Photo: NASA

Captain Charles « Chuck » YEAGER broke the sound barrier with the help of his friend Jack RIDLEY on a 14th of October 1947 – He did it 71 years ago!

(U. S. Air Force illustration/Mike Carabajal)

Photo: NASA

Photo: U.S.Air Force Link

XLR-11 ROCKET POWERED AIRCRAFT

Birth of Manned Rocket Research Airplanes: 1946 to 1975

The first reliable, effective rocket engine that would provide boost for experimental research aircraft was produced by four members of the American Rocket Society (ARS) who combined forces to form Reaction Motors Incorporated (RMI) (Rockaway, New Jersey) for developing the Experimental Liquid Rocket (XLR-11) rocket motor. The XLR-11 engine had four separate rocket chambers. Each chamber provided 1500 lb of rated thrust and could be operated independently as a means of throttling thrust in quarters, up to 6000 pounds. The XLR-11 possessed remarkable longevity, powering an impressive fleet of rocket aircraft for more than a quarter of a century (1946 to 1975). This fleet of vehicles were the first rocket aircraft devoted solely to high performance experimental flight research. They were not constrained by military or commercial demands and ranged from being the first to break the sound barrier (XS-1), to the first to reach Mach 2.0 (D-558-II [fig. 5]), to the first to exceed the X-2 Mach 3.2 record (X-15 with two XLR-11 engines).

Figure 5. The D-558-II airplane on Rogers lakebed.

The X-1E – Early Development of Energy Management

Design efforts to extend aircraft performance produced increased wing loadings, W/S, and decreased lift-to-drag ratios, L/D. These design changes were beneficial in reducing drag to achieve supersonic and hypersonic speeds, but were also detrimental in that they reduced the area of the maneuvering footprint and presented difficulties in the approach and landing.

As L/D values decreased, the glide slope angle and the rate of descent increased, making it more difficult for pilots to estimate distances and times required for acceptable landings. The X-1E (fig. 6) was modified with a low-aspect-ratio wing having a thickness-to-chord ratio of four percent – the only aircraft of the X-1/D-558 series to have sufficiently low L/D values to require unique energy management techniques. This X-1E was the first to experiment with approach patterns designed to give
the pilot more time in the traffic pattern to manage energy.

The landing pattern was approached in a conventional manner except that altitudes and speeds were somewhat higher than for
powered aircraft. The initial reference point was established at 12,000 ft (mean sea level) on a downwind heading (180 deg remaining to turn). The downwind leg was offset some four miles from the centerline of the landing runway. On downwind, abeam the touchdown point, landing gear and partial flaps were deployed at a speed of 240 knots. Full flaps were usually deployed on the final approach. At the initial reference point the pilot had almost three minutes until touchdown – additional time for handling increased speeds and sink rates.7,8

Figure 6. The X-1E airplane on Rogers lakebed.

Report from www.archives.gov

(Text from the NASA at: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/home/index.html)

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Remember Guynemer’s mottos:

FAIRE FACE (face up to it) was then adopted by the French Air Force Academy (FAFA) as their motto. A few words that well expresse the French pilots’ bravery.

WWI French ace Georges Guynemer used to say:

« Il y a une limite à toute chose, et il faut toujours la dépasser. »

‘Everything has a limit which has always got to be surpassed.’

« Lorsque l’on n’a pas tout donné, on n’a rien donné. »

‘As long as you have not given your all, you have given nothing.’

Loyal to these principles, the French ace took part in several hundreds of aerial combats, crediting 53 victories, maybe 88 victories because the French victory validation system was demanding. He was shot down seven times, and he was admired for he always survived, but that September 11, a hundred years ago. The hero took off once again, dashed to the frontlines, outnumbered by German warplanes in a last dogfighting over Belgium. Then, he fell. Since then, the French Air Force aviators have worn a black tie in sign of mourning.

RIP

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Ils seront à Limoges ces samedi et dimanche, 8 et 9 juillet 2017. Et de belle manière! C’est l’équipe de la nouvelle présentation acrobatique Alphajet Solo Display qui a plaidé en faveur de l’as tourangeau. Maxime Lenoir, le virtuose du looping en 1914 sur Blériot XI, le meilleur as de la bataille de Verdun sur son Nieuport « MAX » puis son SPAD VII « Trompe la Mort »! Alors que les combats font rage, il est porté disparu le lendemain de la reprise de Fort Douaumont, au nord de Verdun, le 25 octobre 1916. Il est ensuite oublié pendant presque un siècle.

