Lt. Col. Brian O’Neill, 31st Test and Evaluation Squadron director of operations and a “student” in the Air Force F-35A Lightning II Operational Utility Evaluation, salutes his crew chief before his postflight inspection Nov. 14, 2012, at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. He became qualified to fly the aircraft during the last sortie of the serviceís evaluation of the 33rd Fighter Wing’s joint strike fighter training program, a necessary review for Air Education and Training Command to decide if the unit is ìready for trainingî next year. OíNeill will return to the 31st TES, a geographically separated unit of the 53rd Wing at Edwards AFB, Calif., where the Air Force will eventually begin operational testing on the new aircraft.
