. >> when you read the dotne evaluation, what do you see?i see a programme that should have been held up. >> from 2001 until 2005, tom christy was the director of operational tests and evaluation, spending more than 30 years at the pentagon as a high-ranking official. >> they are producing what 40, 50 airplanes a year. to me that's full-scale production. that's a tragedy, i think, because god knows what we'll have to do to fix the aircraft. >> to this day, test pilots are operating under severe restrictions, unable to fly the plane at high speeds or manoeuvre aggressively for fear the engine problem could happen again. according to the dotne, a final design to fix the problem was not complete at the time the report was written. major-general commands the air force warfare center. his unit is testing the air force's version of the f35. >> can i ask what the reaction was when you heard about the engine fire. >> we have to be concerned. we have a long history of a sound safety programme. so i have no safety concerns, and since i have to fly it,