One former Marine becomes the first civilian F-35 test pilot at Cherry Point, boosting readiness; another is tapped to lead the Pentagon’s massive F-35 program, overseeing its global management.
The United States Marine Corps is one of the three branches of the US military to operate the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II. However, this month, it was announced that two Marines will have new opportunities to serve the country while being more directly involved with the fifth-generation stealth fighter.
Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, announced last week that retired USMC fighter pilot Ross Fearon will take on flight testing on the F-35 with the Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE). Fearon is the newest civilian test pilot at the military aircraft maintenance facility, which has recruited retired military aviators to fill a role previously handled by those still in uniform.
Once a Marine Pilot, Always a Marine Pilot
Employing a full-time civilian pilot has helped address scheduling conflicts within FRCE, which previously had to draw on operational units to find a pilot for functional check flights or to ferry an aircraft to another base. Fearon will now step into the role for which he is ideally suited, being able to fly all three variants of the F-35.
That, in turn, frees up other military pilots to focus on their missions rather than having to head to Cherry Point to “deliver, test, or retrieve an aircraft.”
While Fearon is the first civilian F-35 pilot to be employed at FRCE, the facility previously hired a retired Marine Corps UH-1N helicopter pilot to support its UH-1N detachment. This new effort builds on that past success.
Fearon, who was commissioned into the Marine Corps after completing the Navy ROTC program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, completed officer training and flight school and was previously stationed at Cherry Point as an AV-8B Harrier pilot. He was later among the first group of USMC aviators to transition from the Harrier to the F-35B, the Joint Strike Fighter’s short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) variant.
With this new transition from military pilot to civilian test pilot, he will continue to do what he loves.
“I know it sounds surprising, because everyone expects it to be the flying,” said Fearon. “But honestly, the most rewarding aspect is seeing everyone work together to overcome the challenges we may face to get those airplanes out the door and back to the parent units, whether it’s parts availability or tight timelines for units that need to deploy.”
A Marine Corps Lt. General Will Fly the F-35
The Pentagon announced that another Marine won’t be flying the F-35; instead, Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Gregory Masiello could be heading up the F-35 Joint Program Officer. A United States Naval Academy graduate, Masiello completed Flight School at Naval Air Station Pensacola, and after serving as an aviator, he became a V-22 Joint Program Manager.
Masiello will now oversee the life-cycle management for the F-35 Lightning II’s three variants and lead the development, delivery, and sustainment of the stealth aircraft for the US military and foreign military sales (FMS). He will replace Lt. Gen. Michael Schmidt, who has served as the program executive officer and director of the F-35 JPO since July 5, 2022.
There are reported to be 1,763 aircraft in the F-35 program of record. According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the Lightning II is the Department of Defense’s (DoD’s) most expensive weapon program to date.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a thirty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Cpl. Chloe Johnson.