Maxime Lenoir aurait pu rester au fond des oubliettes. Heureusement que le journaliste et auteur Didier Lecoq retrouva la trace de ce virtuose de l’air il y a quelques années. Il parvient à le faire reconnaître au niveau national puisque Maxime Lenoir est retenu pour être mis à l’honneur le 19 septembre 2014. Il est cité comme le héros de l’Indre-et-Loire dans l’opération 100 villes, 100 héros, 100 drapeaux. L’as tourangeau est ensuite célébré dans son village natal de Chargé dans l’Indre-et-Loire à l’occasion de la commémoration de l’armistice le 11 novembre 2016 et du centenaire de sa disparition. Une plaque est apposée à l’entrée de l’école à côté de la mairie. Le même jour, elle est baptisée « École Maxime Lenoir ». Il serait trop long d’énumérer ici les prouesses de l’aviateur civil puis militaire qu’était Maxime Lenoir. Vous trouverez plus d’informations ici: aeroplanedetouraine.fr et là: airforces.fr et notamment dans la deuxième partie du livre Une autre histoire de l’aviation.

Revoir MAX en bleu-blanc-rouge sur un avion était encore impensable il y a quelques mois. De même il était impensable de revoir la présentation acrobatique Alphajet Solo Display, stationnée à l’École de l’Aviation de Chasse de Tours. Ses deux futurs pilotes « Filou » et « Jim », comme par hasard, font partie du trio qui survole Chargé en hommage à l’enfant du pays qui était aussi l’as de Verdun au plus fort de la bataille. Peu de temps après, ils s’entraînent durement avec l’aide de leur coach « Zippo », un ancien pilote de la Patrouille de France, pour peaufiner des numéros aussi audacieux que les loopings de Maxime Lenoir sur son Blériot XI « Backjumper ». Maxime aurait sans doute aimé voir cela, lui qui sauvait la vie de ses camarades en osant des parades acrobatiques au milieu des Fokker en chasse, sur son Nieuport « MAX » et en Caudron et SPAD « Trompe la Mort ». Les mécaniciens ont accompli un travail d’orfèvre en peignant les motifs à tribord de l’escadrille SPA 85 « La folie » dont c’est le centenaire cette année. On reconnaît Eugene Bullard, le boxeur et pilote de chasse de l’escadrille Lafayette, qui a fait l’objet de recherches méticuleuses de Robert Pezzani car ce pilote américain de couleur (rares à l’époque) volait à centre américain de formation au pilotage à Tours, sur l’actuelle base de Parçay-Meslay. C’est à bâbord qu’on distingue clairement la silhouette du buste de Maxime Lenoir avec un magnifique MAX en bleu-blanc-rouge comme autrefois. Jim a disposé les éléments et même redessiné l’inscription « Ajt Lenoir » sur le modèle des peintures sur fond bleu qu’on peut voir sur les fuselages de la Patrouille de France. Celle de l’Alphajet E42 du Solo Display est particulièrement réussie car elle est sur fond blanc. Ceux qui ont eu la chance de l’approcher peuvent témoigner de la beauté de l’ensemble.

De même que MAX repart pour des séries de boucles et de vrilles, l’Alphajet Solo Display renaît de ses cendres. Les deux pilotes tourangeaux on commencé leurs représentations en France et en Espagne (à Léon). Ils ont survolé les 24 Heures du Mans le 17 juin. D’après ce qui est prévu, pour l’instant, ils seront à l’affiche aux meetings aériens énumérés en fin de page.

Limoges, les 8 et 9 juillet,

Valenciennes, le 14 juillet,

Meeting Les Ailes Bleues à Pornic, le 16 juillet,

Meeting aérien de l’aéroclub du Cantal à Aurillac, les 29 et 30 juillet,

Meeting aérien des Hauts de France à Albert, le 27 août,

Scampton Air Show (Angleterre), les 9 et 10 septembre,

Laval Aéro Show, le 17 septembre,

Malta International Airshow (Malte) le 24 septembre.

