Is the Air Force's F-22 fighter jet making pilots sick?

[ACDC]

The shiniest jewel in the Air Force is its F-22 Raptor, a sleek, stealth fighter jet that the Pentagon says can outgun and outmaneuver any combat plane anywhere in the world. But for all its prowess, the Raptor has yet to be used in combat. It was designed to go up against an enemy with a sophisticated air force, which means it sat on the sidelines during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, leaving its 200 pilots to fly mainly training missions.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?...=re1.galleries

[Mein Teil]

Interesting, thanks for posting.

[HK in AK]

Ever since the crash in Alaska, this has become a big issue. Bypass air through the engine to pressurize an oxygen generating system doesn't sound very healthy. It can only be three things, the bypass air itself, the oxygen generator, or the lines (both the one leading into the o2 generator and the lines running to the pilots mask). I guess you could question whether it is the hose and mask as well. They ought to run the pilot on a separate air tank to see if isn't something else that is environmental inside the cockpit.

[sergey31]

Another vid

[boone]

Bypass air through the engine to pressurize an oxygen generating system doesn't sound very healthy. It can only be three things, the bypass air itself, the oxygen generator, or the lines (both the one leading into the o2 generator and the lines running to the pilots mask). I guess you could question whether it is the hose and mask as well.

Couldn't they use an air inlet separate of the engine intakes and compress atmospheric air to a breathable mixture at whatever altitude the cockpit is pressurized for?
O2 generators are notoriously finicky in my experience. Even if you have to scrub the nitrogen and junk gases to get pure O2, a mechanical system seems a better solution.

[MeiJoa]

Couldn't they use an air inlet separate of the engine intakes and compress atmospheric air to a breathable mixture at whatever altitude the cockpit is pressurized for?
O2 generators are notoriously finicky in my experience. Even if you have to scrub the nitrogen and junk gases to get pure O2, a mechanical system seems a better solution.

A separate inlet would compromise/decrease stealth a little more, which probably was the reason to put it in the engine intakes in the design.

[thesystem]

We had OBOGS in our C130....but it operated a bit different....not using the engines as inlet but a separated system. But it could not give 100% oxygen, online 96 +/- 2%
Maybe they just dont get enough of oxygen to fly at specific altitudes?

[BogT]

The 60 minutes piece is a good video and puts things in perspective (the plane is great, but they should fix the oxygen problem). The other video in this thread (from abc) smells of political agenda camouflaged as reporting ("the 400 million dollar jet never flew combat missions" bit among others...).

I hope to hear soon they found what the problem was.

[picanha the second]

Ever since the crash in Alaska, this has become a big issue. Bypass air through the engine to pressurize an oxygen generating system doesn't sound very healthy. It can only be three things, the bypass air itself, the oxygen generator, or the lines (both the one leading into the o2 generator and the lines running to the pilots mask). I guess you could question whether it is the hose and mask as well. They ought to run the pilot on a separate air tank to see if isn't something else that is environmental inside the cockpit.

I don't know the schematics of the F22 ECS but on many passenger aircraft bleed air is won through the engines compressor stage. The only way exhaust fumes can get sucked into the cabin is on the ground.


This may have something to do with the oxygen gen. producing ozone or a general environmental poisoning from new materials being used in the cockpit. I can't believe they haven't tested the ECS in a standalone manner so this a pretty mysterious thing.

[Steak-Sauce]

Things are getting interesting:

F-22 Ground Crew Suffered Hypoxia-Like Symptoms


Fresh on the heels of yesterday’s announcement by the Air Force that it thinks the hypoxia-like symptoms suffered by F-22 Raptor pilots may be caused by the jets high-altitude performance, reports are emerging that ground crew are also suffering from similar ailments when they stand near the jet while it’s engines are running. Interesting.

Read more: http://defensetech.org/2012/05/09/f-...#ixzz1uT0U7v63
Defense.org

[Rattfink]

Apparently the problem is not only with the breathing system, as maintainers on the ground are also reporting hypoxia like symptons after working in the c0ck pit.

http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2012/0...lnesses-grows/

[fiorellabel]

Yes, Raptor is an exceptional aircraft , but that exceptionality often seems to backlash:
-it-can efficently operate (and manouver)at much higher altitude than other fighters-great advantage in air combat expecially in BVC- hipoxia problems- and as soon stealth can be overcome (and some radar actually can) you are in full wiew

-it is designed to be super stealth- a nightmare to mqntain- every modification affecting stealth feature is problematic and extremely costly- No Strike Raptor, No FB-22 and neither F22B with tandem seats

-it can communicate trought AESA radar-No link11 or 16 because they can be spotted by ESM- No interoperability with other airplanes- no mission in Lybia

[Fade]

F-22 Fighter Pilots Told to Ditch Pressure Vests; Mystery Problem Unsolved

Pilots for the U.S. Air Force's F-22 Raptor fighter jets have been ordered to take off a portion of their flying suits, specifically the G-suit vest, during routine training missions as the service continues to investigate a rare but mysterious breathing problem some pilots have experienced in the $420 million-a-pop jets.

http://news.yahoo.com/f-22-fighter-p...opstories.html

[xav]

[fiorellabel]

F-22 Fighter Pilots Told to Ditch Pressure Vests; Mystery Problem Unsolved



http://news.yahoo.com/f-22-fighter-p...opstories.html

So in best case supermanovrability of F-22 would turn to be a thing of the past?