Interview with Justin Paines on the X-35 JSF

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Justin Paines was the only RAF test pilot on the X-35 JSF project. He chats about his time flying the Harrier and being a test pilot at the USAF test pilot school and flying all the X-35 variants.
Thanks to the team at Aerospace Bristol for letting us film with their Sea Harrier-they will be opening summer 2017
www.aerospacebr...
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[@navnig]

Back in the early 90's when I worked on an off shore Salmon farm up in Shetland, I was feeding the fish one day and 2 Harriers came roaring overhead at, I'd say, 200-300 feet....They frightened the absolute shit out of me. A few weeks later, we were playing against the RAF rugby team from the radar station, RAF Saxa Vord. I got talking to a couple of the RAF guys after the game and he told me they were using a Salmon farm (my one as it turned out lol) as a practice low-level bombing target. I didn't mind one little bit but I did ask if they'd give a little bit of prior warning if they came up again. The lads I was talking to were good to their word, next time the RAF were up here on exercise, we got a phone call from Saxa Vord in the morning and they told us there were 2 Jaguars and 4 Tornado's going to be in our area later in the afternoon that day. Other than seeing planes land, I had no idea that a plane could fly THAT low, the Tornado's were literally skimming the sea. I never did catch sight of the Jaguars but the 4-ship of Tornado's were something to be seen!

[@corvanphoenix]

The RAF are expert ultra low level fliers to this day. I'm glad you got given warning so you could keep an eye out, great experience!

[@JoshuaC923]

That's pretty awesome

[@jimbrown5268]

Thanks for this Mike. Justin is so humble despite such an amazing career.

[@yan24to]

I love watching extremely intelligent and humble people explain things in a way we can easily understand it,they almost make it sound easy which it's not.

[@alexmccabe1948]

Where has this KZbin channel been my whole life?! I love hearing these stories.

[@Aircrewinterview]

Glad you found us!

[@Panigale67]

As an aviation nut since a kid am 56 now its my favourite channel!

[@thelmaviaduct]

Very humble fella, pleasure to watch and listen to.

[@PhilipReeder]

So, it's autumn 1969. It is just weeks after the first moon landings. My father is driving myself (5 years old) and my sister south on North Lindbergh approaching Interstate 270 in northwest St. Louis county (Hazelwood, Missouri). We're just north of Lambert International Airport, and I loving all things aviation, am on the lookout for airplanes. As we approach the highway overpass we notice an airplane over the intersection. As we get closer we noticed something very unusual about this plane. It isn't moving. It's hovering over a grassy area next to the highway at about 200 feet in the air. It was colored white and orange. All of us in the car looked at each other with mouths opened. My sister asked if it was a helicopter. I don't think either my dad or I ever answered her. It just sat there, making LOTS of noise. We could see the pilot in the cockpit. Other cars slowed or stopped on the road with their occupants also slack-jawed. "What is that thing?" my dad asked. Eventually, it increased power, and flew away. We told our family what we'd seen, but they accused us of claiming we'd seen a UFO with "little green men" (typical...). We never spoke of it again. Many years later I was looking through a "Harrier In Action" book by Signal Publications at a local hobby shop, and saw something familiar. An artists rendering of the Harrier in high visibility paint scheme- white and orange. It was the same plane we'd seen decades earlier. McDonnel Douglas was based at Lambert airport, and had acquired several Harriers to test for the USMC, and eventually develop the AV-8B. I had seen Harriers many times in the 80's and 90's, but hadn't realized it was the same plane. In 1969 though, that was SCARY.

[@CristianValenzuela2155]

VALHALLAXE wonderful story! Nice privilege you had back in the day!

[@JamesLaserpimpWalsh]

Haha good story.

[@shaider1982]

I had almost the same experience when I first saw V22's. You'll wonder what it was even if you have been reading about it since grade school.

[@bret9741]

Use to fly, almost weekly, out of STL. It was a joy to see the 18’s and 15’s depart using their special departure procedure. I believe it was rotate accelerate and pitch straight up 90 degrees, climb to 10,000 then on to normal climb.

[@adamsmith5151]

VALHALLAXE I miss the little parking lot at the end of the runway where you could bring a date and watch the planes takeoff and land.

[@mauricelaidler4789]

Absolutely fascinating. What an insight into an incredible career so far.