La performance physique, le travail et l’expérience ont produit une performance très appréciée des spectateurs qui reconnaissent volontiers que ce spectacle vaut le détour.

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Trois auteurs renommés ont entrepris de raviver la réalité des bases aériennes américaines qui étaient implantées en France, et plus particulièrement celles concentrées dans le nord-est de la France entre 1950 et 1967. Il s’agit du premier des quatre tomes qui vient de sortir chez Gérard Louis lequel était présent au dernier salon du livre de Paris.

Ce volet de l’histoire qui aborde la présence alliée en France n’est en fait pas très connu et pourtant il y a beaucoup de choses à redécouvrir. Les infrastructures et services assurés étaient considérables, au point d’impacter la démographie et l’économie de plusieurs villes et villages français. Par exemple, le village de Montmédy dans la Meuse a  vu sa population s’accroître de 70% à l’occasion de l’installation de la base aérienne canadienne de Marville dont la piste était… chauffée! La période ne concerne pas uniquement les bases aériennes et forteresses volantes américaines puisqu’elle nous conduit aussi sur une étude de nombreux aéronefs légers américains basés en France, de même que le vaste réseau sanitaire U.S. opérant sur l’Hexagone. De nombreuses photos d’archives nous donnent un aperçu de ce que pouvait être la base aérienne de Toul-Rosières à l’époque, ainsi que des avions et personnels qui s’affairaient autour de ces foyers de l’aviation militaire au service de l’Otan. Le livre montre que la guerre froide était prise très au sérieux du côté des Alliés et surtout de la part des Américains qui avaient tout préparé, jusqu’à l’éventualité d’une attaque. Le livre révèle qu’ils étaient prêts dans les moindres détails et pas seulement dans le ciel. Ce livre devrait ravir les passionnés d’histoire de l’aviation et de la guerre froide ainsi que les familles qui ont vécu cette période de leur vie ou par les histoires de leurs aînés.

Ce livre a été écrit en collaboration par:

• Pierre-Alain ANTOINE, auteur, historien, conférencier et ancien Directeur de la Patrouille de France. Il sera présent le vendredi 7 avril pour des séances de dédicaces;
• Pierre LABRUDE, auteur, historien, conférencier et ancien pharmacien chimiste en chef de réserve du Service de santé des Armées;
• Fabrice LOUBETTE, auteur, historien et conférencier, pilote privé, spécialiste des forces aériennes de l’OTAN en Lorraine, il anime aussi les sites www.france-air-otan.net et france-air-otan.blogspot.fr. Il fera des dédicaces au festival à Metz le dimanche 9 avril 2017.

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GREAT VIDEO – Watch for pleasure, first. Listen carefully to the figures and phrases uttered and compare with the various texts that are enforced in the world, and in Europe. In such an extreme situation, you may understand that the procedures are turned into a faster phraseology. So, why not adopt it in GAT (General Air Traffic), after all?

SUPERBE VIDÉO: Regardez d’abord pour le plaisir. Écoutez attentivement les chiffres et expressions et comparez les avec les textes en vigueur dans le monde et en Europe. Dans une situation aussi extrême, on peut comprendre que les procédures se fassent plus rapidement dans la phraséologie. Alors pourquoi ne pas l’adopter dans la CAG (Circulation Aérienne Générale), après tout?

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To shed / I shed / have shed: perdre quelquechose. Attention, « a shed » = un hangar, un abri, aussi un cabanon.
To shed a tear: verser une larme.
Masterpiece: Chef d’oeuvre, joyau, merveille.
Beneath: Sous, dessous.
« The F-111 can dump and ignite fuel with the afterburners »: Le F-111 peut larguer et allumer le carburant avec la postcombustion (PC).
« This extreme war machine can be fickle »: Fickle = capricieux, instable, imprévisible.
In Aussie (in Australian, say [ozy]) language: Brake mechanism, (dites [braïk mekeunizeum]) mécanisme de freinage; Air base (dites [ èr bâïss ]); Formation [Formaïsheun].
All, as per normal = Comme d’habitude.
« A wheel has fallen off, which was quite surreal in the circumstances… »: surreal = surréaliste, étrange, onirique.
Stricken plane: l’avion n’et pas nécessairement abattu par un projectile, il peut être en perdition, touché ou endommagé pour une autre raison. On pourrait presque dire « avion en perdition » comme pour « doomed aircraft ».
To devise a plan: Concevoir, inventer, imaginer, élaborer un plan.
« They are spot on »: Ils sont parfaits.

