need to add title here

Choosing not to fly

May 6, 2012 4:00 PM

Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger, a pilot in the Air National Guard, says Air Force pilots should be able to voice safety concerns without fear of reprisal.

Is the Air Force's F-22 fighter jet making pilots sick?
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by 4gotppl May 13, 2012 2:41 PM EDT
if the airforce thinks theres no problem in those planes. then they should let the engineers or higher commads to fly them and there after ask them what they experienced during their flight. maybe then they all will ground those planes and fix the issues they are having. i highly doubt that those higher ranked people will ever volunteer to fly those raptors cause it might cause them to loose their lives but its ok for a lower ranked pilots to fly them even though they know and experiencing the problems?
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by thadcs May 8, 2012 11:12 AM EDT
Congressman Adam Kinzinger elucidates the management error systemic in 19th Century Scientific Management driving the military industrial complex. Rear echelons who never fly, march or swim will hear no bad news from the front lines. This is a common error in declining empires. Greece, Rome, Denmark, Prussia, France, England and now the USA. The keepers of the Judeo-Christian tradition need to wake up - protect our youth, take care our seniors and implement 20th Century management.

What would the Supreme Allied Command General Eisenhower do?

@thadcs economicGPS.com
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by 53gilley May 7, 2012 12:43 AM EDT
If the technology to supply O2 is based on O2 concentration via membranes, then the resulting mixture will be 95 percent O2 and 5 percent Argon. Normal concentration of Argon in air is 0.9 percent. Could it be that during high altitude flight conditions a 5 percent concentration of Argon is leading to Argon poisining?
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by flynjim1 May 6, 2012 11:14 PM EDT
I am surprised that the fatality of a raptor pilot, Jeffrey Haney who was killed in his Raptor on Nov 18-2010 was not brought up in this.

ABC had a similar news item on this that did mention Capt. Haney's death.
There is also a link to the accident report that blames Capt Haney.

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/exclusive-22-raptor-flyers-family-demands-truth-air/story?id=16253815#.T6c8N9VnvAM

the following was from the Raptor web page
http://www.f-22raptor.com/news_view.php?nid=423

- ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- Capt. Jeffrey Haney, assigned to the 3rd Wing's 525th Fighter Squadron, has been missing since the crash, however, a thorough search and rescue operation continued until today.

Captain Haney, from Clarklake, Mich., was commissioned in the U.S. Air Force in August 2003 and has been stationed here since June 2006.

"Based on evidence recovered from the crash site, and after two days of extensive aerial and ground search efforts, we know that Captain Haney did not eject from the aircraft prior to impact," said Col. Jack McMullen, 3rd Wing commander.

A recovery team at the crash site found a part of the ejection seat, along with several life support items that Captain Haney wore during the flight.

A report was issued by the Airforce on this accident clearly pointing to the blame of his fatality to the oxygen problem and hypoxia. Jeffery was the son of a HS friend of mine.
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by alaskadinger May 6, 2012 10:58 PM EDT
alaskadinger
I think that these birds should be fixed so they work as designed and I DO NOT think that the jet jocks should be forced to fly. I live here in Alaska where there are many
F-22 pilots that I've talked to in person who feel that they are being put in more than harms way. They also feel that their career could be stalled or ended if they don't fly.
Please I beg you to find what is really wrong. The bird is truly awesome and it could be wonderful again if only you would get the O2 problem fixed once and for all even if you have to ground her for years
I also feel that you are putting the folks of Mountain View at risk because that is a heavily populated area in Anchorage where the planes fly over daily......
I also defer to what Jmg4b stated "The military command
perpetually tries to bury its authoritarian big-feet blunders! --as if our adversaries are stupid."
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by QuercusRobur May 6, 2012 8:29 PM EDT
Has anyone considered that the oxygen generator might be producing ozone O3 or more exotic compounds such as tetraxone O4?
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by Jmg4b May 6, 2012 7:35 PM EDT
These pilots must be supported by the citizens of the United States. It is too bad that 60 Minutes did not provide the email address of those to whom we might let our firm feelings known! The military command
perpetually tries to bury its authoritarian big-feet blunders! --as if our adversaries are stupid.
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