Free Republic

The Bernie Sanders campaign spent just under $1.2 million on private jet travel last quarter, outpacing the entire 2020 Democratic presidential primary field. The most recent filing from Sanders reveals $1,199,579 in spending during the final three months of 2019 to Apollo Jets, LLC, a "luxury private jet charter service." The campaign spent an additional $23,941 for transportation to Virginia-based Advanced Aviation Team. The candidate who comes closest to matching Sanders in private jet spending was former vice president Joe Biden, whose campaign spent $1,040,698 to Advanced Aviation Team last quarter. Traveling by private jet is estimated to produce roughly...

The XQ-5A Valkyrie on a 2019 test flight AFRL ____________________________________________________________________ The jet-powered XQ-58A Valkyrie demonstrator drone has returned to the air three months after being damaged in a landing mishap. On January 23, the unmanned aircraft being developed by the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and Kratos Defense & Security Solutions completed its fourth flight test at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona. The fourth in a planned schedule of five flights, the most recent test was designed to push the performance envelope of the Valkyrie. In particular, the flight took the drone to its highest altitude yet as engineers collected...

American and Delta Airlines announced they are suspending flights to China in response to the deadly coronavirus outbreak which has killed more than 200 people. American suspended all flights to China Friday through March 27, while Delta was to stop service next week. Delta said it is suspending all of its US flights to China starting this upcoming Wednesday, due to 'ongoing concerns' over the coronavirus. The flight ban will last until April 30, the US carrier says.

The helicopter that crashed Sunday killing basketball star Kobe Bryant and eight others was owned by a charter company that only operated under visual flight rules, and its pilots were not permitted to fly solely based on their cockpit gauges if they encountered weather that limited visibility, a former pilot for the company told Forbes. The pilot of the doomed flight, Ara Zobayan, was licensed to fly by cockpit instruments, but he likely had little real-world experience in doing so given the operating limitations of Island Express Helicopters, says Kurt Deetz, a former pilot for the company who flew Bryant...

A mystery plane crashed Monday in Taliban-held territory in Afghanistan’s Ghazni province, south of the capital, Afghan officials said. It was not immediately clear how many people were on board the plane. Ariana Afghan Airlines denied reports that it was one of its passenger jets that had come down. Provincial government spokesman Arif Noori told CBS News’ Ahmad Mukhtar the plane appeared to have been a flight between the southern city of Kandahar and the capital Kabul, about 200 miles to the north. Ghazni province is between those two locations Noori said the body of two pilots was found at...

According to the ADSB transponder data he was following the 101 Fwy to Thousand Oaks. Then suddenly turned and dropped rapidly. Last data point shows he was dropping at 4,000 FPM which is pretty extreme...

The world's longest and largest twin-engine airliner, the Boeing 777-9X, has finally taken to the skies for its maiden flight, offering a ray of hope for the troubled US aviation company following months of grim headlines. After days of abysmal weather, airplane WH-001 took from Paine Field, home of Boeing's wide-body factory, north of Seattle, on Saturday morning. The flight had been postponed twice earlier in the week because of poor conditions, but as the aircraft taxied past the press viewing area ahead of takeoff, a rainbow appeared -- perhaps offering a positive portent. When the moment did finally arrive,...

The next time you fly on United Airlines, know that part of your fee goes to support of illegal aliens, their attorneys and the violation of Federal immigration laws. “In an effort to fill the gap, OneJustice and the California Rural Legal Assistance are partnering to host two free legal clinics next month in San Luis Obispo County—one focused on expunging criminal records, the other on immigration assistance. The expungement clinic will take place on Friday, Feb. 7, from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m., in the SLO Library Community Room. The immigration clinic is slated for Saturday, Feb. 8, from 11...

Two Chinese nationals in their early 20s have been found dead at the site of a 1973 plane crash in southern Iceland. Police said the man and the woman were found near the Sólheimasandur crash site, which draws tourists. A police spokesman told the BBC a post-mortem would take place early next week to establish the causes of death. Officers had not found any signs of a "criminal act" by a third party, he said, adding that the bodies showed signs of hypothermia. In 1973, a US military plane crash-landed on the beach at Sólheimasandur. No one was killed. The...

