Super Hornet maker Boeing working to fix problems with oxygen, pressure loss
OTTAWA — Aerospace giant Boeing Co. says it is working to address concerns raised by Canadian officials and others over pilots reporting oxygen deprivation and cockpit pressure loss while flying its Super Hornet fighter jets.
But a solution has so far been elusive while the number of reported problems continues to rise, raising questions about the potential risk to Canadian pilots as the Liberals move to purchase 18 of the warplanes.
Figures provided to a U.S. House Armed Services subcommittee last week show there has been a steady increase in pilots reporting loss of oxygen or pressure while flying U.S. Navy Super Hornets in recent years.
There were 31 such “physiological episodes” per 100,000 flying hours from November 2015 to October 2016 — an 11 per cent increase from the previous year, and three times the rate reported in 2010-11.