ReportWire

Tag: planes

  • Passengers face disruption as Airbus updates thousands of planes

    An Airbus directive that ordered the immediate software update for 6,000 A320 planes has lead to flight disruptions around the world. As Reuters notes, that’s more than half of the 11,300 A320 jets in operation. The narrow-body A320 is widely used globally, but its largest operator is American Airlines, which has 480 of the model in its fleet.

    American Airlines said 340 planes out of the 480 it has need to be updated, with each plane taking two hours, during one of the busiest weekends for travel in the US. It told CNBC that it expects the “overwhelming majority” of those planes to be completed through the night, with only a handful remaining on November 29. The recall also heavily affects Asian carriers that rely on A320s for short-haul flights. Japan’s ANA had to cancel 95 domestic flights for Saturday, affecting over 13,000 passengers.

    In its announcement, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency said it issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directive after a problem manifested on a JetBlue flight back on October 30. Airbus said that an analysis of the event revealed “that intense solar radiation may corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls.” Solar flares, or bursts of electromagnetic radiation from the sun, are known to cause radio blackouts and the disruption of satellite and GPS signals,. To prevent future issues, the affected planes would have to revert to an earlier version of their software.

    Mariella Moon

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  • Here’s how to still eat healthy at the airport and on a plane

    Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said he’d like airlines to start serving something other than pretzels and buttery cookies.

    “I would love some better snacks,” Duffy told the conservative news site Blaze Media on Tuesday. “I would love a little healthier snack on the airplane.”

    Most airlines no longer serve free meals, but they do still hand out snack food and juice, soda and coffee to passengers. American Airlines, the biggest airline operating out of Philadelphia International Airport, gives people a choice between small bags of pretzels and packages of Biscoff cookies — or both.

    Pretzels may be convenient, but they are generally low in nutrients, high in sodium and are made with refined carbs that leave people unsated and ready to snack again soon.

    Biscoff cookies are high in added sugars and saturated fat – although they do not contain trans fats and have lower calorie and saturated fat contents compared with Oreos and Chips Ahoy! cookies.

    Duffy made his complaint as a passing comment, not as part of an official policy change, according to the New York Times. But his remarks spark the question: How can people eat healthier when flying?

    Here are some tips:

    Go nuts

    Many airlines no longer serve peanuts or peanut products due to allergies, but some carriers still offer other types of nuts. While salted varieties present sodium concerns for people with high blood pressure and other medical issues, nuts are high in protein. If available and allergies are not a concern, choose the nuts. 

    Drink up

    Due to low humidity levels in airline cabins, people are at risk of getting dehydrated during flights, so drinking lots of water before, during and after flying is key, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Hydrating well can also help mitigate jet lag and fatigue. The general rule of thumb is 8 ounces of water for every hour of flight, according to AARP.

    Stay away from alcoholic and caffeinated drinks because they can disrupt sleep, which may already be hard to come by on flights. Also, caffeine is a stimulant, so anxious travelers should avoid it, CondĂŠ Nast Traveler advises.

    Carbonated drinks may also cause burping and flatulence, unpleasant for the consumer and fellow travelers, AARP warns.

    BYO

    The best and least expensive bet for eating healthy in the airport and on the plane is to bring your own food.

    Registered dietitian Andy De Santis recently told the Healthy that he packs chicken sandwiches on whole-grain bread — a fiber-protein combo — when he flies.

    Other high-protein foods, such as greek yogurt, flaxseed crackers and seeds, are also handy and healthy.

    Health editor Ally Head recently shared her home-packed travel snack selections with Marie Claire: a Tupperware container full of carrot, celery and other vegetable sticks, olives, cheese cubes, a spinach side salad and whole-grain carbs, such as pumpernickel bread.

    CondĂŠ Nast Traveler offers these tips for how to pack food for the plane:

    • Airlines generally allow people to bring solid food, such as snacks, dried fruit and sandwiches, in their carry-on luggage.

    • Don’t bring ice packs or frozen food.

    • Avoid wrapping food in aluminum foil because it can set off security alarms.

    • Liquids of 3.4-ounces or less are allowed through security.

    • Otherwise, pack an empty water bottle to drink from while waiting at the gate and to fill before a flight.

    Courtenay Harris Bond

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  • FAA Says It Will List Airports Where It’s Reducing Flights During The Government Shutdown – KXL

    Associated Press – The Federal Aviation Administration is expected to list where it plans to scale back flights by 10% starting Friday.

    The agency says it will release details Thursday.

    It says flights are being reduced to maintain safety during the government shutdown.

