So if you hear some noise coming from a military installation near you, instead of calling city hall and whining about it, how about a call to heaven, and tell God that you appreciate being an American. And maybe you would ask if He’d please keep an eye out for those folks who are making the noise.
To be fair, there’s another common quote: “I loved the sound of freedom…until I tried to sell my house.”
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The Air Force released two investigation reports blaming pilots for two separate F-16 crashes this year.
In the first, Capt Lucas Gruenther was killed when he ejected from his F-16 during a night training sortie over the Adriatic Sea. The Air Force said:
The board president, Brig. Gen. Derek P. Rydholm, found clear and convincing evidence that the pilot Read more
The Navy reported that a T-45C Goshawk crashed while on approach to Naval Air Station Pensacola. The two-man crew was hospitalized.
The two aircrew aboard a U.S. Navy T-45C Goshawk aircraft that crashed this morning at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla. are stable and are being treated at a local hospital.
At approximately 10:30 a.m. today, a U.S. Navy T-45C Goshawk aircraft crashed at the approach end of a runway at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla.
The articles do not address whether the crew attempted to eject.
Also at the Stars and Stripes and Navy Times.
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A press release notes Textron Airland, a joint venture between Cessna and an industry group, has self-produced an aircraft it intends to market as a low-cost irregular warfare aircraft. The “Scorpion”
is well matched to the Air National Guard’s missions such as irregular warfare, border patrol, maritime surveillance, emergency relief, counter narcotics and air defense operations,” the joint venture’s website says…
The Scorpion will be able to carry 3,000 pounds of weapons at speeds up to 517 mph, according to the company’s website. The plane’s ceiling is 45,000 feet.
Airland is a group made up of “formed by former defense and aerospace executives,” including former Secretary of the Air Force F. Whitten Peters. One of the Scorpion’s primary selling points is that it has been developed without government funds to date, making it an “off the shelf” and economical purchase.
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The two-man crew of a T-38C at Sheppard AFB ejected with minor injuries on Friday. As with the prior F-16 mishap a few weeks ago, there are already reports that the jet was downed by a birdstrike. One of the pilots reportedly descended through the fireball.
The Air Force took the unusual approach of rapidly identifying the crew:
Maj. Christopher Thompson was instructing a member of the German Air Force, identified…as 1st Lt. Julius Dressbach.
As with all mishaps, the Air Force will investigate and report on its outcome. Until then, a video of the wreckage has already made the internet.
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The Air Force has identified the three Airmen killed in Friday’s crash of a KC-135 in Kyrgyzstan.
Capt. Mark T. Voss, 27, of Colorado Springs, Colo.,
Capt. Victoria A. Pinckney, 27, of Palmdale, Calif., and
Tech Sgt. Herman Mackey III, 30, of Bakersfield, Calif.
They were apparently a Fairchild AFB-based crew.
Also at AF.mil.
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Initial reports indicate (and Air Force sources reportedly confirm) a US Air Force KC-135 has crashed after takeoff from Manas, Kyrgyzstan, which is a transit hub for US forces in Afghanistan.
Five people were on board, said Elmira Shyrypova, at the Kyrgyz Emergencies Ministry press office. The U.S. military didn’t give the number of those on the plane and said “the status of the crew is unknown.”
Purported photos of the crash site show KC-135 wing parts and a McConnell AFB tail flash.
KC-135s can carry cargo and are also refuelers for the many fighter aircraft supporting combat operations in Afghanistan.
Also at FoxNews.
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The US Navy reported an F/A-18F Super Hornet crashed while operating off the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the North Arabian Sea:
Search and Rescue (SAR) swimmers from an SH-60F of HS-5 “Night Dippers” recovered the two aircrew and safely delivered them back to the carrier.
Unlike Air Force reports, which withhold details until a month-long investigation is completed, the initial Navy release speculated as to the cause of the crash:
The two aircrew, from VFA-103 “Jolly Rogers” based in Virginia Beach, Va., safely ejected from their jet when it incurred an engine failure at 12:20 p.m. local time.
In case you were wondering, the F/A-18 has two engines.
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