“The past year’s demonstration was sort of like an ‘appetizer’ if you will,” said Capt. Andrew “Dojo” Olson, F-35 Demonstration Team pilot and commander. “The new profile this year will be the full ‘five-course meal’ showing fans everything this jet is capable of.”
Along with the new single-jet profile, the team plans to include the Heritage Flight display following the F-35A’s performance flying alongside older warbirds representing the past, present, and future of Air Force Airpower. The quantity of fully combat capable (3F) F-35A’s within the fleet at Luke AFB will also enable the F-35 Demonstration Team to effectively demonstrate its capabilities while on the road.
“The show we’re going to bring to fans is unlike anything they’ve ever seen and I really believe it’s going to set a benchmark for the demonstrations performed by any airplane on the planet. I think it’s really going to impress people by finally showing off the full maneuvering envelope of the F-35A,” Olson said.
During the offseason, Olson is scheduled to fly a minimum of 16 training sorties before receiving his certification at the Heritage Flight Certification and Training Course from Lt. Gen. Steven Kwast, commander of Air Education and Training Command.
With 12 airmen selected to be on the team for the upcoming season, Olson is looking forward to what’s in store for the future.
Two F-35s made a debut at the Dayton Air Show in 2016 but stayed on the ground as a static display at the Dayton International Airport. The F-35 flew alongside a P-51D Mustang at the Dayton Air Show in 2017.
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