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What you'd really like the hear your pilot say. Audio file.

TAMPA - Handguns used by pilots to fight terrorism can accidentally go off inside cockpits -- that's despite a government report that first warned of the danger more than two years ago. The Federal Flight Deck Officer Program was launched in the wake of the 911 attacks and provides pilots who volunteer with extensive training -- at the pilot's expense. But we've learned there have been two incidents of handguns accidentally being discharged in the cockpit and a third during training. Capt. Steve Sevier, National Security Chairman for the U.S. Airline Pilots Association, said the problem stems from a holster...

If one of your pilots gets ill, you never know who else on the plane might be able to help land the aircraft safely. On Monday, it was a flight attendant with an an inactive pilot's license who helped land an American Airlines jumbo jet after the co-pilot became incapacitated because of stomach flu. Patti DeLuna, a 61-year-old flight attendant with American Airlines, helped the captain safely land the Boeing 767 with 225 passengers on board.

ROYAL AIR FORCE MILDENHALL, England, June 9, 2010 – It is common among runners to talk of "hitting the wall" of exhaustion, whether it's a 10K race, half marathon or full marathon. Air Force Capt. Danny Franz poses for a photo at the end of his completion of the Hadrian's Wall Path running route in England on May 14, 2010. Franz, a pilot with the 67th Special Operations Squadron, ran the 84-mile route in 19 hours and 24 minutes, beating the unofficial record of more than 23 hours. Courtesy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. But some runners, like...

NEW DELHI: The horrific Air India Express crash in Mangalore on May 22 that killed 158 people could have possibly been averted had the expat commander heeded his Indian co-pilot's advice. Records of the conversation between the pilots and ATC has shown that co-pilot H S Ahluwalia more than once urged Captain Zlatko Glusica not to land and instead go around. Importantly, Ahluwalia's warning had come well before the aircraft had descended below decision height - the critical level at or before which a final decision on whether to land or go around is to be taken - said highly...

Alenia Aermacchi, a Finmeccanica company, recently carried out the first flight tests of the new sophisticated Helmet Mounted Display (HMD) system That Will Be fitted to the M-346 advanced training aircraft Masters. The HMD system, a true interface between the pilot and aircraft systems, complements the Head-Up Display by offering the pilot to receive attitude, navigation, tactical and mission information directly on the helmet visor, independently of the direction in which he is looking. The HMD system, a true interface Between the pilot and aircraft systems, complements the Head-Up Display by offering the pilot to receive attitude, navigation, tactical and...

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. – Walker "Bud" Mahurin, a fighter pilot who shot down two dozen planes in two wars and was regarded as one of America's top aces ever, has died, his wife said Sunday. He was 91. Joan Mahurin said Bud Mahurin died of natural causes at his home in Newport Beach on Tuesday. She said her husband kept flying small planes — and kept receiving fan mail — for most of his life. "He would get letters from teenagers to old war veterans," Joan Mahurin said. Doug Lantry, a historian at the National Museum of the United States...

CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. -- Clayton County Sheriff’s Office officials arrested a Delta Air Lines pilot for allegedly carrying a concealed weapon inside Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Police arrested Matthew Lamar McDaniel on Saturday and he was charged with carrying a concealed weapon. Officials said McDaniel is currently a Delta Air Lines pilot and has been for the past 13 years. He was granted a $5,700 bond. The circumstances surrounding McDaniel’s arrest have not been released

WASHINGTON (AP) — Is the CIA's secret program of drone strikes against terrorists in Pakistan and Yemen a case of illegal assassinations or legitimate self defense? That was a central question Wednesday as the program came under fire from several legal scholars who called for greater oversight by Congress, arguing the attacks may violate international law and put intelligence officers at risk of prosecution for murder in foreign countries. The CIA strikes are "a clear violation of international law," said Mary Ellen O'Connell, law professor at the University of Notre Dame Law School, who added that going after terrorists should...

Pilot’s prayer recorded on Smolensk crash black box Apr 20, 2010 13:02 Moscow Time The flight recorders of the Polish President’s plane registered the prayer of the pilot before the Tu-154 crashed near Smolensk on April 10th killing 96 people on board. The Prosecutor General of Poland pledged to release all recordings of the pilots’ conversations. Two of the three black boxes from the presidential plane have already been deciphered and voice recordings of the third one are marred by noise and the information needs to be restored. Meanwhile, Polish experts are expected to arrive in Moscow to help identify...

