Monday, June 16, 2014

F-35 in-flight emergency. Burning questions....


via WSJ
The Pentagon temporarily grounded the entire F-35 Joint Strike Fighter fleet at the start of the weekend after one of the advanced jets suffered an engine oil leak and declared an in-flight emergency.
While the suspension of flight and ground testing on Friday was described by F-35 program officials as a precautionary move, it is the second time in 16 months that engine problems have grounded the entire fleet. It comes just two weeks before the plane is due to make its first international appearance.
And then this...
Engine maker Pratt Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp. UTX -0.05% , said most of the 104-jet fleet had been cleared to resume flying by late Saturday following the safety inspections mandated by the F-35 managers on Friday. The F-35 program office said these revealed potential problems on two more jets.
There are more than a few burning questions that need to be answered.

What was the tick tock of events leading to the pilot declaring a in-flight emergency?  Are these recurring engine problems due to weight saving measures?  Why is Pratt Whitney and the Program office not on the same page?  The office is saying there are potential problems with two more jets while PW is touting the clearance of the "majority".  Are we seeing some type of systemic design or maintenance problem?