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LONDON — BAE Systems Test Pilot Pete “Wizzer” Wilson became the first pilot to launch the Lockheed Martin F-35B short take-off and vertical-landing variant of the Lightning II from a ski-jump, BAE Systems said in a June 23 release. The launch took place at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., on June 19 from a land-based ski jump and marks the start of an initial testing phase expected to last two weeks. The trials demonstrate the aircraft’s ability to take off safely and effectively from a ski-jump ramp similar to that which will be used on the United Kingdom’s new...

Feb 24 (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will start "ski-jump testing" at a Maryland air base this week, while another B-model jet wraps up six months of tests at temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 40 Celsius) to as high as 120 F (49 C). Two UK pilots will test the ability of the new warplane to take off from upward-sloping ski-jump ramps used on aircraft carriers like those operated by Britain and Italy. The ramps launch the jets forward and upward, reducing the thrust needed. Sylvia Pierson, spokeswoman for the Pentagon's F-35...

Wow, pretty cool stunt, watching the video is almost surreal.

Czech ski jumper fighting for life after crash at World Cup event ZAKOPANE, Poland (AP) - Czech ski jumper Jan Mazoch was fighting for his life in hospital after crashing at a World Cup won by Rok Urbans of Slovenia off the large hill on Saturday. In difficult wind, Mazoch appeared to bounce off the hill during his second jump. He was taken to hospital unconscious. "The injuries he sustained are very dangerous and threaten his life," Sylwester Kosinski, deputy head of the city hospital in Zakopane said on TVN24. He said the people in charge of the 22-year-old jumper...