B-2 FLIGHTS HALTED BY BROKEN CLAMP : TAILPIPE PROBLEM NOT EXPECTED TO KEEP PLANES DOWN FOR LONG.Byline: Jim Skeen Daily News Staff Writer The Air Force halted B-2 stealth bomber flights at Whiteman Air Force Base Whiteman Air Force Base (Whiteman AFB) is a base of the United States Air Force in Johnson County, Missouri, United States. It is near the town of Knob Noster, Missouri. The population was 3,814 at the 2000 census. in Missouri after discovering a broken clamp in the tailpipe tail·pipe n. The pipe through which exhaust gases from an engine are discharged. Also called exhaust pipe. tailpipe Noun a pipe from which exhaust gases are discharged, esp. of one airplane last week, an Air Force spokeswoman said Tuesday. The Air Force said the action was a ``precautionary pre·cau·tion·ar·y also pre·cau·tion·al adj. Of, relating to, or constituting a precaution: taking precautionary measures; gave precautionary advice. Adj. 1. stand down'' and not a ``grounding.'' A grounding involves flight safety issues, said Air Force spokeswoman Capt. Kathleen Cook. ``This is not a safety-of-flight issue,'' Cook said. ``We felt we would take the responsible road and see how we can fix it without further damage.'' At Edwards Air Force Base Edwards Air Force Base, U.S. military installation, 301,000 acres (121,805 hectares), S Calif., NE of Lancaster; est. 1933. It is one of the largest air force bases in the United States and has the world's longest runway. , a formal stand down was not ordered, but B-2 test program officials canceled flights scheduled Tuesday while they inspected their aircraft. The B-2 test program will begin flying again Thursday, base spokesman Gary Hatch said. The clamp attaches the exhaust duct to the engine. The broken clamp was discovered during a routine post-flight inspection See: after-flight inspection. Friday at Whiteman Air Force Base, Cook said. The nine other B-2s at Whiteman are being inspected, Cook said. The Air Force is working with the B-2's prime contractor, Northrop Grumman Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) is an aerospace and defense conglomerate that is the result of the 1994 purchase of Grumman by Northrop. The company is the third largest defense contractor for the U.S. Corp., and the engine manufacturer, General Electric Co., to see what caused the problem and how to fix it. ``They could be flying again by the end of the week,'' Cook said. The B-2 is manufactured at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale. Congress has authorized a total of 21 bombers be built; however, supporters of the aircraft are lobbying to continue production. In Washington, D.C., after acknowledging that the bombers would be kept on the ground, the Air Force hastily arranged a briefing at the Pentagon by a former B-2 test pilot to discuss the clamp problem on condition he not be identified by name, the Associated Press Associated Press: see news agency. Associated Press (AP) Cooperative news agency, the oldest and largest in the U.S. and long the largest in the world. reported. The pilot said the cracked clamp was a relatively minor problem, but he could not say how much it might cost to fix, AP said. He said it probably would have to be redesigned. There are two titanium clamps on each of the airplane's four engines. |
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