Four Air Force T-38 pilots are reportedly being investigated after executing a fly-by following the national anthem at the 20 November Iowa-Ohio State football game. Reports indicate they may have been below the required minimum altitude.
A variety of YouTube angles of the flyby are available, but even video is sometimes disputable. Quotes, on the other hand…
Maj. Chris Kopacek, one of the pilots, told The Des Moines Register Read more
In the Air Force Times tradition of simultaneously stating both nothing and the obvious, the paper recently reported the Air Force is planning to develop a replacement flight suit; it awarded a contract for research and development for a new “aircrew ensemble,” though virtually nothing is known about it.
The nearly $100 million effort is intended to develop an integrated system of flight gear components, including the flight suit. Tests are planned to begin in 2013.
As previously noted, the Air Force isn’t the only service with lethal technological toys.
The Army has reportedly fielded the XM25 in Afghanistan. The rifle-sized “Counter Defilade Target Engagement System” enables a Soldier to fire a projectile that will explode at a specific point in space; in short, he can kill the enemy hiding behind a wall.
With reports of increasing airstrikes and tanks being moved into Afghanistan, the XM25 may be another indicator of the military’s attempts to prevent a “fair” fight with its adversaries.
The Air Force announced that pieces of the ejection seat were found at the impact site of the F-22 crash in Alaska, indicating the pilot, Capt Jeffrey Haney, did not eject and therefore did not survive the crash.
Haney is survived by his parents, a wife, and two young daughters. As noted at the official Air Force release (and as previously highlighted by Dealer):
The Air Warrior Courage Foundation has set up an education fund for Captain Haney’s children. Donations to the college fund for Captain Haney’s daughters may be made at www.AirWarriorCourage.org specifying “For the Jeffrey Haney children.” Or, donations can be made by check made out to AWCF, and mailed to AWCF, PO Box 877, Silver Spring, MD 20918-0877. The “For” line on the check should designate “For the Jeffrey Haney children.”
As noted at Military.com, FoxNews, CNN, and the ADN.
Elmendorf Air Force Base reported the loss of an F-22 late Tuesday night. The crash site was discovered Wednesday, and news releases from the base indicate crews are continuing to search for signs the pilot may have ejected and survived.
It appears the mishap aircraft was executing a rejoin at the end of a night sortie when it simply, and quietly, disappeared.
Elmendorf AFB recently lost a C-17 and its four crewmembers. The last F-22 to crash was at Edwards AFB; the pilot did not survive.
CNN repeated Politico’s “10 Crushworthy New Reps,” referring to the incoming members of the US House of Representatives. Among them is Air National Guard KC-135 pilot Adam Kinzinger:
Why he’s crushworthy: He’s heroic. He won the U.S. Air Force Airman’s Medal for saving a woman’s life in 2007. Plus, we’ll say it: He’s handsome. A pilot and an Iraq war veteran, Kinzinger, in aviators and a flight suit, conjures up memories of Tom Cruise in ‘Top Gun’ — which isn’t a bad thing!
Not exactly the kind of thing you want posted on the squadron bulletin board. But if your new job is in the US Capitol building, you’ll probably handle it just fine.
As of October 27th, the US Air Force centrifuge at Holloman AFB, New Mexico, has ceased operations.
The closure was a result of BRAC; a replacement centrifuge is being built at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. Until it opens in 2012, aircrew will use the contractor-run centrifuge at the former Brooks AFB in Texas.
The centrifuge will continue to be a “rite of passage” for fighter pilots in both the US and many international air forces.
According to an Air Force News release, 1Lt Ryan McGuire has been granted a medical waiver to return to pilot training with a prostethic leg below the knee.
McGuire was reportedly injured in a boating accident during pilot training; since having his lower leg amputated, he has run the Air Force Marathon. He was found medically fit for duty just this past August, and at the end of October his medical waiver for pilot training was approved.
The article indicates that other active pilots have used prosthetics, including Read more