Forum: F-35 Lightning II

Ejection Parachute Issue Grounds F-35As Jan 30, 2012
By Amy Butler abutler@aviationweek.com
WASHINGTON

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/ ... e=Ejection Parachute Issue Grounds F-35As

"Fifteen new Lockheed Martin F-35 fighters, some of which are participating in the flight testing so critical to moving the troubled Joint Strike Fighter program forward, have been grounded owing to improper loading of parachutes in their ejection seats.

The suspension of flight and high-speed ground testing began Jan. 26 and affects aircraft at Edwards AFB, Calif., Eglin AFB, Fla., and Lockheed’s production facility in Fort Worth, Texas, according to Joe Dellavedova at the U.S.-led JSF Joint Program Office. The root cause was “improperly drafted packing procedures,” he adds.

The problematic chutes are not affecting eight test aircraft at NAS Patuxent River, Md., because they carry an earlier version of this seat and the parachutes were properly loaded, he says...

...This mishap comes as Goodrich, the only remaining U.S. ejection seat manufacturer, is in the final throes of attempting to unseat Martin-Baker on the F-35A, which is likely to be purchased by at least 11 countries, with the U.S. Air Force potentially buying as many as 1,763. Without a major program like the F-35, the company’s opportunities to get the Aces 5, the latest in its Aces family of seats, into a new service platform are grim in the near future. The next major opportunity would be the Air Force’s T-38C replacement program, which has yet to formally be kicked off...."

BEST to read the entire POST at the above URL otherwise one may be misled... Twisted Evil

F-16.net Sponsor

ELP wrote:

This issue is unfixable and certainly spells the end of the "Just So Flawed"

There we go Smile

Saved him the trouble.

munny wrote:

ELP wrote:

This issue is unfixable and certainly spells the end of the "Just So Flawed"

There we go Smile

Saved him the trouble.

To quote Larry the Cable Guy, "I don't care who you are, now that's funny right there."

Sufa Viper

F-35 Jet Returns to Flying at Edwards Air Force Base, Feb. 3 2012

http://www.defence.gov.au/dmo/publications/F35.pdf (12Kb)

"AF-1, a F-35 Lightning II, resumed flying Friday, Feb. 3, at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., after the Integrated Test Force Team there received and installed the first properly packed parachute head box assembly for its ejection seat from the Martin Baker Aircraft Corporation.

The F-35 head box assembly was installed in AF-1 early Friday morning and the aircraft flew later that day. Three more head box assemblies containing properly packed parachutes are expected to be received and installed during the weekend allowing additional aircraft to return to flight at Edwards early next week. More head boxes should be received in the coming days for installation in the remaining jets at Edwards, nine jets at Eglin AFB, Fla., and jets in assembly at the F-35 production plant at Ft. Worth, Texas.

Friday’s flight at Edwards was the first since 26 January when high speed ground and flight operations were temporarily suspended at Edwards AFB, Calif., Eglin AFB, Fla. and Lockheed Martin’s F-35 production facility in Fort Worth, Texas after discovering improperly packed parachutes in affected production and test aircraft. The apparent cause was due to improperly drafted packing procedures in the -21 and -23 ejection seats. The parachutes packed in the head boxes of these seats were reversed 180 degrees from design during installation.

Although the improperly packed parachutes would have still deployed as designed to provide a safe landing, it would have made it more difficult for the pilot to steer the canopy during the parachute descent. The temporary suspension of flight test did not apply to the 8 F-35 test aircraft at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., which have an earlier version of the ejection seat with the properly packed parachutes head box assembly."

What a incredible embarrassing moment this must be for the Martin Baker company. Embarassed

I wonder if the Chinese had their fingers in the drafting of the packing instructions. Shrug

VarkVet wrote:

I wonder if the Chinese had their fingers in the drafting of the packing instructions. Shrug

anybody who's reading order is right to left could have put it in backwards Laughing

It's just another example of Murphy's Law - if something can be installed backwards, it will at some time be installed backwards, regardless of what the tech data says.

exfltsafety wrote:

It's just another example of Murphy's Law - if something can be installed backwards, it will at some time be installed backwards, regardless of what the tech data says.

Ya ... they may want to take a second look at the F-35's canopy as well Laughing

Parachute Problems Fixed on 3 Grounded F-35s Feb. 6, 2012 By JEFF SCHOGOL

http://www.defensenews.com/article/2012 ... /302060004

"Three of the 15 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters grounded for having their ejection seat parachutes packed backwards will resume flying on Tuesday.

The aircraft were grounded on Jan. 26.

Six of the aircraft are at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., and the remaining nine are undergoing ground testing at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. Another three aircraft in production at Fort Worth, Texas, also need to have their parachutes repacked.

Three of the aircraft at Edwards now have their chutes repacked, but the first Monday of each month is designated a “no fly” training day, so they won’t return to the air until tomorrow, said Cmdr. Kyra P. Hawn, a spokeswoman for the Joint Strike Fighter Program Office.

The remaining aircraft at Edwards should have their parachutes repacked by the end of the week.

“The priority for installing repacked chutes are those jets actively engaged in flight tests,” Hawn said in an email. “For that reason, following Edwards installations this week, chutes delivered next week will address jets in flight tests at Lockheed Martin’s facility in Fort Worth.”

The remaining nine aircraft should have their parachutes repacked the week of Feb. 20, Hawn said."

Forum: F-35 Lightning II

Ejection Parachute Issue Grounds F-35As 30 Jan 2012