Marine pilot loses command after ejecting from F-35B that kept flying

Re:Marine pilot loses command after ejecting from F-35B that... by arghwhat on Monday November 11, 2024 @04:00PM (#42110395)

That really, really depends on what conditions you are flying under. This is not a naturally stable aircraft flown at relatively low speeds far away from any obstacle, and it is not being flown from a couch with a gamepad.

Even if he fucked up severely and needlessly burned an insanely expensive asset at the cost of tax payers, that’s a fuckup from an individual actually qualified for and skilled at flying the thing, unlike everyone at this site.

The whole lot of us would probably have the plane go up in flames before we even got into it.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Marine pilot loses command after ejecting from F-35B that... by thrill on Monday November 11, 2024 @05:50PM (#42111167)

The flight control software was not malfunctioning. He had instruments and communication capability that would have let him land an otherwise flyable aircraft.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Marine pilot loses command after ejecting from F-35B that... by arghwhat on Tuesday November 12, 2024 @02:34AM (#42113529)

Again, a very easy judgement to make when you’re not the one strapped to the rocket in what the documents describe as “challenging conditions” as your displays you were flying after go dark.

He only had “basically working” comms, which seems to suggest that it too was degraded, and the instruments referred to as being available is just the tiny artificial horizon display in front of his right knee.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Marine pilot loses command after ejecting from F-35B that... by thrill on Tuesday November 12, 2024 @10:08AM (#42116019)

I've been strapped to such a rocket in such challenging conditions with even worse remaining operable equipment more than once.

[ Parent | on HN ]