Most of the Air Force’s F-22 fleet is back to unrestricted flight operations after being limited for nearly a year to flying within 30 minutes of a safe landing area and at lower altitudes because of safety concerns. Air Combat Command announced today that the restrictions mandated by then-Secretary Leon Panetta in May have been lifted for F-22s that have been retrofitted with automatic backup oxygen systems. The new oxygen systems will be installed on all of the stealth fighters by July 2014. F-22s have resumed aerospace control alert missions in Alaska and are no longer restricted to flying within…
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The groundbreaking at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam of a 77,500-square-foot hangar and operations facility for the Hawaii Air National Guard’s F-22 squadron drew hundreds of people, including the state’s governor and adjutant general. It’s safe to say the 77,500-square-foot facility will probably be pretty dang nice. A drawing on the website of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser shows the new complex surrounded by well-manicured lawns and palm trees. The Raptor is the world’s most advanced air-to-air fighter. Some of the world’s top pilots sit in the F-22’s cockpits. But the Raptor pilots aren’t getting in the air anytime soon. The service grounded…