Pilots perform pre-flight procedures in T-45C Goshawks from Training Air Wing One (TRAWING) 1 on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) on Dec. 10, 2016. US Navy photo.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Navy isn’t moving fast enough to fix the ongoing systemic physiological episodes that have plagued fighter pilots and flight students, members of the House Armed Services Committee said on Tuesday. Read More
An F-35C Lightning II assigned to the Grim Reapers of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 101 lands on the flight deck of aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72). Abraham Lincoln is underway conducting training after successful completion of carrier incremental availability. US Navy Photo
USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) recently notched some significant firsts for air operations, including using a new landing system during carrier operations and qualifying its first F-35C Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter aviators.
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Commander, Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet Vice Adm. Mike Shoemaker speaks with sailors in Atsugi, Japan on March 23, 2016. US Navy Photo
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Navy’s multi-pronged efforts to address hypoxia, decompression sickness and other physiological episodes (PEs) in its F-18 and T-45 aircrew are showing positive results, with the number of PE events down in most aircraft types and the T-45C Goshawk trainers set to resume full operations by the end of the month, according to the commander of Naval Air Forces. Read More
A T-45C Goshawk training aircraft assigned to Carrier Training Wing (CTW) 1 approaches the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) on March 20, 2017. US Navy Photo
This post has been updated to include additional comment from Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Bill Moran in a phone call with reporters.
A comprehensive review of the rising number of physiological episodes and the Navy’s response to those PEs determined the Navy’s oxygen-generation and cabin pressure systems are too complex for reliable performance, and that the process for reporting and investigating the root cause of physiological episodes is “fundamentally flawed,” according to the review released this afternoon. Read More
A T-45C Goshawk training aircraft assigned to Carrier Training Wing (CTW) 1 approaches the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) on March 20, 2017. US NAvy Photo
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Navy and Marine Corps are still struggling with oxygen system problems that have plagued the Navy’s carrier training aircraft and have clogged both services’ pipeline of new pilots, the commander of Naval Air Systems Command said during a Wednesday congressional hearing. Read More
A T-45C Goshawk training aircraft assigned to Carrier Training Wing (CTW) 2 launches from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) on Feb. 9, 2017. US Navy photo.
U.S. Pacific Fleet commander Adm. Scott Swift will lead a 30-day review on “the facts, circumstances and processes surrounding the recent physiological episodes involving T-45 and F/A-18 aircrew,” the Navy announced today. Read More
The following is an April 21, 2017, memo from Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Bill Moran to U.S. Pacific Fleet Commander Adm. Scott Swift regarding a new 30-day review of physiological episodes experienced by Navy jet aircrews. Read More
40 T-45 Goshawk jets from Chief of Naval Air Training Command sit on Naval Air Station Key West’s Boca Chica Field preparing for their aircraft carrier qualifications on Dec. 6, 2016. The student aviators are flying the T-45s during Field Carrier Landing Practice before they head out to the carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) for their first aircraft carrier landings. US Navy photo.
Navy student pilots will resume some flights in the T-45C Goshawk this week after a 12-day operational pause to determine the cause of recent oxygen-generation system failures, but they will not be allowed to land on aircraft carriers or fly higher-altitude missions until a permanent solution is found. Read More
Three E-2D Advanced Hawkeyes assigned to Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 125 taxi down the runway onboard Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, on Feb. 2, 2017. US Navy photo.
SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The Navy aviation community has kept its transition to new aircraft types on track amid years of funding challenges and will prioritize the readiness of those new planes over older ones if needed, the Air Boss told USNI News. Read More
Three EA-6B Prowlers belonging to each Prowler squadron aboard Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point conducted a “Final Four” division flight aboard the air station March 1, 2016. US Marine Corps Photo
President-Elect Donald Trump has called for hard-hitting initiatives to be included in a first-100-day thrust to make America strong again. Hoping to be included in that effort are some common-sense, low-cost changes to our land-based expeditionary electronic warfare (EW) force posture that would immediately improve operational readiness and have a positive economic effect to boot. Read More
