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.
Navy Adm. Samuel J. Paparo Jr. assumed leadership of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, succeeding Navy Adm. John Aquilino at a change of command ceremony, urging action amid China's “increasing intrusive and expansionist claims,” on May 3