[@simonvazquez6751]

These interviews are always good, however this one really is outstanding 👍 The number of details (high gain Vs low gain pilots) really add an extra dimension. Well done to you both

[@MattThornton87]

Fantastic! Unfair to rate all these interviews, but this is a highlight indeed! Thanks to all that made it happen

[@Aircrewinterview]

Matt Thornton We are really glad you enjoyed it, Matt and your welcome :) it was a brilliant day filming and it was a privilege to meet Justin.

[@rustykilt]

Enjoy these interviews very much... to the point and you let the men speak with little interruption, as they obviously feel comfortable and happy to discuss their love of flying. absolutely well done.

[@Aircrewinterview]

Thanks very much, great to hear you like the water conduct interviews.

[@corvanphoenix]

Wow! Brilliant!!! Thanks very much! I know it's 5 years since you made this but it really is timeless. The things he did won't happen again & he played an extremely important role in them. I can't believe I'm typing this but I feel better about the F-35B now too.

[@Aircrewinterview]

Thanks very much and great to hear you enjoyed it.

[@davidbrooks187]

Sheer class & incredibly knowledgable as expected ! In the best traditions of the RAF 🇬🇧. A pleasure to listen to.

[@garydoctor3578]

Brilliant interview from what is probably the most experienced guy in terms of flying experimental aeroplanes. Seems really humble and approachable too. Nice to know one of our RAF guys was at the forefront of the F35 project.

[@jimramsey8887]

A brilliant, very interesting and very descriptive interview about test flying by a great chap at the top of his game. Thank you very much Justin and Mike for the Production.

[@lahma69]

As I have come to expect from your channel, another EXCELLENT interview with a pilot of extraordinary accomplishment. I'm sure many of these pilots you interview are legends within the industry and military circles, but for many of us that are not on the "inside", without your videos and others like it, we may have never been exposed to these pilots and their enthralling stories/careers. Thank you for taking on this role and providing us, your viewers, with such excellent content.

[@callenclarke371]

One of the more personable pilots in your interview roster. Very enjoyable. Well done.

[@charlescoulson]

Great interview and what a great guy. Super understanding of the physics and human factors that tame a lump of metal and make it a workable and useful piece of kit.

[@ArduinoTutorialsHD]

Absolutely amazing interview! Keep 'em coming!

[@Aircrewinterview]

Thank you. We will do :)

[@BarnsleyBob]

I've only just found your channel and have to say these interviews are utterly captivating. They're all great but this is my favourite so far and I could listen to Justin for hours. Someone who is clearly so skilled in his field yet the way he talks about highly technical subjects (which are way beyond ordinary blokes like me) in such a humble manner is inspiring. As an ex-British Army soldier I've experienced air support on operations in the Balkans and we were always relieved to see our colleagues in the sky (although we still take the mickey out of 'Crab Air'!) but these interviews add another dimension to my admiration for our fast jet pilots. As I say, captivating stuff and I'm looking forward to watching more of your channel.

[@patrickflohe7427]

Another fantastic interview….Thanks! I can listen to these guys all day.

[@Aircrewinterview]

Cheers Patrick.

[@hoagybob]

RAF often visits China Lake - awesome guys/gals in that organization and Ridgecrest businesses certainly appreciates every visit.

[@oxcart4172]

What a gentleman. Thanks for posting!

[@Aircrewinterview]

David Baker you're welcome

[@DumbledoreMcCracken]

Each of these men are extraordinary extemporaneous speakers. The editing is great, but I would love to watch all the raw footage from each interview.

[@chuckgibbs5960]

What a gentleman! His personality speaks volumes about his confidence and competence. He would have been a great T-38 instructor pilot...humble, informative, and that smile!!!

[@martentrudeau6948]

Justin Paines, he seems to be a British version of a Chuck Yeager, the Harrier is the most amazing aircraft, and fly it requires the highest level of ability and nerve. Justin is an amazing guy, great interview.

[@acward2007]

Only just come across this now and was totally fascinated by what Justin had to say about the X-35. Some give it a bad rep as being so fond of the Harrier which I can understand. I can’t wait for the F-35, especially the B to fully come in to service in the UK. Like many of these interviews, thanks for doing such a great job with them and the fantastic people who make it all possible.

[@Aircrewinterview]

Thank you Alan for the kind words. Great to hear you enjoyed this episode and the channel as a whole.

