Recently, a United States Air Force (USAF) pilot, ejected from an F35-B on Sept. 17, with the aircraft originating from the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort located in South Carolina. The pilot is safe, however the aircraft went missing, but then was found. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is still investigating.

Student Jade Barthelemy (‘27) is an ROTC member that says they may be joining our armed forces after their highschool career.

“I think it’s irresponsible. This may show that the government is unable to keep track of multi-million dollar aircraft, and may set a bad example for our future generation.” Barthelemy said. The government should be leaders and lead by example, and showing a mistake like this can show vulnerabilities.

Student Michaela Nguyen (‘25) talks about the current situation by stating her opinion.

“Losing a jet is just outrageous. It’s wasting tax-payer money, and shows irresponsibility among our government. Although this may not directly affect us as a school, it affects us as a country. The money for the jet could have been used to fund homelessness, or for low income families.” Nguyen said. Something that may have prevented this mishap may have been better maintenance within the aircraft, or better pilot training given by the US.

Student Gavyn Dedmon (‘27) shares her criticism on the irresponsibility of the US government’s mistake.

“I think it’s irresponsible for our government to lose track of a multi-million dollar jet, especially when it was paid with tax-payer money. The money could’ve helped aid infrastructure, fixing our roads, or aid homelessness. We could have also helped schools like ours to buy newer, and better equipment.” Dedmon said.

Be sure to stay updated on how the investigation of the missing F35 progresses simpleflying.comLinks to an external site., a leading aviation newsletter.