This jet is so stealthy, we need your help finding it!

[UNCjigga]

F-35 apparently missing over South Carolina after pilot ejects and leaves it on autopilot (transponder not working!)

Have you seen a missing fighter jet? U.S. asks for help after ‘mishap’

The jet was left in autopilot mode so there’s a possibility it could still be airborne somewhere over South Carolina, a spokesman at Joint Base Charleston told NBC News.

www.nbcnews.com

This should not happen. Something is seriously wrong here.

 

[HomerJS]

Airplanes autopilots work that way. There was a private jet carrying a pro golfer that lost pressurization. Everyone died but the plane continued to fly until fuel exhausted.

 

[pmv]

Don't even need an autopilot

(correction - apparently it did have an early type of autopilot)

 

[pcgeek11]

I wonder what was so urgent that the pilot had to eject over a populated area, but the plane continued flying!

Doesn't seem the problem was too urgent to me.

 

[Motostu]

Premature ejection?

 

[igor_kavinski]

So the pilot is never gonna fly an F35 again? I don't see why they would want to let him.

 

[Indus]

I wonder if its on a secret mission and this Premature Ejection and Panic Stations is the cover story.

/conspiracy

On a more serious note:

 

[IronWing]

I wonder what was so urgent that the pilot had to eject over a populated area, but the plane continued flying!

Doesn't seem the problem was too urgent to me.

Maybe the problem would kill the pilot but not the plane, like depressurization or "oops, we forgot to refill the oxygen cylinders."

 

[Motostu]

Maybe the problem would kill the pilot but not the plane, like depressurization or "oops, we forgot to refill the oxygen cylinders."

Good point. Maybe unrelated, but found this:

House panel demands another investigation into F-35 pilot breathing system problems

More than 40 physiological episodes have occurred in the F-35. Congress wants to know why.

www.defensenews.com

A couple of years old, but it sometimes takes years to correct issues on these programs.

 

[Indus]

Good point. Maybe unrelated, but found this:

House panel demands another investigation into F-35 pilot breathing system problems

More than 40 physiological episodes have occurred in the F-35. Congress wants to know why.

www.defensenews.com

A couple of years old, but it sometimes takes years to correct issues on these programs.

So it's not just us that complain about Honeywell products.. it's the Pilots too.

 

[pcgeek11]

Maybe the problem would kill the pilot but not the plane, like depressurization or "oops, we forgot to refill the oxygen cylinders."

Under those conditions isn't the preferred method be to reduce altitude so the O2 isn't needed rather than dumping an airplane of this expense?

I'm asking as I'm not a flyboy, I'm a bubblehead.

 

[Puffnstuff]

I wonder if it went down in that big lake it was supposedly flying over? Not having an active tracker on such an expensive piece of hardware is egregious in my eyes.

 

[K1052]

When he's right he's right I guess.

 

[Moonbeam]

It was stolen by the Russians.

 

[pcgeek11]

I wonder if it went down in that big lake it was supposedly flying over? Not having an active tracker on such an expensive piece of hardware is egregious in my eyes.

Probably did crash in lake Marion or Moultrie.

 

[UNCjigga]

If a stealth fighter crashes in the forest, does it make a sound? /zen

 

[pcgeek11]

Looks like they located some wreckage in Williamsburg County. North and East of Lake Marion, SC.

https://www.wbtw.com/news/pee-dee/florence-county/crews-searching-for-missing-lowcountry-fighter-jet-in-pee-dee-florence-county-sheriffs-office-says/

 

[Indus]

I don't agree with her on anything but guess even a broken clock is right sometime..

https://twitter.com/x/status/1703764251930681623

 

[IronWing]

Um, having a tracking device sort of defeats the whole stealthy thing.

 

[skyking]

Apple Airtags to the rescue!
Is the name a coincidence? I think not!

 

[eelw]

Um, having a tracking device sort of defeats the whole stealthy thing.

Exactly. Like several normally sane posters here wanting a find me option. But not surprised congress critters are that saying it just because pwn the libs!!!

