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My name is Lt. Chris Tabert and my role here at ITF is I'm one of the F-35 test pilots.
It makes me feel really lucky and honored that I got this opportunity to be the
youngest pilot to fly the F-35. I think its great because it shows that they are giving someone
with a little less experience a chance to give their opinions on the aircraft and what's going to be incorporated into it.
Vice Adm. Architzel: He's a fleet aviator that came from Hornets. He has a desire to learn
more about aviation, about the technical side of flying, he has done that through test pilot school, he's applying that now.
Lt. Chris Tabert:The important thing is to give the fleet the best product because we know they need it,
we know that with the wars we are fighting the guys on the ground need it and the support.
Vice Adm. Architzel: You can imagine the excitement he has when he feels he gets to really do
some first of the kind testing and the value that he knows what he is doing.
Theodore Roosevelt used to say "There is no greater satisfaction in life than working hard at a job worth doing."
It's symbolic of what we are doing here.
Lt. Chris Tabert: I'm very lucky I was able to do the first cat shot. I really enjoyed it. It was great.
It happened so quick, i didn't have time to react but we got the test point done so it is good.
Vice Adm. Architzel: The reason you do test is to find things and if we didn't think
we would ever find things then you would just deliver it. The track record with doing that
kind of thing with something as critical as a tactical fighter would have dire consequences.
So you want to find things and test that's why we test.
Lt. Chris Tabert: We're expected to try and find issues with the airplane so we can get them fixed.
We do run into roadblocks every once in a while but it's important that we find them now not after its already hit the fleet
so again they can have the best product available.
Vice Adm. Architzel: This is an opportunity for someone who signed up to do the things that interest him or her,
actually do it for the first time or be involved in that kind of effort and knows that what they are doing
is really of value and tremendous opportunity.
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