[@marshal1808]

Such an awesome gentleman, its was an absolute pleasure listening to such a well spoken and knowledgeable man. Unfortunately these qualities are rather a rare commodities nowadays. Again it was a pleasure and all the best. Cheers

[@matt-f1c]

Wow in complete awe of this guy .. amazing

[@0MoTheG]

I appreciated the mentioning of control theory aspects at 38:00

[@timwingham8952]

55:41 "Guns only". Wow the sport of kings! I really enjoy these interviews. Thank you so much for doing them. Would it be possible to a specific question or two to the fast jet guys about the use of guns - training, realistic capability etc? Thanks.

[@Cubcariboo]

Wonderful interview as always and top notch pilot very humble and articulate. He is from my age group and made for a great connection for me as he was telling his stories. I find myself wondering if you will have a chance to interview a Falklands War veteran on the harrier?

[@Aircrewinterview]

Thank you. I would love to and I have been in the case for a while but it’s proving a little difficult to tie a pilot down atm, but I’m sure I will get there!

[@johngisbourne7197]

damn ! that guy got to fly a lot amazing planes ...

[@rowdyron4111]

One of your best interviews to date!

[@Aircrewinterview]

Cheers!

[@TheDarwiniser]

incredible stuff, first hand knowledge is pure gold.

[@brussell639]

This is a very good watch.

[@patriciabracken7546]

A brilliant interview. Harrier jet...wow.... R.A.F. brilliant Oh what I'd of giving to interview him. My favourite is the Lancaster bomber.. Nice guy....v attractive. 💞 He is lovely guy..humble

[@bjjace1]

Well done. As always. Fantastic interview.

[@Aircrewinterview]

+Matty mo Cheers Matty

[@Patrick-pm1sn]

For me one of your best/ most interesting interviews! Keep up the great work! -> let us enjoy some french Mystère and Mirage interviews next pls! ;-)

[@fredericborloo1910]

Whaaw! What an interview! Fascinating!

[@Aircrewinterview]

Glad you enjoyed it, Frederic.

[@a320trevor]

What a excellent airman looks like!

[@badpharma461]

I met a Harrier pilot who informed me that the saying amongst pilots is 'you cannot get me in the weedosphere'. He explained how to defeat heat-seeking missiles and cannon and use the landscape to protect oneself from other threats.

[@sfertonoc]

One heck of an engine on that Harrier. No afterburner yet plenty of thrust.

[@richf6111]

Great interview. Seems a really nice, down to earth chap.

[@henryvictor8071]

Most of the RAF folks are. It seems to be a different culture to other airforces.

[@danapeck5382]

Any chance of carrier deck crew interviews? Hearing from a (US) yellow shirt & British counterpart would balance all the pilot talk.

[@Aircrewinterview]

I am working on it :)

[@thetreblerebel]

A rare breed! Test pilots are tough professionals. So good its second nature. Trained to the hilt

[@davidcachia1854]

Well done thoroughly enjoyed it

[@Aircrewinterview]

Cheers David.

[@ianwright1632]

Truly wonderful

[@jurgenblick5491]

Love this

[@mivecsi]

Very interesting interview.

[@FelixIsMyName]

I'm so glad I discovered your channel the other day. Really enjoyed your content and subbed right away. I will gladly support your channel, as I'm going to get into DCS (Digital Combat Simulator) and I can't wait to fly the many great aircraft you have covered on this channel. Keep up the great work!

[@Aircrewinterview]

Hi Dan. I am glad you discovered us and I hope you enjoy what we do :) thanks for the sub too.

[@DumbledoreMcCracken]

Would like to hear about the X-32.

[@taurusmonkey8780]

The 32 was too far ahead of its time. One of my favorites!

