Arrival of F-35B to be celebrated in community event
Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park in downtown Beaufort will be the scene of a free community celebration on Friday, July 11th, to welcome the new F-35B Join Strike Fighter Training Squadron, VMFAT-501, to Beaufort.
Starting at 6pm, the event organized by the Military Enhancement Committee of Beaufort’s chamber of commerce is scheduled to
include a performance by the Parris Island Marine Band along with free watermelon and other refreshments, games and prizes and a fireworks display to end the evening at 9pm.
The new F-35 Pilot Training Center at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort is gearing up for full operations with the first class of pilots beginning training in the fall. As operations are ramped up it’s expected that about 70 pilots a year will be trained in Beaufort and up to 88 jets eventually could be based at the station.
