Free Republic

The messages appear when the sky is clear: Trust Jesus. God Forgives. U + God = :) With the heavens as their pulpit, pilots Jerry Stevens and Keith Poeschl deliver their sermon from a bright-yellow crop duster dubbed ``Holy Smoke.'' ``These are God's love letters to his children,'' explains Stevens, 68, a retired aviator who started the sky writing mission 12 years ago when living in Boca Raton. Since then, Stevens has taken Poeschl, 33, under his wing, teaching the novice pilot the art of skywriting. There are now two versions of the Holy Smoke -- one stationed in Fort...

The California airline pilot punished by the Transportation Security Administration for posting videos critical of airport security has revealed his identity. Chris Liu, who calls himself the "Patriot Pilot," says he was just trying to improve airport security when he released a recorded and posted online footage of San Francisco International Airport in which he criticized a number of procedures. Liu had been part of a federal security program allowing him to carry a gun in the cockpit. But after he posted the video, federal agents showed up at his house Dec. 2 to confiscate his weapon and suspend his...

stewart_maximus writes "The TSA is investigating a TSA deputized pilot who posted videos to YouTube pointing out security flaws. Flaws exposed include ground crew clearing security with just a card swipe while pilots have to go through metal detectors, and a 'medieval-looking rescue ax' being available on the flight deck. Three days after posting the video, 6 government officials arrived at his door to question him and confiscated his federal firearm (and his concealed weapon permit)."

The airline pilot who was reprimanded by the TSA for posting videos showing security flaws at a major airport is speaking out exclusively for the first time, saying that it was the "fallacy of the system" that inspired him to take this action. *snip* He first posted the videos to YouTube on November 28. Three days later, he says, four federal air marshals and two local sheriff's deputies showed up at his home to question him about the footage. The pilot filmed the conversation, during which the federal marshals confiscated his federally-issued firearm. (News video runs when you click the...

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Evidence found at the remote, rugged Alaska site where an F-22 Raptor crashed indicates the pilot died, an Air Force official said Friday evening. Part of the jet's ejection seat was found at the site, which means Capt. Jeffrey Haney of Clarklake, Mich., could not have survived the Tuesday night crash, Col. Jack McMullen said. Also found were pieces of the flight suit Haney had been wearing. (excerpt)

Authorities have issued an alert for a 35-year-old British man who was taking flight lessons at Gwinnett County Airport-Briscoe Field and allegedly tried to have his pilot rating upgraded despite not being qualified. In a special alert bulletin sent to law enforcement agencies and aviation facilities this week, the Atlanta Joint Terrorism Task Force said the man, Zayead Christopher Hajaig, became "aggressive" and also tried to have the flight school speed up his training schedule, which began in 2002 and continued off and on for more than two and a half years. The flight school notified the task force. The...

NOTE The following text is a quote: Travel Alert U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE Bureau of Consular Affairs Europe October 3, 2010 The State Department alerts U.S. citizens to the potential for terrorist attacks in Europe. Current information suggests that al-Qa’ida and affiliated organizations continue to plan terrorist attacks. European governments have taken action to guard against a terrorist attack and some have spoken publicly about the heightened threat conditions. Terrorists may elect to use a variety of means and weapons and target both official and private interests. U.S. citizens are reminded of the potential for terrorists to attack public transportation...

Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots will soon get to relish delicious snacks like halwa and sip fruit juice inside the cockpits of their combat aircraft during long distance sorties. IAF has asked the Defence Food Research Laboratory (DFRL) to develop light food products in squeezable tubes that the pilots can consume even as they are strapped in their Sukhoi 30 MKIs, Mirage 2000s and the Jaguars. Dr A S Bawa, director of the Mysorebased DFRL told Express that they have taken up new projects for the IAF and have been developing food products like halwa, pulav and fruit juices that...

SNIPPET: "U.S. counterterrorism officials have linked one of the nation's most wanted terrorists to last year's thwarted plot to bomb the New York City subway system, authorities said Wednesday. Current and former counterterrorism officials said top al-Qaida operative Adnan Shukrijumah met with one of the would-be suicide bombers in a plot that Attorney General Eric Holder called one of the most dangerous since the 9/11 terror attacks."

BULLETIN -- NEW YORK POLICE AND FBI RAID HOMES IN QUEENS IN TERRORISM INVESTIGATION.6 minutes ago from BNO Headquarters

AL ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq, July 6, 2010 – Two-wheel landings on snowy Afghan ridge tops are more exciting, but managing the exodus of a 4,000-strong brigade during the drawdown of U.S. forces in Iraq provides its own challenges for one deskbound helicopter pilot with 82nd Airborne Division. Army Capt. Catherine Omodt checks incoming flight schedules in her office at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, June 27, 2010, while coordinating the redeployment of her brigade to Fort Bragg, N.C. Omodt is a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter pilot on her third deployment. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Michael J. MacLeod  (Click photo...

The Terrafugia Transition, a light aircraft that can convert into a road-legal automobile, is to go into production after being given a special weight exemption by the US Federal Aviation Administration. The Transition was designed as a "light sport" aircraft, the smallest kind of private aeroplane under FAA classification, with a maximum weight of 1,320lb. But the manufacturers found it impossible to fit the safety features - airbags, crumple zones and roll cage, for instance - that are required for road vehicles into that weight. Uniquely, however, the FAA has granted the Transition an exemption - allowing it to be...

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