Excellent news!
Posted on 02/20/2008 4:49:13 PM PST by BenLurkin
MIAMI (CBS News) ― The Air Force says both pilots from two missing fighter jets have been rescued in the Gulf of Mexico.
Eglin Air Force Base spokeswoman Shirley Pigott confirmed the pilots' rescue. Their single-seat F-15C Eagles disappeared about 2 p.m. CST Wednesday off the Florida Panhandle, about 35 miles south of Tyndall Air Force Base.
More than 60 Coast Guard personnel had been involved in the search using multiple helicopters, cutters and jets, said Coast Guard Petty Officer James Harless.
Air Force officials are investigating.
Coast guard officials in New Orleans told CBS News affiliate WWL-TV that they resonded to a distress call 40 miles off the coast from Tyndall Air Force Base.
A Coast Guard spokesperson in New Orleans also told CBS News Radio that a "good Samaritan" fishing vessel rescued one crew member.
The Air Force grounded all of its F-15s nearly 700 after the catastrophic failure of an F-15C during a routine training flight in Missouri in November. The pilot safely ejected.
Most were back in service by January, but others were grounded indefinitely after defects were found.
The Air Force began using the F-15C in 1979. The planes, built by McDonnell Douglas Corp., were deployed to the Persian Gulf in 1991 in support of Operation Desert Storm and have since been used in Iraq, Turkey and Bosnia.
The planes can fly up to 65,000 feet and each costs about $30 million, according to the Air Force.
Wow! WOOOHOOO!
Glad they got out and were picked up. Hope their injuries arent too bad.
Thank the Lord.
Combat search and rescue....to the rescue!!!
Very glad to hear they are safe!!
So what happened? Mid-air?
Glad they are ok.
Yeah, their lives are (thankfully) saved but their AF careers are likely over.
Glad to hear that the pilots are ok.
Related link here:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1973691/posts
“Two F-15 Fighter Collide in Midair”
AP ^ | 02/20/2008 | By MELISSA NELSON, Associated Press Writer
Posted on 02/20/2008 5:12:14 PM PST by RTO
I will wait for the report before commenting.
Thanks! I missed that one!
I hope this waas just a collision because of I would hate to think that the Eagles are just falling apart because of old age.
At the rate congress is appropriating monies for the Air Force 17 will be 20 years before they have adequate fighter support.
Yeah, you never know. However, the fact that both of them went down tells me that one (or both) of them were doing something dumb. If it was one, the other might try to cover and then they will both be tarred—fairly or unfairly. Unless the aircraft (if recovered) can tell its own tale. Hopefully they can at least get the black boxes.
Regardless, I’m glad they’re okay.
Only that of the one who ran into the other one. If that is what happened. If the airplane broke and took 'em both out, then their careers will be fine. They aren't in the Navy you know.. and even the Navy isn't as much like that as it once was. Until RIFs come of course, then this sort of thing would be held against them, in any of the services.
Have been reading about problems with the f-15, knew that they stopped flying them in the last 6 months, and then read yesterday that they would fly them again...and today this news. What is going on with the F15's?
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