Military AI Works

MIKE JG wrote:Well that unit is integrating into the new combined ANG/Active Duty B-2 squadron over at Whiteman, so maybe he will.

That's true... I had forgotten about that it. That makes it more likely he could return.

In an interesting turn of events Air National Guard Major Stephen Stillwell is suing Boeing for more than seventy five grand on grounds of "gross indifference” and a “conscious disregard for safety."

I don't really understand what he is trying to achieve with the lawsuit. If he wants money, why isn't he suing for more? But assume it isn't for money; what else could he be suing for? The USAF(ANG) will cover his medical expenses and he'll continue to be paid while recovering. He might be losing wages on his civilian job as an airline pilot but that hasn't been conclusively shown. Is he suing simply to bring attention to the issue? What would he have done if his F-15C fell apart due to negligence on the part of another airman? Would he try to sue him as well?

I think people walk around looking for some reason to file a lawsuit. IIRC he is prohibited from suing the USAF. Although I think that has been attempted a couple of times. There is a 'presumption of knowledge of risk" inherent in service to one's country. When I visited the DMZ in Korea, I had to sign a release that I was visiting on my own volition and would not hold the government responsible for any incidents, Note that would not apply to the troops there on duty--Just for visiting people.

Hawaiian F-15 Crash's Cause Still Mystery: Air Force investigators were unable to determine the root cause of the crash of a Hawaiian Air National Guard F-15D Feb. 1 about 60 miles off the coast of Oahu, citing "no clear and convincing evidence," Pacific Air Forces said in a May 7 release. However, the members of the accident investigation board did find "sufficient evidence to conclude" that both of the fighter's rudders failed in a mid-range position to the left, caused most likely by a failure involving the aircraft's aileron-rudder interconnect. "This failure induced a yawing, rolling motion to the left that the pilot was unable to correct," according to the statement. The pilot ejected, suffering only minor injuries. But the aircraft was destroyed upon impact, a financial loss of $43. 8 million, PACAF said. The F-15D was assigned to the 199th Fighter Squadron at Hickam Air Force Base. The pilot was flying a basic fighter maneuvers training mission when the mishap occurred. PACAF gave no indication that this crash was related to the midair breakup of a Missouri ANG F-15C in November 2007 due to a faulty structural support near the cockpit. That accident led to the grounding of all F-15 A to D models for a while, including the aircraft of the 199th FS.

From AF Daily report 8 May 08

From AF Daily Report 6 Feb 09

We'll Get Right On That: Remember this time last year when a sizable portion of the Air Force's F-15 A-D fleet was still grounded due to the mid-air breakup of a Missouri Air National Guard F-15C in November 2007? The failure of a structural part called a longeron near the cockpit was the culprit, and the event caused grave concern over what other fatigue-related structural issues might be lurking in the aging F-15 fleet. So much so that Gen. John Corley, head of Air Combat Command, called the situation a "crisis" and said he was "desperate" for hard data to inform him on the viability of the fleet. To find those hidden potential flaws, the Air Force said it planned to conduct a stress test on an operational F-15 and get the results in about a year. However, something has changed, as there's not much alacrity in the process, nor is there apparently any urgency to it. According to Air Force Materiel Command, a contract to do the stress test won't even be awarded until the summer. Assuming a September go-ahead, the schedule for actual testing is October 2011 to December 2014, an AFMC spokeswoman told the Daily Report. Why so long? "This will allow the contractor time to plan, design, build, and test the fixture for the fatigue test," she said. A representative F-15 has yet to be chosen, but before it undergoes the stress test, it will go through depot "to address corrosion or other structural defects," she said. We thought that was what the test was supposed to figure out—that and the useful service life of the fleet, which, counting from the F-15C crash, will be seven years older when the test is done.