CDC mask mandate for travelers struck down by federal judge

A federal judge in Florida struck down on Monday the Biden administration's mask mandate for airplanes and other public transport methods. (edition.cnn.com) More...

U.S. Travel Mask Mandate Extended By 15 Days Through May 3

The Biden administration and the CDC has announced that it will extend its transport mask mandate by 15 days through May 3rd. (www.gatechecked.com) More...

Airline operators to push for lone pilot flights despite safety concerns

WASHINGTON — Airline operators and civil aviation regulators across the world are pushing to fly airplanes with only one pilot in the cockpit to cut costs. If accepted, the one-pilot setup would in the cockpit lower costs besides helping airlines to cope with the flight crew shortage. However, some find it disconcerting to put such authority in the hands of a single person. (www.airlinerwatch.com) More...

FAA: Pilots should be capable of flying aircraft manually when needed

WASHINGTON — According to Federal Aviation Administration, airlines need to provide more extensive pilot training to avoid potential accidents when pilots are forced to take manual control during emergencies or become confused due to erroneous flight data provided by automated systems. (www.airlinerwatch.com) More...

Twitter Suspends @ElonJet Account

Twitter has suspended the @ElonJet airplane tracking account, just a month after Elon Musk claimed to support free speech on his social media platform. (www.gatechecked.com) More...

Buttigieg says feds have power to force airlines to hire more workers amid travel delays

The federal government could take action against U.S. airlines on behalf of customers, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Saturday. Many Americans have endured delays, cancelations, and other travel complications during the coronavirus pandemic, and in recent months, after many pandemic-related travel restrictions were lifted. Following Buttigieg’s own flight being canceled, forcing him to drive from Washington to New York, he said his department has authority to enforce action against… (www.foxnews.com) More...

Private jumbo jets fly US weapons for Ukraine to Europe

Dover AFB is where commercial cargo planes are being loaded with lethal aid for Ukraine. (www.freightwaves.com) More...

Nashville airport cop threatens to arrest stranded passengers waiting to rebook cancelled Southwest flights

An airport police officer allegedly threatened to arrest passengers for trespassing when they were stranded at the Nashville International Airport amid widespread holiday flight delays. In a video, posted on Tuesday by former state house candidate Brad Batt, an officer can be heard saying, “You will be arrested for trespassing.” All around him, a group of dismayed passengers tries to explain that they no longer have valid tickets for the nearby gate because of problems with their flights. “Are… (www.msn.com) More...

Prison time for flight attendant attack

One of the first publically announced prison sentences for a person who attacked a flight attendant. This was in Federal Court, so she'll have to serve at least 85% of her time. (www.kron4.com) More...

FAA Rules YouTuber Trevor Jacob Purposely Crashed Airplane

The Federal Aviation Administration has ruled that YouTuber Trevor Jacob crashed his 1940 Taylorcraft into the Los Padres National Forest in California on purpose... (www.aviationweekly.org) More...

Qantas Wants 100 Execs To Work As Ground Handlers For 3 Months

Qantas is asking 100 executives and senior managers to swap the soft office seats and personal assistants for a three-month spell as a ground handler. The embattled airline has put an HQ SOS out, asking for volunteers. The temporary work placements will run for 90 days on a five-day-a-week basis, although there is no suggestion the executives will receive the same low weekly wage as the permanent ground handling crews. (www.msn.com) More...

United Airlines Flight Canceled After Taxiing for 8.5 Hours

On August 22, 2022, at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), a United Airlines Boeing 737-900ER taxied for 8.5 hours until the flight was cancelled—running out of fuel in the process. For more than eight hours the aircraft sat on the ramp awaiting its turn to depart. The flight, from Newark to Denver (DEN), was about to begin its journey when inclement weather—consisting of thunderstorms and lightning—caused delays. (aeroxplorer.com) More...

Suspected Chinese spy balloon found over northern U.S.

“The United States government has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now,” Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told NBC News. “We continue to track and monitor it closely.” Secondary story with pictures: https://www.kulr8.com/news/report-suspected-chinese-spy-balloon-spotted-over-billings/article_cb4d11b6-a328-11ed-83cb-fbf1388f61fe.html (www.nbcnews.com) More...

New York woman gets prison term for altercation aboard plane

New York woman has been sentenced to four months in prison for interfering with crew members aboard a flight from Dallas to Los Angeles in February 2021 (abcnews.go.com) More...

