By Frank Wolfe
Boeing [BA] yesterday flew its Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) X-32A conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) demonstrator for the first time from Palmdale, Calif., in a 20-minute flight cut short by a small hydraulics leak, company officials told reporters.
The CTOL demonstrator achieved 13 degrees angle of attack--just short of the 15 degrees planned--and topped off at 10,000 feet and 200 knots airspeed before landing at Edwards AFB, Calif.
The company had planned first flight to last between 30 and 40 minutes but ended the flight early to ensure safety. "We elected to go ahead and land even though we only lost a little bit of our fluid," said Fred Knox, Boeing's JSF chief test pilot. …
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