Some USAF Pilots Refuse To Fly F-22 Raptor

Hugh Pickens writes "The LA Times reports that some of the nation's top aviators are refusing to fly the radar-evading F-22 Raptor, a fighter jet with ongoing problems with the oxygen systems that have plagued the fleet for four years. 'We are generally aware of a small number of pilots who have expressed reservations about flying the F-22, and each of those cases will be handled individually through established processes,' says Maj. Brandon Lingle, an Air Force spokesman. Concern about the safety of the F-22 has grown in recent months as reports about problems with its oxygen systems have offered no clear explanations why there have been 11 incidents in which F-22 pilots reported hypoxia-like symptoms. 'Obviously it's a very sensitive thing because we are trying to ensure that the community fully understands all that we're doing to try to get to a solution,' says Gen. Mike Hostage, commander of Air Combat Command. Meanwhile Sen. John McCain says that the jets, which the Air Force call the future of American air dominance, are a waste of their $79 billion price tag and serve no role in today's combat environment. 'There is no purpose, no mission in Afghanistan or Iraq, unless you believe that al Qaeda is going to have a fleet of aircraft,' says McCain, a former combat pilot himself. '[The F-22] has not flown a single combat mission... I don't think the F-22 will ever be seen in the combat it was designed to counter, because that threat is no longer in existence.'"

Comments

Re:The bleeding edge

[ObsessiveMathsFreak]

HTML5 is a remarkable protocol. It has some problems but they all did. It takes decades to work out all the bugs.

Is HTML5 meaningless because the web it was designed for doesn't exist. Not really. It's silly to think we don't need to redefine web page syntax simply because of the introduction of css. Don't try to fight the last war. That's over. We need tools for the NEXT war which might well include more technologically inept web developers.

That said, I think the real problem with HTML5 is that it isn't an iPhone app. Generally, the future of all web based software especially on the client-side should be towards portable devices. Not only are they more expendable, they're cheaper. And pesky issues like no keyboard go away since there's no content. Think of them like downloadable shareware apps. You deploy a few if you think there is a chance that people might take passing interest and they intercept anyone that wants to play. Or if you want people to actually use it on a daily basis... same thing...

I'm not saying we can replace rich client and user in PC seats YET. But a tabet... possibly one of the next screenless iPhones, a hundred meters from the iPhone might have a small control software suite that can enhance such apps remotely.

I don't know... HTML5 is amazing. Truly amazing protocol. But it requires content, and that might be a problem.