    Air traffic controllers have been working unpaid since Oct. 1. And many are working mandatory overtime.

    Officials warn there could be chaos next week if controllers miss a second full paycheck.

    Staffing-related flight delays had been largely isolated and temporary throughout October.

    But the past weekend brought some of the worst staffing issues since the start of the shutdown.

    More about:

    Grant McHill

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  • Don’t Listen to Tesla Fans on Social Media. FSD Did Not Just Prevent a Plane Crash

    Look how proud Elon Musk’s mom is of her son’s car company:

    There’s nothing wrong with a mother praising her billionaire son—who among us wouldn’t do the same?—but the post she’s embedding is hogwash. The party deserving of praise here is Matthew Topchian, a quick-thinking human motorist who took evasive action using his hands and feet, which are made of flesh and blood.

    On Thursday, a military prop plane had a shaky emergency landing, followed by a crash on a dusty back road on the outskirts of Oklahoma City. Two people were on board, but neither was injured. There was, however, a fire, sparked when the plane collided with two utility poles. It also buzzed a Tesla ambling along minding its own business, narrowly avoiding catastrophe. (Incidentally, this kind of plane is used to destroy coca leaf crops in South America).

    Now Maye Musk is just one of countless Tesla fans on Elon Musk’s X applauding the company’s assisted driver mode for deftly avoiding a tragic collision between vehicles with the potential to claim lives.

    Problem is, according to a post by the guy driving the car, he was driving the old fashioned way, and believes that if he hadn’t been, it would have crashed.

    The problem X post is from someone named David Bellow, and reads in part “WOW! Tesla full self driving dodges a freaking plane falling out of the sky!”

    Over on TikTok, where the near miss was originally posted by a guy named Matthew Topchian (whose identity was confirmed by his local news station) a reply asked if the car was in manual or self-driving mode, and Topchian’s reply is categorical: “Manually, the fsd is really good but it woulda absolutely macked that plane.” Translation from hastily-typing-on-a-smartphone-ese: I was driving manually. While Tesla’s assistant driving mode is excellent, if I had been using it at the time, I am confident that plane would have been tragically destroyed.

    The X post has since received a community note, correcting the record about the driver not using FSD, and Bellow knows this, but he’s not deleting, and he’s posted that he plans to do his own research, thank you very much. “I’m gonna have to hear it from Matthew himself that he wasn’t driving in full self driving because that’s not the story I heard,” Bellow wrote. Also, he says, “the note only references one comment on a TikTok and the only video on that TikTok account is this video. Could be a bot account or maybe Matthew likes the idea of people thinking he’s a racecar driver and changed his initial story.” For sure, yeah, totally!

    Bellow’s post is absolutely being taken as fact. It’s received millions of views, and quote tweet text includes rather terrifyingly misinformed statements like “The Tesla self driving car has reached a level of safety I did not think was possible for another decade,” and “Autopilot dodged a plane. That’s not self-driving — that’s situational awareness on wheels…”

    Mike Pearl

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  • Mystery Object From ‘Space’ Strikes United Airlines Flight Over Utah

    The National Transportation Safety Board confirmed Sunday that it is investigating an airliner that was struck by an object in its windscreen, mid-flight, over Utah.

    “NTSB gathering radar, weather, flight recorder data,” the federal agency said on the social media site X. “Windscreen being sent to NTSB laboratories for examination.”

    The strike occurred Thursday, during a United Airlines flight from Denver to Los Angeles. Images shared on social media showed that one of the two large windows at the front of a 737 MAX aircraft was significantly cracked. Related images also reveal a pilot’s arm that has been cut multiple times by what appear to be small shards of glass.

    Object’s Origin Not Confirmed

    The captain of the flight reportedly described the object that hit the plane as “space debris.” This has not been confirmed, however.

    After the impact, the aircraft safely landed at Salt Lake City International Airport after being diverted.

    Images of the strike showed that an object made a forceful impact near the upper-right part of the window, showing damage to the metal frame. Because aircraft windows are multiple layers thick, with laminate in between, the window pane did not shatter completely. The aircraft was flying above 30,000 feet—likely around 36,000 feet—and the cockpit apparently maintained its cabin pressure.

    So was it space debris? It is impossible to know without more data. A very few species of birds can fly above 30,000 feet. However, the world’s highest flying bird, Rüppell’s vulture, is found mainly in Africa. An unregulated weather balloon is also a possibility, although it’s not clear whether the velocity would have been high enough to cause the kind of damage observed. Hail is also a potential culprit.

