The rate of F-16 Class A accidents over the past year was the highest since 2001 and came at a time when the Air Force has been reducing flying hours for five years, reports Scott Lindlaw of the Associated Press. The 2007 rate was 3.18 per 100,000 flying hours, compared to 3.85 in 2001. Unlike with the 2001 accidents, the Air Force has attributed several of the 10 Viper crashes in 2007 to pilot error or disorientation. In 2001, the prime culprit was the engine.
Less than a year after announcing the rollout of a new online platform for evaluations, the Air Force is pausing use of the system amid a deluge of complaints from Airmen. The service initially promised that the platform, dubbed myEval, would be a “21st century IT application” and eventually include functions such…