Stored Lightning

An Airman from the 33rd Maintenance Squadron directs an Air Force F-35A Lightning II into the 58th Fighter Squadron hangar at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., Aug. 27. The 33rd Fighter Wing’s joint strike fighters were moved into hangars in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Isaac. The 58th hangar held nine A models, while the Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 501 hangar stored the 10 B models. (U.S. Air Force photo/Samuel King Jr.)

Stored Lightning

An Airman from the 33rd Maintenance Squadron pulls an Air Force F-35A Lightning II off the flightline and into a hangar at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., Aug. 27. The 33rd Fighter Wing’s joint strike fighters were moved into hangars in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Isaac. The 58th Fighter Squadron hangar held nine A models, while the Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 501 hangar stored the 10 B models. (U.S. Air Force photo/Samuel King Jr.)

Stored Lightning

A 33rd Maintenance Squadron Airman backs in an Air Force F-35A Lightning II into the 58th Fighter Squadron hangar at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., Aug. 27. The 33rd Fighter Wing’s joint strike fighters were moved into hangars in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Isaac. The 58th hangar held nine A models, while the Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 501 hangar stored the 10 B models. (U.S. Air Force photo/Samuel King Jr.)

Stored Lightning

A 33rd Maintenance Squadron Airman backs in an Air Force F-35A Lightning II into the 58th Fighter Squadron hangar at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., Aug. 27. The 33rd Fighter Wing’s joint strike fighters were moved into hangars in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Isaac. The 58th hangar held nine A models, while the Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 501 hangar stored the 10 B models. (U.S. Air Force photo/Samuel King Jr.)

Lightning on a clear day

An F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter streaks across the sky over Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., Aug. 22. The aircraft performed three approaches to the runway before returning to the 33rd Fighter Wing. (U.S. Air Force photo/Samuel King Jr.)

F-35 maintainer

Staff Sgt. Douglas Bays, a crew chief with the 57th Aircraft Maintenance Unit, selects tools for post-flight maintenance tasks on an F-35A Lightning II at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., Aug. 16. Bays is here training in anticipation for when the 57th will stand up its F-35 flying operations later next year. Bays is one of three maintainers from Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., being trained on the F-35. Once their training is complete, they'll provide maintenance support to the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron's F-35 fleet. The 422nd is a geographically separated unit of the 53rd Wing, headquartered at Eglin. (U.S. Air Force photo/Karen Roganov)