'We Are Dropping Like Flies.'

[TuFun]

Ex-Fighter Pilots Push for Earlier Cancer Screenings

"We are dropping like flies in our 50s from aggressive cancers," said retired Air Force Col. Eric Nelson, a former F-15E Strike Eagle weapons officer. He cited prostate and esophageal cancers, lymphoma, and glioblastomas that have struck fellow pilots he knew, commanded or flew with.

I think there's been a lot of avoidance in addressing this issue," he said. Crosby and other pilots who contacted McClatchy said they suspect the cancers in their community may be linked to prolonged exposure in the cockpit to radiation from the radar systems on their advanced jets, or other sources such as from cockpit oxygen generation systems.

https://www.military.com/daily-news/...orce_190820.nl

[scotth6]

There must be some detrimental effects surely. I'm surprised to have not heard more about this being studied, considering the increase in power of the sensors aboard military aircraft these days. I mean even in flight sims, when following procedure we don't turn the the weather radar or TCAS on until clear of the ground crew, and that's for a reason. These guys and girls are sitting just feet away from radar systems capable of locking on to a small fighter 160 NM away, there must be some unknown detrimental effects, even with protections in place.

[wombat666]

Been there and done that, 'Agent Orange' and related defoliants, depleted Uranium contamination, PTSD.......try getting any of that through VA.
This is another highly probable cause of the illness's mentioned but it will just get denied.
Veterans Affairs are not great in Australia but their record in the US is appalling, while the UK is none too flash either.

[PhantomTweak]

I don't mean to be a wet blanket or anything, but I've worked on a number of radar systems. It's been my job my entire life, from the start to the end. The radar systems we had on the Phantoms when I was in the Corps were rather old, and the benches we had for them at the IMA shop leaked RF like sieves. We could literally turn the overhead florescent lights off, and they would keep on glowing as brightly as when the switches were on, if we had just one of our 4 benches running.
We had an OSHA guy come in to test for RF, and we only turned on one bench. Our best, least "leaky" one. His meter pegged, on it's highest setting. He ran out and said we were crazy to work in there.
Point is, I've been exposed to a lot more radar energy than any pilot could dream of. Not a bit of cancer, anywhere, of any kind. None of my co-workers, either. It just won't do that to you. It's no worse than what cooks your food. Same type of energy as the microwave in every home and Quick-stop minimart in America. No problems from those. It can make you warm inside, even cook your guts if you get a really high dose, but no worse.
With the antenna pointed away from the pilot, they'd get almost none at all. No more than you get from your home microwave.

Not to say that DU isn't dangerous, it can be, in a "dust form". I can't speak to O2 systems, other than having drained a few planes on a Sunday morning over the years. Great for hangovers. Plane Captains hated when we did that, but other than that...

Anywho, they need to look someplace other than the radars. They're just not it.
Finally, yes, the VA is an abhorrent set-up. I have nothing to do with them. Medicare works fine for me!

Good fortune and I hope the pilots get the help they deserve. They won't from the government, though...
Pat☺

[PRB]

One of our "troubleshooting procedures" on the A-7E, for "is the radar transmitting?", was to grab the antenna feed horn. If it was hot, it was transmitting. Not as powerful a radar system as the F-4, but dang... So far so good...

[scotth6]

We still don't know a lot about cancer, in the scheme of things, so of course it could be a number of factors contributing to the crews getting it. I remember reading years ago about a higher majority of people who lived under or near high tension power lines getting cancer of some form or another, but of course not every single person who lived in these areas got cancer. There must be more than one contributing factor and/or prerequisite.

We are told to quit smoking to reduce the likelihood of contracting cancers associated with it, but not smoking is no guarantee of this. My mate's dad died from lung cancer and he never smoked a cigarette in his life.

Having said all that, the only thing they can realistically do is what the article alludes to and test to hopefully pick up any signs early and treat it. I doubt any fighter pilots would want to go up without their radars or their oxygen. A missile right now is going to be more deadly than cancer in 30 years, to state the obvious.

[PhantomTweak]

A missile right now is going to be more deadly than cancer in 30 years, to state the obvious.

Same basic thought process that saw wounded soldiers (generic term for the military, not indicative a specific service!) on stretchers, or the ground, for that matter, getting a lit cigarette shoved between their lips. A bullet now is way more dangerous than POSSIBLE lung cancer in 30 years.
If it weren't for the PC culture, you'd still see things like that. Heck, they used to get cigarette packs in C-Rat boxes!

Heck, I used to smoke 2-3 packs a day, now I'm down to 1 a day. Just too friggen taxed, now. I used to get a pack for 80-90 cents, for f%^$ sake! Now? $8-$10 a pack.
Been at it for more than 45 years. Still get chest x-rays that are clear as a bell. No, I can't run 3 miles in < 28 min any more, but heck, I never liked running a day in my life. My unit had a joke..."Beat Sgt. Bernard, you'll pass the PFT. If you're behind him, you will fail." Pretty close to true too.

I sure hope the pilots get the help they deserve, but knowing the VA, and I do, they're probably going to have to pay for it out-of-pocket, sadly. If they didn't get diagnosed with cancer before they got out of active service, the VA won't talk to them. Sad, isn't it?

Good fortune to all!
Pat☺