4 ms·
It's hard to say that the disciplinary actions against Capt Wilson were the result of whistleblowing. From the article: When the F-22 was cleared to fly again
by csandreasen 12y ago
It's hard to say that the disciplinary actions against Capt Wilson were the result of whistleblowing. From the article:
When the F-22 was cleared to fly again in September 2011, the Air Force had added a charcoal filter to the breathing system in the hopes of trapping contaminants. But that fix appears to have presented new problems.
In the months that followed, pilots discovered the filters were releasing charcoal dust inside their oxygen hoses. The result, according to a letter Wilson's lawyer sent to the inspector general: coughing fits and other respiratory ailments.
Members of the squadron, including Wilson, told their commander they wanted to fly without the filter but were informed that anyone who refused would face disciplinary action.
Additionally, he was denied promotion and grounded in April 2012. The article doesn't say when it was filmed or if his superiors were aware of the 60 Minutes segment, but that segment didn't air until a month later. It's possible that it was filmed prior to being disciplined and his commander found out, but they had already established that any pilot refusing to fly without the charcoal filter would be disciplined.
- fnordfnordfnord 12y agoThe oxygen system problem(s) aren't new to the F22. One pilot has been killed, and some pilots have refused to fly the plane over persistent problems that haven't been sorted out. So, Wilson isn't alone in his complaints, and he isn't making things up. http://defensetech.org/2012/05/04/f-22-pilots-to-discuss-why-they-wont-fly-the-jet/ http://defensetech.org/2012/05/04/f-22-pilots-to-discuss-why... http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/05/03/pilots_refuse_f22/ http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/05/03/pilots_refuse_f22/ http://www.scribd.com/doc/85253929/F22-Lawsuit http://www.scribd.com/doc/85253929/F22-Lawsuit http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/m/military_aircraft/f22_airplane/index.html http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects... http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/dod-air-force-wrong-blame-22-pilot-crash/story?id=18464578 http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/dod-air-force-wrong-blame-22-p... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2138684/Family-F22-pilot-killed-oxygen-cut-accuses-Air-Force-cover-blaming-420m-plane-crash.html http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2138684/Family-F22-p...
- jcheng 12y agoI think csandreasen wasn't saying that the complaints weren't warranted; just that it might have been the refusal to fly, rather than the whistleblowing per se, that stalled his career.
- csandreasen 12y agoThat's exactly what I was trying to say - I think this is an issue of pilots getting caught in a health/safety battle, and there's every reason to go about investigating from that angle (I'm assuming that's what the Inspector General investigation is focused on). I don't see the evidence to conclude that he's being reprimanded for whistleblowing.