    Assuming this was not a Shohei Ohtani home run ball, the only other potential cause of the damage is an object from space.

    That was the initial conclusion of the pilot, but a meteor is more likely than space debris. Estimates vary, but a recent study in the journal Geology found that about 17,000 meteorites strike Earth in a given year. That is at least an order of magnitude greater than the amount of human-made space debris that survives reentry through Earth’s atmosphere.

    A careful analysis of the glass and metal impacted by the object should be able to reveal its origin.

    This story originally appeared on Ars Technica.

    Eric Berger, Ars Technica

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  • Six major US travel rules that have changed in 2025, explained

    From policy reversals to fee introductions and digital transformations at borders, 2025 has seen significant changes in travel rules that affect millions of passengers globally. Here, experts unpack some of the biggest updates so far this year.

    Travel Rules Changes for 2025:

    No Mandatory Cash Compensation for Delays

    A key proposal that would have required airlines to provide mandatory cash compensation to passengers for controllable delays was scrapped in September.

    “I think one of the biggest changes was in September, the Trump administration dropped a Biden-era plan that would have required airlines to provide cash compensation for significant flight delays,” travel expert Bobby Laurie, a former flight attendant and in-flight policy and procedure analyst, told Newsweek. “As a result, there is no federal rule mandating that airlines pay passengers for delays caused by issues within the carrier’s control.”

    According to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, the Department of Transportation (DOT) previously issued an “Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) that examined requiring U.S. and foreign air carriers to adopt and adhere to customer service plans identifying essential services,” such as meals, rebooking, hotel stays, transportation to or from the hotel, timely customer service, as well as “compensation which airlines would be required to provide to mitigate passenger inconveniences” when a flight cancellation or delay was “due to circumstances within the airline’s control.” 

    However, the office noted that “consistent with Department and administration priorities, the Department plans to withdraw the ANPRM.”

    Each airline sets its own compensation policies. According to the website of the DOT, which was last updated on September 11, “If an airline has made a commitment to provide a particular service or compensation, then the Department can hold the airline accountable.”

    The DOT guidance advises that “controllable delays” include those due to maintenance, crew issues, fueling, or baggage loading. Passengers are advised to check with their carrier during delays, as amenities such as meals or hotel stays vary by airline.

    American Airlines Removes Bag Sizers at Boarding Gates

    Another notable change came from American Airlines, which removed its gate-area bag sizers in October, a decision made to streamline boarding processes. According to an internal memo reported by the aviation website View From the Wing, gate agents are now instructed to “use their judgement” and “err on the side of the customer” when determining if a bag needs to be checked.

    While the move doesn’t change actual baggage size limits, it alters enforcement. “The bag sizer isn’t a ‘rule change’ per se,” Laurie told Newsweek. “The bag sizes are still in force, but the agents can now eyeball it and also take the passengers’ word for it.”

    Southwest Airlines Ends ‘Bags Fly Free’ Policy

    Perhaps one of the most dramatic shifts in airline policy this year came from Southwest Airlines. Known for its “Bags Fly Free” mantra, the airline eliminated free checked bags for most travelers on flights booked from May 28 onward.

    “One of the biggest shakeups in the travel industry this year comes from Southwest Airlines,” Sarah Silbert from Points Path, a flight search browser extension tool, told Newsweek. “The airline ended that longstanding perk…and has now joined the ranks of other major U.S. airlines by introducing hefty checked bag fees.”

    Sarah Pardi, a travel expert at the global insurance firm Insurte, told Newsweek: “Checking a bag can be expensive, so it was definitely a selling point for customers looking for a great deal.”

    Travelers with a Southwest credit card or A-List status can still check one bag for free.

    Spirit Airlines Offers Two Free Checked Bags—to Some

    While other carriers tighten baggage perks, Spirit Airlines has taken a different approach. As of 2025, the ultra-low-cost carrier now allows co-branded credit card holders to check two bags for free—provided the booking is made directly through the airline.

    Pardi said: “The Free Spirit Travel More Mastercard, which is co-branded with Bank of America, will allow Spirit Airlines travelers a two-bag allowance each when tickets are booked directly through Spirit with the credit card.”

    Southwest To Introduce Assigned Seating

    While not yet active, another big shift is on the horizon for Southwest Airlines. As of January 27, 2026, the airline will transition from its open seating model to an assigned seating system.

    “One of the more quirky experiences when flying Southwest is that seats are not assigned,” Pardi told Newsweek. “Starting January 27 of 2026, this is changing…fare choices will include Standard, Preferred, and Extra Legroom.”

