OT: F-22 traps pilot inside

[AirDOGGe]

An F-22 canopy stuck shut while on the ground at Langley AFB, trapping the pilot inside for 5 hours!. He finally had to be rescued by fire department folk with a power saw!

The price for repairing the canopy could buy a nice clean GA aircraft (maybe even a used T-6 racer or a new NXT?)!

Includes photos of a very unhappy pilot and the rescue procedure:

Link:

http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=20396

.

[First time Juke]

Re: OT: F-22 traps pilot inside

I think I know how the pilot must have felt. I am sitting in an office with a glasswall facing south and the sun has really started to shine after the long darkish winter.

With the price of a canopy repair one could get a decent wooden house in my country.

[ShaneDog]

Re: OT: F-22 traps pilot inside

I hate to think what the total cost of the malfunction amounted to. Including the new canopy, clean up of aircraft, repairing the scrathces and minor dents, and all the time they had to spend troubleshooting the system to find out what caused the whole ordeal in the first place.

I am however, surprised that the new canopy only cost $182,000.

[whoadude]

Re: OT: F-22 traps pilot inside

Wonder why they didn't use one of those $500 hammers to get him out?

hehehehehe Couldn't resist.

Whoadude.

[First time Juke]

Re: OT: F-22 traps pilot inside

What is even more dramatic is that the pilot possibly missed a hot date during the lunch break.

Just think of this hot dog pilot explaining the dame: " The canopy did not open..it took 5 hours to open it...honestly. "

[wolfee]

Re: OT: F-22 traps pilot inside

heh tax dollars at work gents!.

[Mluvara]

Re: OT: F-22 traps pilot inside

It's pretty sad once you get to see the inside of government operations and spending. you'd be amazed how much things cost and what the government spends on stuff. You start to realize where a good portion of your taxes go.

I'm pretty darn sure however that the F-22 canopy isn't quite like any other canopy out there. Notice the fancy suits that they are wearing? I wonder what materials the canopy is comprised of... Not that they wouldn't have worn that anyways. I'm sure it's standard OP.

Michael

[Eric]

Re: OT: F-22 traps pilot inside

S#$% happens. I seen the same thing happen on a F-16 and I am sure it has happened on many other A/C.

[MLenoch]

Re: OT: F-22 traps pilot inside

Happened to me in a P-51 several years ago.

[Randy Haskin]

Re: OT: F-22 traps pilot inside

It's pretty sad once you get to see the inside of government operations and spending. you'd be amazed how much things cost and what the government spends on stuff. You start to realize where a good portion of your taxes go.

Consider that a jet like the F-15E burns about $10,000 in gas (2000 prices) per hour. Just gas.

That means in three years, I personally burned more that $7 million in jet fuel. Just me.

And there are about 220 F-15Es out there, flying day in, and day out. That's just one airframe (and a small one, at that).

The money spent on fuel to fly USAF jets is staggering once you start doing the math. Then add in the Navy and Marines.

Now we're talking big money!

[Peashooter]

Re: OT: F-22 traps pilot inside

Consider that a jet like the F-15E burns about $10,000 in gas (2000 prices) per hour. Just gas.

That means in three years, I personally burned more that $7 million in jet fuel. Just me.

And there are about 220 F-15Es out there, flying day in, and day out. That's just one airframe (and a small one, at that).

The money spent on fuel to fly USAF jets is staggering once you start doing the math. Then add in the Navy and Marines.

Now we're talking big money!

So, do we need a hybrid F-15? RC electric jets are pretty darn amazing!

[MRussell]

Re: OT: F-22 traps pilot inside

How does the ejection system work? If he had to punch out, isn't it supposed to blow the canopy off first? The glass looks way too thick to send the ejection seat through it. Assuming the canopy must jettison first, I wonder if that function would still work? I guess there's no manual jettison for the canopy? Or perhaps they decided not to use it because a) it could fall back and hit the plane/pilot, b) they can probably better troubleshoot the fouled latch system with the canopy still attached, c) all of the above.

[Randy Haskin]

Re: OT: F-22 traps pilot inside

they decided not to use it because a) it could fall back and hit the plane/pilot, b) they can probably better troubleshoot the fouled latch system with the canopy still attached, c) all of the above.

Bingo on letter "A". Plus, they did not want to risk blowing the canopy and having it land on (and damage) the airplane.

[Curt]

Re: OT: F-22 traps pilot inside

They might want to revise the emergency egress procedure to read

use saws all w a carbide blade, no oil to contend with and the shavings would be in a much more confined area, much safer too just finnished an 8 hr chainsaw safty class @ work, never knew there was so many ways to cause bodily harm w a saw !!!

[Jelge]

Re: OT: F-22 traps pilot inside

The last attempt at cycling the canopy probably exceeded the actuator limits and burned it out. I don't see anything that looks like a manual release mechanism for the canopy but then I don't know anything about the F-22 so it might not be visible in any of the pictures. It would not have been pleasant to be stuck in there. I also feel sorry for the crew chief that probably spent a 12+ hour night cleaning that mess up.