The fifth-generation jets made the short flight from their base at RAF Marham to the flattop where, over the coming weeks, some personnel will learn the art of operating from an aircraft carrier, while others will regenerate skills which have faded while working away from the sea.
For Commander Nick Smith the embarkation of the F-35Bs, supported by some 200 engineers, technicians, armourers, logistics and security experts, chefs, and meteorologists among others, joining the 65,000-tonne warship is a milestone moment for the squadron, which only formed at the end of last year as the second of two UK front-line F-35B squadrons.
“To be the commanding officer of a squadron with such a proud heritage is a huge privilege. We are still in our infancy forming as an F-35B squadron, so joining a carrier for the first time is truly a milestone.”
As with the two other Lightning formations based at Marham, 617 and 207 Squadrons, it draws its personnel roughly 50/50 from the RAF and Fleet Air Arm.
For three in every five personnel in 809 NAS – pilots, but especially their vital supporting ground crew – this is their first time at sea.
“For me, it’s about forging one team, embracing everything from operating from the flight deck to arming and maintaining the F-35s in the hangar.”
F-35 pilot Lieutenant Commander Armstrong said that while the Lightning was generations ahead of the Harrier which preceded it, operating it from a carrier remained a challenge.
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He and his colleagues trained extensively on simulators before touching down for real on HMS Prince of Wales’ 920ft-long flight deck.
“It’s a common misconception that everything on an F-35 is automated,” he explained. “The aircraft will relieve you of a great deal of the workload. Landing is easier, but not easy. Imagine approaching, in the dark, 105ft above the ship, then moving across to set down on the deck.”
Commander Smith added: “The fundamentals of operating F-35B at sea, compared to land – whether you are a pilot or an engineer – are broadly the same. It’s just that everything is much more challenging on a ship. It’s noisier, windier and much darker at night, while space is far more confined in every sense.”
Despite having worked side-by-side with the Navy for four years on the F-35, the RAF’s Sergeant ‘Thorpy’ Thorpe has never been to sea before.
He’s part of a team of six experienced non-commissioned officers/senior ratings responsible for the mechanical side of Lightning maintenance and is looking forward to his time on HMS Prince of Wales as a foretaste of next year’s maiden operational deployment.
“On paper eight months is a long time away, but if you look at the potential stops involved – places we in the Air Force wouldn’t normally visit,” he said.
“I’ve worked alongside the Navy for four years now and while there are slightly different skills and trades, at the end of the day, we’re all working to the same, high, professional standard.
“There’s some good banter – and that’s absolutely a good sign that we get on. We go out of our way to call the carrier a ‘boat’ and ask where it’s ‘parked’ to wind up sailors – who always like to remind us that they are the ‘senior service’.”
Thereafter training moves up through the gears as HMS Prince of Wales is joined by escorts and support ships to form a carrier strike group for a fortnight-long exercise focused in the North Sea, Strike Warrior.