NewsAccidents/Incidents
Envoy ERJ-145 Returns To Miami Over Bleed Air System Issue
An Envoy Air Embraer ERJ-145 had to return to Miami on Wednesday, August 19, after reports of a problem with the aircraft’s anti-ice system. The nearly 22-year-old plane was operating as flight number MQ-3332/AA-3332 from Miami International Airport (MIA) to John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH) in Ohio.
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Iran Air Force Boeing 747-200 Damaged After Engine Test Run
A Boeing 747 belonging to the Iranian Air Force has suffered significant damage following an engine test run at Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran. News of this event broke out this week, and it comes after the plane’s six-year-long D check.
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An-26 Cargo Plane Crashes After Takeoff In South Sudan
A South West Aviation Antonov An-26 cargo plane crashed after taking off from Juba today. The freighter aircraft was operating a charter service between Juba and Aweil in South Sudan. Initial reports, which cant be confirmed yet, have stated that as many as 17 people have lost their lives. However, one person on board is said to have survived the crash and is in critical condition.
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American Airlines Airbus A321neo Returns To Phoenix Over Squealing Door
An American Airlines Airbus A321neo returned to Pheonix on Wednesday, August 19, after reports of a squealing door. The plane was performing flight number AA-1765 from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) when the incident occurred.
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Delta Bans Man Involved In Bin Laden Raid Over Mask Violation
Delta Air Lines has banned a passenger that was part of the mission that saw the killing of Osama bin Laden. Robert J. O’Neill previously tweeted a photo of him not wearing a face mask on a Delta flight. Subsequently, as per the airline’s strict policy regarding coverings, he had now been penalized. The former Navy Seal confirmed the banning on Thursday.
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Air Europa Boeing 737 Returns To Paris After Engine Trouble From Bird Strike
An Air Europa Boeing 737-800 was performing flight number UX-1026 from Paris to Madrid on Monday, August 17, when it had to return to the French capital due to a possible bird strike. The just over two-year-old aircraft registration number EC-MXM was climbing out of Paris Orly Airport’s (ORY) runway 24 when the crew reported that they had suffered a possible bird strike.
LinkCommercial
Tupolev Tu-404: the biggest airliner ever designed
Close your eyes and imagine the biggest passenger aircraft you can. Airbus A380, right? Now triple its size, add Aeroflot livery, and there you have it: Tupolev Tu-404, a stupendously large Russian project from the early 90s. Let’s take a closer look.
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Canadian regulator to test fly the Boeing 737 MAX
Though the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was the first authority to test flight system revisions of the globally grounded Boeing 737 MAX, the air travel regulator Transport Canada is expected to perform its own series of test flights for the validation of the beleaguered aircraft.
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Rolls-Royce launch new effort for supersonic propulsion
Rolls-Royce and Reaction Engines will partner to develop high-speed aircraft propulsion systems for civil and defense aerospace gas and hybrid-electric engines.
Mark Thompson, Director of Global Strategy and Business Development, said that Rolls-Royce has been working closely with Reaction Engines for the past two years. Still, the official agreement of partnership would allow more thorough research regarding “opportunities of supersonic and hypersonic aviation.”
LinkAirlines
Croatia Airlines to cancel A320neo order once again
Croatia Airlines and European multinational aerospace corporation Airbus started negotiations over the cancellation of four A320neo aircraft orders. Even though the flag carrier of Croatia has already made € 8.5 million in advanced payments for the order, the airline now wants to discontinue the deal for the 2nd time.
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Eurowings to offer new seat option due to COVID-19
Eurowings plans to offer passengers a new booking option: by paying an extra fee, passengers can keep the middle seat next to them vacant. The Lufthansa subsidiary reported it was testing the initiative for several weeks and stated it met an exceptionally high level of customer interest.
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Cargolux Reveals Special Mask Livery On A Boeing 747
Cargolux Airlines has revealed today a Boeing 747 with a new livery. The special livery has a mask on the nose of the aircraft where the cargo loading door is with the straps leading back to the airline’s name painted across the fuselage. It is quite an iconic livery that accurately sums up the times.
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SpiceJet Operates Long-Haul Cargo Flights Using An Airbus A340
Budget carrier SpiceJet has becomes the first Indian airline to operate a non-stop cargo service between India and Europe. Yesterday, the airline’s cargo division, SpiceXpress, used a freighter to fly between Amsterdam and Mumbai, carrying 13 tonnes of cargo using an Airbus A340. The same aircraft is due to set another airline-first by operating a flight to Sudan today. This is the operator’s first widebody aircraft.
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Ryanair Reaches Deal With Spanish Pilots On Pay Cuts To Save Jobs
Ryanair announced on August 18th that it had reached a pay-cut deal with its Spanish pilots amid the pandemic. The Irish airline, which has been negotiating with unions across Europe, says that the latest success shows commitment and cooperation on both sides. The same cannot be said for talks with Spanish cabin crew unions.
