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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Key West’s airport hit a new record with passengers. But it has brought problems

Key West International Airport just set an annual record by having more than 1 million passengers come through. That’s 1 million people — so far — with airport officials predicting the number will hit 1.4 million by the end of the year. While it’s evidence that tourism to the Florida Keys is booming and removes some traffic on the heavily used U.S. 1, the only highway that runs up and down the island chain, it has also brought problems. There’s not much personal space these days in the “hold… (www.yahoo.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...

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...

British Airways demonstrated its progress on creating a 'Perfect Flight' using fuel made with used cooking oil

British Airways demonstrated a "Perfect Flight" from Heathrow to Glasgow using sustainable aviation fuel. The journey replicated a 2010 flight to show how much the airline has reduced its CO2 emissions over 11 years. Airlines are responding to the industry pollution problem as "flight shaming" gains popularity. British Airways demonstrated how it is moving toward a "Perfect Flight" using sustainable jet fuel and renewable energy amid scrutiny from environmental… (www.msn.com) More...

Air New Zealand Joins Airbus's Hydrogen Airliner Project

Air New Zealand is supporting Airbus’s efforts to develop hydrogen-powered airliners through a joint research initiative into how these could help the Asia-Pacific carrier to meet its goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed on September 16, the airline will analyze how the use of hydrogen propulsion would change its service network, operations, and infrastructure arrangements, with Airbus providing performance requirements and ground… (www.ainonline.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...

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...

Ryanair 'couldn't care less' about another Boeing order as it lifts growth target

Ryanair lifted its five-year passenger forecast on Thursday, saying the delivery of an existing Boeing order and increased use of older aircraft would allow it to grow faster without the need for an additional large plane deal. Europe's largest low cost carrier last week abruptly ended talks with the U.S. planemaker over a new order of the larger 737 MAX 10 jets, worth tens of billions of dollars, due to differences over price. Shares of the airline jumped 7% on Thursday after it raised its… (www.yahoo.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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

This Gonzo-Looking Regional Jet Just Put The F-16's New Radar To The Test

Out of all the bizarre-looking testbed aircraft whizzing around these days, Northrop Grumman's two Bombardier CRJ-700 surrogate test platform aircraft seem to get the most attention. Whenever they show up somewhere, my DMs start filling up with "WHAT IS THIS?!" type of inquiries. It seems that their owner likes to keep tight-lipped about most of the development work that they do, but just today they put out a press release talking about some of their latest exploits, along with… (www.thedrive.com) More...