AF finding cure for UPEs

For Air Force instructor-pilot Maj. Kinsley “Trigger” Jordan, the first clue something was awry was when he suddenly tasted something metallic in his mouth. He wondered, during a training sortie in 2017 with a student-pilot in a T-6 Texan II, if he had unintentionally bit his lip and drawn blood. He looked down at the instrumentation. He could see the numbers, but couldn’t comprehend the readings. That’s when the severity of what was happening - hypoxia or lack of oxygen to the blood – had him totally confused, the Vance AFB, Okla., instructor of the 33rd Flying Training Squadron said. The AF calls them an “unexplained physiological event” (UPE). It was one of the first flights in a series of incidents that led Vance’s 71st Flying Training Wing to ground its T-6s. The 19th Air Force later suspended all T-6s flights in early 2018. The AF scrambled to solve the mystery that put fliers at risk. Now, the AF is rolling out a series of fixes. Key to the effort is a completely redesigned On-Board Oxygen Generating System (OBOGOS) that takes designs from the F-15E Strike Eagle and A-10; and maintenance cues from the Navy. The AF has some 20 changes it’s making to the T-6. The AF concluded UPEs are caused by rapidly fluctuating oxygen concentrations. The AF learned, from consulting with Navy, that periodically purging moisture from the OBOGS may cut down on UPEs. The AF has begun purging moisture regularly with signs of improvement. The AF is also in the midst of hardware upgrades to the OBOGS. A new oxygen concentrator has been designed with new parts and materials. But, it will likely take up to 18 months to install in all 400 T-6s. A big improvement is that software can be easily upgraded to tweak oxygen concentrations. The elder concentrator couldn’t accept software adjustments and had to be physically removed from the T-6. Training is vital for pilots to be able to recognize UPEs before it gets dangerous, said retired Gen. Hawk Carlisle, former head of the Air Combat Command. But the fact that pilots are flying fewer hours on average is worrisome to Carlisle. The lack of time in the cockpit could put pilots at greater jeopardy if a UPE develops. Pilots are spending more time in simulators, he said, but even the best simulators can’t prepare a pilot how to react if suddenly faced with a life-and-death hypoxic situation. (Source: Military Times 02/11/19) Gulf Coast Note: The 19th Air Force’s T-6 grounding of the fleet included Columbus AFB, Miss., and at an AF unit aboard NAS Pensacola, Fla. The Navy also had hypoxia-like symptoms in the T-45C training aircraft based at NAS Meridian, Miss., and NAS Pensacola.