Free Republic

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida sent 85 pallets worth of cargo to Israel on two successful plane launches under an emergency executive order from Gov. Ron DeSantis. Departing Tuesday, DeSantis’ office said the planes will reach Israel Wednesday. The planes are carrying medical supplies, clothing, hygiene products and toys. “With the lack of leadership in Washington, we are stepping up to help our allies in Israel who are in need of supplies and our support,” DeSantis said. “As we continue to bring back Americans who were stranded in Israel when the war began, we will also keep sending the necessary health...

The Air Force is unable to fly 116 of its 128 C-130H cargo planes due to issues with how the propellers on the craft were assembled, Air Mobility Command confirmed Friday. The 116 affected planes, which consist of the C-130H model and variants, were initially grounded Tuesday. Inspections continue to figure out which of those aircraft have defective propeller barrels. “[The] propeller barrels in question had been installed in 100 C-130Hs, as well as the entire inventories of eight MC-130H Combat Talons, seven EC-130H Compass Calls, and one TC-130H,” according to Defense News. Air Mobility Command told Defense News that...

SAN'A, Yemen – Yemeni police arrested a woman on suspicion of mailing a pair of bombs powerful enough to take down airplanes, officials said Saturday as details emerged about a terrorist plot aimed at the U.S. that exploited security gaps in the worldwide shipping system. Investigators were hunting Yemen for more suspects tied to al-Qaida and several U.S. officials identified the terrorist group's top explosives expert in Yemen as the most likely bombmaker.The explosives, addressed to Chicago-area synagogues, were pulled off airplanes in England and the United Arab Emirates early Friday morning, touching off a tense search for other devices....

CNN) -- Suspicious packages found in at least two locations abroad that were bound for Jewish organizations in the United States "apparently contain explosive material," President Barack Obama said Friday, calling the discovery "a credible threat against our country." The packages led to increased searches of cargo planes and trucks in several U.S. cities, said law enforcement sources with detailed knowledge of the investigation. U.S. officials believe that al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, commonly referred to as AQAP, is behind the incident. Obama confirmed that the packages originated in Yemen, the stronghold of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

Not for commercial use. Solely to be used for the educational purposes of research and open discussion. Arrest of Kenyan Exposes Massive Global Arms Trade The East African Africa News February 25, 2002 Monday Kenya L AST WEEKEND'S arrest of Kenyan-born Sanjivan Ruprah, who is alleged to be a part of a major arms smuggling operation to Africa, has brought into the open the extent of the multi-million dollar illegal business. The whereabouts of Bout remain unknown. Some media reports say he is in Moscow, while others say he is in the Congo or the United Arab Emirates. An international ...

AVENTURA, Florida (AP) -- A decades-old cargo plane went down in a lake in a Miami suburb Saturday, but the pilot and co-pilot climbed onto the fuselage and were plucked to safety by rescuers. The Miami Air Lease plane -- with the words "Eelect (sic) George W. Bush" running the length of the fuselage -- had trouble with one of its two engines shortly after takeoff, said company office manager Alina Nodarse.

JUST IN: A CARGO PLANE THAT SAYS "RE-ELECT GEORGE W BUSH" HAS GONE DOWN IN A LAKE IN AVENTURA, FLORIDA. THE TWO PEOPLE ON BOARD HAVE BEEN RESCUED. NO KNOWN CAUSE YET FOR THE MISHAP!

HALIFAX (CP) - Investigators in the fatal crash of a massive cargo jet near Halifax have virtually ruled out overloading as the cause and are instead probing the mystery of why the engines were underpowered at takeoff. Bill Fowler, lead investigator with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, told The Canadian Press the flight data recorder shows the MK Airlines 747 jet's weight at takeoff was "fairly close to" 352,400 kilograms. That was the maximum the plane was allowed to weigh for the runway at Halifax International Airport on Oct. 14. "Bottom line, we do not see at this time...

A Boeing 747-200 aircraft with seven crew members aboard crashed Thursday at Halifax International Airport. All seven aboard the jet, which is owned by MK Airlines Ltd. of Britain and Ghana, were killed, say Canadian authorities. The aircraft was loaded with fish, lobsters and lawn tractors, they say. Parts of the 747 are made at Boeing Wichita. Boeing Seattle spokeswoman Liz Verdier says a three-person team has been dispatched to the scene. Boeing usually dispatches an investigation team to the site of crashes involving its jets, especially one involving its largest product, the 747 model. Verdier says it has been...

