Saturday, August 13, 2011

F-22 Raptor Pilots May Lose Their Clearance To Fly

A crew chief shakes hands with an F-22 pilot before he departs for a training mission at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., in March. The fleet of F-22 Raptors has been grounded since May. Tech Sgt. Michael R. Holzworth / Air Force

Grounded Stealth-Fighter Jocks Could Lose Clearance To Fly -- Danger Room

The U.S. Air Force’s most advanced stealth fighters have been grounded for so long that pilots of the F-22 Raptors are starting to run the risk of being disqualified from flying their assigned planes.

Air Force requires pilots to fly a certain number of sorties in their aircraft every month, in order to stay fresh. If they don’t fly for 210 days, the pilots lose their “currency,” as it’s known in military jargon. Then, they have to be retrained on their jets, nearly from scratch.

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More News On F-22 Pilots Losing Their Clearance To Fly

Pilots lose currency as F-22 grounding drags on -- Air Force Times
F-22 Pilots Lose Currency As Standdown Drags On -- Defense News
F-22 grounding means Raptor pilots are losing qualification -- Defense Web
F-22 pilots losing qualification as Raptors remain grounded -- Stars and Stripes
High costs, malfunctions plague F-22 Raptor fighter jets -- Boston Herald/L.A. Times
USAF grounds entire fleet of F-22 Raptors -- Brahmand.com
F-22 fighter nearing boondoggle status -- StlToday.com

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