Some F-22s cleared to fly, to escape Irene - Air Force News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Air Force Times

Some F-22s cleared to fly, to escape Irene

The Air Force has granted a temporary flight waiver for experienced F-22 Raptor pilots at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va., to move the $140 million stealth fighters out of the path of Hurricane Irene.

The waiver marks the first time in nearly four months that F-22s, save for a few test planes at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., have taken to the air.

“Due to Hurricane Irene forecasts for Southern Virginia, the 1st Fighter Wing commander initiated an evacuation of the F-22 Raptors today to protect assets against anticipated 115-mile-per-hour wind gusts and flooding,” Air Force spokesman Chad Steffey said in an email. “Faced with Hurricane Irene’s projected landfall in the Hampton Roads area, Headquarters Air Force granted temporary certification and currency waivers to experienced pilots to support evacuation operations; however, this temporary waiver does not lift the stand-down order given 3 May 11.”

The Raptors are being evacuated to Grissom Air Force Reserve Base, Ind., and will return to Virginia when the installation commander declares the base safe.

The F-22 fleet has been grounded since May 3 due to a suspected problem with the jet’s oxygen system. The Air Force is investigating the problem’s cause, but no solution is in sight.