Mystery Of F-22 Illnesses Grows

Mystery Of F-22 Illnesses Grows

www.nbcmontana.com

Even as the Air Force searches for the reason pilots are getting sick flying the F-22, a new mystery about the troubled stealth fighter jet has come to light: Why are mechanics on the ground getting sick in the plane as well?

The Air Force has been looking into a number of reports that pilots experienced "hypoxia-like symptoms" aboard F-22s since April 2008. Hypoxia is oxygen deficiency.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Well this is an odd one. Illness related to the F-22 has been reported before, but now the pilots have gone to 60 Minutes to tell their story.

And now the same illness is effecting ground maintenance crews as well.

The Air Force said Tuesday that no disciplinary action will be taken against the pilots for taking their concerns to "60 Minutes."

www.nbcmontana.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

So the pilots got so angry at this that they are refusing to fly the planes and took the story to mainstream media directly.

Air Force says it might be because they fly higher, but the ground crew getting ill did not wear the masks. This story should be interesting to follow

A STRANGE SICKNESS: After flying the F-22 Raptor, Air Force pilot Jeremy Gordon says he began to struggle with a host of ailments – including coughing, dizziness and headaches -- and eventually learned that other pilots were experiencing the same thing.

In this short web-extra clip, he describes his symptoms to Lesley Stahl: cbsn.ws...

www.facebook.com...

reply to post by zorgon


Wow, talk about a boondoggle.
79 billion dollars!
And the pilots have a "Raptors Cough"?

And now the mechanics....

Well, the private contractors in the Armed Forces seem to be getting a lot of their electronics from China. They're probably getting a lot of their steel and other supplies from China as well. Not saying that all Chinese stuff is bad; just saying that quality checks for safety are probably less than optimum.

From 60 Minutes website

www.cbsnews.com...

F-22 Ground Crew Suffered Hypoxia-Like Symptoms

Fresh on the heels of yesterday’s announcement by the Air Force that it thinks the hypoxia-like symptoms suffered by F-22 Raptor pilots may be caused by the jets high-altitude performance, reports are emerging that ground crew are also suffering from similar ailments when they stand near the jet while it’s engines are running. Interesting.

At least five ground maintainers complained of illness between September and December, Air Combat Command spokesman Lt. Col. Tadd Sholtis said in an Air Force Times article that hit the newsstands Monday. The maintainers grew sick after breathing in ambient air during ground engine runs, a congressional aide told Air Force Times.

defensetech.org...

lol,

"taking their concerns"

language how allusive and power-tripping upon its enslave

It is funny that they blindly looked at the oxygen generators without actually sampling the ambient air and such. Carbon Monoxide exposure will have all of these effects.

I was googling this topic and came across this letter:
Congress' letter in regards to the F22 raptor and the pilots symptoms

I'd copy part of it but it goes to a PDF page and it won't allow me to highlight.

The letter is from May 2012 and its signed by Mark Warner (US Senator, Virginia) and Adam Kinzinger (Member of Congress, 11th District of Illinois)

Not sure if it's any help but it mentions a filter and if ground crew are touching this maybe there is something in it that is causing it and that is why both pilots and crew on the ground are getting sick. Not sure but figured I share.

Interesting thread.

reply to post by zorgon


Carbon monoxide from running the jets inside the hanger?

Part of the problem may be the procedures used at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, where most of the known incidents have occurred. Because of the harsh climate, pilots often start their jet engines inside a hangar before taking off. Investigators suspect that exhaust gases are getting trapped in the building and subsequently sucked back into the engines, where they enter the bleed air intakes that supply the OBOGS, sources said.

www.airforcetimes.com...

reply to post by zorgon


Unless the Raptor sports some new technology as far as getting O2 to the pilot (which it does not, by public record anyway) or the carbon filtration system is somehow contaminated (should have already been identified and corrected), there has to be something else in play.

The ship is made of composite material and as we know, some of the newer nano composites do alter the what we call 'air' at the molecular level... though not by any large or seemingly dangerous degree.

What's left is in what we don't know about this machine. Does it project some sort of field around it that lends itself to the stealth ability? The F-22 doesn't really resemble anything we have previously identified as being stealthy so... that possibility remains open. And since the F-35 also bears no resemblance to those same previous stealth models, we might eventually see the same thing crop up there as well...

Whatever it is, there has to be something solid behind it. Fighter pilots don't walk away from their fighters or their duty for anything less than something that makes their mission almost impossible.

I recall there were contractors who were ill from exposure to chemicals in stealth fighter production years back associated with the coating materials or something along those lines.

Have to wonder if there is some reaction of the heat, fuels or other things with coatings or other materials.

Originally posted by zorgon

Mystery Of F-22 Illnesses Grows

www.nbcmontana.com

Even as the Air Force searches for the reason pilots are getting sick flying the F-22, a new mystery about the troubled stealth fighter jet has come to light: Why are mechanics on the ground getting sick in the plane as well?

The Air Force has been looking into a number of reports that pilots experienced "hypoxia-like symptoms" aboard F-22s since April 2008. Hypoxia is oxygen deficiency.

(visit the link for the full news article)

What the hell ever happened to common sense?

If it doesn't work well then rip it out of the F-22.

Go ahead and use the exact same system they use in a F-16 Falcon!

For what it may be worth, back when I worked on a flight line, one of my superiors once warned me about "snooping" around in planes. This was before I was trained on the planes and which panels to touch and not touch.

His words were: "Do not go opening up panels to see what is behind them, on some aircraft there are things behind those panels that will kill you before you hit the ground."

reply to post by redoubt


I was thinking about the Nano also.

I could say its that reverse engineered alien technology malevolent
type stuff but that would be a stretch.

A fume study may be the answer.They need to put the aircraft into a vaccum and slowly introduce oxygen to analyze the toxicity of particles and what exactly the inert materials are emitting and begin a componential study of the same process.But what do I know?

Originally posted by burntheships
reply to post by redoubt

 

I was thinking about the nano also.

I could say its that reverse engineered alien technology type
stuff but that would be a stretch.

Agreed. No reason to drag ET in unless there is eventually some evidence to do so.

Guess the curse I put on the military industrial complex is working,watch out Vatican,you are next!

Originally posted by redoubt
Does it project some sort of field around it that lends itself to the stealth ability?

That was my first thought as well

But this comment...

The Air Force said Tuesday that no disciplinary action will be taken against the pilots for taking their concerns to "60 Minutes."

...tells me it is a serious problem

given we don't know whats involved in the f-22's construction there could be alot of things such as the paint gives off vapurs at high temperatures to a simple the fresh air intake is right behind the exhaust pipe but i'd put a large slab on it being the top secret paint used to make it more radar quiet having several nasty side effects but they cant admit it since they'd have to remove it and it would cost money and also make it more easy to spot on the radar