Another Landing Forced to Go-Around After Plane was Cleared to Take-Off

"A Mesa Airlines flight crew was forced to abruptly halt a landing at California's Hollywood Burbank Airport on Wednesday after an air traffic controller cleared a plane to depart ahead of them, according to preliminary information obtained by NBC News." (www.nbcnews.com) More...

Eviation's All-Electric Alice Aircraft Completes First Flight

A milestone moment: Eviation's all-electric Alice aircraft completes its first flight. (airwaysmag.com) More...

American Airlines Agrees to Buy 20 Supersonic Planes from Boom

American Airlines has agreed to purchase 20 supersonic Overture planes from Boom Supersonic, the companies announced Tuesday. (www.cnbc.com) More...

Pilot Who Became Incapacitated During American Airlines Flight Dies

An airline pilot who became incapacitated during a flight from Chicago to Columbus, Ohio, on November 19 has died. The pilot, whose name has not been released, was required flight crew aboard Envoy Air Flight 3556, an Embraer E175 operated as American Eagle, with service from Chicago O’Hare (KORD) to John Glenn International Airport (KCMH). According to LiveATC.com, approximately 30 minutes into the flight, the pilot flying as first officer notified air traffic control: “Need to return, the… (www.flyingmag.com) More...

Boeing CEO Says Planemaker Could Be Forced to Cancel 737 MAX 10

Boeing (BA.N) Chief Executive Dave Calhoun told Aviation Week in an interview that the planemaker could be forced to cancel the 737 Max 10 over potential regulatory issues. (www.reuters.com) More...

Zelensky Wants To Build Second An-225

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky says he wants to see a partially built An-225 finished to replace the one destroyed in fighting in Hostomel early in the war with Russia. It will cost about $800 million to finish the second aircraft, which has been stored in good condition since getting to about 70 percent complete in 1994. In a speech to students, Zelensky suggested the country can’t afford to not build the aircraft. “But in this case, it’s not a matter of money, it’s a matter of ambition,”… (www.avweb.com) More...

North Carolina co-pilot who jumped from plane upset about hard landing: NTSB

'Got up from his seat, removed his headset, apologized and departed the airplane via the aft ramp door,' report states of Charles Crooks incident (www.foxnews.com) More...

Boeing Is Currently Assembling The Last Ever 747 Jumbo Jet

The last Boeing 747 will soon roll off the manufacturer's production line as it is nearing completion on assembly as the freighter variant. Once the finishing touches are tidied up, and the aircraft gets rolled off, the final Boeing 747-8F will be delivered to Atlas Air as the cargo carrier's final delivery of the aircraft type, marking the end of an iconic half-century-long era in the aviation industry. From the start Production of Boeing's famous 'Queen of the Skies'… (www.msn.com) More...

The flight tracker that powered @ElonJet has taken a left turn

A major independent flight tracking platform, which has made enemies of the Saudi royal family and Elon Musk, has been sold to a subsidiary of a private equity firm. And its users are furious. ADS-B Exchange has made headlines in recent months for, as AFP put it, irking “billionaires and baddies.” But in a Wednesday morning press release, aviation intelligence firm Jetnet announced it had acquired the scrappy open source operation for an undisclosed sum. (arstechnica.com) More...

A never ending nightmare for Boeing, losses soar as it faces issues with all its new passenger jets

The bad news keeps piling up for Boeing as the 777X gets delayed to 2025, the 787 faces a multitude of issues, and the company struggles to meet the 737 MAX 10’s certification deadline of end of year 2022... (www.aviationweekly.org) More...

Sullenberger Abruptly Resigns as ICAO Ambassador

C.B. “Sully” Sullenberger, the pilot who successfully dead sticked an Airbus A320 to a safe landing on New York’s Hudson River in 2009 after hitting a flock of geese, said late last week that he would step down as U.S. envoy to the Montreal-based International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), effective this Friday (July 1). (www.ainonline.com) More...

Electric Plane Adoption Faces an Uphill Battle Thanks to Physics

n all-electric passenger plane took its first flight this fall, potentially heralding the entry of air travel into the electric age. Or does it? The Eviation Aircraft Alice you see above only cruised at 3,500 feet, traveling at 260 knots (or 300 miles per hour) for eight minutes. (jalopnik.com) More...

