GREENVILLE, S.C., Jan. 25, 2018 – Lockheed Martin test pilot Elliott “Hemo” Clemence reached a milestone logging 100 flight hours in the the T-50A, the company’s offering for the U.S. Air Force’s Advanced Pilot Training (APT) competition.

“The T-50A is an extraordinary aircraft to fly in that it’s docile enough to teach new pilots basic airmanship skills and also capable of training them in the advanced tactical environment,” Clemence said. “When you blend that aircraft capability with our Ground Based Training system, it takes training to an entirely new level.”

Clemence passed the 100-hour mark while performing an annual proficiency check ride in Greenville, South Carolina.

In February 2016, Lockheed Martin announced its plans to offer the T-50A in the APT competition and build the aircraft at a final assembly and checkout (FACO) facility in Greenville. The FACO and operations center formally opened in August 2016.

Flight operations began at the Greenville site in November 2016 as the team worked toward a March 2017 proposal deadline and submission of the required flight test data at the end of June.

The T-50A is ready on day one of contract award and is purpose-built around 5th Generation thinking. It will train the U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II pilots of tomorrow, as well as pilots for frontline 4th Generation aircraft. The T-50A builds upon the proven heritage of the T-50 family of aircraft with more than 150 T-50s flying today – 150,000 flight hours and counting – and more than 2,000 pilots who have trained in this aircraft.

Lockheed Martin’s accompanying T-50A Ground-Based Training System features innovative technologies that deliver an immersive, synchronized ground-based training platform. GBTS is integrated with the aircraft providing Live, Virtual, Constructive (LVC) training capability today.

Release and photo Lockheed Martin