Tag Archives: F-18

Navy Clear on Causes of Physiological Events in Pilots; Final Recommendations Released for PE Mitigation

Navy Clear on Causes of Physiological Events in Pilots; Final Recommendations Released for PE Mitigation

Lt. Joshua Chester, a Navy pilot from Lorton, Virginia, poses in front of an F/A-18E Super Hornet, assigned to the “Sunliners” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 81 on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) in the Atlantic Ocean. US Navy Photo

The Navy now understands what has been causing physiological events in aviators – which spiked so sharply in 2017 that flight instructors refused to get into their jets to train new student pilots – with a recently completed root cause analysis pointing to a complex relationship between aircrew, their flight gear and their aircraft. Read More

New Navy Budget Request Moves Money Toward Top Two Aviation Safety Priorities

New Navy Budget Request Moves Money Toward Top Two Aviation Safety Priorities

Naval Aircrewman (Helicopter) 2nd Class Joshua White, assigned to the “Black Knights” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 4, sits in the gunner’s seat of an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter on July 21, 2016. US Navy Photo

The Navy’s top two aviation safety priorities could benefit from a half-billion-dollar bump in funding for aircraft modification kits if the service’s fiscal year 2019 budget request is approved. Read More

Congress Frustrated at Progress of Fighter Physiological Episode Investigations While Navy Back to Full Pilot Production After T-45C Fixes

Congress Frustrated at Progress of Fighter Physiological Episode Investigations While Navy Back to Full Pilot Production After T-45C Fixes

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

Physiological Episodes Down in the Navy After Slew of Changes; New Pilot Production Rate Nearly Back to Normal

Physiological Episodes Down in the Navy After Slew of Changes; New Pilot Production Rate Nearly Back to Normal

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

Navy Digital Warfare Office Proving Data Analytics Can Help Address Nagging Operational Problems

Navy Digital Warfare Office Proving Data Analytics Can Help Address Nagging Operational Problems

Information Systems Technician 1st Class Heather Edbauer assigned to USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), track inventory while issuing new network computers for shipboard offices. US Navy Photo

THE PENTAGON – The Navy is seeing first-hand that thoughtful data collection and analysis can go a long way in addressing lingering readiness problems, as the Navy Digital Warfare Office continues to roll out a set of pilot programs meant to introduce the service to the benefits of data science.

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Marines: Ground, Aviation Readiness Depends On Increased Funding for Spares; Pilot Program Aimed at Keeping Hornets Available to Pilots

Marines: Ground, Aviation Readiness Depends On Increased Funding for Spares; Pilot Program Aimed at Keeping Hornets Available to Pilots

Marines with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 323 “Death Rattlers” inspect an F/A-18C Hornet at Naval Air Station Fallon, Nev., on Feb. 15 2017. Marine Corps Photo

Marine Corps leadership told the House Armed Services readiness subcommittee that it needs a Fiscal Year 2017 budget and the supplemental spending request to not only address aviation and ground equipment readiness challenges but also to keep global operational requirements on track. Read More

Naval Aviation: Full-Year CR Would Shut Down Half Their Squadrons; Need Supplemental Funding For Readiness

Naval Aviation: Full-Year CR Would Shut Down Half Their Squadrons; Need Supplemental Funding For Readiness

An F/A-18E Super Hornet from the Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 137 “Kestrels” flies over the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) on March 24, 2017. US Navy Photo

Navy and Marine Corps aviation leaders asked lawmakers to at the very least spare them from a full-year continuing resolution – and ideally to give them both the original Fiscal Year 2017 funding and the more recent FY 2017 supplemental funding the White House requested – to help dig out of a readiness hole. Read More

Marines Would Save $1B If F-35 Entered Service Faster; F-18 Hornets Struggling To Stay Mission-Ready

Marines Would Save $1B If F-35 Entered Service Faster; F-18 Hornets Struggling To Stay Mission-Ready

A U.S. Marine Corps F/A-18C Hornet with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 232 “Red Devils” departs the runway at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, March 24, 2017. US Marine Corps photo.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Marine Corps could save about a billion dollars, reduce risk for pilots seeing too few flight hours each month and bring additional high-end capability to the fleet if the service were able to buy its F-35B and C Joint Strike Fighters at a faster pace, the deputy commandant for aviation said on Tuesday. Read More

Lawmaker Worries Marine Corps Investing Too Heavily In Aviation Over Ground Vehicles

Lawmaker Worries Marine Corps Investing Too Heavily In Aviation Over Ground Vehicles

U.S. Marine Corps pilots maneuver a CH-53K King Stallion as it delivers a 12,000 pound external load after completing a 110 nautical mile mission during the two-week initial operational test (OT-B1) conducted at Sikorsky. Sikorsky photo.

The Marine Corps’ top financial officer told lawmakers that the service considers its modernization programs properly balanced between aviation and ground needs, while acknowledging that there hasn’t been enough money in recent years to buy the ground assets at a proper pace. Read More