Channel 9: How United Airlines Allowed Passengers To Listen To Live ATC Communications

When you're on board an aircraft, the only time you'll ever hear the pilots during the entire flight is when they use the public address system to make announcements and information about the flight or destination. As a frequent flyer, hearing the same generic statements can become quite dull. (www.msn.com) More...

Pilot sues Southwest Airlines after colleague exposes himself

A Southwest Airlines pilot is suing the company, her union and a former colleague who pleaded guilty last year to dead-bolting the cockpit door during a flight and stripping naked in front of her. Christine Janning alleges that Southwest retaliated by grounding her after she reported Michael Haak to the company and the FBI, that it kept him employed despite an alleged history of sexual misconduct and that managers disparaged her in memos. She also alleges that the Southwest Airlines Pilots… (www.msn.com) More...

City Council Votes To Close Santa Monica Airport

The City Council of Santa Monica has voted to begin the process of closing Santa Monica Municipal Airport (KSMO). The vote, which occurred January 24, was greenlit by an agreement made in 2017 between the FAA and city officials allowing the closure to happen. According to the FAA, the 2017 agreement “requires the city to maintain continuous and stable operation of the airport for 12 years, until December 31, 2028, and after that the city has the right to close the airport.” The agreement also… (www.flyingmag.com) More...

VIDEO: Passenger Assaults American Airlines Flight Attendant

A Friday afternoon flight turned violent after a passenger assaulted an American Airlines flight attendant shortly after takeoff. The passenger was restrained and arrested upon the aircraft's arrival in Los Angeles. (aeroxplorer.com) More...

DC-10: Dangerous or Misunderstood?

The McDonnell Douglas DC-10—commonly referred to as the “Death Cruiser” or “Donald’s Disaster''—built up a horrific reputation throughout the 1970s. Today we’ll explore the reputation and history of this commonly misunderstood aircraft, and what led to its unearned reputation as the most dangerous airplane ever produced. (aeroxplorer.com) More...

Passenger rights group fears any FAA seat size rules won’t go far enough

You still have a few more weeks to tell the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) what you think about the size of airline seats. Already, though, a passenger advocacy group fears the federal government won’t take strong enough action when it comes to aircraft seating. In a petition filed this week, the non-profit organization FlyerRights, for years an advocate for larger onboard seats, called on the FAA to set minimum seat dimensions “that accommodate 90 to 92% of the population.” The group… (www.msn.com) More...

Airbus poised to corner Boeing with the new extended A220 variant

WASHINGTON — Developing a new commercial plane is a costly and time-consuming process that requires a lot of technical expertise, and there is no guarantee of success, as demonstrated by the Airbus A380, which was only produced for a short period of time. The iconic superjumbo couldn't earn back the $20 billion it cost to develop before it was discontinued in 2019. This is why the aerospace industry nowadays prefers to modify, lengthen, and redesign existing models at a much lower cost… (www.airlinerwatch.com) More...

U.S. military shoots down suspected Chinese surveillance balloon

The U.S. military on Saturday shot down a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that had been transiting across the country for several days. (www.cnbc.com) More...

USAF seeks bridge to cover air refueling gap

The Air Force is facing a gap in aerial refueling capacity through the mid-2020s as it retires aged KC-10 and KC-135 tankers faster than they can be replaced by the troubled KC-46A Pegasus or a follow-on tanker aimed at serving as a bridge between existing and next-generation capabilities. In 2021, the Air Force’s 442 operational KC-10s and KC-135s and 50 partially operational KC-46As were “likely capable” of delivering approximately 33 million pounds of fuel at 2,500 nautical miles, said… (www.nationaldefensemagazine.org) More...

Video: Delta Boeing 757 and a single-engine Cessna almost collide over Orlando

ORLANDO, FLORIDA — A single-engine Cessna aircraft almost collided with a Delta Boeing 757 passenger jet over Orlando International Airport in an incident that the FAA is currently investigating. (www.airlinerwatch.com) More...

American Airlines is closing its San Francisco crew base and asking 400 flight attendants to leave California or leave the airline

American Airlines is closing its San Francisco base, potentially displacing 400 flight attendants. Two-thirds have worked for the airline for 13 years or more, according to union calculations. 10 flight attendants told Insider a myriad of factors make it difficult to leave the Bay Area. The mass email hit some flight attendants' inboxes mid-flight. "Today it's with great regret that I let you know about our decision to close the SFO flight attendant base," American Airlines… (www.msn.com) More...