No survivors in Halifax plane crash Seven crew confirmed dead Mike Tutton Canadian Press October 14, 2004 A firefighter walks past a large section of a Boeing 747-200 cargo plane owned by British-based MK Airlines at the Halifax International Airport. (CP/Andrew Vaughan) CREDIT: MK Airlines The MK Airlines plane that crashed during takeoff was a Boeing 747, similar to the one shown here. HALIFAX -- A loaded cargo jet bound for Spain with seven crew members aboard crashed into woods at the end of a runway at Halifax International Airport early Thursday after its tail snapped off during takeoff. Police...

A US Air Force C-5 cargo plane carrying 63 passengers and crew members was allegedly hit by a surface-to-air missile as it took off from Baghdad international airport, but it managed to land safely, a senior US Defence official said. "It looks like its number four engine was hit by a surface-to-air missile, but it was able to turn around, come back and land," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. An investigation into the incident is under way. Earlier, the air force said in a statement that the C-5 declared an in-flight emergency "because of excessive engine...

The Associated Press ROSTOV-ON-DON, Russia Jan. 4 — A cargo plane made an emergency landing Sunday at an airport in southern Russia after air traffic controllers received a false signal of an attack against the crew, security officials said. The An-12 plane landed at the airport in Rostov-on-Don around 2 a.m., said Alexander Turinsky, a spokesman for the Federal Security Service office in Rostov. It was en route from Moscow, about 625 miles to the north, to the United Arab Emirates. Turinsky refused to say who owned the plane, what cargo it was carrying or for whom the flight had...

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Dec. 30 (UPI) -- The FBI is investigating a letter threatening FedEx airplanes in Memphis and Fort Lauderdale, the south Florida Sun-Sentinel reported Tuesday. The FBI confirmed the investigation but would not comment on the specifics. The newspaper reported the letter apparently originated in Memphis, where the company is headquartered.

WASHINGTON -- The government is increasingly focused on the vulnerability of cargo planes as it responds to intelligence indicating al-Qaida might use aircraft to strike targets far from major cities, including power plants, dams and oil facilities. On Tuesday, the Pentagon said it had broadened air patrols throughout the country, while the Transportation Security Administration said it had increased inspections of cargo companies to ensure compliance with tighter rules enacted last month.

CNBC reported that a Fed Ex plane crashed in Memphis, Tennessee... then returned a few minutes later reporting that there was no crash, but an engine on fire.

FedEx plane catches fire at Memphis airport By Jane Roberts December 18, 2003 A FedEx DC-10 landed on fire at Memphis International Airport shortly after noon. The fire was in the cargo hold. Four people, including several crew members were evacuated. The plane veered of the runway near Swinnea Road. The blaze has been extinquished, leaving the plane covered with soot and holes. The cause of the fire was not immediately known. The Memphis Fire Department said six fire fighting units were dispatched to the airport. The DC-10 was on a flight from Oakland, Calif. FedEx said no hazardous materials...

U.S. Cargo Plane May Have Been Downed By Insurgents In Iraq[Los Angeles Times, December 11, 2003] "U.S. authorities are investigating whether ground fire might have struck a C-17 transport and force the aircraft to make an emergency landing at Bagdhad’s airport..." An aircraft that makes a successful emergency landing has not been "downed," you morons. A downed aircraft crashes out of control. Are you really that stupid and ignorant, LA Times, or are you again simply slanting the news to help Dean and hurt the US? Please reply.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Guerrillas hit a U.S. Air Force transport plane with a surface-to-air missile, causing the engine to explode, a senior Pentagon source said Wednesday. The plane landed safely. The C-17 had just lifted off from Baghdad International Airport before dawn Tuesday when the engine exploded, slightly injuring one of the 16 passengers and crew, said U.S. Air Force Capt. Carrie Clear of 447th Air Expeditionary Group, based at the airport. The plane returned to the airport and landed safely, Clear said. A senior Pentagon official, speaking on condition of anonymity, described the explosion as a direct hit by...

The warning weeks ago was swift and simple: Terrorists are considering using cargo aircraft -- freighters that carry mostly boxes instead of people -- as weapons. While much attention has been focused on the lack of screening of freight, little has been paid to the prospect of terrorists commandeering a cargo plane. Homeland Security officials said earlier this month they had intelligence that indicated al-Qaida may be plotting an attack in which cargo planes would be hijacked and flown into targets such as bridges or nuclear power plants. While the warning spurred some immediate changes in cargo security, the fleet...

Internal memo advises tightening aircraft security during holidays WASHINGTON -- An internal Homeland Security Department memo obtained by WorldNetDaily advises airports and air carriers to tighten security over passenger aircraft and air cargo during the holiday season. U.S. officials explain that air cargo and the back side of airports – known as the ramp, where jets are serviced – are still relatively vulnerable to terrorism more than two years after al-Qaida terrorists hijacked and crashed four jumbo jets on the East Coast. Based on recent al-Qaida chatter, U.S. intelligence remains concerned that the terrorist group plans to use jets to...