Free Republic 3rd Qtr 2025 Fundraising Target: $81,000 Receipts & Pledges to-date: $28,070
34%  
Woo hoo!! And we're now only $280 from reaching 35%!! Thank you all very much!! God bless.

Keyword: aviation

Brevity: Headers | « Text »
  • Three Colombian soldiers killed in attack with explosive-laden drones

    08/13/2025 6:06:33 PM PDT · by BenLurkin · 2 replies
    bbc ^ | 08/13/2025 | Vanessa Buschschlüter
    The devices dropped explosives on members of Colombia's navy and army, who were manning a checkpoint on the Naya River. Four other members of the security forces were injured in the attack. Drone attacks have become increasingly common in recent years in Colombia: in 2024, 115 such attacks were recorded in the country, most of them carried out by illegal armed groups. In January, the government said it was putting a plan into place to prevent such attacks by beefing up its anti-drone technology, in order to better detect and "neutralise" drones. Off-shoots of the Farc rebel group, which refused...
  • United Airlines flight canceled after female passenger had 'biohazard' diarrhea that destroyed bathroom

    08/13/2025 9:31:57 AM PDT · by Bonemaker · 55 replies
    Daily Mail ^ | Aug.12, 2025 | James Cirrone
    A United Airlines flight was cancelled after a female passenger suffered an explosive bout of diarrhoea and vomiting that destroyed the aircraft's tiny bathroom. Writer and actor Meghan Reinertsen freely admitted she was to blame for the mid-air disaster, revealing she spent an hour and a half locked inside the lavatory during the July 2024 flight from Newark to Indianapolis. Reinertsen said the nightmare began moments before boarding her connecting flight home from Portugal, when she suddenly felt the first waves of what she later discovered was severe food poisoning.
  • Influencer Ethan Guo, 19, stranded in the Chilean Antarctic since landing plane without permission

    08/12/2025 11:54:52 AM PDT · by Red Badger · 17 replies
    NY Post ^ | August 12, 2025 | AP
    What was intended as a fundraising mission for cancer research has become a nightmare for American teen influencer Ethan Guo, who has been stuck since June in a remote location in Chilean territory in Antarctica. Authorities say Guo landed his small plane illegally after providing false flight plan information to officials who opened an investigation. Guo made headlines last year when the then-19-year-old teen began a trip in an attempt to become the youngest person to fly solo to all seven continents and, at the same time, collect donations for research into childhood cancer. As part of his trip, the...
  • Spirit Airlines warns it might not be able to survive without more cash

    08/12/2025 6:09:55 AM PDT · by Red Badger · 54 replies
    CNBC ^ | August 12, 2025 | Leslie Josephs
    Key Points The airline issued a going-concern warning in its quarterly filing, months after emerging from bankruptcy, The budget airline icon has tried to attract bookings by marketing more upscale products like premium economy. The carrier has been challenged by an oversupply of domestic flights, changing consumer tastes and an engine grounding. ============================================================== Spirit Airlines has warned it might not be able to survive as a going concern if it doesn’t raise more cash, five months after the budget-travel icon emerged from bankruptcy. After cutting its debt during restructuring, Spirit has tried to attract bookings by marketing more upscale products...
  • FAA partners with college to train next generation air traffic controllers

    08/11/2025 2:32:29 PM PDT · by DFG · 19 replies
    The Center Square ^ | 08/11/2025 | Ashley Olds
    To expand specialized training under the Enhanced Air Traffic-Collegiate Training Initiative, the U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced on Monday that the Federal Aviation Administration will be partnering with Nashua Community College. “​​Our new partnership with Nashua Community College will help us continue to attract the best and brightest to fill our air traffic control towers,” Duffy said in a statement. “To all the young Americans considering a career in this exciting field – your work will make flying safer and more efficient than ever.” Monday's announcement is the newest program “to be announced this year” in Duffy’s...
  • America’s Drone Crisis: ‘Made in America’ Is Nearly Impossible

    08/11/2025 10:05:05 AM PDT · by whyilovetexas111 · 89 replies
    National Security Journal ^ | 8/11/2025 | Mike Jernigan
    While a new Pentagon policy makes it easier for Marines to acquire and experiment with small drones, the U.S. military faces a catastrophic drone gap with Russia and China. A recent exercise highlighted the poor performance of the few approved, American-made models. The root of the problem is a nearly extinct domestic manufacturing base, leaving the U.S. unable to produce drones at scale without relying on Chinese components.
  • Witness "Project Rebirth," which could save you from your next plane crash

    08/11/2025 5:36:00 AM PDT · by Red Badger · 23 replies
    Not The Bee ^ | August 10, 2025 | Edward Teach
    A plane crash: Nobody wants one. It's pretty much universally reviled. Everyone wants to avoid it. With something so hated and opposed, it's unsurprising that we'll go to great lengths to get around it. Enter "Project Rebirth:" This is no joke, folks. This is the future of airplane safety (maybe): Project REBIRTH is an AI-powered crash survival system using airbags, smart fluids, and reverse thrust to reduce impact and save lives when all else fails. Born from tragedy, built with purpose. The project is being spearheaded by researchers and engineers from Dubai. It has been submitted to the James Dyson...
  • An unusual military aircraft has been flying between California and Arizona