WARSAW: Investigators blamed pilot error on Thursday for a crash that killed Poland's president, as harrowing details emerged of how the crew knew they were doomed after hitting trees while trying to land in Russia. As Poland's national unity fractured over plans to bury president Lech Kaczynski in a castle alongside kings and heroes, officials released the first results from analysis of the plane's black box flight recorders. "The crew was aware of the inevitability of the coming catastrophe, if only due to the plane shaking after the wings hit the trees -- which we are certain happened," Poland's chief...

4/15/2010 - TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) -- With his dad squarely in his sights, a 9-year-old boy pulls the trigger in the cockpit of an F-15 Eagle simulator. "Don't worry dad, I'm just going to do a practice landing," Isaac Ezell said jokingly as he searched the simulated sky for his father's jet. Isaac participated in the Tyndall Air Force Base Pilot for a Day program April 8 with the 95th Fighter Squadron staff here. Isaac suffers from Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism. People with Asperger's demonstrate significant difficulties with social interaction and tend to show repetitive...

Joy Tiz ©2010 The pilot of the plane that crashed killing Poland’s president, Lech Kaczynkski along with Poland’s First Lady and other top government officials refused to take instructions from air traffic controllers, according to Rianovosti: “’The head of the traffic control group warned of poor weather conditions, but the crew went ahead with the landing without permission. And [they] also made their landing approach without permission.’” “The [control tower] head said three times to execute a flyby procedure. When the crew did not listen, the control tower could only continue to guide the plane and watch it. It was...

I'm considering taking up recreational flying. I've done it before - about 4 years ago, I took a couple hours' worth of training before the snow fell, but at the time, I was working a traveling job where I could only take lessons on weekends, and winter approached. I believe there are many pilots here on FR, both commercial and recreational. What experiences did you have in becoming what you are today? Was it harder than you expected? Did it take longer than you expected? Did it cost more than you wished it did, or was it affordable? What do...

MSNBC anchor David Shuster might be in hot water. He wasn't on at his normal 3 p.m. time yesterday, soon after his bosses learned that he'd shot a pilot for rival cable news network CNN.

Deployed U-2 pilot achieves rare feat of 100 combat missions by Master Sgt. Scott T. Sturkol 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs 3/15/2010 - SOUTHWEST ASIA -- For Maj. William Gottenberg, he's been helping the Dragon Lady breathe a lot of fire lately. The 16-and-a-half-year Air Force veteran and pilot recently achieved 100 combat missions in the U-2 in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. "It's a good feeling because it's an awesome mission and the fact that I was able to have the opportunity to come out here enough to get the chance to get 100 is great,"...

RONKONOMA, N.Y., March 26, 2010 – When Chief Warrant Officer Herb Dargue joined the Army as a helicopter pilot, the Beatles’ "Penny Lane" topped the charts, the UH-1C Huey was the hottest “chopper” flying, and actor William Shatner was “Star Trek’s” Captain Kirk on prime time TV. Army Chief Warrant Officer Herbert Dargue, an Army rotary-wing aircraft pilot since 1967, will fly his last flight with the New York Army National Guard on March 26, 2010. Dargue, who has more than 21,000 hours of flight time in military and civilian helicopters, is an expert at flying in New York City's...

After months of sending cards and cookies, a group of second-graders at Lyons Elementary School received a special visit from their pen pal, Air Force Capt. Mark Uberuaga. Uberuaga, a combat search-and-rescue pilot, spent three months in Afghanistan before returning Feb. 4. He stopped by Elizabeth Wiley's classroom Thursday to thank the children for their support and to fill them in on his trip. As he told students that he piloted a HH-60G Pave Hawk aircraft, one student had to make sure he heard Captain Mark - as the kids referred to him - correctly. "Wait, did you say you...

A jumbo jet pilot has told how he repeatedly had overwhelming urges to crash the planes he was flying. Bryan Griffin said that once he even had to 'immobilise' his arm to prevent him trying to down a Qantas passenger jet. His hand had 'involuntarily moved towards the start levers' on the journey to Singapore. The compulsion to cut out the engines was so strong, he had to leave the flight deck and did not return until he had calmed down. The pilot revealed during a compensation hearing how he was also afflicted by urges to scream and cry, ignored...

SNIPPET: “SOME of the seven Muslims arrested as part of an international probe into an alleged plot to murder Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks had planned to set up an extremist prayer group in Waterford to radicalise other Muslims, gardaí believe.” SNIPPET: “The seven – four men and three women – were arrested by armed gardaí on Tuesday in Waterford and Cork following a lengthy Garda investigation based on information provided by US intelligence agencies. Five of the seven suspects – three Algerians, one Libyan and one Palestinian – had their periods of custody extended on Wednesday night on application to...