Originally Posted by MikeF16

US Navy grounds T-45 training jet fleet following Fox News report | Fox News

I'm torn on this story. Fox points out; probably quite correctly, that additional attention has been brought to this issue because 1Lt Michael Pence flies that plane. Don't interpret this incorrectly, I'm 100% in favor of safely operating our airplane fleets. My issue is would this have been done without a high profile student in training? My guess is no -- reference (1) each F-22 mishap where O2 contamination disabled the pilot and the USAF blamed the pilot for the subsequent crash as well as the follow-on treatment of the 2 whistle-blowers who went to their congressmen and the media in the wake of the F-22's O2 problems.

Anybody who thinks we're a classless society is willingly fooling themselves. I don't doubt it's possible to move from class to class, but there are classes none the less.

EDIT:

BTW, in the name of full disclosure I am not intimately familiar with the treatment the whistle blowers received after their media appearance. I knew one of the guys in a previous life and through mutual friends I was told he was involuntarily removed from the F-22. If somebody has more accurate information I would appreciate a correction to my statement.