    08/08/2025 7:47:09 AM PDT · by Red Badger · 38 replies
    SF Gate ^ | August 07, 2025 | Ariana Bindman
    The Airbus A400M Atlas isn't your typical passenger plane An unusual-looking military aircraft has been flying over California this past month, baffling spectators who say they witnessed it from the ground in the Bay Area. According to Flightradar24 records, the aircraft, an Airbus A400M Atlas, is part of the United Kingdom’s air force and has been flying out of Oceanside, Blythe and Yuma airports for the past several days. Two weeks ago, several people said they saw an A400 flying low by Morro Bay, while another said it passed over Cupertino. This strategic military aircraft isn’t your typical passenger plane,...
  • Bockscar: We Visited the B-29 Bomber That Dropped The Atomic Bomb On Nagasaki

    08/08/2025 5:39:57 AM PDT · by whyilovetexas111 · 38 replies
    National Security Journal ^ | 8/7/2025 | Steve Balestrieri
    Eighty years ago this week, the United States dropped two atomic bombs on Japan, forcing the end of World War II. On August 6, 1945, the B-29 Enola Gay dropped the “Little Boy” uranium bomb on Hiroshima, killing up to 166,000 people. Three days later, on August 9, the B-29 Bockscar was diverted from its primary target of Kokura due to bad weather and instead dropped the more powerful “Fat Man” plutonium bomb on the secondary target of Nagasaki, killing up to 80,000 and compelling Japan’s surrender.
  • A Pilot Is Pretty Sure He Found Amelia Earhart’s Plane

    08/07/2025 1:12:54 PM PDT · by Red Badger · 111 replies
    Popular Mechanics ^ | August 07, 2025 | Michael Natale
    Using Google Earth, Justin Myers found some anomalies near Nikumaroro Island that he thinks are strikingly similar to Earhart’s lost plane. Here’s what you’ll learn when you read this story: * A pilot perusing Google Earth may have stumbled across the remnants of Amelia Earhart’s Lockheed Electra 10E * Inspired by a documentary on the final flight of Earhart and Fred Noonan, Justin Myers compared the measurements of anomalies in a Google Earth image to the components of the Earhart plane * Thus far, no major institutions have made any effort to investigate his claims =========================================================================== What would you do...
  • Medical Emergency Prompts Evacuation of U.S. Antarctic Base in Daring Midwinter Rescue Operation

    08/07/2025 12:54:32 PM PDT · by Red Badger · 30 replies
    The Debrief ^ | August 07, 2025 | Micah Hanks
    An emergency medical situation prompted a demanding mid-winter evacuation from the United States’ McMurdo Station in Antarctica, officials said this week. The evacuation was officially made by representatives with the United States’ National Science Foundation over concerns that medical care could not be administered to Americans stationed in Antarctica, including one individual who reportedly required “urgent medical care” and two others in need of medical attention. The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) successfully carried out a challenging emergency evacuation using one of its C-130J Hercules aircraft, according to a statement released on Wednesday. Citing extreme temperatures and rapidly changing...
  • Russia Just Built a Plasma Engine That Could Reach Mars in 30 Days—SpaceX’s Biggest Problem Yet?

    08/07/2025 11:00:04 AM PDT · by Red Badger · 108 replies
    Daily Galaxy ^ | August 07, 2025 | Arezki Amiri
    Russian scientists say they’ve built a new kind of engine that could cut the trip to Mars down to just one month. A working prototype already exists, and it’s unlike anything currently used in space. ============================================================= Russia’s New Plasma Engine. Credit: IZVESTIA/Sergey Lantyukhov | The Daily Galaxy --Great Discoveries Channel ============================================================= A new propulsion system developed by Russian scientists is generating buzz in the spaceflight community. According to researchers from Rosatom’s Troitsk Institute, a laboratory-tested magnetoplasma engine could make it possible to travel from Earth to Mars in as little as one to two months—a significant leap from today’s six-...
  • United airlines grounded nation wide

    08/06/2025 5:18:30 PM PDT · by arrow107 · 38 replies
    08/06/2025 | Myself
    All flights grounded due to a system wide failure. Thats is all they are saying. Currently stuck on the tarmac in Denver
  • The F-117 Nighthawk (AKA ‘The Stealth Fighter’) Can’t Stay Retired

    08/06/2025 5:05:40 AM PDT · by whyilovetexas111 · 15 replies
    National Security Journal ^ | 8/5/2025 | Isaac Seitz
    The F-117 Nighthawk, the world’s first operational stealth aircraft, was officially retired in 2008 but continues to fly regularly. The U.S. Air Force still uses the iconic jet as a cost-effective platform for several key missions. Primarily, it serves as a unique “aggressor” trainer, simulating foreign stealth aircraft like China’s J-20 to prepare U.S. pilots for modern threats.
  • Unauthorized Civilian Aircraft Detected Over President Trump’s New Jersey Golf Club, Fighter Jets Scrambled

