Free Republic

A Malaysian passenger plane with 295 people on board has been shot down as it flew above eastern Ukraine, according to aviation sources. The plane, which is believed to have been flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was travelling at an altitude of 10km (6.2 miles) when it was shot down, Russia's Interfax reported. The Boeing 777 was brought down by a Buk ground-to-air missile, an adviser to the Ukrainian interior ministry quoted by the news agency said. he adviser said the 280 passengers and 15 crew members who were on the plane are all believed to have died. A...

Union Boeing engineers want the plane maker to use the latest delay in its 787 Dreamliner program to reevaluate what the union called a failed outsourcing strategy. Specifically, the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace board Thursday voted unanimously to urge Boeing to use the delay to evaluate parts coming from suppliers and, where appropriate, bring back work that is better performed by Boeing employees. "The outsourcing model has not worked," SPEEA President Tom McCarty said in a news release. "Recently, we've seen a few indications the company wants to reemphasize engineering. SPEEA members have the ability and experience...

N. Korea warns S. Korean flights over East Sea may not be safe SEOUL, March 5 (Yonhap) -- North Korea warned Thursday that it can no longer assure the safety of South Korean passenger planes flying over the East Sea, protesting an upcoming joint military drill by South Korea and the United States. "As we don't know what kind of military clashes may occur due to the joint war exercise ... we declare that we can no more assure the safety of South Korean passenger flights over our territory, particularly over the East Sea," a North Korean committee said.