Ghost in the machine – Why are F18 pilots being deprived of oxygen for so long – PB/TK
Navy fighter jets depriving pilots of oxygen – April 3, 2017
An increasing number of F/A-18 fighter jet pilots are suffering from potentially dangerous oxygen deprivation during flight, a safety issue that is raising new questions around the future of the US Navy’s aging air fleet.
Testifying before lawmakers last week, Navy officials described a rising rate of “physiological episodes” affecting pilots who fly all models of F-18 aircraft, especially the Boeing-built Super Hornet, an aircraft that has seen public support from President Donald Trump.
“Since May 1, 2010, all models” of the F-18 “show steady, yearly increases in the number of physiological episodes,” according to their testimony, which was first reported by Bloomberg ahead of last week’s House Armed Services subcommittee hearing.
They also reported a growing number incidents involving pilots of Boeing’s EA-18G Growler, an aircraft that specializes in jamming and disrupting various capabilities of enemy jets.
The reported physiological episodes are categorized in two general groups, those related to “pilot breathing gas” and those caused by “unscheduled pressure changes in the flight station,” according to Rear Adm. Michael Moran.
Continue to cnn.com article: http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/03/politics/f-18-pilots-oxygen-navy-boeing/index.html
