British pilot teaching Americans to fly the F-35C

British pilot teaching Americans to fly the F-35C

A Royal Navy officer has become the first British pilot to serve as an F-35C instructor and the first to be embedded within a United States Navy squadron flying the type, the Royal Navy has said. Lieutenant Richard Woods, who grew up in Ashtead in Surrey, volunteered for a non-reciprocal exchange to Naval Air Station Lemoore in California, where he has been stationed since late 2023. At VFA-125 he instructs both ab initio US Navy and Marine Corp…

U.S. Navy F-35C squadron embeds first British instructor pilot at NAS Lemoore to strengthen allied carrier aviation integration

Woods has served with VFA-125 at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California, since late 2023. He trains new U.S. Navy and Marine Corps pilots and experienced aviators preparing to become squadron instructors. “This level of joint training and integration between the F-35 partner nations at the tactical and operational level is essential,” Woods said. “It’s needed to drive the ultimate objective of multi-national compatibility and integration in theat…