The US Navy reported that one of its trainers, a T-45C Goshawk, crashed on a training mission Sunday night:
The training aircraft, assigned to Training Squadron (VT) 21, crashed during a routine training mission over Brooks County. County first responders were immediately dispatched to the scene.
A Stars and Stripes report indicated the aircrew were actually Marine officers. The two ejected and were transported to the local hospital.
The crash Read more
An impressive landing feat, particularly when you consider the fact he couldn’t see what was below him. Note the completely empty deck as he lands… Read more
Textron/Cessna’s Scorpion — an industry produced military-jet hopeful previously noted — continues to progress through its flight test, according to a local press release:
Recent flights have been gathering data about the aircraft’s performance at various speeds, altitudes and climb rates, and the responsiveness of its avionics, flight controls and landing systems, the Read more
A US Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier out of Yuma, AZ, crashed just south of Phoenix on Friday: Read more
Two years ago, two pilots took to 60 Minutes — with a Congressman for protection — to declare the F-22 had serious oxygen problems and the Air Force wasn’t acting with a sense of urgency to fix them.
Now, the lower ranking of the two, Capt Joshua Wilson, is still wondering if he’ll ever get back in the cockpit:
A member of the Virginia Air National Guard’s 149th Fighter Squadron, Wilson hasn’t been permitted to fly the jet since early 2012. He’s fighting disciplinary actions that he sees as retribution for going public.
Wilson has reportedly had his promotion revoked, been prohibited from serving in a full-time position with ACC, and told he would face an FEB — a flying evaluation board that would likely take away his wings.
According to the report, Read more
On February 5th, the Air Force Times reported the US Air Force has experienced a spate of problems with the emergency locator beacons intended to help rescuers find downed airmen [emphasis added]:
The Air Force spent $30 million for 17,000 of the beacons in 2009, with deliveries finalized in 2010. Two years after the first beacons were installed, crash investigators began noticing that they had not worked in multiple crashes. In fact, the beacons failed 10 times in 22 ejections, according to a review of crash reports since the beacons were installed.
The situation is so serious that one unit in Italy made a point of flying with their personal cell phones.
The article notes the incident that may have caused the greatest injection of urgency was the loss of an F-16C over the Pacific in 2012: Read more
According to the US Navy, an F/A-18E Super Hornet pilot ejected last Wednesday and was picked up by a local fisherman. The pilot is reportedly hospitalized in critical condition, with local news reports saying he was having trouble breathing when the fisherman recovered him.
The pilot (or aviator, in Navy parlance) was ultimately picked up by an MH-60 — from the same squadron that suffered a helicopter loss the week prior.
The Super Hornet was assigned to the “Pukin’ Dogs” of VFA-143 out of Oceana Naval Air Station. As is the usual practice, the Navy will investigate the incident.
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Names for the F-35, the latest “joint service” aircraft: