Then USAF blames the pilot for the mishap.
Lack of honor times ten.
The document, written by a member of the Combined Test Force at California's Edwards Air Force Base in March 2000 and updated in 2002, described a problem with the design of the plane's Environmental Control System (ECS), which is charged with regulating several systems in the plane including the conditions in the cockpit. During certain specific high-altitude maneuvers, the ECS system would shut down and it was built so that if it failed, it would spark a cascade effect that would also cut off the pilot's primary oxygen supply.
Under the heading "Impact If Not Fixed," the test group member wrote, "Real-world failure of [the oxygen system] due to ECS shutdown is unacceptable. ECS failure and the subsequent loss of supplemental breathing oxygen may result in pilot debilitation or fatality due to either altitude hypoxia [oxygen deprivation] or decompression sickness in the event of cabin depressurization."
"Investigate and take corrective action," the 2000 document says. "Suggest repairing the ECS system so it will provide continuous, adequate service throughout the flight envelope. Suggest providing a reliable source of bleed air for [the oxygen system] in the event of ECS failure... [C]onsider addition of pilot breathing air plenum to fill gaps when [the oxygen system] is not operating, as during ECS shutdown."
Yet, ABC commits yellow journalism against the F-22 capability stating that it hasn't been used in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Gee, I guess we need to get rid of nuclear ballistic missile submarines.
Senator McCain also jumps in.
Dumb attitudes like that mean that America will lose air power deterrence in the Pacific and elsewhere.
3 comments:
The F-22 was not employed in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya because it is difficult to deploy in expeditionary warfare, and it is does not play well in coalition warfare.
There will not be another "war over Air Dominance" in the pacific. The only enemy we have over there that can hold a candle to our Air Force (even circa 1980) is China. They have a nuke. We don't fight people with nukes. One you get one, we don't/can't fight you.
Once we can't fight you there, we only have foreign aid, diplomacy and control of the world bank to control you with. (See US vs GB over the Suez Canal. What's gonna be really interesting is when you have the nuke and you have trillions of US greenbacks in your bank. When that happens, you can have as many F-22s/35s as you want. It doesn't matter. You lost the war when you borrowed the money to build them.
PBW
Isn’t the automatic handling of ECS malfunctions in the F-22similar to some other jets, like the F-18? There may be valid criticisms and differences in opinions on what the emergency systems logic should do, and how the pilot should be informed about automatic actions that are being taken. It should be a lively debate (and probably was). Anyway, this subject is not related to the unexplained hypoxia incidents that ABC news is twittering about. I’m sure all the recommendations you mention from 2000-2002 were not incorporated, but every one of them was an action to somebody and the action was closed by an engineering fix or a procedure change. I wasn’t involved, but that’s what happens. Somewhere there are names and dates available. If you need to dig into it, interview them all and get the (10 year old) scoop. However, the malfunction that was triggering ECS shutdown and made the test pilots upset back then is probably not the one involved with Capt. Haney’s tragic flight. Indeed, the warning Capt. Haney received, “BLEED HOT” I believe, was very serious and it could have led to a fire. The automatic safety system proceeded to close valves and such to isolate a dangerous leak. The pilots know when they get that warning, the ECS is going to shut down in seconds, so dive and pull the green ring. Maybe false alarms are frequent, which is another concern? We all want the systems to be 100% reliable, blah, blah, but automatic trouble shooting and corrective action can be effectively prompt, unless that system is unreliable. So, an automatic emergency oxygen system is being installed quickly on the F-22, so nobody has to pull the green ring…unless that system is unreliable or the trigger criteria is no good, or...OK, the green ring is still available.
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