Tag Archives: physiological episodes

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

Navy Taking Major Steps to Prevent Future Physiological Events in Jets

Navy Taking Major Steps to Prevent Future Physiological Events in Jets

Capt. Jeffrey Anderson, commander, Carrier Air Wing Three, performs pre-flight checks inside the cockpit of an F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned to the Sidewinders of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 86 on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) in 2016. US Navy Photo

ARLINGTON, Va. – With the Navy ruling out contaminated air and focusing on air pressure fluctuations as the cause of many physiological events (PEs), the service is planning a major maintenance event on its jets to try to curb PE rates. Read More

Navy Rules Out Suspected Physiological Episodes Cause While Super Hornet Rates Grow in 2019

Navy Rules Out Suspected Physiological Episodes Cause While Super Hornet Rates Grow in 2019

F/A-18E Super Hornets from Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 136 “Knighthawks” fly in formation during a photo exercise over Calif., on March 12, 2019. US Navy Photo

CAPITOL HILL — The Navy has ruled out breathing air contamination as a cause of physiological episodes, but a complex set of conditions – including both cabin pressure issues and human factors – has led to the rates of pilots experiencing PEs this current fiscal year being back on the rise. Read More

Naval Aviators Underway Keep a Wary Eye for Physiological Episodes

Naval Aviators Underway Keep a Wary Eye for Physiological Episodes

An FA-18E Super Hornet, assigned to the Stingers of Strike Fighter Attack Squadron (VFA) 113, flies over the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) on March 22, 2018. US Navy Photo

ABOARD USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT, IN THE PERSIAN GULF – Nearly one year after naval flight student training ground to a halt due to soaring rates of physiological episodes among jet aircrew, deployed aviators are vigilant in self-monitoring for PE symptoms and are armed with a hyperbaric oxygen chamber to treat any potential cases while at sea. 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

Top Stories 2017: U.S. Navy Acquisition and Maintenance

Top Stories 2017: U.S. Navy Acquisition and Maintenance

USNI News polled its writers, naval analysts and service members on what they consider the most important military and maritime stories in 2017.

The following is part of a series. Please also see Top Stories: International AcquisitionNavy OperationsMarine Corps OperationsMarine Corps and Coast Guard AcquisitionInternational Operations and New Administration

2017 began with the promise of planning for a larger fleet: at the end of 2016, the Navy announced a 355-ship requirement, and the incoming Trump Administration expressed its support for a larger military and a heftier Navy. Few concrete steps were taken this year, though, to begin a buildup – though many programs that will be pivotal to the 355-ship fleet of the future reached significant programmatic milestones in 2017. 

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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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Recent Carrier Deployment Raises More Questions About Navy's Rash of Physiological Episodes

Recent Carrier Deployment Raises More Questions About Navy’s Rash of Physiological Episodes

An F/A-18C Hornet attached to the “Raging Bulls” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 37 launches from the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) (GHWB) as an EA-18G Growler, attached to the “Lancers” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 131 prepares to launch on April 8, 2017. US Navy photo.

The Navy is grappling with even more questions about the physiological episodes its fighter pilots have been facing, after Carrier Air Wing 8 deployed with additional tools to measure and treat PEs and returned with less clarity on the connection between cabin pressure and physical side effects. Read More