Hypoxia episodes still a mystery

The U.S. military still can’t figure out the root cause of mysterious hypoxia-like psychological episodes (PEs) that have led to the grounding of multiple aircraft at bases in Florida, Mississippi, Texas, and around the globe. The Navy grounded its fleet of T-45 Goshawk training aircraft in April 2017 when flight instructors at Naval Air Stations Pensacola, Fla., and Meridian, Miss., refused to fly after experiencing PE symptoms related to a loss of oxygen in flight. It’s had a big impact on naval aviation training, delaying student-pilots in the T-45C pipeline training, and keeping them from earning their “Wings of Gold”. The Navy has also grounded some of its F-18 Hornets because of similar issues. The Air Force recently grounded its T-6A II trainers after pilots reported a series of unexplained PEs. The AF also briefly grounded its F-35A fifth-generation Joint Strike Fighters last June after pilots reported PEs. In serious hypoxia cases, pilots could lose control of the aircraft and crash. Despite investigations by the military and private industry, experts still don't know the root causes, or have solid solutions, to these episodes. One of the causes appears to involve the aircrafts’ onboard oxygen generating system (OBOGS), which takes bleed air from the engine and filters it to provide breathable oxygen. Congress is pushing for solutions. U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) inserted an amendment to the Defense Authorization Act to provide $10M for industry solutions to the problem. Wicker's district includes NAS Meridian, a key T-45 training base. U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) partially blames Pentagon bureaucracy. On the front line of the effort is Navy Capt. (Dr.) Merrill Rice, who heads an NAS Pensacola-based study of pilots' responses to oxygen deprivation at the Naval Aerospace Medical Institute. Dallas Snider of the University of West Florida is working with Rice to analyze data collected in the lab and creating an algorithm for helmet sensors. (Source: Pensacola News Journal 03/10/18)