[@AvengerII]

Not, it wasn't too far ahead of its time. The design had HUGE issues. The X-32 had a massive central inlet which the Navy doesn't like from past experience with planes that had inlets like that. They tend to ingest foreign objects which causes FOD (foreign object damage) which can destroy multi-million dollar engines easily! The other issue with deck handling is that these type of inlets can easily create a suction force that can suck in a full-grown adult male into the engine. People got killed all the time by aircrafts with these kind of inlets -- A-7, F-8 had low-slung, centrally mounted inlets that sucked people into the engine and ground them up like hamburger. People have to be very aware of where they're walking on debt and they have to do deck sweeps looking for screws and slivers of metal that can damage the engines. If you already have a low-slung inlet or an engine inlet system like the Harrier, the chances of getting FOD in the engine increase. They had an incident with a Harrier engine on a Royal Navy ship in the late 1970s or early 1980s that was totalled because the crew of the ship it was based on were not diligent enough with their FOD deck sweeps. I also have a hard time believing that inlet was the stealthiest design possible but I admit I could be wrong there. I do know from reading articles and just my own common sense that the low-slung inlet has a number of issues with the design. A "splitter-type" inlet duct like the F-35 is probably better for stealth and also reduces the chances of FOD on-deck compared to the low-slung centrally-mounted inlet duct. The other issue with the X-32 was that it was way overweight for VTOL configuration. The X-32 that was modded to do V/STOL had to be partially disassembled to lighten it up enough to take off in VTOL mode! That was with an engine in excess of 37,000 lbs thrust afterburning and it was still too heavy unless you removed sections of the airframe. That doesn't look good to people doing these evaluations and how you play these things in demo/evaluation is at least as important as how the plane actually functions. I'm sure the X-32 took marks against its design for the fact that the tech demonstrator/prototype was already overweight as well as having design features that at least one of the services that could potentially using the plane wasn't crazy about. It's not all about how the plane looks or what you think is going on with politics. If the flight and engineering team already screws things up before the final decisions get made, they're not helping their case with the services and people at the Pentagon who are looking at the weapons systems to buy for the next 20-30 years.

[@coldforgedcowboy]

The X-32 was a real bastard of an engineering design and not elegant in the least. I think ultimately the X-32 was so bad that it took Boeing out of the jet fighter business.

[@EstorilEm]

Three Camels hahaha that’s what everyone says about failed designs. The Boeing program was stuck in the past, taking conventional approaches to solving unconventional problems. That’s exactly what the Skunkworks does best time and time again - it isn’t much of a surprise that they won. If you do some more research into how Boeing handled the program you’ll see that it was basically amateur hour compared to the Lockheed guys. LM certainly had an advantage, but Boeing was their own worst enemy.

[@installwebercarburetorsona6159]

brilliant articulate individual

[@DashDriver-z1r]

Art Thomas is the guy who bought an RAF Sea Harrier and now privately flies one around the US. Interesting chap,this guy though good to know he likes the f35 because it gets a hard time in the press.

[@billyclement5141]

RN Sea Harrier, NOT RAF Sea Harrier- the crabs killed the SHAR, don't give the heroes in light blue credit they don't deserve! The muppets are experts in manipulating politicians into shagging the other two services right up the Gary Glitter. The RN still don't have a fixed jet in front line service thanks to their shenanigans.

[@0MoTheG]

Wow, they flew multiple times per week, even every day? How could they have possibly analysed the data, re-simulated the models and controls, made sure it worked and flew again? Just to store away the data in a well documented, annotated fashion I would have thought takes the following day. Their planning ahead of the tests must have been excellent.

[@stevenlarratt3638]

With a lot of the newer models they can just download everything and computers imput data and updates etc. What is expected normally happens once teething troubles are filtered through. Post this planes are now just mobile computers, everything is now all about data and situational awareness. Even combat noadays is simply proceedure...

[@andywells397]

Brilliant

[@phillipneal9289]

Awesome. If you could pick job's,this would be the one. Fantastic,Keep up the good work 😁

[@timrogers2045]

Reminds me of Sir Clive Woodward a wee bit.

[@nicholastyrrell]

FASCINATING

[@Aircrewinterview]

Thanks!

[@allin4395]

Great chap

[@rampy4963]

My instructor on test pilot course.

[@dedexyz8475]

Spoiler alert: at least the first 15min. is nothing but the Harrier. FAST fwd IF you want anything else.

[@GsTreetsSTX]

Harrier...that must have been interesting

[@mixodorians12]

It always amazes me the completely different experience the posh'os had as Air cadets to us working class kids in deprived areas. . Whilst you were getting training in gliders four times a week, and being trained to be a pilot, back in 1158 Squadton, Ebbw Vale, we were all busy (when not doing jankers) being child labour, delivering leaflets for the local supermarket, three times a week, to get some local funding and for a couple of credits on a Bronze Duke of Edinburgh. Do your homework instead kids.n