No, F-22 pilots did NOT walk out after vaccine mandate.

No, the made up story from a website that specializes in fake political stories did not tell anything close to the truth about the fallout of the recent vaccine mandates. No pilots have walked out on their responsibility to defend this country. If you rely on social media for your 'news', is it any wonder why people are so angry, and misinformed? (www.msn.com) More...

Feds to indict ex-Boeing test pilot over 737 Max crashes

Why is the CEO not joining him? As usual, they've made the pilot a scapegoat. (www.cbsnews.com) More...

Qantas to Bar Unvaccinated Travelers From International Flights

When Australia reopens its borders, international travelers flying with Qantas will need to be vaccinated. After outlining its plans last month to restart international flights by December, Australian carrier Qantas announced this week that when it does finally start flying abroad again, only those who are vaccinated will be permitted onboard. “Qantas will have a policy that internationally we’ll only be carrying vaccinated passengers,” Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said during an interview with… (www.msn.com) More...

FAA temporarily banned drones with video cameras showing Del Rio, Texas bridge

Thousands of migrants waiting under Texas bridge to be processed. The FAA implemented, then lifted, a two week TFR (Temporary Flight Restrictions) over the international bridge in Del Rio, TX. News drones showed images of the thousands of migrants waiting to be processed at the USA border. By Friday afternoon, the FAA announced that news organizations could operate drone cameras in the area for the rest of the month. (www.foxnews.com) More...

Boeing delivers 22 jets in August; 737 Max ‘white tails’ nearly gone

Boeing said on Tuesday it handed over 22 airplanes to buyers in August as revived domestic travel fuels 737 Max deliveries, and received orders for seven 787s even as the program for that jet remains hobbled by industrial defects. The closely watched monthly orders and deliveries snapshot comes as Boeing bids to recoup billions of dollars in lost sales from the coronavirus pandemic, and move beyond the safety scandal caused by two fatal 737 Max crashes. (www.cnbc.com) More...

TSA Doubles Fines For Passengers Who Refuse To Wear Face Masks On Planes

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — The fine for refusing to wear a mask on public transportation — including airplanes, trains, and buses – will double immediately, the TSA announced this week. The federal mask mandate, which was implemented on Feb. 2, remains in effect until Jan. 18, 2022. The new range of penalties, which take effect Friday, will be $500 to $1,000 for a first offense, and $1,000 to $3,000 for second offenders. (losangeles.cbslocal.com) More...

A Look At Honeywell’s Bizarre Boeing 757 Flight Test Aircraft

Honeywell Aerospace is known for its ground-breaking research in aviation technology. The Phoenix-based aviation firm offers products and services to airliners, business jets, and general aviation market. To examine its products and innovations, Honeywell relies on a fleet of highly modified aircraft capable of handling rigorous tests and quality checks. The firm’s Boeing 757 is one such airplane that has proved to be a reliable workhorse over the years. (simpleflying.com) More...

The US Air Force's special operators are hustling to turn their biggest planes into flying boats

The prospect of a war in the Pacific has the US military thinking about how to spread out and conduct amphibious operations. Those challenges have renewed the US military's interest in an old concept: amphibious aircraft. US Air Force Special Operations Command now plans to rapidly develop an amphibious prototype of its workhorse plane, the MC-130J. Increasing tension with China has the US military looking for ways to spread out across the Pacific in order to counter Beijing's growing… (www.msn.com) More...

Southwest Airlines is giving fully vaccinated staff 16 hours extra pay - and cutting special sick pay for unvaccinated workers who catch COVID-19

Southwest Airlines is giving staff 16 hours extra pay if they show proof they're fully vaccinated. Southwest said flight attendants and pilots would receive pay for 13 trip segments, per CNBC. The airline is also cutting special sick pay for unvaccinated people who catch COVID-19. Southwest Airlines is boosting incentives for staff to get COVID-19 vaccines. The airline is giving fully vaccinated staff 16 hours extra pay if they show proof of vaccination before November 15, according to a… (www.yahoo.com) More...

Rolls-Royce's all-electric aircraft completes 15-minute maiden voyage

Rolls-Royce, best known in aviation for its jet engines, has taken an all-electric airplane on its maiden voyage. The "Spirit of Innovation" completed a 15 minute flight, marking "the beginning of an intensive flight-testing phase in which we will be collecting valuable performance data on the aircraft’s electrical power and propulsion system," the company announced. (www.engadget.com) More...

