United Pilot Calls Out Air Traffic Control at SFO

A United pilot got angry and called out the air traffic controllers at San Francisco International Airport (SFO). The aircraft was forced to go around twice due to a lack of spacing, which created an unnecessary 30-minute delay before being allowed to land. (aeroxplorer.com) More...

After Alaska Airlines planes bump runway, a scramble to ‘pull the plug’

On the morning of Jan. 26, as two Alaska Airlines flights from Seattle to Hawaii lifted off six minutes apart, the pilots each felt a slight bump and the flight attendants at the back of the cabin heard a scraping noise. As the noses of both Boeing 737s lifted skyward on takeoff, their tails had scraped the runway. Alaska’s flight operations staff quickly realized that a software bug was sending bad takeoff weight data to its crews. (www.seattletimes.com) More...

FlightAware Launches Integrated Maps Solutions for Applications and Websites

“Customers have been asking FlightAware for an easy path to integrate the map experience of our flight stories into their digital properties,” said FlightAware president Matt Davis. “Over time, customers will migrate from legacy iFrame solutions to our new Integrated Maps Solutions for greater functionality and will appreciate the ease of integration.” (www.flightaware.com) More...

How to Outwit Airline Delays, Cancelled Flights, and Involuntary Bumping This Summer

Summer is here. How to make sure you make your flight! (www.forbes.com) More...

FlightAware launches integrated map solutions

Integrated Maps Solutions gives an easy path to integrate the map experience of FlightAware flight stories into customer's digital properties, an upgrade from legacy iFrame solutions. FlightAware has launched a comprehensive suite of highly customisable integrated flight map and status solutions. Integrated Maps Solutions easily fuses flight tracking visualisations for individual flights into any website or application. Users can now combine airborne and surface aircraft movement against a… (www.businessairnews.com) More...

Man Sentenced After Laser Pointed at Delta Air Lines Aircraft

After the incident involving James Link from Rochester, MN, the vision of one of the pilots was impacted for several hours. On Thursday last week, a federal judge in Wisconsin sentenced the man to two years in prison for an incident that took place in 2021. (aeroxplorer.com) More...

Is It Still Okay to Recline Your Seat?

Etiquette expert says now considered "rude" to recline any seat outside of First or Business class. But is it? The recline button is still intact in passenger jets...are we not supposed to use it? (www.seattletimes.com) More...

Read ADS-B Network News for July, plus Join a Network of Aviation Enthusiasts!

See the latest from the FlightAware ADS-B Network, including June stats recap, featured receiver sites and the wrap up of the Optimizing Your Receiver for Reliability and Performance series, this month talking about lightning and electrical surge protection (blog.flightaware.com) More...

The Power of Predictions: Deep Learning Neural Networks Make Debut at FlightAware

FlightAware is excited to announce the introduction of Neural Network powered predictive models for FlightAware Foresight. Adam Suarez, Director of Engineering for Aviation Insight at FlightAware, discusses these developments and shares insights into the Predictive Technologies team's current projects. (blog.flightaware.com) More...

TSA Intercepts Over 3,200 Firearms in First Half of 2023 at US Airports

The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) captured 3,251 firearms at airport security checkpoints within the first half of 2023, averaging 18 firearms a day, with over 92% of them being loaded. (www.airlinerwatch.com) More...

Pilot in Shorts and Tee Evacuates 330 from Maui

A United Airlines pilot on vacation in Hawaii volunteered to fly a plane from Maui to mainland US to help 330 people escape the fire (www.msn.com) More...

FlightAware Aviation Stats Update: March 1, 2023

"COVID-19 put the brakes on aviation in March 2020. But almost exactly 3 years later, all regions of the world are showing big recoveries. This is especially true in China, where commercial aviation has finally come back to life in the last few weeks, with flight counts off only 15% from 2019 record highs"... (blog.flightaware.com) More...

