Still struggling with T-45C failures

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Navy and Marine Corps continue to struggle with oxygen system problems plaguing T-45C Goshawk carrier training aircraft that have clogged the aviation pipeline for new pilots, Adm. Paul Grosklags, commander of the Naval Air Systems Command, told a House subcommittee June 7. Grosklags said the services are exploring two courses of action in light of 47 incidents per 100,000 flight hours in 2016 that has prevented full operation of T-45C trainers since a partial stand-down in late March. The Navy is working to identify failures, and take corrective actions, in the On-Board Oxygen Generation Systems (OBOGS) that have plagued the Goshawks. The service is also outfitting T-45s with “alerting and protective measures” to get the aircraft back to full operation. He also told reporters that the Navy is considering replacing today’s OBOGS with an older liquid oxygen system (LOX) to provide oxygen to pilots, but called that a “longer-term solution.” The results of a fleet-wide study into the issue, led by U.S Pacific Fleet commander Adm. Scott Swift, is due to do be briefed later in June. (Source: USNI News 05/07/17) Gulf Coast Note: T-45C Goshawks are flown at Naval Air Stations at Pensacola, Fla.; Meridian, Miss.; and Kingsville, Texas.