The U.S. Air Force is about to induct its second female F-35 pilot. A minimum weight restriction had temporarily prevented her from flying, but the issue has finally been fixed.

Back in October 2015, F-35 program managers restricted pilots under 136 lbs. because of problems with the Martin Baker US16E pilot escape system and the weight of the F-35 helmet. These errors created "an unacceptable risk of neck injury during parachute deployment/opening for lighter-weight pilots at low-speed conditions." The Air Force and F-35 contractors have now fixed that issue, Aviation Week & Space Technology explains, allowing the unnamed pilot--who flies another type of aircraft--to begin F-35 training.



The restriction was lifted in March 2017, technically, but was delayed due to problems incorporating the modified equipment into the F-35’s global logistics system. It will take until 2019 to roll fixes out to the 200 F-35s already flying worldwide. Eight aircraft at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona have been fixed, enough for the unnamed female pilot to begin training. New aircraft ordered in 2017 will have the safety changes baked into the aircraft.

One female Air Force official told AW&ST that female pilots were routed to other aircraft and the weight restrictions "deterred people from choosing women to fly the F-35,” though it had not deterred women from wanting to fly the F-35. As a result of the fixes, pilots weighing between 103 and 245 lb. are now cleared to fly the plane.

The first female F-35 pilot, Lieutenant Colonel Christine Mau, trained on the F-35 in 2015 but has recently retired from the Air Force.

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