A Hornet crashed during training and the pilot is missing. I hope for a happier ending than the Canadian Hornet crash a week or so ago.

https://news.usni.org/2016/12/07/okinawa..._eid=035bb9a572

"when the pilot ejected about 6:40 p.m"

Looks like ocean temperatures southeast of Japan are around 71 F. According to survival charts he should be able to live in waters of that temperature for at least 12 hrs if he has some sort of flotation gear.

Unfortunately, there are sharks in that part of the world. Plenty of hairy stories from WW2 survivors.
Do USN fighters use personal liferafts or just belts in the ejector seat? I hope he's safe.

There are sharks all over the world even off the UK coast.

Hope the pilot makes it.

posted at 11:02 am, Dec 8

"A U.S. Marine pilot who ejected from an F/A-18 fighter jet off the eastern coast of Japan has been recovered by a Japanese naval vessel, officials said today. The status of the pilot's condition is unknown.

The Japanese Defense Ministry announced that a Japanese Self-Defense Force rescue boat had retrieved the pilot from waters east of Japan, according to the Kyodo News Agency.

A timeline posted on the ministry's website indicated that the pilot was spotted at 1:05 a.m. Eastern time by the 71st Air Division and rescued five minutes later"

condition of pilot not yet known

ejects from his plane at 18:40 hrs, Wed .... found and pulled from waters at 0105/0110, Thur. So assuming he was in the water for ....roughly 6 hrs 30 min at ocean temp there of 71 F ..... he might be ok at least on that count .... possible other circumstances of course as mentioned previously .... sharks.... hurt in ejection, etc

Sharks are not a really big problem in that area at this time of year, most of the time. If it were earlier in the year I'd be concerned.

Pilot did not make it.

$%#&


S! Marine Capt. Jake Frederick

"Frederick leaves behind his Marine family, his wife, his son, and according to military publication Stars and Stripes, an unborn child"