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Here are the answers:

Number 1: Schipol was completely destroyed during World War 2. (listen again at 00’19 »)

Number 2: As far as the 1980s are concerned, you have got the choice between (listen again at 00’47 »):

• The airport apron was expanded;
• The terminal became bigger;
• The area was beautified;
• In time, piers and railway connections were added.

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From the flimsy Blériot XI to Sopwiths and Fokkers, the first aces developed early methods that are always taught in fighter schools even though beyond-visual-range air combat has taken over since. Major Charles Tricornot de Rose was considered by many as the father of air fighting as early as 1914. Then as shown in this video, the German ace Oswald Boelcke laid out a first set of rules for dogfighting called the Dicta Boelcke. Pilots’ life expectancy was not measured in years but in weeks.

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Tours French Air Force Base celebrated its centenary this year on Sunday, the 7th of June as the air base was born in late 1915, fielded with the aviation school on Caudron G3. MF33 Flight (1/33 Belfort) was born in Tours in October 1914 but there is no evidence that it was stationed at Parçay-Meslay airfield.

The airshow gathered lots of aviation professionals as well as recreational aviation booths. About 56,000 people attended the event – a bit more than expected. The Belgian F-16 solo display, the Moroccan Marche Verte, the Red Arrows, the Patrouille de France, then the Rafale were the highlights of the beautiful day. The Swiss Army Super Puma helicopter performed an outstanding display, and a P-51 D Mustang and a Spitfire delighted WW2 fighter aircraft enthusiasts. Other flypasts performed by two Dassault Flamant MD.311, de Havilland Vampire and Mosquito made the attendees dream.

The visitors could also admire numerous aircraft in the static display area: RSAF and Luftwaffe Eurofighter Typhoons, a curious Piaggio 149 as its roundel comes from the UPDAF – Uganda Peoples Defense Air Force, a Caudron C.800 glider which looked like the C.25S that were used in the movie « Don’t look now… We’re being shot at! » (La grande vadrouille) flown by famous French actors Bourvil and Louis de Funès. A nice RSAF (Republic of Singapore Air Force) Aermacchi M-346, a Dewoitine 501 which used to be stationed at Tours air base, a few WW2 Piper Cub, Dassault Mirage 2000-D, Mirage 2000-5, Rafale, and last but not least 2 A-10 Warthogs, and many more aircraft.

With the nice weather, cool northbound winds, and the smooth organisation, the event turned out to be a great success.

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The French Air Force 2/33 « Savoie » Reconnaissance Squadron celebrated its centenary on June 22, 2012.

The centennial was presided over by General de Rousiers, a former 2/33 pilot in the 1980s, who is now the permanent Chairman of the European Union Military Committee (CEUMC).

This ceremony was held at BA 118 FAF Station in Mont de Marsan, in the southwest of France. It was more particularly dedicated to its oldest flight (escadrille in French) – SAL 6, which means Salmson aircraft, and 6 as the sixth flight created in the French Army Aviation.

This creation occurred in December 1912, but traces of its previous existence might be found as early as September 1912, and maybe earlier. I will keep you posted if necessary.

The centennial had begun earlier on Friday 22nd of June in the morning with the presentation of the Rhine Gull insignia to the new SAL 6 Flight members.

Some of the senior members invited – all veterans – could see that their traditions were kept up at a high level as the candidates had to go through various « ordeals » to deserve their brand new badges.

The SAL 6 flight’s emblem consists of a white bird, a Rhine gull clad with a blue circle as shown hereafter:

It is assumed that the origins of the SAL 6 flight emblem date back to 1920.

SAL 6 was disbanded for almost a year in Germany from April 10, 1919.

The flight was created anew in Germany into the 16th flight of the 33rd Aerial Observation Regiment (33eme RAO). That new flight would have kept the SAL 6, C 6, and D6 traditions since the calling SAL 6 remained along with 16th flight (16ème escadrille) for that decade. However, it would have had a new batch of pilots, mechanics, and aircraft.