    Southwest’s website confirms the change, promising “seat options that allow you to choose the experience you prefer,” and highlighting upgrades as part of its broader rebrand, including new cabin designs and loyalty perks.

    Digital Entry Replaces Passport Stamps

    A major change across the pond will affect American travelers looking to collect passport stamps while trekking around Europe. As of October 12, the European Union began rolling out its Entry/Exit System (EES), phasing out physical passport stamps in favor of biometric data collection at border checkpoints.

    “The new Entry/Exit System (EES) started to be operational on 12 October 2025,” according to the European Commission’s official travel website. The system captures fingerprints and facial images, and will be gradually deployed across the Schengen Area, with full implementation expected by April 10, 2026.

    Do you have a travel-related story to share? Let us know via life@newsweek.com and your story could be featured on Newsweek.

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  • Engine stopped before single-engine plane crash near Centennial Airport

    A single-engine plane crash near Centennial Airport earlier this month that killed the two people on board had its engine stop before the incident, according to a preliminary report.

    The early morning plane ride on Sept. 5 was an instructional flight, according to the report from the National Transportation Safety Board. The pilot receiving instruction planned to purchase a similar airplane to the Beech P35 plane they were flying.

    Perry “Matt” Feeney, 52, of Arvada and Lee “Rob” Hill, 64, of Greenwood Village were the pilot and passenger of the plane. The report does not specify who was receiving instruction.

    No distress calls were recorded from either pilot, the report said.

    A firefighter about 1.5 miles south of the crash heard the airplane fly overhead and then heard the engine stop completely, the report said. A woman who lives in a nearby neighborhood said she was walking when she saw the airplane flying on a different flight path and lower than she normally saw.

    “She heard the engine go silent and looked up to observe the airplane in a ‘hard’ left bank towards the airport and in a descent,” the report read.

    She thought the airplane was conducting training as it appeared normal, she said.

    Just before hitting the ground, the plane banked right, according to camera footage from surrounding businesses.

    The plane hit a paved driveway of an industrial facility, the report said. Portions of the right wing fell to the south of the debris path and the left wing was fractured.

    The report said it appeared the plane collided with several concrete barriers. The landing gear and flaps were both found retracted, the report said.

    Elizabeth Hernandez

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  • Delta Passenger Swaps Seat To Be With Air Hostesses, Outrage Over Why

    Reddit Post

    Form 2106 instructions

    The Federal Aviation Administration says that flight attendants are expected to “verify that the armrests are in the normal forward/down position in order to ensure that they do not obstruct the passageway between the row or seats leading from the aisle to the emergency exit.”

    A spokesperson for Delta told Newsweek: “Armrests must be lowered upon taxi, takeoff and landing. This is announced ahead of takeoff and landing.”

    Asked whether passengers are allowed to stay among flight attendants during a flight journey, as the woman allegedly did in the Reddit post, the spokesperson added: “No further comment on the rest of the post, as we are unable to verify the accuracy of the claims made by the poster.”

    Scientific research also supports the importance of proper seat belt use. An October 2020 study published in World Neurosurgery found that, while lap seat belts can help protect passengers from turbulence, they may be less effective during sudden deceleration during takeoff or landing. The study recommended enhanced safety harnesses as a more-protective alternative in such cases.

    ‘Infuriating’

    The woman in the Reddit post said that the encounter began before takeoff, when she found the armrest already raised as she arrived at her assigned seat. “He was on the phone before takeoff, so I didn’t know when/how to interject before I asked for my seat belt,” she said.

    She added that the issue continued throughout the flight until she finally sought help from a flight attendant. “I ended up asking FA [flight attendant] for help. The FA walked me back to the seat and shook him awake from his nap. She told him we must put the armrest down for safety and I need to be able to fit in the seat and put my seat belt on.

    “He put up a complaint that he is 6’5″ but we were able to get the armrest down and he moved his leg straighter so our thighs were no longer touching.”

    When the poster initially tried asking the man directly to put down the armrest, she said he replied: “I could try.”

    The experience left her so unsettled that she temporarily removed herself from the situation. “I was in the back when I made this post and I first stayed in the bathroom an extra long time and then I was standing in the back,” she wrote. “The leg touching was very uncomfortable and I didn’t want to go back to my seat.”

    The Reddit post sparked swift reactions, with users sharply criticizing the man’s response and lack of spatial awareness.

    “Some people really have zero boundaries. It’s infuriating,” wrote u/ProfessorRealistic86. Another commenter, u/Traditional-Buddy136, reacted to the attached image by saying: “Good Lord. That’s an entire leg.”

