Capt Sullenberger criticizing Boeing and FAA

Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger says the FAA’s handling of the deadly crashes of two Boeing 737 Max 8 jetliners in just five months has damaged the United States’ longstanding “credibility as leaders in aviation.” Sullenberger is a retired airline pilot who famously landed his US Airways jet — an Airbus 320 — in the icy Hudson River off Manhattan in January 2009, after hitting a flock of geese and losing power in both engines. All 155 people on board the plane survived. (www.newsandguts.com) More...

Video shows the power of "Wet Microburst"

It's called a wet microburst -- but when you see it on video like this, there's nothing "micro" about it. This time-lapse footage captured by Tucson photographer Brian Snider shows a microburst absolutely unloading on an area near the city. It seems as if a giant nozzle has been turned on in the sky, sending a blast of water straight down, which then quickly fans out (www.huffingtonpost.com) More...

Wow Airlines ceases operations

Iceland's Wow airline has stopped flights and says passengers needing to travel should book with other airlines. Its website says: "Wow Air has ceased operation. All Wow Air flights have been cancelled." The carrier, which started flights in 2012 and has 11 aircraft, had been in funding talks with investors. It said some airlines may offer flights at a reduced rate, so-called rescue fares, and it would publish information on those when it becomes available. (www.bbc.co.uk) More...

Singapore 777-300ER catches fire after emergency landing due to fuel leak

A Singapore Airlines plane has caught fire while making an emergency landing at Changi Airport. Flight SQ368 from Changi to Milan was two hours into its journey when the pilot reported engine problems and turned back towards Singapore. In a statement, Singapore Airlines said the plane’s right engine caught fire after it touched down at Changi Airport at around 6.50am. The blaze was put out by airport emergency services and there were no injuries to the 222 passengers and 19 crew on board.… (www.theguardian.com) More...

Video of Water bomber refilling with water from the inside.

The reason that it’s so rare to see footage like this is because there are simply not many of these planes around. Only 90 CL-415s were built and they’re not used on a continuous basis. As of this writing, we’ve only seen two of these water bombers in action from this vantage point. According to the description of the video, this took place in Portugal and the crew was getting water from Rio Douro. You can actually see them pass over a dam before dipping down and getting to work. (www.youtube.com) More...

Bird Strike Cessna 210

Happened to me in a twin. Much scarier in a single engine as this video reveals (www.liveleak.com) More...

ADS-B proving its value and benefits on North Atlantic Tracks

Use of Space-based ADS-B over the North Atlantic began in spring 2019. The results have been impressive with the Aireon system exceeding industry standards for service provision, with clear improvements in safety performance and with more flights receiving requested flight levels, speed and routes. “The deployment of space-based ADS-B is the beginning of a global revolution that is already showing its promise by delivering enhanced safety, efficiency and environmental benefits,” says Neil… (blog.navcanada.ca) More...

Nine reasons Lion Air 737 Max crashed Final report

On Friday, air crash investigators in Indonesia released their final report, detailing the list of events that caused the Lion Air jet to plunge into the Java Sea. "From what we know, there are nine things that contributed to this accident," Indonesian air accident investigator Nurcahyo Utomo told reporters at a news conference. "If one of the nine hadn't occurred, maybe the accident wouldn't have occurred." (www.bbc.com) More...

Catalina production to restart as a turboprop.

Catalina Aircraft, holder of the Type Certificates for the 28-5ACF Catalina, today announced on Jul. 25, 2023 during Oshkosh AirVenture the rebirth of the iconic and legendary Catalina as the Catalina II Amphibious Turboprop. A production re-start program has been formalized for the Next Generation Amphibious Aircraft (NGAA) Catalina II twin turboprop amphibious flying boat, and the company is preparing to take pre-orders as part of the turboprop production re-start program (theaviationgeekclub.com) More...

United orders 737NG to make up for lost Max aircraft

Since there is no end in sight to the ongoing grounding of the Boeing's new-generation single-aisle jets, United announced that it signed an agreement to buy 19 used older generation Boeing 737-700. The jets will be delivered to the US carrier in December. The airline currently operates 40 Boeing 737-700. United Airlines has 14 737 MAX 9 jets in its fleet. On July 13, the airline withdrew the jets from its schedule until November. After two days from the United, another major US carrier… (airlinerwatch.com) More...