Among those aircraft, there would have been a SAL 70 flight aircraft – a Salmson 2A2 – on which the SAL 70 emblem was painted. It was a white gull with a blue disk on its background.

There were many Rhine gulls flying around where SAL 6 stationed from 1920 until 1930 (Gossenheim; Krefeld; and Bochum), and blue was the color of reconnaissance.

As SAL 6 had to remain in the Rhineland area, and its main mission consisted in performing reconnaissance missions, that SAL 70 Salmson aircraft turned out to be a timely addition.

It was therefore decided to take the SAL 70 symbol to be slightly changed into a Rhine gull surrounded by a blue circle.

In the early years, the first SAL6 Flight marking would have looked like this one below, and it may have featured an Egyptian Eagle:

General Charles de Gaule, who was in exile in the United Kingdom, named Colonel Valin as Commander-in-Chief of the Free French Air Force (FAFL – Forces Aériennes Françaises Libres) during the Second World War.

The aviator made a decision of giving its squadrons a French region name for each of them in order to address a strong message to the Vichy regime which collaborated with Hitler, and the Axis powers.

As a consequence, the Reconnaissance Group GR 2/33 was named Savoie on the 3rd of November 1943, and it has kept this name so far.

This is why you can see the Savoy’s flag on various SAL 6 aircraft. ER 2/33 was stationed near Strasbourg between 1960 and 1994. This is why the Savoy’s red flag covered with the white Saint John’s Cross (Croix de St Jean) was painted on a huge concrete slab, on a patch of lawn, in the middle of the squadron area, close to the 2/33 photo hangar at Strasbourg-Entzheim FAF Station. This is why this flag has been billowing above the new squadron facilities since early 2012. This is also why an official twinning was organized between this squadron, and the General Council of Savoie.
As I started to look up through various sources on squadrons & flights history, it turned out that SAL 6 Rhine Gull Flight is a very old unit. Probably one of the oldest  in the world.

According to the chart here below, ER 02033 Savoie, and more particularly SAL 6 Rhine Gull would be the third oldest reconnaissance squadron or flight in the world as of late 2012:

It has been very difficult to sort out these units in such a ranking as historians are still working on the military aviation history. It is hard to consider whether the administrative or material creation is taken into acount in some cases. For some flights or squadrons, you can find the administrative creation date only but you still find traces of pilots and aircraft’s existence of these very flights and squadrons after and even BEFORE the administrative creation!

Some other dates correspond to the day when units became operational. Moreover, mistakes have been pointed out in some books and website sources. It has become – since the beginning of this chart – that such charts should be updated. Last but not least, the Russian military aviation organization doesn’t match the western patterns, and coould not be inserted in these charts. That is to say that these charts cannot be exactly right… Sorry!

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Thursday November 8, 2012 – Two Iranian Sukhoi Su-25s (Su-25K Frogfoot-A? or Su-25UBK Frogfoot-B?) would have fired at a U.S. drone last week on November 1, at 04.50 am (Eastern Time) as it was flying above international waters – 16 miles off the Kuwaiti coast, according to the Pentagon.

The General Atomics MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was not above Iranian territory when it was intercepted by Frogfoots which engaged the drone. However, the Predator was not shot down, and returned to its base.

George E. Little, Press secretary of the U.S. DoD (Department of Defense) stated: « We have a wide range of options from diplomatic to military. »

Reminder: an American RQ-170 Sentinel UAV had been captured in Iran on December 13, 2011.

VIDEO:

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As you may have heard, the mythical Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird was a strategic reconnaissance aircraft able to fly at more than Mach 3 – Mach 3.3 ie around 3,500 km/h; or 1,900 kts; and at a maximum flight level of… FL 850 or 26 kilometers high!

The Blackbird indeed had a unique flight envelope with a particular doghouse plot (since she could not exceed 3.5 G), and an exceptionnal coffin corner limited by her CIT – Compressor Inlet Temperature of 427°C maximum.

This aircraft was also unique for her engines were two J58 ramjets fuelled by JP-7 especially refined for extreme flying purpose. This special fuel could drip and leak abundantly as the airframe made up of titanium was retracted while taxiing, and became airtight only when it got its operating shape while flying very fast and very high because of the air density, and surrounding pressure plus the heating caused by the air friction at such speeds. In short, the whole structure considerably expanded when airborne.

