Update, 4/15: Defense Secretary Leon Panetta set new limits on F-22 flights, ordering that they stay within safe distance of a landing strips due to ongoing concerns about oxygen deficiency.

Last week, CBS’ 60 Minutes aired an interview with two of the pilots who are refusing to fly the jets. They will receive whistleblower protection, and not be reprimanded for speaking out.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7407680n

The pricey F-22 Raptor jet has just gotten back up in the air, but the safety problem that grounded it doesn’t seem to be resolved.

Last year, the F-22 was grounded for four months because pilots were experiencing dizziness and other symptoms of hypoxia, which is caused by a lack of oxygen. The Air Force looked into possible malfunctions in the plane’s oxygen-generation system, but in September, the planes were cleared for service after technicians were unable to pinpoint a source of the problem.

May 14, however, the Air Force’s Air Combat Command confirmed that some pilots — they would specify only “a very small” number — have requested not to fly the F-22.

General Mike Hostage, who heads the Air Combat Command, said in a news briefing yesterday that the Air Force is taking cautionary measures but would continue to fly the planes. “We don’t have a conclusive answer yet, and that’s why we continue to fly with the mitigating procedures, because I can’t learn about the problem if I don’t fly the airplane,” he said.

Since the planes started flying again in September, there have been more than 12,000 sorties and 11 reported instances of “hypoxia-like symptoms.” An Air Combat Command Center spokesman told ProPublica today that a team of two-dozen Air Force and outside specialists is monitoring the planes and pilots for both mechanical and medical problems regarding the hypoxia symptoms, but that no “root cause” has been determined.

Before the grounding, there had been at least 12 separate reports of hypoxia-like symptoms, and planes had been limited to flying at lower altitudes. In late 2010, an F-22 pilot died in a crash after he apparently lost control of the plane when the oxygen system malfunctioned. The Air Force’s official report on the incident acknowledged the oxygen system failure but blamed the pilot’s response for the crash.

As ProPublica has detailed, the roughly $70 billion F-22 program has long experienced structural deficiencies and cost overruns. The U.S. halted orders of the jets in 2009, as then-Secretary of Defense Robert Gates argued the F-22′s specific capability was not widely applicable in the nation’s “spectrum of conflict.”

The planes have yet to be deployed in combat, though last week a number of them were reportedly sent to the United Arab Emirates.

by Cora Currier, ProPublica, May 15, 2012, 6:43 p.m.

Image Courtesy of By U.S. Air Force Photo/Tech. Sgt. Ben Bloker [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

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The pricey F-22 Raptor jet has just gotten back up in the air, but the safety problem that grounded it doesn’t seem to be resolved.

Last year, the F-22 was grounded for four months because pilots were experiencing dizziness and other symptoms of hypoxia, which is caused by a lack of oxygen. The Air Force looked into possible malfunctions in the plane’s oxygen-generation system, but in September, the planes were cleared for service after technicians were unable to pinpoint a source of the problem.

Monday, however, the Air Force’s Air Combat Command confirmed that some pilots — they would specify only “a very small” number — have requested not to fly the F-22.

General Mike Hostage, who heads the Air Combat Command, said in a news briefing yesterday that the Air Force is taking cautionary measures but would continue to fly the planes. “We don’t have a conclusive answer yet, and that’s why we continue to fly with the mitigating procedures, because I can’t learn about the problem if I don’t fly the airplane,” he said.

Since the planes started flying again in September, there have been more than 12,000 sorties and 11 reported instances of “hypoxia-like symptoms.” An Air Combat Command Center spokesman told ProPublica today that a team of two-dozen Air Force and outside specialists is monitoring the planes and pilots for both mechanical and medical problems regarding the hypoxia symptoms, but that no “root cause” has been determined.

Before the grounding, there had been at least 12 separate reports of hypoxia-like symptoms, and planes had been limited to flying at lower altitudes. In late 2010, an F-22 pilot died in a crash after he apparently lost control of the plane when the oxygen system malfunctioned. The Air Force’s official report on the incident acknowledged the oxygen system failure but blamed the pilot’s response for the crash.

As ProPublica has detailed, the roughly $70 billion F-22 program has long experiencedstructural deficiencies and cost overruns. The U.S. halted orders of the jets in 2009, as then-Secretary of Defense Robert Gates argued the F-22′s specific capability was not widely applicable in the nation’s “spectrum of conflict.”

The planes have yet to be deployed in combat, though last week a number of them were reportedly sent to the United Arab Emirates.

 by Cora Currier, ProPublica, May 1, 2012, 4:31 p.m.

Image Courtesy of By U. S. Air Force Photo [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

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The dream of home ownership will become a reality for retired U.S. Air Force Captain Jason Vest when he and his family receive the keys to a brand new, mortgage free home today in the Centex community of West Fork Ranch located in North Fort Worth. Through the Operation Finally Home program and donations from PulteGroup, Captain Vest will now own a house in which he and his family can feel secure as they return home to Fort Worth.

PulteGroup donated the lot and the cost of construction for the new home through its Centex brand. The local building community also chipped in by hosting a golf tournament to raise funds to furnish the home.  Thanks to the generosity and participation of Pulte’s contractors, vendors and housing partners, more than$35,000 was raised for the family.

