F-35B training squadron arriving in MCAS Beaufort, to start training in October

Members of one of Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort's new F-35B squadrons are arriving in Beaufort, but the new jets won't take to local skies until later this fall, according to air station officials.
The arrival of Marines from VMFAT-501, the F-35B training squadron that will call the air station home, will be celebrated in ceremonies July 11 on base and in the city of Beaufort. However, the first training class won't start flying until fall.
Squadron members began arriving in April and will continue to move in through July. The jets, currently stationed at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, will arrive as pilots finish their training there.
The training squadron, formerly VMFA-451, was stationed at MCAS Beaufort from 1963 until it was decommissioned in 1997. The squadron was reactivated in April 2010 for F-35B training, according to an air station release.
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