MCDONNELL DOUGLAS (MDC) flew the first F-18E Super Hornet on 29 November, two days ahead of schedule. The first flight, from St Louis Lambert International Airport, was cut short when an environmental control-system warning light illuminated, but the aircraft "...was smooth, precise and easy to control", according to project pilot Fred Madenwald. The second of seven F-18E/F flight-test aircraft is scheduled to be flown this month. MDC flew the first of 73 remanufactured AV-8B Harrier II Plus for the US Marine Corps shortly after the F-18E.
Source: Flight International