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Lufthansa Issues Over €2.3 Billion In COVID Related Refunds
As of August 16th, Lufthansa Group airlines reports having paid out over €2.3 billion ($2.7 billion) in refunds to nearly 5.4 million customers. The company says it has been working hard to increase its reimbursement capacities. The Lufthansa Group consists of several European airlines: Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, and Eurowings.
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Arik Air: The Boeing 747-8 Customer That Never Was
Once upon a time, the final customer of the passenger 747-8 was to be Nigerian carrier Arik Air. The order was announced in 2011 with great fanfare. However, fate had other plans. The airline ceased its long-haul operations and, awaiting their return, converted the order to 787-9 Dreamliners instead.
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What's Happening With Korean Air's Airbus A380 Fleet?
Korean Air is a top-shelf airline that tends to fly under the radar. It lacks the razzamatazz of other airlines in the region, like Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines. But unlike those two airlines, Korean Air has proved remarkably resilient this year, even making a profit in the second quarter of 2020. That makes it an exception to the rule this year. But when it comes to its fleet of A380s, Korean Air is playing by the 2020 aviation standard playbook.
LinkAirports
Passengers Can Leave Laptops In Bags With Miami's New CT Scanners
Getting through security Miami International Airport will now go more smoothly. The airport has announced the installation of seven computed/computerized tomography (CT) scanners at six Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints. One of the significant benefits of CT scanners is the ability to have passengers leave laptops and other electronic devices inside their carry-on baggage.
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Newark Airport Shows Off Its New COVID-19 Testing Facility
Newark Liberty International Airport’s Terminal B has a new COVID-19 testing facility. XpresSpa Group runs the service in conjunction with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Having only been open for three days now, COVID testing remains in its initial phases, only available to airport and airline employees.
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Over $900,000 Was Left At TSA Checkpoints In 2019
The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has revealed that over $900,000 was left behind at checkpoints during the financial year 2019. A similar amount was left the year before too. One airport, New York JFK, saw almost $100,000 go unclaimed. The TSA uses this money for training and improvement of civil aviation security.
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Amsterdam Schiphol Airport: From Small Field To International Hub
Today, over 100 years since it first opened as a military airbase on September 16th, 1916, Amsterdam Schiphol is the busiest of the world’s ten oldest airports that are still in operation. From that first plane landing in a farmer’s field to an international hub with 108 airlines serving over 70 million passengers per year, it has certainly come a long way. Let’s take a look at how it got there.
LinkMilitary
58% of Swiss voters support buying new fighter jets, poll shows
On September 27, 2020, five bills will be put to the vote of Swiss citizens through a referendum. Among the questions, one will concern the acquisition of new fighter jets for the Swiss Air Force. A new poll reveals that 58% of voters are in favor of procurement.
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Aviation Quote
I am not a good shot. Few of us are. To make up for this I hold my fire until I have a shot of less than 20 degrees deflection and until I'm within 300 yards. Good discipline on this score can make up for a great deal.
- Lt. Colonel John C. Meyer, USAAF.
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Trivia
The Buff In Vietnam
1. How many crew members were on a typical bombing flight during missions over Vietnam?
Various
4
6
8
2. How many engines are on a B-52-B?
4
8
6
10
3. How many bombs could a fully loaded B-52-D carry?
112
58
32
108
4. From how many bases did B-52 aircraft fly to drop bombs over Vietnam?
4
1
3
2
5. What B-52 model was the most heavily used during bombing missions over Vietnam?
B-52-D
B-52-G
B-52-A
B-52-F
6. What B-52 model was the most heavily used during bombing missions over Vietnam?
B-52-D
B-52-G
B-52-A
B-52-F
7. How many B-52 aircraft were lost to enemy action during the 'Christmas Bombing' campaign?
15
27
0
6
8. At which U.S. Air Force base were all B-52 crew members trained during the 1960's and 1970's?
Plattsburg AFB New York
Barksdale AFB Louisiana
Castle AFB California
March AFB California
9. In which seat position did the Electronic Warfare Officer sit on a B-52?
Lower deck, left side
Lower deck, right side
Upper deck, right front
Upper deck, left rear
10. What magnetic compass system was the PRIMARY magnetic compass system for the B-52?
J-4 Compass
N-1 Compass
ANG 1 - Astrotracker
NAV 12 Compass system
11. In 1963, just prior to the Vietnam War buildup, the U.S. Air Force had the largest number of B-52 aircraft in its fleet. How many B-52's did the U.S.A.F. possess at that time?
725
1091
650
456
12. The B-52 was produced at two different sites in the U.S. One was at Wichita, Kansas. Where was the other?
Los Angeles
Atlanta
Long Island
Seattle
13. What was the function of the ANALE24 system as it was used on the B-52?
Radio Telecommunications
Bombsite mechanism
Chaff dispenser
Radar navigation set
14. During an actual bomb run, which crew member ( other than the pilot ) sometimes handled steering of the aircraft?
Electronic Warfare Officer
Co-Pilot
Navigator
Radar navigator
15. During the Christmas bombing effort (1972) how many B-52 aircraft were lost to Mig Jet fighters?
0
5
2
7
