More than 100 U.S. Navy instructor pilots announced a boycott late last week over the leadership’s alleged failure to deal with a problem in the training jets’ oxygen system.
“The pilots don’t feel safe flying this aircraft,” one instructor pilot said about the issue, according to a report published Tuesday evening.
Since the protest started, hundreds of training flights have been grounded. Among the student pilots affected is Marine 1st Lt. Michael Pence, the son of Vice President Mike Pence.
Senior naval aviators testified before Congress last week that physiological problems, some resulting from issues with the oxygen system, have quadrupled on the T-45 training jet in the past five years.
Navy officials said they plan to order more advanced hydrocarbon sensors, which are able to be analyzed on site, allowing the investigation to take place quickly.