FDC 0/4707 ZDC PART 1 OF 3 VA..AIRSPACE RICHMOND, VA..TEMPORARY FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS. JANUARY 20, 2020 LOCAL. PURSUANT TO 49 USC 40103(B)(3), THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION (FAA) CLASSIFIES THE AIRSPACE DEFINED IN THIS NOTAM AS 'NATIONAL DEFENSE AIRSPACE'. ANY PERSON WHO KNOWINGLY OR WILLFULLY VIOLATES THE RULES CONCERNING OPERATIONS IN THIS AIRSPACE MAY BE SUBJECT TO CERTAIN CRIMINAL PENALTIES UNDER 49 USC 46307. ... 1) UAS FLIGHT OPERATION CONDUCTED IN DIRECT SUPPORT OF AN ACTIVE NATIONAL DEFENSE, HOMELAND SECURITY, LAW ENFORCEMENT, FIREFIGHTING, SEARCH AND RESCUE, OR DISASTER RESPONSE MISSION.

Four days from now, on Monday, January 20th, 2020, the Virginia Citizens’ Defense League is holding their annual Lobby Day at the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond, VA. There has been a lot of…contentiousness this year. Among other things, the Governor has declared a state of emergency and (probably unlawfully) declared the State Capitol grounds a gun-free zone. I say that, because of this: At this hour, there is a USAF U-28A aircraft circling the Capitol.

Four teachers from a Los Angeles-area school sued Delta Air Lines on Friday, saying they were exposed to jet fuel when a plane with engine trouble dumped its fuel over a densely populated area, including several schools, while making an emergency return to the airport. At a news conference, the teachers described the fuel as drizzling down like raindrops with “overwhelming” fumes. They said their panicked students screamed and cried. “The plaintiffs could feel the fuel on their clothes, their flesh, their eyes and their skin,” said the teachers’ attorney, Gloria Allred, who noted that her firm may add teachers...

The New York Times has obtained video that shows the moment a Ukrainian airliner was hit minutes after takeoff from Tehran.

#BREAKING an Ukrainian plane carrying 180 passengers crashed close to Imam #Khomeini airport near #Tehran

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Boeing Co said it was aware of media reports regarding a plane crash in Iran and was gathering more information.

BREAKING: Ukrainian passenger plane carrying 180 people crashes near Tehran - local media

Al Hadath stating that the Ukrainian aircraft was shot down accidentally by Iranian air defense systems.

The huge display of sortie generation capability comes as the base's F-35 force reaches full capacity after transitioning to the F-35 years ago. The 388th and 419th Fighter Wings that call Hill Air Force Base in Utah home have just executed a massive readiness drill that included an 'elephant walk' of a whopping 52 F-35As. The exercise coincides with the wings reaching full strength following the transition to the F-35A, a process that began years ago. The elephant walk and the massive number of flights that usually go along with it are all about sortie generation and displaying a level...

The U.S. military is pouring troops into the Middle East as it prepares to deal with fallout from the killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani. Soleimani was killed by U.S. forces on January 3, 2020. Iran and Iranian-backed militias throughout the region have promised revenge for the attack on one of Iran’s most senior military figures. In response, the Pentagon is flowing ground, air, and sea forces into the area, including Army Rangers and Super Hornet strike fighters. The buildup actually began on December 31, 2019, when protests organized by Iranian-backed militias threatened the U.S. embassy in Baghdad. U.S. Central...

NEW YORK - Boeing provided a fresh batch of incriminating documents on the 737 MAX to regulators and congressional investigators, only hours after announcing a leadership shakeup, officials confirmed Tuesday. The document dump came just before Christmas, when many officials already are on holiday, and "appear to point to a very disturbing picture" about Boeing's response to safety issues regarding the 737 MAX, a congressional aide told AFP in an email Tuesday. The aide said Boeing sent the documents "late in the evening" Monday to congressional staff investigating the issues with the aircraft, which has been grounded since March following...