    Others pointed out inappropriate body language, with u/Intelligent-Award881 adding: “And then the hand in the crotch thing. Bro, find another place and time for that.”

    Seat-belt safety has also become part of the debate. One Reddit commenter, u/tireddoc1, criticized the passenger’s dismissive remark, writing: “Such an ignorant comment about the seat belt.”

    U/Rubes2525 added: “Seatbelts are also to make sure you don’t slam your head on the ceiling in case of turbulence. Keeping your seat belts fastened during the flight has little to do about a potential crash.”

    Some Reddit users called for better passenger education. “They should play a video on [airplane etiquette] before playing the safety video,” suggested u/Constant-Juggernaut2.

    Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via the Reddit messaging system.

    Stock image: A flight attendant directs a woman on a plane toward a seat. Getty

    Do you have a travel-related story to share? Let us know via life@newsweek.com and your story could be featured on Newsweek.

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  • Video shows two planes collide while taxiing at airport

    Video shows two planes collide while taxiing at airport

    Two Delta Air Lines planes collided while both planes were taxiing for takeoff at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. A Delta spokesperson says no one was injured during the collision. The FAA is investigating, and Delta says it’s cooperating with the National Transportation Safety Board.

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  • Westminster man secures posthumous Purple Heart in tribute to WWII veteran father

    Westminster man secures posthumous Purple Heart in tribute to WWII veteran father

    World War II Air Force veteran Major Richard Olson never discussed his military service with his son, Dick Olson.

    “I didn’t have all that much time to be asking these questions while he was at home,” Dick, a Westminster resident, told the Denver Post in an interview. “He was a distant father, and I imagine a lot of that came from what happened to him during the war and in service.”

    After Richard died, Dick turned to military archives, old photos and interviews with the surviving members of his father’s B-24 Liberator airplane crew to learn about the veteran’s journey. Through his research, Dick discovered that his father, despite being seriously injured in a plane crash before enduring months as a prisoner of war, had never received a Purple Heart.

    For seven years, Dick worked to correct the oversight. In April, the Air Force agreed to posthumously award Richard a Purple Heart.

    The veteran was 22 years old when he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps in February 1941, according to his son. The service was renamed the U.S. Army Air Forces in June of that year and became the U.S. Air Force in 1947.

    “He grew up through the Depression and everything else,” Dick told The Post. “I think he joined because he was looking for three square meals a day.”

    Courtesy of Dick Olson

    Richard Olson (bottom center) poses with a B-24 crew after completing a six hour training flight. (Photo credit: Courtesy of Dick Olson)

    Olson later became the co-pilot of a B-24 bomber plane in the 484th Bombardment Group combat unit. A week after D-Day, while stationed in southern Italy, his crew was shot down over the Adriatic Sea by eight German fighter planes while flying to Munich.

    “They lost an engine, and they couldn’t keep up with the rest of the bombers, so they had to turn around to go back,” Dick said. “Two of the gunners were killed on the plane. And then the plane was set on fire and I think they had two more engines shot out.

    “But there was a big fire in the bomb bay so they had to get out of the plane. So they did, and everybody bailed out, the ones that were still alive.”

    Shell fragments struck Olson’s leg and he sustained a back injury that left him with chronic pain.

    Most of the men landed on the Italian coastline northeast of Venice, according to conversations Dick had with B-24 crew member John Hassan. He was transferred to two other POW camps and after 10 months of incarceration, Olson was liberated on April 29, 1945, from Moosburg, Germany.

    “He just said it was a very dull existence and of course they were hungry all the time,” Dick told The Post. “There was not a whole lot to do there. They played sports and the American Red Cross supplied them with books and boardgames and sporting equipment and different things to keep their morale up.”

    Richard Olson's identification card from his time as a POW in Stalag Luft III. (Photo credit: Courtesy of Dick Olson)

    Courtesy of Dick Olson

    Richard Olson’s identification card from his time as a POW in Stalag Luft III. (Photo credit: Courtesy of Dick Olson)

    Olson stayed in the Air Force for 16 years after his liberation from the POW camp and became a major, father and husband before leaving the military in 1961, according to his obituary.

    “My parents split when I was about 13,” Dick said. “He moved away from the household and they got divorced.”

    After the divorce in 1969, Dick saw Richard three more times before the veteran passed away in 1996 from multiple myeloma.

    “I was always interested in his Air Force career. And since he never talked about these other guys, I wanted to find them and talk to them myself,” Dick said.

