This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Gov. Gary Herbert on Wednesday jumped into the simulated cockpit of an F-35, getting instruction from F-35 cockpit simulator pilot Eric Best. The Air Force had taken the simulator to the University of Utah's Kennecott Building, where the governor and others took it for a spin. The F-35 is the military's newest fighter jet with versions for the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, though none will be ready for combat for a few years. Utah's Hill Air Force Base conducts maintenance on F-35s and will have its own squadron of 72 of the jets. The first two planes in the F-35 squadron arrived last month. More online. > sltrib.com