Aircraft
‘Wrong-way’ Landing Caps Successful RN Deck Trials
The Royal Navy's first deck trials campaigns with the F-35B aboard HMS Queen Elizabeth have come to a successful comclusion
Sqn Ldr Andy Edgell performs a stern-facing vertical recovery, in which the F-35B comes to a stable hover alongside the designated landing spot before crabbing across to the left and then descending. (photo: Royal Navy)
Sqn Ldr Andy Edgell performs a stern-facing vertical recovery, in which the F-35B comes to a stable hover alongside the designated landing spot before crabbing across to the left and then descending. (photo: Royal Navy)

On November 18 the UK’s new 65,000-tonne aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth completed the initial two first-of-class deck trial campaigns (DT-1 and DT-2) with the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II. Toward the end of the trials, an F-35B was landed for the first time facing the “wrong” way.