According to the Air Force Times, the Air Force has reported that a manned QF-4 crash in July was caused by a flight control malfunction. A stab actuator disconnected and caused an uncommanded, and uncontrollable, pitch up.
The article notes the $2.4 million Read more
The US Air Force has reported that an F-15C Eagle from Nellis AFB crashed near Alamo, NV, yesterday afternoon. The pilot ejected and had “started walking” when he was picked up by a rescue helicopter about 30 minutes later.
As usual, the AF will investigate the mishap and report on it some months from now.
Public reports indicate the US Air Force has grounded its F-22 Raptors again — after a pilot reported an oxygen problem, again. In this case, it appears to be a single-unit “pause” at Langley AFB, as opposed to a fleet-wide grounding.
Air Force officials are meeting on Friday to determine whether it is necessary to extend the grounding to the rest of the F-22 fleet. The pilot experienced what is known as “hypoxia,” and had to return to base.
The Raptors were previously grounded for months, though no specific cause was found for the reported oxygen issue.
It appears that the non-acquisition of the armed T-6 may have been planned to take another step, with a potential combat deployment to Afghanistan. Apparently, the Congressional Armed Services Committees rejected the funding requests for the project:
For more than a year, the Pentagon has wanted to test propeller-driven planes outfitted with reconnaissance sensors and precision-guided weapons in combat to see Read more
The Marines have decided to deploy an unmanned helicopter to Afghanistan to conduct cargo delivery operations:
Adm. Bill Shannon, program executive officer for Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons, approved Lockheed Martin/Kaman’s K-MAX unmanned helicopter for a six-month deployment to augment Marine Corps ground and air logistics operations.
The unmanned helicopter has reportedly Read more
If you ditch your plane 13 miles short of the Hawaiian Big Island, does the Coast Guard rescue swimmer still give you a lei?
Charles Mellor was reportedly ferrying a twin-engine Cessna 310 to Hawaii; he was 500 miles out when he contacted the FAA and told them he wasn’t going to make it.
The man was flying for delivery a Cessna 310 twin-engine aircraft from Monterey, California, to Hilo when he radioed federal aviation authorities that he was 500 miles out and low on fuel, Read more
One of the “advantages” of unmanned aerial vehicles is the removal of the human element from much of the operation. In theory, its inability to get tired, make mistakes, or act with emotion may make a UAV a “better” system. In theory.
While the UAV may not be able to get “sick,” it is apparently still vulnerable to computer viruses, as public reports indicate has occurred to both MQ-9s and MQ-1s (which are essentially the same UAV). To be fair, that was likely a result of the “human element,” but the fact remains that UAVs are not always the panacea some may think they are.
An MQ-9 Reaper has crashed on final approach at Holloman AFB, New Mexico. The base reported that the owning squadron was a training unit for the MQ-9.