The irony – I heard it on the grapevine, or read it somewhere on the web – that titanium which turned into dark blue while flying (SR-71s probably deserved those unofficial other nicknames « Bluebird », or « Habu » viper) was « imported » from… USSR!

Pilots must have taken significant risks inherent in flying such an aircraft as mentioned in this previous post. These pilots used to fly over the USSR to take strategic reconnaissance photographs during the Cold war. They wore pressurized spacesuits so that their blood could not boil in case of decompression or ejection at such altitudes.

The Blackbird travelled faster than a rifle bullet, and the air friction could have melt aluminum-skinned aircraft. At Mach 3.2, fuel cycled behind the chine surface in order to cool the aircraft! The inner windshield temperature could reach 120°C even though a heavy-duty cooling system was on a full function. On landing, the outside temperature of the canopy could reach 300°C, and it must have been far beyond on the fuselage, and wing surfaces while flying at high speeds. The pilot could feel the heat behind his protective gloves!

Special thanks to Xavier Cotton for the Blackbird photos. Please, visit his website on http://www.passionpourlaviation.fr/

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On the one hand, the French Dassault Rafale is deemed ahead thanks to its performance, the Swiss NAC tests, and thanks to a transfer of technology pledge. Moreover, the Rafale (carrier-capable) has won the Indian MMRCA tender among strong contenders – F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, MiG-35 Fulcrum F, Eurofighter/Typhoon, F-16IN Super Viper, JAS 39 NG Gripen. On the other hand, the U.S. Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet would be cheaper but the transfer of technology still depends on another aircraft sale.

Remember about fighter aircraft performance… 3 years ago!

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Foreign Object Damage (FOD) can be caused by Foreign Object Debris (called FOD too). FOD can also mean « Foreign Object Detection« . Watch the video, and read its transcript below:

Transcript :

Our Air Force has the most technically advanced aircraft in the world – deadly fighters, and bombers, mighty cargo and tanker workhorses, our many helicopters, and a variety of specialty aircraft.

But they can all be easily grounded by FOD.

Foreign objects cause damage to our aircraft in many ways. For example, cut tires, and jammed flight or engine controls. FOD has caused at least six fighter aircraft to crash over the last twelve years! Some of the items that caused these mishaps were:

• Rags;
• Safety wire pliers;
• A piece of aluminum foil;
• A one-inch piece of safety wire;
• Even a small washer!

These incidents show that poor housekeeping, and work practices are still the two major contributors to preventable FOD. We can eliminate FOD. To do so, we must make these six commonsense steps, part of our every job, every step, every day.

