Lightning II training unit, arrived at Eglin AFB, Florida, on 14 July 2011 after a ninety-minute ferry flight from Fort Worth, Texas. The aircraft, Air Force serial number 08-0747, will be used for training F-35 pilots and maintainers who begin coursework at the base’s new F-35 Integrated Training Center this fall. The aircraft was flown to Florida by Lt. Col. Eric Smith of the 58th Fighter Squadron, the first Air Force qualified F-35 line pilot.
