When F-35 pilot Maj. Matt Strongin broke the plastic clip that connects his mask to his helmet, he was told that due to a backlog it would take two weeks to ship a replacement clip from Texas. In the meantime, Strongin, chief F-35 instructor at the 56th Training Sqdn. at Luke AFB, Arizona, was facing the prospect of two weeks on the ground. Because one of the pilots was on sick leave for two months, the unit had a helmet to spare. Strongin reasoned that he could just take the clip from the ...