    He connected with John Hassan, the navigator in Richard’s B-24 crew, in 1997. “Going through some of his papers, I found a phone number for John and called him up and started looking for all the other crew members also,” Dick said, “I eventually did make contact with the ones that were living or family members for the ones who had passed away.

    “John was my dad’s best friend on the crew and we became really good friends,” Dick added. “He pretty much had a photographic memory, so that’s how I know an awful lot about that crew.”

    While researching the crew, Dick helped the plane’s bombardier, Walter Chapman, get a Distinguished Flying Cross he should have been awarded decades prior.

    Like Chapman, Olson was also missing an award: a Purple Heart for sustaining an injury while in the line of duty.

    “There was mention of everything else, like the Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medals,” Dick said. “All the ribbons and medals that he was entitled to, except for the Purple Heart.”

    A collection of medals, honors and other items made by Dick Olson for his late father WWII veteran Major Richard Olson at his home in Westminster, Colorado on Jun 19, 2024. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)
    A collection of medals, honors and other items made by Dick Olson for his late father WWII veteran Major Richard Olson at his home in Westminster, Colorado, on Jun 19, 2024. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)

    Olson’s capture as a POW right after the B-24 crash meant his wounds went undocumented. In 2017, Dick decided to file a claim with the Air Force Board for Correction of Military Records and prove that his father had been injured. “I thought to myself, this is unfinished business, I’ve got to see if I can get this thing,” Dick said.

    After an extensive filing process, the Board for Correction rejected Dick’s request in 2020.

    Julianna O'Clair

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  • National Mall flyover involving nearly 60 aircraft set for take off Saturday – WTOP News

    National Mall flyover involving nearly 60 aircraft set for take off Saturday – WTOP News

    The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association said the event will feature aircraft representing virtually every chapter of general aviation’s storied history.

    This article was republished with permission from WTOP’s news partner InsideNoVa.com. Sign up for InsideNoVa.com’s free email subscription today.

    The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association will fly 56 aircraft over the National Mall on Saturday in a celebration of aviation in the works for more than a year.

    The event will feature a wide array of aircraft representing virtually every chapter of general aviation’s storied history, the association said in a news release. The event celebrates “the value the general aviation industry has provided to our nation since 1939.”

    The flight, leaving from Frederick Municipal Airport in Maryland around 11:30 a.m. and scheduled for about noon, takes place over one of Washington’s most restricted flight zones, Prohibited Area P-56.

    Spectators on the ground and online will watch the aircraft fly above the Lincoln Memorial, down Independence Avenue and past the Washington Monument.

    “The idea to celebrate the many contributions of general aviation to our nation’s communities began over a year ago, and we’ve had countless meetings and planning sessions with officials from the FAA, TSA, and Secret Service for the route, airspace, aircraft, and pilots,” said AOPA Vice President of Airports and State Advocacy Mike Ginter in the release. “We greatly appreciate the support from these partner agencies and getting the final approval was great news. We’re ready to go!”

    The aircraft, comprising 15 different “chapters,” will tell the story of general aviation in the United States, from the Golden Age, to World War II, the general aviation trainer era, vertical flight, backcountry flying, seaplanes, corporate and business aviation, technically advanced aircraft, homebuilt aircraft, airshow performers and other examples of general aviation aircraft that support public service missions.

    The pilots were specifically selected to participate based on their aircraft and level of pilot qualification, and all aircraft will be inspected by the TSA, Secret Service, and FAA before departure, the release said. All pilots and crews were required to pass a security screening, and every detail of the flyover was carefully planned with the government agencies.

    More information on the event, route and planned aircraft can be found on AOPA’s GA Flyover campaign website.

    If you can’t make it in person, the flyover will be broadcast live on the association’s YouTube. There will also be watch parties at area airports and other gathering places.

    Valerie Bonk

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  • With all the recent headlines about panels and tires falling off planes, is flying safe?

    With all the recent headlines about panels and tires falling off planes, is flying safe?

    It has been 15 years since the last fatal crash of a U.S. airliner, but you would never know that by reading about a torrent of flight problems in the last three months.

    There was a time when things like cracked windshields and minor engine problems didn’t turn up very often in the news.

    That changed in January, when a panel plugging the space reserved for an unused emergency door blew off an Alaska Airlines jetliner 16,000 feet above Oregon. Pilots landed the Boeing 737 Max safely, but in the United States, media coverage of the flight quickly overshadowed a deadly runway crash in Tokyo three days earlier.

    And concern about air safety – especially with Boeing planes – has not let up.

    IS FLYING GETTING MORE DANGEROUS?