Qantas 787 Flight Flew With 4 Covered Static Ports

A Qantas 787 was found to have four of its engine static ports taped up on a flight used to transport freight from from Melbourne to Los Angeles. (www.gatechecked.com) More...

Rolls Royce Withdraws from Boom Supersonic Partnership

Rolls Royce and Boom conclude their partnership for the development of the engines on their Boom Overture aircraft. This leaves the 2029 date for the Overture looking less likely. (aeroxplorer.com) More...

Canada Finally Drops Travel Mask Mandates And Vaccine Rules

Effective October 1, 2022, the Government of Canada will drop all border and travel mask and vaccine measures. (www.gatechecked.com) More...

Air France and Airbus on trial 13 years after Atlantic jet disaster

PARIS, FRANCE — More than 13 years after an Air France jet plunged into the Atlantic, killing all 228 people on board, the French carrier and planemaker Airbus go on trial in a Paris court next week with relatives seeking light at the end of a long tunnel. (www.airlinerwatch.com) More...

Runway Melts at London Luton Airport

The United Kingdom is "feeling the heat" as it experiences high temperatures throughout its borders. The country recorded its highest temperature today when a provisional reading of 39.1 degrees Celsius (102.4 degrees Fahrenheit) was recorded in Surrey. While this temperature is the average daily high temperature throughout much of the Southern United States, the United Kingdom only sees an average annual temperature of 14 degrees celsius (56 degrees Fahrenheit). (aeroxplorer.com) More...

For 75 Years, a Mechanic Has Helped Keep Planes Aloft

Azriel Blackman, an airline mechanic for American Airlines, is not allowed to climb ladders, drive on the airfield at Kennedy International Airport or even use any tools. That’s understandable — Mr. Blackman turns 92 next month. (www.nytimes.com) More...

Laser pointed at police helicopter pilots. Bail set at $100

The police pilots were able to direct ground units to the suspects, who were arrested. The amount of the bail is what is really disturbing. (www.click2houston.com) More...

Mother in Miami airport hurls computer at American Airlines worker after losing kids: 'Went into a panic mode'

An Alabama mother has been arrested at Miami International Airport after being caught on video throwing a computer monitor at an American Airlines gate attendant during an altercation police say left the employee "battered." Camilia McMillie, 25, is now facing charges of aggravated battery, criminal mischief and disorderly conduct following the incident that unfolded Tuesday after she lost track of her children, investigators say. (www.msn.com) More...

Tug crushed by American Airlines 737 at La Guardia Airport

Earlier today, an American Airlines Boeing 737-800 with registration N949NN was being towed to the gate... (www.aviationweekly.org) More...

Air New Zealand Advises Passengers Not To Use Baggage Trackers

How did baggage trackers become so popular? With the chaotic mixture of a staffing shortage, surging passenger demand, and ramped-up flight schedules, the global aviation industry has been quite overwhelmed this year as it entered a post-pandemic recovery era. Simply put, the resources within the industry could not keep up with the increasing demand, and one consequential result was having almost 220,000 bags mishandled in April 2022 alone. (simpleflying.com) More...

FAA Nationwide Ground Stop (Weds 1/11/23)

he FAA is working to restore its Notice to Air Missions System. We are performing final validation checks and reloading the system now. Operations across the National Airspace System are affected. We will provide frequent updates as we make progress. (twitter.com) More...

Ukrainians Shoot Down Su-35

It’s just one plane but Ukrainian forces quickly let the world know that they had shot down one of Russia’s most capable aircraft Sunday. A video and photos posted online Sunday showed an Su-35 diving vertically before pancaking in the Kharkiv region. (www.avweb.com) More...

After Alaska Airlines planes bump runway, a scramble to ‘pull the plug’

On the morning of Jan. 26, as two Alaska Airlines flights from Seattle to Hawaii lifted off six minutes apart, the pilots each felt a slight bump and the flight attendants at the back of the cabin heard a scraping noise. As the noses of both Boeing 737s lifted skyward on takeoff, their tails had scraped the runway. Alaska’s flight operations staff quickly realized that a software bug was sending bad takeoff weight data to its crews. (www.seattletimes.com) More...