New Car Smell...(Hornet Midair)

[Schnugg]

An E and an F...I'll bet they still had new car smell...damn.

No speculation here, just the info as published in the press.

r/
G

Two fighter jets crash over Mojave Desert

[size=-1]Associated Press[/size]

CHINA LAKE, Calif. - Two fighter jets based at Lemoore Naval Air Station crashed in mid-air during training on Monday, base officials said.

After a rescue team from the China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station was dispatched to the crash site in the Mojave Desert, two men involved in the accident were taken to Ridgecrest Regional Hospital in serious condition, said hospital spokeswoman Tina Wallum.

Wallum did not know if the patients were the pilots of the planes, but said one suffered from a broken leg and the other from internal injuries. Both had stable vital signs when they were transferred by helicopter to the trauma center at Kern Medical Center is Bakersfield, she said.

Base spokesman Dennis McGrath confirmed the crash, which happened about 40 miles northeast of Ridgecrest. But he said he would not release the names of the pilots of the two Super Hornets - a single-seat F/A-18E and an double-seat F/A-18F - until an investigation is completed.

The investigation "will be rather extensive, but it takes a while," McGrath said, calling training accidents "rare, exceedingly rare."

The jets were not carrying any live ordnance, he said

 

[squeeze]

two men involved in the accident were taken to Ridgecrest Regional Hospital in serious condition, said hospital spokeswoman Tina Wallum.

Wallum did not know if the patients were the pilots of the planes, but said one suffered from a broken leg and the other from internal injuries. Both had stable vital signs when they were transferred by helicopter to the trauma center at Kern Medical Center is Bakersfield, she said.

wtf
two people... in the desert... in flight suits and survival gear presumably and "[he] did not know if the patients were the pilots of the planes"

investigative journalism surrenders.

 

[The Chief]

... two people... in the desert...

The question was: I think, ... were they both pilots from the same aircraft?

 

[feddoc]

Single seat guy not found yet. I know both survivors...probably know the guy they are looking for.

BTW as a side note, how many people here know that NAS Lemoore does not have any SAR capabilities?



Navy jets crash near Ridgecrest

The Bakersfield Californian
Monday July 18th, 2005, 4:16 PM

Two Navy jets crashed in mid-air while on a routine training mission about 35 nautical miles northeast of Ridgecrest around 11:30 a.m.

One of the jets was a single seat, F/A-18E "Hornet" while the other was a two-seat F/A-18 F "Super Hornet."
Both jets were from the Lemoore-based Strike Fighter Squadron 122 and neither was armed.
Search and rescue units out of China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station are searching for the individuals involved.

************************
No sign of pilot after jet incident
Los Angeles - A United States Navy pilot was missing after two warplanes collided in mid-air on Monday while training over the western state of California, US Navy officials told reporters.

Two flyers were rescued alive after the pair of US Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter-bombers crashed at 11.29am.

The two pilots, who had been aboard a two-seat F/A-18-F fighter-bomber, were rescued hours after the crash and were in serious but stable condition in hospital, said Dennis McGrath, a spokesperson for Lemoore Naval Air Station.

The third flyer, who had been piloting a single-seat F/A-18-E jet had not been found by late on Monday night.

The jets, which took off from Lemoore air station on the California coast earlier in the day, were on a routine training drill over the remote China Lake weapons testing ground when they flew into each other.

"There is no live ordnance on board," McGrath said. "Helicopters of search and rescue team are on the site, waiting to see what they find," he added.

The crash between the two jets, worth about $57-million each according to the US Navy, took place about 200km north-east of Los Angeles.

Crashes of military jets are not uncommon in California, the most populous US state, which is home to several military bases and naval air stations.

 

[Schnugg]

I thought the fact the initial reports only mentioned two aircrew was odd.
An E and an F need three to fly.

Hope they find the missing crewmember...alive.

r/
G

 

[Physicx]

Its amazing if they survive the heat.

 

[Fly Navy]

That's one on me --- I am stunned and amazed .... even the TRACOM air stations had dedicated SAR when I was in .... and for some years after.

No SAR at NAS Meridian anymore. Responsibility has been shifted to Jackson... which I was told flies Apaches. Not sure about that, but still... yeah, better hope you're not injured, because you'll be waiting a LOOOONG time since there is NOTHING around this damn airfield.

 

[A4sForever]

... The jets, which took off from Lemoore air station on the California coast earlier in the day...(The Bakersfield Californian)

....BTW as a side note, how many people here know that NAS Lemoore does not have any SAR capabilities?........

That's two on me ---

I am stunned and amazed .... even the TRACOM air stations had dedicated SAR when I was in .... and for some years after.

And when did they move Lemoore? To the coast ??? Stunned and amazed again .....

 

[Ryoukai]

I thought the fact the initial reports only mentioned two aircrew was odd.
An E and an F need three to fly.

Hope they find the missing crewmember...alive.

Just because I'm uneducated, does the F really NEED the backseat to fly or is it something that's not required but a good idea?

 

[Lawman]

Unfortunately,The third pilot did not survive and was recovered about three hours ago (@1130 PDT) from within the burn area.

The price of maintaining the most powerful military in the world is constantly training at the level required in actual warfare. That training carries with it risks that the average american citizen will never be able to understand. My heart goes out to the family of the pilot who gave his life keeping the spear sharpened.

 

[Slammer2]

Just because I'm uneducated, does the F really NEED the backseat to fly or is it something that's not required but a good idea?

The F doesn't NEED to have a backseater, which is evident because the single-seat models fly just fine. You can read about the NFO job description around this site, and as Lawman said, the training level needs to be high. So that means that everyone needs to be training to do their part.

 

[Ryoukai]

^ Gotchya. I was just making sure. Since, you know, it really matters whether or not I know how one works since I fly them every other day. Thanks for the response, I was looking for something from somebody who has a bit of experience though, as I can easily check out FAS myself.

 

[Schnugg]

Always a tragedy to lose someone. Sorry to hear that news.

Lord, guard and guide the men who fly
Through the great spaces in the sky.
Be with them always in the air,
In darkening storms or sunlight fair;
Oh, hear us when we lift our prayer,
For those in peril in the air!


r/
G

 

[SteveG75]

The F doesn't NEED to have a backseater, which is evident because the single-seat models fly just fine. You can read about the NFO job description around this site, and as Lawman said, the training level needs to be high. So that means that everyone needs to be training to do their part.

Actually, the F may have had some systems moved to the back seat that require a body to fly.

For example, in the EA-6B , if we are not doing a mission, we still need a backseater because there are circuit breakers back there that are part of emergency procedures. Now that can be waived for short local flights, but there is a risk/benefit tradeoff.

Same thing in the Intruder, there were circuit breakers that the pilot could not reach so we always needed a body in the right seat.

 

[Schnugg]

The two seat F/A-18F trainer with a stick in the back seat can be configured for solo flight. Ref. the NFM F/A-18E/F.

Maybe a WSO could chime in on the missionized back seat rules...

r/
G