Pilot union rejects American Airlines offer, seeks more pay

The Allied Pilots Association said Wednesday that its board voted 15-5 to reject an offer by American that included raises of 19% in three steps over two years. The decision by the union at American followed overwhelming rejection by United Airlines pilots of an offer including pay raises totaling 14.5% over 18 months, and a strike-authorization vote by Delta Air Lines pilots. Both groups are represented by the Air Line Pilots Association. (www.sfgate.com) More...

Heavy Traffic: A B-52 Bomber Is Being Trucked Across The Central United States

A retired U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress nicknamed 'Damage Inc. II' was recently taken out of storage at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group's 'boneyard' at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and disassembled before beginning its journey eastward across the country to be partially reassembled for research and development purposes. The B-52 and its escorts take up two lanes of traffic so they have to pull over every five miles or so to let traffic pass,… (www.thedrive.com) More...

The Weird-Looking, Fuel-Efficient Planes You Could Be Flying in One Day

After decades of research, something very different could be flying you on vacation by the late 2030s. Unconventional designs such as “blended-wing” shapes now used for some military jets, which combine the cabin and wings in one piece, have been floated for years as possibilities for passenger aircraft. (www.wsj.com) More...

Chicago woman quarantined in airplane bathroom for 3 hours after testing positive for Covid-19 mid-flight

After a woman tested positive for Covid-19 midflight, the bathroom became her seat for the next few hours. (www.cnn.com) More...

Textron announces Cessna 172/182 can use 91UL, 94UL, or 100VLL

WICHITA, Kan. (Oct. 26, 2021) – Textron Aviation announced today that many Cessna piston-powered aircraft are now approved to utilize a more environmentally friendly aviation gasoline (AvGas). Owners and operators of Cessna 172 Skyhawk, 182 Skylane can utilize 91-octane unleaded (91UL), 94UL or 100VLL (very low lead) fuel in their aircraft wherever it is available. The 206 Turbo Stationair HD aircraft is approved for 100VLL. Unleaded and lower-leaded fuels burn cleaner than higher-leaded fuels… (media.txtav.com) More...

Icon A5 Serves Well As A Rescue Plane For Ditched Mooney in Florida

When Genesah Duffy, Chief Pilot and Senior Director of Flight Operations for Icon Aircraft, took off for a return-to-service shakedown flight in one of the company’s A5 amphibians, she wasn’t expecting it to turn into an air-sea-rescue mission. The Mooney was later reported to be on a flight from Lakeland Linder International Airport when it developed an engine problem. (www.avweb.com) More...

Woman Allegedly Hacked Flight School, Cleared Planes With Maintenance Issues to Fly

A 26-year old woman allegedly hacked into the systems of a flight training school in Florida to delete and tamper with information related to the school's airplanes. In some cases, planes that previously had maintenance issues had been "cleared" to fly, according to a police report. The hack, according to the school's CEO, could have put pilots in danger. (www.vice.com) More...

Mystery Surrounds FAA Order To Halt All West Coast Air Traffic After North Korean Missile Launch

On the afternoon of Monday, January 10, 2022, at around 2:30 PM PST, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop order to all planes, at least in the western United States. The temporary pause on all movements to and from airports included aviators being ordered to land and lasted roughly between seven and 20 minutes before it was lifted and services returned to normal. (www.thedrive.com) More...

Foreign Policy Mag: Homeland Security Hasn't Made Us Safer

Hardly anyone has seriously scrutinized either the priorities or the spending patterns of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its junior partner, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), since their hurried creation in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. ...year in, year out, they continue to grow faster and cost more -- presumably because Americans think they are being protected from terrorism by all that spending. Yet there is no evidence whatsoever that the agencies are… (www.foreignpolicy.com) More...

A Nightmare Summer for American Airlines

A federal judge ordered lawyers for American Airlines and its mechanics union to meet in person over an alleged work slowdown, but American’s top two attorneys didn’t show. Their flights got canceled. It’s been that kind of summer for many American Airlines passengers. Cancellations have skyrocketed. In June, American canceled about 4% of its schedule, or more than 7,500 domestic and international flights. (www.wsj.com) More...

Track airliners by tail number on FlightAware

FlightAware has added the ability to track an airliner by the registration number for many major airlines. Type in the registration (e.g., N487UA) and track that individual airplane, even if it flies as an airline flight identifier. We'll be adding more airlines as well as increasing data availability over the coming weeks. (flightaware.com) More...

NWS Offering Tours of Hurricane Hunter Aircraft

Hurricane experts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the United States Air Force (USAF) will visit five U.S. Gulf Coast cities this spring, flying aboard a USAF Reserve WC-130J hurricane hunter aircraft and a NOAA WP-3D Orion aircraft. (www.weather.gov) More...