SASC: Better comms for T-45 fix

Naval aviation’s hunt for solutions to its No. 1 safety issue - oxygen deprivation and loss of cockpit cabin pressure on its T-45C trainers, F/A-18 Hornets/Super Hornets, and EA-18 Growlers - is hampered by breakdowns in communication between engineers and pilots, according to the Senate Armed Services Committee. A lot of “good work” has been done on the issue, including data being created and analyzed, “those efforts are not always being effectively communicated down to the flightline” where these physiological episodes “are most acute,” according to a July 11 committee report as part of the FY 2018 defense policy bill (S 1519). The SASC urged the Navy “to consider designating a single individual for each” aircraft class affected “to act as bridge” between engineers and pilots to ensure a positive flow of communications. The bill, at the request of Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), would authorize DOD to launch a nationwide competition - with a $10M prize - to find a solution to the persistent problem. The Navy first grounded its fleet of T-45s for several days in April - including those flown at Naval Air Stations Meridian, Miss.; Pensacola, Fla.; and Kingsville, Texas. (Source: Bloomberg News 07/13/17)