Free Republic

A look at the US Military C5 Galaxy. American ingenuity at work.

MALVERN, Pa.—Jonathan Stewart was into his fourth hour overseeing the planes flying near Newark, N.J., when he noticed two aircraft speeding nose-to-nose on his radar scope. A business jet that had departed the Morristown airport was heading toward another small plane that had taken off from nearby Teterboro, a hub for corporate flying. A midair collision was potentially seconds away with planes flying at the same altitude. The veteran air-traffic controller had been scribbling callsigns for the planes and flight information in a notebook, worried that radar and radio communication might fail as they had days earlier. After recognizing the...

Qatar signs an agreement with Boeing to purchase 160 aircraft — the largest widebody aircraft order in the American company's history

Air Traffic Control lost radar for 90 seconds at Newark Airport on Friday. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), there was a telecommunications outage at Newark Liberty International Airport. “There was a telecommunications outage that impacted communications and radar display at Philadelphia TRACON Area C, which guides aircraft in and out of Newark Liberty International Airport airspace. The outage occurred around 3:55 a.m. on Friday, May 9, and lasted approximately 90 seconds,” the FAA said on Friday morning. ... United Airlines pulled 35 round-trip flights a day following a radar outage at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey...

The USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier lost another F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet on Tuesday -- the third since it deployed to the Middle East -- this time amid a landing incident that caused the jet to go overboard, defense officials confirmed to Military.com The incident comes just more than a week after the Truman lost an F/A-18 jet and a connected tow tractor when the pair fell overboard while being towed around the carrier's hangar deck. Officials said the most recent incident was caused by a failure in some part of the arresting equipment used to bring the...

These vacationers really raised the roof — but, no, they weren’t partying. Freaked-out air travelers were forced to hold up the roof of a plane after its interior suddenly caved in during a recent trip from Atlanta to Chicago on April 14. “My homie was on a Delta flight and the ceiling collapsed ... Representatives for Delta Air Lines told The Post, “Delta thanks our customers for their patience and cooperation. We apologize for the delay in their travels.” The spokesperson said that the Boeing 717’s “panel was later affixed into place so customers did not have to manually hold...

The FAA says there are about 20,000 wildlife strikes on planes every year, but Flight UA2325 from Denver to Edmonton was taken down by a RABBIT.

On Saturday, two people were killed after a small plane crashed shortly after takeoff from a Georgia airport. Authorities responded to the Covington Municipal Airport at around 11:21 p.m. after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) contacted them stating they lost contact with the aircraft. “Officers responded to the Covington Municipal Airport at approximately 11:21 p.m. after receiving a call from the FAA in reference to a single engine aircraft that had taken off at approximately 11:00 p.m.,” the Covington Police Department said. “There was no further communication from the aircraft after takeoff. Officers located the aircraft in the woods just...

Air traffic controllers say an FAA “immunity program” fails to hold people accountable for their mistakes, even with deadly consequences. Current and former air traffic controllers warn that the Federal Aviation Administration’s hiring practices and “immunity program” have led to problems, such as those that may have resulted in the recent midair collison near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The FAA’s focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) hiring practices has resulted in the employment of less qualified air traffic controllers (ATCs) and a staffing shortage, former ATC's say. This, in addition to an “immunity program” that fails to hold...

Delta plane crashes at Toronto Pearson International Airport Delta CRJ 900 heading from Minneapolis

Emergency crews are responding to an “incident” involving a Delta Air Lines plane at Toronto Pearson International Airport. The commercial jet, which had taken off from Minneapolis, appears flipped on its back on a snowy runway in photos circulating in online aviation forums.

Some of the US’s most sophisticated spy planes that typically monitor the Chinese and Russians are now flooding the air targeting Mexican drug cartels as part of President Trump’s crackdown, a new report says. The ultra-hi-tech aircraft include Navy P-8s with advanced radar — and a U-2 originally designed to conduct high-altitude surveillance of the Soviet Union during the Cold War, CNN said Monday. It’s the first time a U-2 is believed to have been used by the US to root out cartels, military experts told the outlet. The decked-out spy planes have flown at least 18 missions over the...

This ought to scare the hell out of the cartel drug lords on the ground. The US is allegedly flying reconnaissance planes inside Mexico. On his second day in office President Trump officially designated drug cartels on the southern border as terrorist organizations. Last week Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that “all options are on the table” regarding the Mexican cartels. President Trump is not fooling around with the Mexican cartels. Aviacionline reported Monday (in Spanish) that US authorities are using high-tech aircraft over the border to strengthen surveillance over possible illicit activities.

An outraged John Kirby hotly denied claims that the Houthis shot down an American fighter jet.

Credit: Dawn Aerospace/Cover Images A rocket-powered aircraft has broken the sound barrier for the first time since Concorde, following a successful test flight in New Zealand. Dawn Aerospace’s MK-11 Aurora jet reached supersonic speeds, marking a milestone in the company’s mission to revolutionise daily space access and satellite launches. "This achievement signifies a major step toward operational hypersonic travel and daily space access, establishing rocket-powered aircraft as a new class of ultra-high-performance vehicles," the company said in a statement. The test flight on November 12 saw the uncrewed aircraft reach a speed of Mach 1.1 (844 mph) and climb to...

CNN — The National Transportation Safety Board is issuing “urgent safety recommendations” for some Boeing 737s—including the embattled 737 MAX line— warning that critical flight controls could jam. The independent investigative agency is issuing the warning that an actuator attached to the rudder on some 737 NG and 737 MAX airplanes could fail. The move comes after the NTSB investigated a February incident where the pilots of a United Airlines MAX 8 landing in Newark reported their rudder pedals “stuck” in the neutral position. The warning is the latest black eye for Boeing. The company has seen a string of...

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) detected and tracked several Russian aircraft in the Alaska area over the last week. Two aircraft were detected Sunday and two on Saturday, according to NORAD. The planes were Russian IL-38 military aircraft and were operating in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone. NORAD said the aircraft remained in international airspace and did not enter American or Canadian airspace. Similarly, NORAD said last Wednesday that two Russian military aircraft were detected. A day later, two Russian TU-142 military aircraft were detected. While the activity may be an uptick from normal operations, NORAD said...

The head of the Yemeni Ansarallah terrorist organization, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, boasted in a national address on Thursday that his jihadists had turned American aircraft carriers into “obsolete weapons.” Houthi’s group, which controls the Yemeni capital of Sana’a and received significant backing from state sponsor of terror Iran, declared war on Israel in October in support of fellow jihadist terrorists Hamas. The Houthis’, as they are commonly known, main contribution to terrorism in the Middle East has been a campaign against commercial shipping in the Red Sea in which they use drones, missiles, and other often rudimentary weapons to attack random...

The Justice Department has presented Boeing with a plea deal after it accused the airplane manufacturer of violating the terms of a 2021 deferred prosecution agreement that was put in place following two 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019. The Justice Department told Boeing it could plead guilty or go to trial, people familiar with the talks confirmed to CBS News. The agreement, which was presented to Boeing on Sunday, would have the company plead guilty to the conspiracy charge it originally faced in 2021. In exchange, Boeing would pay a fine and enter a three-year probationary period, the...

Unusual aircraft in my area.