By Justin Oakes
Air Combat Command
LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va., July 6,
2012 – Air Combat Command's senior airman completed F-22 Raptor pilot
qualification recently, reinforcing his personal stake in the Air Force's
efforts to identify the root cause of unexplained physiological incidents
involving a small number of Raptor crews.
"As airmen, risk is part of our
lives as members of the military," said Gen. Mike Hostage, the commander
of Air Combat Command. "I'm asking these airmen to assume some risk that
exceeds the norm in day-to-day training, and I have to be willing to do it
myself and experience firsthand what they do."
Hostage completed his F-22 qualification
training with the 325th Fighter Wing at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., June 27.
"Flying the airplane allows me to
understand exactly what our airmen are dealing with," Hostage said.
"It's an amazing airplane to fly, and I'm confident in the procedures we
have in place to help enhance crew safety."
Since September 2011, when the aircraft
returned to flight operations, the Air Force has worked to determine why a very
small number of pilots have experienced symptoms such as dizziness while flying
or disorientation post-flight, and to reduce the risk of those incidents. In
January 2012, the Air Force created the F-22 Life Support Systems Task Force,
which consists of approximately two dozen ACC specialists and hundreds of
others from across the Air Force and other governmental agencies, including
NASA and the Navy, as well as industry partners.
"We've had a 99.9 percent effective
flying rate relative to these unknown physiological incidents, but that is not
good enough," Hostage said. "The task force has made great progress,
and the collaboration between our Air Force experts and others from NASA, the
Navy and industry is exceptional. I'm confident we're on the right track,
ensuring the safety of our crews and maintaining the F-22's combat readiness."
Air Combat Command is leading the F-22
life support task force, which has implemented several risk mitigation measures
since the return-to-fly in September. Those measures include comprehensive
inspections of aircraft and aircrew life support systems; a greater awareness
and emphasis on pilots' recognition of any indication of a potential problem;
the installation of a better-designed handle to activate the emergency oxygen
system; the fielding of pulse oximeters that allow pilots to cross-check symptoms
against measurements of the oxygenation of their blood's hemoglobin; and
numerous other non-material enhancements.
"We have taken a 9-1-1 call
approach," said Air Force Maj. Gen. Charles Lyon, the ACC's director of
operations and the task force lead. "We have instructed our airmen in the
field that whenever they get any indication that something may not be right,
knock it off, the flying equivalent of calling 9-1-1, and terminate the flight.
We focus all our attention on them and the safe recovery of the aircraft."
Most recently, ACC directed pilots to
remove the upper pressure garment of their aircrew flight equipment during
routine flight operations. Recent centrifuge testing revealed some issues with
the garment, which places added pressure on a pilot's chest and restricts
breathing in some instances.
"I'm cautiously optimistic that
we've identified the major factors that have caused symptoms of oxygen
deprivation in some of our F-22 pilots," Lyon said. "We've learned
some significant things over the past several months that help protect our
crews and maintain our combat readiness for the nation."
Lyon also said he is satisfied that,
after extensive testing, no harmful contaminants are moving through the oxygen
system. He went on to say a major focus of the task force now is looking at the
physiological-support equipment and exploring commonalities in the flight
profiles -- the combination of various altitudes and maneuvers -- that could be
common in the incidents.
As the task force continues its analysis
of factors contributing to physiological incidents, it remains in ongoing
dialogue with F-22 pilots, maintainers and life support airmen through regular
video teleconferences and a series of town hall meetings.
Meanwhile, Hostage plans to use his time
in the Raptor to experience F-22 operations firsthand and continue engaging in
personal dialogue with Raptor crews.
"Flying with F-22 pilots and
interacting directly with our maintenance and life support airmen helps me
better understand and validate what we've learned and what we're continuing to
learn about safer operation of the aircraft in a really demanding flight
environment," he said.
"The F-22 is vitally important to
this nation and the joint warfighting team, and our Raptor pilots and ground
crews are up to the task," Hostage said. "Our adversaries pay very
careful attention to where it is and what it's doing. Our friends are very reassured
by its presence. And it's ready to meet combatant commander requirements
anywhere in the world -- all because of our airmen who make it happen."
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