United Airlines plane departing Maui plunged to within 800 feet of the Ocean, flight data shows

A United Airlines flight took a frightful dive, plummeting to merely 800 feet above the Pacific Ocean shortly after taking off from Maui late last year, flight data shows. The drop unfolded just 71 seconds after United Airlines Flight UA 1722 took off from Kahului Airport in Maui bound for San Francisco on Dec. 18, 2022 according to data from Flight Radar, a flight tracking website. A safety report was filed and the pilots are receiving additional training. (www.nbcnews.com) More...

Air Force One debacle: Boeing has now lost more than $1 billion on each of the president’s two new jets

Boeing has been reporting losses on the planes for years, as CEO Dave Calhoun admitted last year that the company should never have signed the contract with the Air Force to produce the jets for $3.9 billion. Under pressure from then-President Donald Trump, who was threatening to cancel the contract for the planes, Boeing agreed to a fixed price contract on the two new jets. (www.cnn.com) More...

Americans Will Soon Need Authorization to Travel to Europe

U.S. passport holders looking to take a trip across the pond in 2024 will need to take heed of this new travel requirement. Americans who previously did not need a visa to travel to Europe will now need to fill out an online application before visiting. (aeroxplorer.com) More...

United Airlines Becomes Third Airline with Fake Engine Parts

United Airlines has become the latest airline to have sketchy engine parts in its aircraft. On September 18, Bloomberg reported that UK-based supplier AOG Technics provided fake engine parts to the airline. United is not the only carrier with this issue: Virgin Australia and Southwest Airlines also received counterfeit parts from AOG Technics. (aeroxplorer.com) More...

Catering Issue Prompts British Airways to Serve KFC Onboard

On a recent long-haul flight, class divisions disappeared as flight attendants onboard a British Airways flight were forced to serve food from the fast-food chain "Kentucky Fried Chicken" (KFC) due to an apparent catering issue that occurred immediately before the flight. (aeroxplorer.com) More...

An airplane pilot went viral for scolding his passengers—Harvard expert says it’s great leadership: ‘Bravo’

When a video of an American Airlines pilot scolding his passengers during a pre-flight announcement went viral, some people deemed it patronizing. Others, including a Harvard University expert, are hailing the pilot’s speech as an example of strong leadership — at a time when passengers desperately need it. “I say bravo to the American Airlines pilot. He has every right to do that. He’s the captain of the flight, and he’s in charge of what happens,” Bill George, an executive fellow at Harvard… (www.cnbc.com) More...

1900 miles without an engine !!

Pilot Gordon Boettger and copilot Bruce Campbell departed Minden Tahoe Airport (KMEV) at 0230 PDT on 19 June 2023 utilizing Night Vision Goggles (NVG’s) and after 17hr40min aloft in their glider flew the longest flight ever done in a sailplane with a distance of 3058 km or 1900 sm. Gordon utilized mountain wave to climb up to FL257 and he has a special clearance that allows him to climb into the flight levels with the approval of Air Traffic Control. The sailplane is not pressurized and has no… (www.weglide.org) More...

The flight tracker that powered @ElonJet has taken a left turn

A major independent flight tracking platform, which has made enemies of the Saudi royal family and Elon Musk, has been sold to a subsidiary of a private equity firm. And its users are furious. ADS-B Exchange has made headlines in recent months for, as AFP put it, irking “billionaires and baddies.” But in a Wednesday morning press release, aviation intelligence firm Jetnet announced it had acquired the scrappy open source operation for an undisclosed sum. (arstechnica.com) More...

Airbus poised to corner Boeing with the new extended A220 variant

WASHINGTON — Developing a new commercial plane is a costly and time-consuming process that requires a lot of technical expertise, and there is no guarantee of success, as demonstrated by the Airbus A380, which was only produced for a short period of time. The iconic superjumbo couldn't earn back the $20 billion it cost to develop before it was discontinued in 2019. This is why the aerospace industry nowadays prefers to modify, lengthen, and redesign existing models at a much lower cost… (www.airlinerwatch.com) More...

