US pilots from the 43rd Fighter Squadron at Tyndall Air Force Base have recently practiced so-called "hot seat" drills on their F-22 jets, releasing a video on the base's Facebook page. The drill stipulates that pilots hand over their jet immediately upon landing to another pilot after carrying out a sortie, without sending it for between- flights maintenance, thereby increasing the number of missions that a jet can be used for in a single day.
While pilots debriefed their replacements on their flights, technicians at the air base were also practicing a so-called "hot-pit" technique, when a jet's engine is not shut down during the refuelling process - just like at Formula 1 pit stops. The technique allows for a reduction in the time between jet sorties, as the pilots don’t need to restart the plane's engine.
Some of Tyndall Air Force Base's F-22 fighters were damaged after Hurricane Michael struck it in October 2018, but according to an Air Force spokesperson, all of the aircraft appeared repairable at the time.
