Finnish pilot describes first flights in F-35 fighter jet

Finnish Air Force pilot Lasse Louhela is among the first Finns to fly the F-35, the world’s most advanced fighter jet, with about 15 flights completed so far, reports Yle.

His first solo flight took place in May at Fort Smith, Arkansas, in the United States. Louhela, a lieutenant colonel based at Lapland Air Command, said the experience was intense, requiring absolute focus from takeoff.

“For half a second, I thought, ‘This is pretty cool,’” he recalled. Beyond that, concentration had to remain on the task—even though simulator training had made the aircraft somewhat familiar, the real flight was a different challenge.

The physical demands are extreme. The F-35 can reach forces of up to 9G, making the pilot’s body feel nine times heavier than normal. Prolonged exposure to such forces is exhausting, Louhela said, though pilots adapt over time.

After each flight, he is drenched in sweat, but the greatest fatigue is mental. The sheer volume of information a pilot must process leaves the mind racing long after landing, compounded by debriefings to analyze performance and lessons learned.

Louhela, who grew up in Ylikiiminki, said his younger self would likely have dismissed the idea of one day flying a top-tier fighter jet as a joke. “We’ve come a long way from the village of Juopuli,” he said with a laugh.

Finland’s new F-35s are expected to arrive at Lapland Air Command later this year. Full familiarity with the aircraft will take at least another year, Louhela said.