    By the simplest measurement, the answer is no. The last deadly crash involving a U.S. airliner occurred in February 2009, an unprecedented streak of safety. There were 9.6 million flights last year.

    The lack of fatal crashes does not fully capture the state of safety, however. In the past 15 months, a spate of close calls caught the attention of regulators and travelers.

    Another measure is the number of times pilots broadcast an emergency call to air traffic controllers. Flightradar24, a popular tracking site, just compiled the numbers. The site’s data show such calls rising since mid-January but remaining below levels seen during much of 2023.

    Emergency calls also are an imperfect gauge: the plane might not have been in immediate danger, and sometimes planes in trouble never alert controllers.

    SAFER THAN DRIVING

    The National Safety Council estimates that Americans have a 1-in-93 chance of dying in a motor-vehicle crash, while deaths on airplanes are too rare to calculate the odds. Figures from the U.S. Department of Transportation tell a similar story.

    “This is the safest form of transportation ever created, whereas every day on the nation’s roads about a 737 full of people dies,” Richard Aboulafia, a longtime aerospace analyst and consultant, said. The safety council estimates that more than 44,000 people died in U.S. vehicle crashes in 2023.

    BUT A SHRINKING SAFETY MARGIN

    A panel of experts reported in November that a shortage of air traffic controllers, outdated plane-tracking technology and other problems presented a growing threat to safety in the sky.

    “The current erosion in the margin of safety in the (national airspace system) caused by the confluence of these challenges is rendering the current level of safety unsustainable,” the group said in a 52-page report.

    WHAT IS GOING ON AT BOEING?

    Many but not all of the recent incidents have involved Boeing planes.

    Boeing is a $78 billion company, a leading U.S. exporter and a century-old, iconic name in aircraft manufacturing. It is one-half of the duopoly, along with Europe’s Airbus, that dominates the production of large passenger jets.

    The company’s reputation, however, was greatly damaged by the crashes of two 737 Max jets – one in Indonesia in 2018, the other in Ethiopia the following year – that killed 346 people. Boeing has lost nearly $24 billion in the last five years. It has struggled with manufacturing flaws that at times delayed deliveries of 737s and long-haul 787 Dreamliners.

    Boeing finally was beginning to regain its stride until the Alaska Airlines Max blowout. Investigators have focused on bolts that help secure the door-plug panel, but which were missing after a repair job at the Boeing factory.

    The FBI is notifying passengers about a criminal investigation. The Federal Aviation Administration is stepping up oversight of the company.

    “What is going on with the production at Boeing? There have been issues in the past. They don’t seem to be getting resolved,” FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said last month.

    CEO David Calhoun says no matter what conclusions investigators reach about the Alaska Airlines blowout, “Boeing is accountable for what happened” on the Alaska plane. “We caused the problem and we understand that.”

    WHERE DO DESIGN AND MANUFACTURING FIT IN?

    Problems attributed to an airplane manufacturer can differ greatly.

    Some are design errors. On the original Boeing Max, the failure of a single sensor caused a flight-control system to point the nose of the plane down with great force – that happened before the deadly 2018 and 2019 Max crashes. It is a maxim in aviation that the failure of a single part should never be enough to bring down a plane.

    In other cases, such as the door-plug panel that flew off the Alaska Airlines jet, it appears a mistake was made on the factory floor.

    “Anything that results in death is worse, but design is a lot harder to deal with because you have to locate the problem and fix it,” said Aboulafia, the aerospace analyst. “In the manufacturing process, the fix is incredibly easy – don’t do” whatever caused the flaw in the first place.

    Manufacturing quality appears to be an issue in other incidents too.

    Earlier this month, the FAA proposed ordering airlines to inspect wiring bundles around the spoilers on Max jets. The order was prompted by a report that chafing of electrical wires due to faulty installation caused an airliner to roll 30 degrees in less than a second on a 2021 flight.

    Even little things matter. After a LATAM Airlines Boeing 787 flying from Australia to New Zealand this month went into a nosedive – it recovered – Boeing reminded airlines to inspect switches to motors that move pilot seats. Published reports said a flight attendant accidentally hitting the switch likely caused the plunge.

    NOT EVERYTHING IS BOEING’S FAULT

    Investigations into some incidents point to likely lapses in maintenance, and many close calls are due to errors by pilots or air traffic controllers.

    This week, investigators disclosed that an American Airlines jet that overshot a runway in Texas had undergone a brake-replacement job four days earlier, and some hydraulic lines to the brakes were not properly reattached.

