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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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Panic onboard – That is what happened on a JetBlue aircraft last week. The captain dashed to the bathroom’s door which was locked, got jittery, then running along the aisle, he hollered out insane things such as « They’re going to take us down! ». The passengers wrestled the pilot down, tied him up with seat belts, and he was handed over to the police after landing.

An incident of this kind had already been reported two weeks before. An American Airlines flight attendant had been giving the safety instructions just before takeoff. She suddenly ranted about mechanical issues which were immediately refuted by the other cabin crew members. She kept speaking incoherently about Al-Qaeda, and the 9/11 attacks, about her fears of crashing, etc. A few people managed to wrestle her down, and the passengers were startled and scared as they could hear her blood-curdling screams when she was being handcuffed by the police.

According to these reports, these insane behaviors are believed to be air-rage cases but the flight attendant who got temporarily mad would be deemed bipolar by doctors, and her condition could explain her behavior. As far as the JetBlue pilot is concerned, his neighbors cannot understand as they would see him as a kind person.

Another scary situations occurred in flight this week on Monday April 2, 2012. 80-year-old Helen Collins landed the Cessna 414 twin-engine aircraft in which the pilot – her husband – died a few minutes before at the controls!

Thanks to the video/audio tape hereafter, we can imagine now what was going through her mind as it was the first time she had flown an aeroplane: (video with transcripts – click on the link below)

http://youtu.be/QxZKKDTRgyk

Outstanding Helen Collins hurt her back, and cracked a rib but she managed to bring the plane to a safe stop at Door County Cherryland Airport, near Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin.

Last but not least, HATS OFF to Braden Blennerhassett, an Australian pilot who never panicked last Tuesday as a SNAKE popped out from the dashboard; slithered down his leg while he was landing! Read the SCRIPT and listen to the video link about this story below:

Here is how this brave pilot kept his cool on his aircraft (interview):

Another interesting video with the air traffic controller about the emergency message she received:

These recent stories – not to mention the latest crash of an F/A-18D Hornet from Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia, on Friday in which the pilots managed to bail out safely before the fighter aircraft crashed into an apartment building fortunately left with no death toll – remind us of this well-worn saying: Flying is simply hours of boredom punctuated by moments of stark terror.

Special thanks to Xavier Cotton – Passion pour l’aviation‘s webmaster – for his help and support, and for passing these video links on to me. Thank you very much indeed.

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Felix Baumgartner, an Austrian skydiver, performed a challenging test jump on Thursday March 15, 2012.

Felix Baumgartner has the right stuff. He is a well known BASE jumper. B.A.S.E. means Buildings; Aerials; Spans (jumps from bridges); and Earth (jumps from cliffs). He performed numerous stunts such as jumping from the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, World Financial Center T101 in Taipei, and the Millau viaduct.

Yesterday’s jump test is just a stage in his attempt to break a new free-fall record. He jumped above Roswell, New Mexico at an altitude of 71,581 feet ie 21.8 kilometers; 13.6 miles; or Flight Level 716. He should then carry out another jump test before leaping again from a capsule lifted by a helium balloon at around 120,000 ft ie 23 miles or 37 km this year, and could become the first man to break the sound barrier while free falling.

MEDICAL CHALLENGE

This is not a simple leap in the sky. People may not understand how dangerous skydiving at such heights is. The air density is so low that it cannot brake movements as drag becomes poorer up there.

Therefore, a position mistake can make the human body tumble violently or spin very fast. High rotation speeds involve high-G forces due to the centrifugal force, and may lead to G-LOC (G-force induced Loss Of Consciousness), and even to the rupture of blood vessels.

Moreover, if a spacesuit were to leak (due to a dormant seal failure or a cracked/crazed faceplate, for instance), the blood could be boiling (ebullism at 37°C above 63,000 ft or 19 km) because of the very low air pressure, and the body could be swelling, and actually freezing to death as the external temperature can reach down to -70°C, and even lower, not to mention the risk of pulmonary barotrauma.

The current record is held by Joseph Kittinger (a former USAF pilot who is curently advising Felix Baumgartner on his project) who jumped from 102,800 feet in 1960. He temporarily lost the use of his hand which got twice as big as a glove seal was leaking during the final part of the ascent. With this test jump, Felix Baumgartner already belongs to the highest three skydivers along with Joe Kittinger, and Russian Eugene Andreev who performed the longest parachute jump from 83,523 feet (25.5 km).

The following video shows that this feat is not only a matter of pushing limits as researchers are working on this Red Bull Stratos project to prepare flight safety of the future spacecraft:

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This video shows how you can survive an airplane crash.
 
In case you are caught up in an air disaster situation, this is what you need:

• an aisle seat or one close to it
• long-sleeved pants and top;
• and flat closed-toe shoes;
• and a smoke hood or a wet washcloth

 
Click on the video hereafter:
 

 
If you need the transcript, it is available here: Transcript-link (below the video)
 

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… or ANTI-G COVERALLS

When in flight, the body can have trouble adjusting to stresses produced by rapid changing of speed or direction. In situations such as seat ejection, ditching, or parachute opening shock, the short duration of the excessive force has little effect on the body.

However, changing the direction of flight produces stress forces equal to several times the normal pull of gravity for much longer periods of time. These longer duration forces can have dangerous effects. At 5 g’s (5 times the force of gravity), the aircrewman’s body is exposed to a force that increases its weight 5 times.

This increased weight has many effects. Your body is pushed down into your seat. Your arms and legs feel like lead, and operation of equipment becomes more difficult. The extra weight on your internal organs causes stomach and chest pain. Most important, however, is the effect on your circulatory system. At 5 g’s, your heart cannot pump enough blood to your head. When this happens, you will pass out. Wearing anti-g coveralls will help prevent this from happening.

The Navy uses two models of anti-g coveralls (commonly called « G » suits). These coveralls provide protection against blacking out, loss of vision, and lowered mental efficiency caused by high g-forces experienced in high-performance aircraft. Figure 11-4 shows a typical anti-g coverall. Anti-g coveralls compress your legs and stomach to prevent blood from pooling in your lower body.

This increases your stress tolerance an average of about 2 g’s. Without an anti-g coverall, you may be able to withstand about 4.5 to 5.5 g’s without losing vision or blacking out. With a coverall, you can withstand 6.0 to 7.0 g’s.

This protection is available only for sustained accelerations of 4 to 5 seconds. Anti-g equipment does not offer protection in snap maneuvers where 10 to 12 g’s are applied in about 1 second. Such extreme forces for a short time are not as harmful to the body as are lesser forces sustained for a longer time.

www.tpub.com courtesy

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