Posted on 08/03/2006 7:06:12 PM PDT by Excuse_My_Bellicosity
July 25, 2006 (by Mike Kopack) - An F-16CJ pilot ejected from his aircraft over the Atlantic Ocean Apr. 5, 2006 after experiencing a Gravity-Induced Loss of Consciousness and awaking to find his aircraft in an unrecoverable dive, according to an Air Combat Command report released two weeks ago.
The pilot suffered serious injuries during the high-speed ejection, which took place while the aircraft was traveling in excess of 750 miles per hour. The aircraft (#93-542), assigned to the 20th Fighter Wing, Shaw AFB, S.C., crashed into the ocean approximately 80 miles northeast of Charleston, S.C., and was destroyed. The cost of the aircraft loss is estimated at nearly $23 million.
At the time of the incident the pilot was performing a high-gravity maneuver during a Basic Fighter Maneuver training mission. The investigating officer concluded there was substantial evidence that physical fatigue from flying five high-G sorties in three days, an extended layoff from flying and the mental stress associated with his instructor pilot upgrade training were contributing factors to the pilot's loss of consciousness.
For more information, call the Air Combat Command Public Affairs office at (757) 764-5007 or e-mail acc.pam@langley.af.mil.
The Navy is MUCH better than the Air Force at letting guys say, "Not today..."
That, and their commitment to EW are the only two things the Navy does better...unless you count crashes onto a ridiculously small piece of metal floating in the ocean.
It was a Navy guy that told me you should always ask yourself before flying, "Can I fart with confidence?"
Do you think (aside from the fact that the pilot suffered severe injuries) that such an incident would be a career-ending event? I have always wondered about people who have survived situations that may have involved pilot error - do they become desk jockeys or do they get a second chance and how much depends on the severity of the error.
Around 3am, something usually does.
Feeling optimistic, huh? Thought that would slide, did you?
I suggest you check the standard of female usually attached to a Naval Aviator, vs those (shall go unmentioned) gals that AF boys feel comfortable with only because they know that most of the time, they will be hidden in the desert or some remote base in Alaska, where they compare favorably only to sea lions.
Checking the standard of female usually attached to a Naval Aviator is all too easy - when the boat's away, the kittens...
Indeed, few things are tougher for a single guy near a Navy base than figuring which of the gals in the bar are married. But I'll grant, some of them are easy on the eyes. And a few of them really ARE great gals.
Besides, when you spend enough time in places like Saudi, the 2s and 3s start looking mighty good!
Fer yer SC ping list, pardner. :-)
I know you are having fun, but I gotta say my mother was one of those women tucked away in the desert, FumBuck England, and many points between R.I. and Hickam. Let me tell you, she was/is a smart, resourceful, fine looking woman.
On top of that, she could alter her fighter pilot husband's underwear to accomodate the coconuts required for 300+ missions north.
ping
"Gravity is the attractive force between two masses: "
Your Newtonian world view is so...so...freeperesque.
Gravity is a warp in the fabric of space-time.
9 g's??? Holy Cripes!!!
Hey Rokke,
Are you coming back to the viper or are you done for good? We're still training them like crazy (B and TX course) at Luke, hope to see you around.
Good report.
I have heard that ejecting caused you to lose an inch or two.
I have heard that ejecting caused you to lose an inch or two.
OK, centripedal acceleration expressed in terms of equivalent gravity units.
No doubt. Bummer that the guy got hurt, it's great that he's alive.
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