by Hope Hodge Seck
For Navy aviation, a resurgence of hypoxia-like episodes in fighter aircraft has made for a difficult year -- a fact underscored in July when an F/A-18 Hornet squadron deployed aboard the carrier George H.W. Bush in support of the fight against ISIS paused operations for a full week after pilots experienced problems on back-to-back days.
But that step, a dramatic response to what the Navy has called its No. 1 aviation concern, may also be a sign of positive cultural change, said Capt. Dave "DW" Kindley, manager for the F/A-18 Hornet and EA-18G Growler program office.
During an interview at the Pentagon regarding the service's effort to solve what it calls "physiological episodes," Kindley praised the leadership aboard the carrier who grounded Strike Fighter Squadron 37 even in a busy operational environment.
"This is a CO who sees something he's uncomfortable with, and he stepped forward and said, 'We need to stop and look at our aircraft,' " Kindley said. "Wow, that's a good thing that that guy can jump forward and say that, and the naval aviation enterprise came and said, 'Right, we back you 100 percent.' "
http://www.military.com/daily-news/2017/10/03/reports-of-in-flight-problems-may-stem-cultural-change-navy.html