    Earlier this month, a tire fell off a United Airlines Boeing 777 leaving San Francisco, and an American Airlines 777 made an emergency landing in Los Angeles with a flat tire.

    A piece of the aluminum skin was discovered missing when a United Boeing 737 landed in Oregon last week. Unlike the brand-new Alaska jet that suffered the panel blowout, the United plane was 26 years old. Maintenance is up to the airline.

    When a FedEx cargo plane landing last year in Austin, Texas, flew close over the top of a departing Southwest Airlines jet, it turned out that an air traffic controller had cleared both planes to use the same runway.

    SEPARATING SERIOUS FROM ROUTINE

    Aviation-industry officials say the most concerning events involve issues with flight controls, engines and structural integrity.

    Other things such as cracked windshields and planes clipping each other at the airport rarely pose a safety threat. Warnings lights might indicate a serious problem or a false alarm.

    “We take every event seriously,” former NTSB member John Goglia said, citing such vigilance as a contributor to the current crash-free streak. “The challenge we have in aviation is trying to keep it there.”

    Copyright Š 2024 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

    AP

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  • Why Planes Avoid Flying Over the Pacific Ocean?

    Why Planes Avoid Flying Over the Pacific Ocean?

    Why Planes Avoid Flying Over the Pacific Ocean?✈️Why Planes Avoid Flying Over the Pacific Ocean?

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  • China’s Xi touts 'manufacturing prowess' in electric vehicles and passenger planes amid growing signs of weakness in economy

    China’s Xi touts 'manufacturing prowess' in electric vehicles and passenger planes amid growing signs of weakness in economy

    Chinese President Xi Jinping vowed to strengthen economic momentum and deliver on job creation, acknowledging some companies and citizens had a difficult 2023 in a rare admission of headwinds the country is facing.

    While touting China’s achievements in his New Year’s message, the leader noted “some enterprises had a tough time” and “some people had difficulty finding jobs and meeting basic needs” in the past year.

    “We will consolidate and strengthen the momentum of economic recovery, and work to achieve steady and long-term economic development,” Xi said in a televised address on Sunday.

    The government’s goal is about “delivering a better life for the people — our children should be well taken care of and receive good education, our young people should have the opportunities to pursue their career and succeed, and our elderly people should have adequate access to medical services and elderly care,” he said.

    Improving people’s well-being has been a key part of the social contact the Communist Party has relied on for its ruling. The new year sees China entering a pivotal period as policymakers try to boost growth, stabilize a crisis in the property market and prevent the world’s second-largest economy from sleepwalking into deflation.

    Beijing is expected to target a growth goal of around 5% again in 2024, although achieving that will be harder due to a higher base.

    Investor confidence has plummeted as concerns over Beijing’s opaque policymaking persisted and higher interest rates overseas spurred capital outflows. A recent crackdown on the gaming industry sparked a $80 billion meltdown, while foreign investors recorded their smallest-ever annual purchases of Chinese stocks.

    Signs of weakness in the economy have increased recently with factory activity shrinking in December to the lowest level in six months, likely adding pressure on policymakers to act urgently to inject impetus to the economy.

    Xi on Sunday touted Chinese “manufacturing prowess” with a list of projects including the domestically-built C919 passenger jet, a made-in-China cruise ship, space programs, maned submersibles, and electric cars.

    Read More: Chinese EV makers are planning factories in Mexico—and the U.S. is worried it’s a ‘back door’ to undercutting the Big 3 carmakers

    China’s most-powerful leader since Mao Zedong continued to break Communist Party norms, making his fewest overseas trips — only four — in a non-pandemic year since taking power. He delayed a key economic meeting held every five years to chart the country’s reform.

    Xi also abruptly ousted his defense minister, as well as top rocket force leaders, as turmoil rippled through the upper echelons of the nation’s military. Beijing also removed its foreign minister, without explanation, adding to the instability.

    The new year also brings fresh geopolitical risks from elections in the US and Taiwan.

    In his speech, Xi repeated that China will “surely be reunified,” alluding at Taiwan, which split with the mainland in 1949 at the end of a civil war but Beijing still claims as its own.

    Taiwan’s hotly-contested election on Jan. 13 will decide how the island of more than 23 million people will respond to Beijing’s moves. The incumbent Democratic Progressive Party seeks to strengthen Taipei’s ties with Washington, while the opposition Kuomintang — an increasingly close second in the most recent polls — is Beijing’s preferred negotiating partner on the island.

    “All Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Strait should be bound by a common sense of purpose and share in the glory of the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation,” Xi said.

    Bloomberg

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