Tuesday, October 25, 2011

F-22s back in the air after grounding

F-22 Raptor air superiority fighters at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va., returned to flight earlier today after a weeklong grounding according to an online article at AirForce Times.

“The 1st Fighter Wing has resumed flying operations at Langley AFB as of 0800 this morning,” said Air Combat Command spokesman Miles Brown.

Wing commander Col. Kevin Robbins had ordered the grounding on Oct. 20 after one of the unit’s pilots suffered from an in-flight incident with symptoms resembling hypoxia.

On Monday, 3rd Wing commander Col. Dirk Smith, who also had grounded his two squadrons of F-22s at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska following the incident at Langley, lifted a flight ban on his aircraft. The first Raptors took off at the Alaska base Monday morning.

F-22 pilots at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, flew their regular schedule throughout the grounding at Langley, as did aviators at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla.; Nellis AFB, Nevada; and Holloman AFB, New Mexico.