Pilot Unions Form Coalition to Oppose Single-Pilot Operations, Citing Safety Concerns and Profit-Driven Motives

MONTREAL, CANADA — Pilot unions are strongly opposing single-pilot operations for commercial aircraft, labeling these automation-dependent concepts as profit-driven and posing significant safety risks. The Air Line Pilots Association International, European Cockpit Association, and International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations have formed a coalition to counter such initiatives and are committed to protecting the safety of passengers. (www.airlinerwatch.com) More...

TUI Passengers Find Themselves in North Africa Instead of London Gatwick

LONDON — On a seemingly typical Saturday, TUI passengers were in for a surprise. Instead of landing at London Gatwick as anticipated, they found themselves descending towards an airport in North Africa. (www.airlinerwatch.com) More...

Deadheading Pilot Stepped in After On-Duty Air Canada Pilot Incapacitated

In an extraordinary incident, the safe landing of an Air Canada commercial jet airliner was attributed to an off-duty pilot, who swiftly stepped in after one of the on-duty pilots was rendered incapacitated mid-flight. (www.airlinerwatch.com) More...

Wrong fuel tank cap leads to accident

The pilot reported that during the preflight inspection, he filled the Piper J-4A’s forward (main) fuel tank to about 1 inch below the top and noted that the auxiliary fuel tank contained 4 gallons of fuel. The pilot used a stick to “dip” the two fuel tanks and validate the amount of fuel in them. The pilot planned on departing from North Omaha Airport (3NO) in Nebraska for flight operations in the airport’s traffic pattern. Before the takeoff, the fuel selector was positioned for the forward… (generalaviationnews.com) More...

Nashville airport cop threatens to arrest stranded passengers waiting to rebook cancelled Southwest flights

An airport police officer allegedly threatened to arrest passengers for trespassing when they were stranded at the Nashville International Airport amid widespread holiday flight delays. In a video, posted on Tuesday by former state house candidate Brad Batt, an officer can be heard saying, “You will be arrested for trespassing.” All around him, a group of dismayed passengers tries to explain that they no longer have valid tickets for the nearby gate because of problems with their flights. “Are… (www.msn.com) More...

Delta Pilot Threatens to Shoot Captain Over Medical Diversion

Federal authorities in Utah have indicted a former Delta Air Lines pilot for allegedly trying to shoot his captain during a flight last year. Jonathan Dunn was indicted in a Utah District Court on October 18 for disrupting the crew's operations on a commercial flight. This incident, along with another one involving an Alaska Airlines pilot, signifies the importance of mental health in the aviation industry. (aeroxplorer.com) More...

Alaska Airlines employee sparks innovative recycling tactic in Nome, Alaska, changing the game for Cargo business & planet

Through her work with Kawerak, Tozier has observed her community’s efforts to collect recycling, which sometimes sits for months waiting for space on barges headed to Seattle. Materials come in and never leave, she said. Sometimes, it’s heavy equipment, lead-acid batteries, electronics — things that are usually expensive to transport and unhealthy for the environment if left unattended. So, Tozier was inspired to do something to fix it. (news.alaskaair.com) More...

Overweight British Airways Passenger Gets Stuck in First Class Seat on Lagos to London Flight

In an unusual incident on a British Airways flight, a passenger traveling from Lagos, Nigeria, to London found himself stuck in his first-class seat. The incident took place on July 29, 2023, during a 6-hour flight on a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. The passenger was seated in 1A, a spacious first-class seat with 78 inches of legroom and a seat width of 22 inches, according to Seat Guru. (www.airguide.info) More...

United And Alaska Airlines Aborted Landing In San Francisco To Avoid Hitting Southwest Airlines Jet

On May 19, a United Airlines flight was forced to abort landing in order to avoid a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 on the runway. Then an Alaska Airlines jet aborted its landing, too. Air traffic control called out the Southwest pilot – “you shouldn’t be on the runway” – yet the FAA dismisses this in a statement to the San Francisco Chronicle saying that there was no runway incursion (because of the aborted landings!) and that they “looked into the incident and determined the appropriate steps… (viewfromthewing.com) More...