    08/04/2025 11:42:16 AM PDT · by Red Badger · 36 replies
    100 Percent Fed Up ^ | August 04, 2025 | Danielle
    U.S. fighter jets scrambled to intercept unauthorized civilian aircraft detected over Trump’s Bedminster golf club in New Jersey while a temporary flight restriction (TFR) zone was in place. The civilian aircraft entered the restricted airspace at approximately 12:50 p.m. ET on Sunday. North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) used flares to get the pilot’s attention. According to reports, this wasn’t the first intercept and multiple incursions occurred over the weekend. Newsweek has more: The interception on Sunday afternoon was the second in the restriction zone that day, and the fifth of that weekend. NORAD stressed that the flares they used,...
  • ‘Are You Kidding Me?’: NTSB Chair Blasts FAA over Washington DC Plane Crash

    08/05/2025 9:08:28 AM PDT · by Red Badger · 40 replies
    Breitbart ^ | August 04, 2025 | Olivia Rondeau
    National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) hearings on the devastating Washington, DC, helicopter-plane crash that killed 67 people revealed devastating findings last week, with Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy scolding the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for ignoring safety concerns. The NTSB interrogated FAA and U.S. Army officials on the series of events that led to a Black Hawk helicopter colliding with a passenger jet as it descended into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport during what the Associated Press (AP) described as “three days of sometimes contentious hearings.” The 64 passengers and crew killed on the American Airlines flight included a group of young...
  • The Story of Boeing’s Failed Corporate Culture

    08/04/2025 10:02:54 AM PDT · by CondoleezzaProtege · 19 replies
    The CPA Journal ^ | 2025 | Steven Mintz, PhD and William F. Miller, EdD, CPA
    The Boeing case is a cautionary tale of what can go wrong when a company fails to develop and implement sound internal quality controls that protect operational processes and encourage a culture of safety. At Boeing, whistleblowers reported problems with operating processes that were ignored by management and weren’t always reported to the board of directors. The company did not use internal audits to identify and correct operational problems, relying instead on FAA inspections to point out safety issues in its 737 MAX aircraft. Whistleblower warnings were ignored. Ultimately, Boeing became the target of lawsuits by shareholders and the government,...
  • United Airlines pilot calls ‘Mayday’ as engine fails moments after takeoff for trans-Atlantic flight: audio

    08/04/2025 9:47:33 AM PDT · by Red Badger · 71 replies
    NY Post ^ | August 03, 2025 | Alex Oliveira
    Anxiety-inducing audio captured a United Airlines pilot calling “Mayday” when one of its engines failed moments after taking off for a trans-Atlantic flight. “Failure, engine failure, left engine,” the pilots of United Flight 108 radioed air traffic controllers as it departed from Washington Dulles International Airport on July 25. “Declaring an emergency. Mayday, mayday, mayday,” the pilot added. Flight 108 departed from the DC airport just before 6 p.m. that Friday to begin a nearly eight-hour flight across the ocean to Munich, Germany. But mere moments after becoming airborne, the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner’s engine cut out as it reached about...
  • Night vision goggles may have hampered helicopter pilots before crash with jet, experts tell NTSB

    08/02/2025 10:52:51 AM PDT · by E. Pluribus Unum · 33 replies
    Reuters.com ^ | 8:14 PM, Aug 01, 2025 | Reuters
    The goggles were discussed Friday at the NTSB's third and final day of public testimony over the fatal midair crash, which killed 67 people.The pilots of a U.S. Army helicopter that collided with a passenger jet over Washington in January would've had difficulty spotting the plane while wearing night vision goggles, experts told the National Transportation Safety Board on Friday. The Army goggles would have made it difficult to see the plane's colored lights, which might have helped the Black Hawk determine the plane's direction. The goggles also limited the pilots' peripheral vision as they flew near Ronald Reagan Washington...
  • Team Beale conducts historic U-2 Dragon Lady flight, 11 years in the making

    08/02/2025 8:30:38 AM PDT · by texas booster · 33 replies
    DVIDS ^ | Aug 1 2025 | SSgt Frederick Brown
    Beale Air Force Base, Calif. – On the evening of July 31st, a TU-2S Dragon Lady from the 9th Reconnaissance Wing took off from Beale Air Force Base (AFB) to begin a flight unlike any the U-2 airframe had done before. Seventy years after the very first Lockheed U-2 Dragon Lady’s accidental maiden flight in 1955 by Tony LeVier over Groom Lake, Nevada, the U-2 would finish the longest single flight this platform had ever attempted, flying across all 48 contiguous states of the United States. An icon of the Cold War, the U-2 continues to provide high altitude intelligence,...