A pilot training in one of America's most expensive weapons systems ejected over South Carolina.

Sure makes an intriguing story. I haven't been this excited since D. B. Cooper.

gjl711 wrote in post #19561358
I can't imagine that for training, they are not in full contact with the ground or they are in full stealth mode. That would be plain stupid. Also, for training, I would assume that the plane is smart enough to kick on a emergency beacon when the pilot punches out. The whole story seems loaded with incompetence.

I agree, sound a little strange. I would think the aircraft would be sending navigation data back to the home base.

Remember, posts must be photography related. So I'll fix that...

Where is the hole in the canopy.

Sure is a pretty plane though.

gjl711 wrote in post #19561358
I can't imagine that for training, they are not in full contact with the ground or they are in full stealth mode. That would be plain stupid. Also, for training, I would assume that the plane is smart enough to kick on a emergency beacon when the pilot punches out. The whole story seems loaded with incompetence.

Define "full contact with the ground". Radio communication? Transponder? When I fly, I may be on the ATC frequency, but I don't talk except for making requests or responding to instructions. It is likely the pilot communicated their problem before punching out but that doesn't help anyone afterwards because the radios are still in the plane with no one transmitting.

Why is it stupid to be operating in full stealth mode? if the pilot is in a military operating area, the controlling agencies military and civilian air traffic control) coordinate with civilian planes talking to civilian ATC to deconflict traffic. If a plane flies into the area that isn't talking to ATC, they stop the exercises. Most of us try to see when a MOA is active so we don't interfere with exercises.

AFAIK, they don't have an "emergency beacon" on the plane such as on civilian planes as they can (and have) been activated by accident. You don't want stealth compromised during battle from a hard turn!

Until the facts are known, I'd be careful throwing out terms such as "incompetence".

Perfectly Frank wrote in post #19561361
I agree, sound a little strange. I would think the aircraft would be sending navigation data back to the home base.

Then it isn't stealthy. This isn't a commercial jet that transmits information back to its corporation.

gjl711 wrote in post #19561370
Where is the hole in the canopy.

The image is of an F-22, not an F-35, so no hole in the canopy (or missing canopy)

Capn Jack wrote in post #19561378
The image is of an F-22, not an F-35, so no hole on the canopy (or missing canopy)

Ugh! My mistake. I get those two planes confused. Blame it on old age.

Still a pretty plane.

I was in Iwakuni when a Harrier landed vertical but didn’t have enough fuel and landed hard (no ejection). Damaged the landing gear only, no fire.

Fire truck came up fast, sprayed foam while it was still approaching, hit the breaks hard, slid itself into the plane and totaled the wing.

MMp wrote in post #19561274
The biggest red flag for me is the military's decision to seek assistance from the public in locating the aircraft. This is especially intriguing considering less than 24 hours have passed since the aircraft disappeared. I won't delve into speculation about the details, but something doesn't quite align here.

It’s a stealth aircraft. It better be hard to find.
If it was located right away. I’d ask for a refund.

Although it's a completely different event, this story brings to mind the strange case of Captain Craig Button.
He and his A-10 went missing after breaking off formation from other A-10s. It took almost 20 days before the
crashed aircraft was found. And the aircraft's four 500 lb bombs were never found.

https://en.wikipedia.o​rg …n#Events_of_Apr​il_2,_1997

It is also a sad story because it is believed that Captain Button committed suicide.

ImageMaker... wrote in post #19561386
It’s a stealth aircraft. It better be hard to find.
If it was located right away. I’d ask for a refund.

I guess that $80 million aircraft doesn't come with a GPS tracker??? lol
The truly concerning thing here is is that the majority of the general population won't even question this incident.

gjl711 wrote in post #19561341
Post #9, several examples of planes flying autonomously. That wasn't you?

No

Inspeqtor wrote in post #19561418
No

Y'all got an imposter out there.