“We are honored to participate with Operation Finally Home to help put this brave veteran and his family in a better place. That is what the Centex brand is all about,” said Steven Langridge, vice president of sales for the Dallas operations of Centex. “We hope this home will help improve the quality of life for Captain Vest and provide him and his family with enjoyment and security for years to come.”

Vest enlisted in the Air Force in 2000 as an airborne radio operator and in 2006 was commissioned to serve as a pilot. He has served in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom and has been recognized with multiple awards, including expert marksman, AF Outstanding Unit Award with Valor and the Meritorious Unit Award.

Vest recently retired from the Air Force after being diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease, which has limited him in is daily life. The new home will help him readjust to civilian life as he and his family return to his native hometown of Fort Worth.

“PulteGroup and the Bay Area Builder’s Operation Finally Home are perfect examples of the great American spirit. They are providing my family with an incredibly positive return home in the aftermath and midst of very difficult times,” Vest said.

Image Courtesy of   http://www.flickr.com/photos/usairforce/

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The Weather Channel Companies announced it has greenlit “Hurricane Hunters,” a new character-driven documentary series revealing the high-stakes world of pilots who fly planes into hurricanes to gather meteorological data from the eye of the storm. The show tracks their lives and dangerous missions during the height of hurricane season.

Produced by Christian D’Andrea, Aleco Bravo, Rich Battista, and High Noon Entertainment, the series is comprised of 4x 30-minute episodes and will premiere in July 2012.

“Hurricane Hunters” follows the Air Force’s 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron based in Biloxi, Mississippi, whose mission is to fly planes into hurricanes to better understand them and gather key meteorological data that can only be captured by flying into the eye of the storm. The information they gather helps weather services predict storm paths and warn affected cities.

This is meteorology in the extreme: they risk their own lives, and other people’s lives depend on them. Remarkably, many of these highly trained men and women take on hurricane hunting as a second job – and their day jobs and hobbies are as varied as a FedEx pilot, an attorney, and an Elvis impersonator, making for a unique and eclectic group.

“The appeal of shows like this for The Weather Channel is that these are real people, and the type of work they do helps safeguard people and potentially saves lives,” said Bob Walker, executive vice president and general manager of networks and content, The Weather Channel.

“Few people can imagine what it would be like to travel into the eye of a hurricane – and these men and women volunteer to do it. ‘Hurricane Hunters’ offers viewers a rare inside look at an extraordinary group of people and the work they do in perilous weather conditions.”

“Hurricane Hunters” joins TWC’s growing stable of long-form, original content, which includes its most recent additions, “Twist of Fate,” “Storm Riders,” and “Coast Guard Alaska,” as well as the upcoming series “Lifeguard!” and anthology series “Braving the Elements,” both premiering in March 2012.

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Hawker Beechcraft learned during the initial status conference at the Court of Federal Claims that the U.S. Air Force awarded the Light Air Support contract to the Sierra Nevada Corporation and its Brazilian manufacturer, Embraer.

During the hearing, the government revealed that the unannounced award apparently was made on December 22, 2011, shortly after the Government Accountability Office declined to review Hawker Beechcraft’s protest against its exclusion from the LAS competition.  Per federal regulations, federal agencies are generally required to make a public award announcement by 5:00 P.M. ET on the day of the award.

“This is yet another example of the Air Force’s lack of transparency throughout this competition,” said Bill Boisture, Hawker Beechcraft chairman and CEO.  ”With this development, it now seems even clearer that the Air Force intended to award the contract to Embraer from early in this process.”

During the hearing on December 28, Hawker Beechcraft requested that the court grant a temporary restraining order to preclude the Air Force from moving forward in the contract process.  The court agreed to establish an accelerated schedule for briefings on the temporary restraining order and the legal merits of the case.  A ruling on Hawker Beechcraft’s request for a temporary restraining order is expected as early as January 11.

The company still has no concrete reasons for the exclusion of the Beechcraft AT-6, having been denied explanation by the U.S. Air Force on two occasions.  The LAS contract, on track to benefit a non-U.S. company, is valued at nearly $1 billion of U.S. taxpayer money.

The AT-6 is a world-class, light attack aircraft that has been evaluated and proven capable through a multi-year, Congressionally-funded program led by the Air National Guard. Hawker Beechcraft and its industrial partners worked closely with the Air Force for two years to develop parameters for the LAS competition and invested more than $100 million preparing to meet the Air Force’s specific requirements for a light attack aircraft.  The benefits of the AT-6 include the following:

• The AT-6 is designed and manufactured in the U.S. to be used by the U.S and its allies.
• Keeping this contract in the U.S. will help preserve 1,400 domestic jobs at 181 companies in 39 states.
• The AT-6 draws its heritage from the airframe of the number one training aircraft in the world, the Beechcraft T-6. The company has built more than 725 T-6 aircraft, which are used to train every fixed-wing military pilot in the United States and are successfully operated by six allied air forces around the world. The graduation to the AT-6 light attack airplane would be a natural progression.
• The AT-6 is the sum of the Air Force’s proven T-6, A-10C mission system and MC-12W sensor suite.
• The weapons and avionics systems included on the AT-6 are familiar to NATO allies and have been proven effective on many continents and in other NATO aircraft.

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