Any SC grogs, be on the lookout for an F-35B Lightning II jet.
QuoteU.S. fighter jet's stealth abilities appear to be working too well, with authorities forced to ask the public for help finding an F-35 that went missing somewhere over South Carolina when the pilot ejected because of a "mishap."
Joint Base Charleston, an air base in North Charleston, said it was working with Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort to "locate an F-35 that was involved in a mishap" Sunday afternoon.
The pilot was able to safely eject from the aircraft, an F-35B Lightning II jet, and was taken to a local medical center in stable condition, it said in a Facebook post around 5:35 p.m. ET.
The jet was left in autopilot mode when the pilot ejected from the aircraft, so there's a possibility it could still be airborne, Jeremy Huggins, a spokesman at Joint Base Charleston, told NBC News over the phone.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/f-35-fighter-jet-missing-pilot-ejects-mishap-rcna105534
Odd. If the jet was still flyable, why did he eject? Perhaps the ejection system was the mishap?
Happens quite a bit. There are regulations telling you when to bail out that are rather narrow so that only the plane is lost, not the crew.
Keep in mind that successful flying is not the objective, it is successfully landing.
weird shit happens.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1989_Belgium_MiG-23_crash
It's very odd that it wasn't tracked by radar. Stealth or not, F-35's have transponders that would normally be on while flying in US airspace, even when operating in an MOA.
Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "We lost a plane today in the skies over South Carolina..."
Quote from: Sigwolf on September 18, 2023, 03:42:05 PMIt's very odd that it wasn't tracked by radar. Stealth or not, F-35's have transponders that would normally be on while flying in US airspace, even when operating in an MOA.
depends on the training profile.
As long as they don't look in my garage that is all fine by me :D
Quote from: Sigwolf on September 18, 2023, 03:42:05 PMIt's very odd that it wasn't tracked by radar. Stealth or not, F-35's have transponders that would normally be on while flying in US airspace, even when operating in an MOA.
Apparently the transponder was "not working properly". I mean what do you expect for ~$75 million.
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2023/09/18/f-35-fighter-jet-still-missing-south-carolina-after-pilot-ejected-sunday.html
Quote from: GDS_Starfury on September 18, 2023, 03:50:01 PMQuote from: Sigwolf on September 18, 2023, 03:42:05 PMIt's very odd that it wasn't tracked by radar. Stealth or not, F-35's have transponders that would normally be on while flying in US airspace, even when operating in an MOA.
depends on the training profile.
Considering they just announced a 2 day stand down of all Marine aviation units, domestic and abroad, I'm guessing some procedures were not followed... or are about to be changed.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F6UoMzxWIAA13WM?format=jpg&name=900x900)
search track
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F6U8N9fbgAAL9Cg?format=jpg&name=medium)
nvm
QuoteA state law enforcement helicopter located the jet and debris around 5 p.m. Monday in a field near Indiantown, South Carolina.
The pilot "experienced a malfunction and was forced to eject" on Sunday at an altitude of about 1,000 feet just 1 mile north of Charleston International Airport, according to a situation report given to AP by the Marine Corps official.
https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/your-marine-corps/2023/09/19/pilot-of-downed-f-35-parachuted-into-residential-backyard/
They should pin Apple AirTags on those things.
The most amazing 911 call I have ever heard. Had me laughing out loud at several points. It starts at 10:44 in this video.