1. The first step – be aware that you can make a difference, and that FOD is a constant problem. Every time you sign out a tool box, work a job, or just step out to help someone, keep your eyes open for tools, rocks, and other debris. And when you see something, stop, and pick it up. Occasionally, you may need a sweeper to clean up an area. MAC usually coordinate with base OPS. MAC (Military Airlift Command) usually coordinates this support with base OPS.
2. The second step – keep your work area clean. Check your shoes for foreign objects, and empty your pockets of keys, change, pencils, and trash. Place these items into a FOD bag before entering the cockpit, intake, other confined areas, or before working on top of the aircraft. Are you covering all of those lines, houses, cannon plugs, and ducts during extended maintenance? The ACES II ejection seat is the most reliable, and safest seat in the world, as long as nothing gets in the way. Somebody did not report losing this pencil tip. It then migrated in flight to the sequence start switch which activates the seat computer as it departs the aircraft. It was discovered during a visual inspection of the seat when it was removed for other maintenance. Because of the protective shield over the switch, and the tight clearance in the cockpit, it normally would never have been found. How do you think the pilots felt when they heard about it? Do you check the area one more time before you leave? It is possible the person before you left something behind.
3. Step three – we have to keep our vehicles clean. We know foreign objects get around, and many times are, vehicles carry them out to the flight line. Tire checks – are you constantly doing them every time you went to the flight line? How about after you drove out of the taxiway to let the jet pass? How clean is your vehicle? Is there safety wire, trash, or fasteners on the floor? Is the FOD can overflowing before you empty it? If you have a vehicle magnet installed, are you checking it daily?
4. Step four – Thorough FOD walks. Are you looking, or are you out there just stretching your legs? Pay special attention to the grounding points, and cement grooves, and cracks. These areas are always filling up with trash, rocks, and hardware. A good daily FOD walk helps us keep up with all the debris that still manages to get onto the ramp. A FOD walk should have found this bolt. Instead, it was sucked up, off of the ramp by a B-1. Three first-stage compressor blades, and one inlet guide vane were damaged. It cost us 56 man-hours, and over $ 35,000 to remove and fix this engine.
5. Step five – good tool and hardware control is a must. Remember the last time you lost a tool, or a nut? How long did you look for it? Did you find it? When was the last tool report started? Remember – tool control starts when you receive a toolbox. Before you sign for it, make sure all missing tools are written up, and check the box for pieces of safety wire, and other trash. Woe! Slow down, and look. Is that a tool, or the tool cutout? If you find a tool missing, don’t accept the box, and make sure a last tool report, and investigation is started. Also, never leave tools in hardware in or on the aircraft. Do a good inventory of your toolbox, and TOs* after every job. This alone will narrow the search area, and greatly increase your chances of finding a last tool. Think about it, what would you rather check? One aircraft, or three? When you do find a tool missing, start looking for it immediately. If you can find it after a short search, report it immediately to the expediter, or dock chief, and get some extra help to look for the missing tool or hardware. For tight or inaccessible areas, you can also use a borescope** or X-ray equipment to locate lost items. How would you tell the pilot if the jet has just taxied? What if it is flying? A file about this size was left behind after blunting two engine blades on a C-5, possibly fallen behind a nacelle blocker door*** during the job. Four people then signed for the box over the next several days before someone finally noticed, and reported the last tool. The file was not located, and then came loose in flight the next day. This incident caused over 550 men-hours of work, and $ 66,000 in damage to the engine. Hardware control is simply taking only what you need, and counting how many nuts, bolts, or other hardware you take from bench stock. After the job, make sure you account for all the hardware. If you don’t complete the job, annotate the screw bag with the quantity, the type of hardware, and your name. This will help the person who finishes the job track down any missing hardware. Here is what a misplaced ¼ inch nut did to a C-130 engine. Over 30 blades were damaged beyond repair, not counting depot costs – the damages have already taken 64 man-hours, and exceeded $ 38,000 in damages. Sometimes, we accidentally leave items inside the intake danger area, or in the intake before an engine start. These have included VTR tapes, flashlights, cleaning bottles, and aircraft forms. Are you paying attention? Or have you just been lucky?
6. Step six – follow the T.O..

   For tight or inaccessible access areas, you can also use a borescope, or X-ray equipment to locate lost items. How would you tell the pilot if the jet has just taxied? What if it is flying? A file about this size was left behind after blending two engine blades on a C-5, possibly fallen behind a nacelle blocker door*** during the job. Four people then signed for the box over the next several days before someone finally noticed, and reported the last tool. The file was not located, and then came loose in flight the next day. This incident caused over 550 men-hours of work, and $ 66,000 in damage to the engine. Hardware control is simply taking only what you need, and counting how many nuts, bolts, or other hardware you take from bench stock. After the job, make sure you account for all the hardware. If you don’t complete the job, annotate the screw bag with the quantity, the type of hardware, and your name. This will help the person who finishes the job track down any missing hardware. Here is what a misplaced ¼ inch nut did to a C-130 engine. Over 30 blades were damaged beyond repair, not counting depot costs – the damages have already taken 64 man-hours, and exceeded $ 38,000 in damages. Sometimes, we accidentally leave items inside the intake danger area, or in the intake before an engine start. These have included VTR tapes, flashlights, cleaning bottles, and aircraft forms. Are you paying attention? Or have you just been lucky?

