Lt. Col. Eric Smith is the first Air Force pilot certified to fly the F-35 strike fighter. He’s also USAF’s first F-35 instructor pilot. The former A-10 and F-16 test pilot is now assigned to Eglin AFB, Fla., where he is operations director for the 58th Fighter Squadron, a component of the 33rd Fighter Wing that oversees the joint F-35 schoolhouse there. In this role, Smith will oversee flight operations for the initial F-35 pilot cadre. “I’m extremely thrilled to be honored as the first Air Education and Training Command F-35 instructor pilot,” he said. “It means a lot to me, but more for the 33rd FW [that] can now execute the training plan they have been working on for two years. We have a great team and will soon begin training F-35 pilots and maintainers.” F-35 student pilots will receive about 200 hours of academics, conduct 14 simulator missions, a high-speed taxi test, and six flights in the airplane before they are qualified to fly. (Eglin report by Chrissy Cuttita)
A provision in the fiscal 2025 defense policy bill will require the Defense Department to include the military occupational specialty of service members who die by suicide in its annual report on suicide deaths, though it remains to be seen how much data the department will actually disclose.