 

[Indus]

911 call shows bizarre circumstances of F-35 ejection: 'Not sure where the airplane is,' pilot says

A military pilot whose advanced fighter jet went temporarily missing over the weekend is heard repeatedly requesting an ambulance in a perplexing 911 call from the South Carolina home where he had parachuted to safety.

apnews.com

The Marine Corps said Thursday that a feature on fighter jets intended to protect pilots in emergencies could explain how the F-35 managed to continue its travels. They said that while it was unclear why the jet kept flying, flight control software would have worked to keep it steady if there were no longer a pilot’s hands on the controls.

“If the jet is stable in level flight, the jet will attempt to stay there. If it was in an established climb or descent, the jet will maintain a 1G state in that climb or descent until commanded to do something else,” the Marine Corps said in a statement. “This is designed to save our pilots if they are incapacitated or lose situational awareness.”


Doesn't explain everything but does explain a little bit that it didn't crash in the vicinity of the ejection.

 

[hal2kilo]

911 call shows bizarre circumstances of F-35 ejection: 'Not sure where the airplane is,' pilot says

A military pilot whose advanced fighter jet went temporarily missing over the weekend is heard repeatedly requesting an ambulance in a perplexing 911 call from the South Carolina home where he had parachuted to safety.

apnews.com

The Marine Corps said Thursday that a feature on fighter jets intended to protect pilots in emergencies could explain how the F-35 managed to continue its travels. They said that while it was unclear why the jet kept flying, flight control software would have worked to keep it steady if there were no longer a pilot’s hands on the controls.

“If the jet is stable in level flight, the jet will attempt to stay there. If it was in an established climb or descent, the jet will maintain a 1G state in that climb or descent until commanded to do something else,” the Marine Corps said in a statement. “This is designed to save our pilots if they are incapacitated or lose situational awareness.”


Doesn't explain everything but does explain a little bit that it didn't crash in the vicinity of the ejection.

Yet there's no sensor to say, why bother, the pilot has ejected.

 

[Ken g6]

911 call shows bizarre circumstances of F-35 ejection: 'Not sure where the airplane is,' pilot says

A military pilot whose advanced fighter jet went temporarily missing over the weekend is heard repeatedly requesting an ambulance in a perplexing 911 call from the South Carolina home where he had parachuted to safety.

apnews.com

The Marine Corps said Thursday that a feature on fighter jets intended to protect pilots in emergencies could explain how the F-35 managed to continue its travels. They said that while it was unclear why the jet kept flying, flight control software would have worked to keep it steady if there were no longer a pilot’s hands on the controls.

“If the jet is stable in level flight, the jet will attempt to stay there. If it was in an established climb or descent, the jet will maintain a 1G state in that climb or descent until commanded to do something else,” the Marine Corps said in a statement. “This is designed to save our pilots if they are incapacitated or lose situational awareness.”


Doesn't explain everything but does explain a little bit that it didn't crash in the vicinity of the ejection.

The next step ought to be to connect to a drone pilot if the plane continues having no pilot hands on the controls. Like a self-driving taxi that asks for a remote driver when it gets in trouble.

 

[hal2kilo]

911 call shows bizarre circumstances of F-35 ejection: 'Not sure where the airplane is,' pilot says

A military pilot whose advanced fighter jet went temporarily missing over the weekend is heard repeatedly requesting an ambulance in a perplexing 911 call from the South Carolina home where he had parachuted to safety.

apnews.com

The Marine Corps said Thursday that a feature on fighter jets intended to protect pilots in emergencies could explain how the F-35 managed to continue its travels. They said that while it was unclear why the jet kept flying, flight control software would have worked to keep it steady if there were no longer a pilot’s hands on the controls.

“If the jet is stable in level flight, the jet will attempt to stay there. If it was in an established climb or descent, the jet will maintain a 1G state in that climb or descent until commanded to do something else,” the Marine Corps said in a statement. “This is designed to save our pilots if they are incapacitated or lose situational awareness.”


Doesn't explain everything but does explain a little bit that it didn't crash in the vicinity of the ejection.

Wonderful details, except for why the pilot ejected from what seemed to be a perfectly fine plane. Must have had the equivalent of a blue screen of death, and the plane was doing dangerous excursions in flight. Why else? Slam from ejection did a reset?