6. Step six (again and further) – Follow the T.O.. Several times we have had equipment, and panels come off during an engine run, or in flight, causing serious damage. On the last job before a three-day weekend, an experienced crew chief and his assistant were preparing an F-16 for an engine run. He skipped the warning, and the step to check the run screen safety pin for security. During the engine run, one pin came out, and after whipping around in the intake for a few seconds, the lanyard broke. The pin destroyed over 426 blades. Total cost – $ 69,000 and 366 man-hours. What was the cost of the crew chief? How do you think he felt? Think of what he went through. The de-certification, the investigation, the waiting. Was the two or three seconds saved worth it? Sometimes, confusing or incomplete TOs are part of the problem. Improper installation caused by poor tech aide, and inexperience created a stress crack in the upper anti collision light lens in a KC-10.

* T.O.: Technical Order

** (or boroscope)

*** Thrust reverser (pelle d’inverseur de poussée)

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According to the CBS news video report below, F-22 pilots would have stopped flying 5th-generation F-22 Raptor for they would have reported HH (Health Hazards) incidents onboard the most advanced fighter aircraft in the U.S. Air Force, and the most expensive ever.

« The F-22 has been plagued by a mysterious flaw that causes its pilots to become disoriented while at the controls, from a lack of oxygen. »

Thanks to this interview, we now know that a pilot would have touched a tree while flying an F-22 as he may have been suffering from hypoxia (oxygen deficiency in body tissue). Some other pilots reported dizziness, vertigo, and coughing spell.

« The Air Force launched an investigation that focused on the plane’s On-Board Oxygen Generating System, or OBOGS which takes air from outside the jet, passes through the engine, and through a chemical process to produce a concentrated oxygen that the pilot breathes – Watch the video:

© USAF photo Tech Sgt Justin D. Pyle, www.af.mil courtesy

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The British Harriers were to be replaced by the F-35Cs. Do you remember? You may have learnt from the recent news that the carrier variant of the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Joint Strike Fighter – CV JSF (Carrier Vessel variant’s Joint Strike Fighter) – F-35C was unable to catch the wire onboard the aircraft carrier during the latest landing tests.

Strange as it may seem, the F-35C’s designers may have not forecast what would unfold during a test flight while landing on an aircraft carrier:

The arresting hook (tailhook) never engaged the arresting wire as the clearance between the tail hook and the main landing gear’s tyre tread is too short for such a speed. An F-35C Lightning II missing her carrier landing has been reported even though some U.S. officials would have dismissed such information which might result from simulated tests.

Added to that is a software bug which had grounded the CV JSF for 6 days a few month earlier for the fifth-generation fighter aircraft might have encountered wing-folding input while flying!

As a result, the British Ministry of Defence might find a Plan-B solution as these design flaws, and some others which date back to November 2011 are deemed unacceptable for such an expensive fighter aircraft – $139.5 million for the F-35C (CATOBAR – Catapult Assisted Take Off But Arrested Recovery), and $150 million for the F-35B (STOVL – Short Take-Off and Vertical Landing). The latter can land on carriers but she is more expensive, and the JSF program costs have already increased several times.

Moreover, the JSF would not be able to fire AMRAAM air-to-air missiles as reported in this video:

And there’s even more: according to a Pentagon study team report, 13 areas of concern that remained to be addressed in the F-35 would have been identified. For instance, the Helmet Mounted Display System (HMDS) would not work properly…

The British MoD is therefore considering the purchase of either F/A-18E Super Hornets or RAFALEs for the RAF. The French Dassault which has already lost the Swiss NAC tender due to replace the Swiss Air Force’s F-5s, would be proposing a new offer with 18 RAFALEs at a cost deemed lower than the 22 SAAB Gripens’ one according to the Swiss press.

The RAFALE is still in competition with the Eurofighter in the Indian MMRCA tender. the Indian officials are expected to make a decision this week. To be continued… ==> We have just learnt (on January 31, 2012) that the RAFALE has won the MMRCA tender…

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The USAF RQ-170 Sentinel – ISR (Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance) + Ground-attack stealth drone – recently captured in Iran should remain indefinitely according to the latest news:

“No one returns the symbol of aggression to the party that sought secret and vital intelligence related to the national security of a country,” Iranian General Hossein Salami said.

Nothing more was revealed but the U.S. Air Force admitted that the UAV would have had a malfunction on its course to Iran after leaving Afghanistan. The pictures of the fuselage cannot show evidence of shooting down, and nothing proves what the Iranian officials suggested about EW (Electronic Warfare) means which might have brought down the drone to the ground perhaps by jamming.

To be continued…

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