An Air Force Times article highlights the progress in standing up the multi-service training units for the F-35 Lightning II at Eglin AFB, which is scheduled to begin this fall with the arrival of the first F-35 in November.

For the record, the F-35 variants have taken their first flights in only the past few months.  The 200 “instructors” cited in the article (which may include maintainers) haven’t logged a single hour in an actual aircraft.

No worries, though; according to the wing vice commander, Marine Col Arthur Tomassetti, the training shouldn’t be too difficult: 

“My son D.J. is 7 years old. He landed the airplane on the boat on his first try. He had a lot of coaching, but in the Harrier that would be weeks just to get that skill,” Tomassetti said.

The F-35 training program is likely far ahead of the curve — which may be a rarity in most military operations.  By the same token, they are limited by the availability of aircraft, and the longer the deliveries are delayed, the greater the bow wave will be in front of them.  As is fairly standard in military training, they’ll likely be behind schedule on their very first day…