United Airlines resuming normal operations after all US, Canada flights briefly halted

United Airlines temporarily halted all of its flights across the U.S. and Canada early Friday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. "This morning we experienced technical system issues that impacted our operations and have since been resolved," United Airlines said in a statement to USA TODAY. "All systems are now working normally and we are working diligently to get customers to their destinations." The ground stop tied to "computer issues" lasted from… (www.yahoo.com) More...

Bell's Plan To Finally Realize A Rotorcraft That Flies Like A Jet But Hovers Like A Helicopter

Bell has provided The War Zone with exclusive details about its recently revealed concepts for future High-Speed Vertical Take-Off and Landing, or HSVTOL, aircraft, which we looked at initially in this previous article. While being able to takeoff and land vertically using rotors and fly at jet speeds in forward flight sounds far-fetched, it turns out that there is decades of elaborate risk reduction work and general research already done on this exact concept. As such, actually realizing such a… (www.thedrive.com) More...

Indian airlines fly high as August passenger traffic surges

Shares of Indian airlines InterGlobe Aviation and SpiceJet surged on Friday after regulatory data showed that passenger growth jumped 136.6% last month as the government started to ease COVID-related travel restrictions. India had halted air travel in March 2020 as the country went into a lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Domestic flights resumed in May 2020, but air travel ever since has had some limitations as the pandemic progressed. Domestic airlines carried 6.7 million… (www.yahoo.com) More...

Delta Air Lines is scrapping its back-to-front boarding process

One of Delta’s last remaining pandemic-era policy adjustments has just come to an end. On Tuesday, Sept. 14, the Atlanta-based carrier resumed its “normal,” zone-based boarding process after nearly 18 months of loading coach passengers from back to front. The carrier confirmed the move in the following statement to TPG: As Delta continues to welcome customers back onboard, we also continue to explore opportunities that keep people moving efficiently and enhance the airport experience. Beginning… (www.msn.com) More...

Boeing's Fatal Flaw (full documentary) | FRONTLINE

An interesting new documentary from PBS. No matter which side of the Boeing/Airbus spectrum you are, the documentary is very comprehensive and worth watching. (www.youtube.com) More...

Boeing Shows Optimism in New Commercial Airplane Outlook

Boeing today delivered a relatively optimistic outlook, forecasting airlines globally will purchase 43,610 new aircraft valued at $7.2 trillion over the next 20 years and that the industry will need more than 2.1 million new personnel to meet projected air travel demand. This includes 612,000 pilots, 626,000 maintenance technicians, and 886,000 cabin crew members. The U.S. airframer’s 2021 Commercial Market Outlook (CMO) reflects an increase of about 500 airplanes or 1 percent over last year’s… (www.ainonline.com) More...

Bombardier Unveils the Challenger 3500

Bombardier unveiled its Challenger 3500, a new super midsize jet that’s projected to enter service in the second half of 2022. “We simply couldn’t contain our excitement ahead of the [National Business Aviation Association] event in Las Vegas,” said Bombardier President and CEO Éric Martel in a livestream debuting the new platform on Tuesday. The Challenger 3500 builds on the popular Challenger 300 series aircraft, of which the company has delivered roughly 900 units in the past 20 years. The… (www.flyingmag.com) More...

Delta A350 pilot retirement

Not sure who the pilot was but Delta Air Lines A350-900 N512DN water canon salute at Detroit metro, DTW. 9-14-21 flt 276 HND-DTW gate A50 (www.youtube.com) More...

American Airlines will Open their Flagship Lounges to Anyone ... For a Fee

For some traveling aboard American Airlines, the travel experience just got a whole lot better. American Airlines just announced that they will be selling access to their Flagship Lounges, a move that enables general passengers to enjoy the enhanced ground product. However, access to the lounge will come with a high price tag. (aeroxplorer.com) More...

U.S. to award Newark flights to low-cost carrier to spur competition

The Biden administration will announce on Thursday it plans to award 16 slots for flights at Newark International airport in New Jersey to a low-cost carrier to spur competition at the busy northeast U.S. airport, documents seen by Reuters show. The U.S. Justice Department had urged transportation officials to decline to retire the 16 Newark slots and instead make them available in order to spur competition, according to a source familiar with the matter. Separately, the Federal Aviation… (www.yahoo.com) More...

Virgin Galactic delays its first commercial research space flight to mid-October

Virgin Galactic is dealing with yet more setbacks for its paid spaceflights. Reuters reports Virgin has delayed its first commercial research flight, Unity 23, to no sooner than mid-October. The mission was originally scheduled for late September or early October, but a supplier warned of a possible "manufacturing defect" in the flight control actuation system, Virgin said. (www.engadget.com) More...