Inspection of F-35s ordered

The military ordered mandatory inspections of all F-35 fighters after a Marine Corps F-35B suffered an in-flight emergency last week, a Pentagon spokesman said. Joe DellaVedova, spokesman for the program office, said the inspections were ordered late Friday but that a majority of the 97 F-35s in the fleet, 69 operational jets used for training and 28 test aircraft, had already been inspected and cleared to resume flights on Monday. He said the inspections, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, were focused on the oil flow management valve fitting on all F135 engines, which are built by Pratt and Whitney. The valve provides oil flow to the engine bearing compartments. (Source: Reuters via Today, 06/16/14, Wall Street Journal, 06/15/14) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 training center.