Two civilian pilots flying a Piper 31 Chieftain charter aircraft with five passengers from the Netherlands to Geneva, Switzerland, earlier this month made a safe landing thanks to Maj. Peter Olson and his A-10 Thunderbolt from the 52nd Fighter Wing at Spangdahlem AB, Germany. The Piper experienced an electrical system failure at 11,000 feet while flying over an overcast Germany. The only working pieces of equipment were a hand-held radio and a small portable GPS unit. The pilot alerted German radar controllers, who notified Olson, who was returning to base after a training mission. Olson tried to contact the Piper on the radar control’s search and rescue frequency, but the message was too faint. Then the Piper pilot saw the A-10 below and followed to a safe landing about 15 minutes later.
The lack of training ranges and airspace in Japan are making it difficult for U.S. aircrews to maintain readiness during the pandemic, the head of U.S. forces in Japan said. U.S. and Japanese aircraft and personnel need to leave the country for high-end training, often traveling to major exercise such…