Close call at Austin Airport when a FedEx 767 attempted to land while a Southwest 737 was taking off

The Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board are investigating an aborted landing in Austin, Texas, on Saturday morning by a FedEx cargo plane that had been set to land on a runway on which a Southwest Airlines jet was also cleared to depart from, the agencies said. (airlive.net) More...

Southwest Airlines cancels thousands of flights after winter snowstorm

The winter storm that disrupted thousands of travel plans over the weekend has created an epic pile-on of flight cancellations for Southwest Airlines, leaving thousands of families stranded, with some waiting for days to fly back home. (www.cbsnews.com) More...

Video: 767-300 sunset takeoff at Heathrow

United 767-300ER sunset takeoff at London Heathrow (www.youtube.com) More...

The oldest aircraft flown in to Oshkosh 2023

“It’s the oldest airplane on the airport that flew in.” Pilot Andrew King is justifiably proud of the claim he makes for the 1926 Waco 9 he stands beside in the Vintage area at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2023. The biplane’s neatly-faired OX-5 engine clattered and chugged to get King and the Waco to AirVenture from Brodhead, Wisconsin, near the state’s southern border with Illinois, where the plane was restored. The Waco 9 is a classic link in American civil aviation, enjoying popularity in the… (generalaviationnews.com) More...

Boeing Teases a New Jet that Could Replace 737 MAX

ARLINGTON, TEXAS — Boeing is exploring the possibility of introducing a cutting-edge plane it has been developing alongside NASA into its lineup in the next decade, Boeing's CEO Dave Calhoun confirmed. (www.airlinerwatch.com) More...

United Launches Program to Hire Active Military Pilots

CHICAGO —United has launched an innovative initiative, the United Military Pilot Program, tailored to U.S. military pilots. This groundbreaking program assures them a position as a First Officer with the airline, contingent on meeting all hiring criteria. (www.airlinerwatch.com) More...

Grounded Russian Antonov AN-124 Will Be Flown to Ukraine

Canada will give a grounded, Russian-registered Antonov AN-124 to Ukraine. The move comes amidst a new round of sanctions against the Russian government and enterprises within the country. (aeroxplorer.com) More...

First Customer Lear Jet To Be Restored

The world’s oldest Lear Jet is on its way to its birthplace where a group of enthusiasts hopes to restore it to flying condition. (r.smartbrief.com) More...

Australia’s Renowned Royal Flying Doctor Service (Queensland Section) Selects FlightAware for Remote Enhanced Flight Tracking Capabilities

“The game-changer for us is FlightAware’s AeroAPI data service. We obtain automatic notification of key flight events and comprehensive flight history details for every flight. We’ve integrated this flight tracking data into our operational systems and display this with other relevant information to our tasking officers, greatly improving situational awareness of our crews and fleet.” (www.flightaware.com) More...

Wing Spar Crack Repairs Slow Down Airbus A380 Return To Service

Operators of older Airbus A380s are finding that cracks in some areas of wing spars are making a return to service a significantly longer process, as inspections and repairs take weeks to complete. (aviationweek.com) More...

Lufthansa Wants to Upgrade Their Passenger 747s

Our crews love the 747, our passengers love it, even plane spotters and photographers love it,” said Spohr. “It’s just so good looking! And that’s why we at Lufthansa are currently looking into another upgrade for our 747-8 in all classes, to fly this airplane way into the next decade. It’s something we are proud of, to represent this amazing airplane for many more years.” (avgeekery.com) More...

Catalina production to restart as a turboprop.

Catalina Aircraft, holder of the Type Certificates for the 28-5ACF Catalina, today announced on Jul. 25, 2023 during Oshkosh AirVenture the rebirth of the iconic and legendary Catalina as the Catalina II Amphibious Turboprop. A production re-start program has been formalized for the Next Generation Amphibious Aircraft (NGAA) Catalina II twin turboprop amphibious flying boat, and the company is preparing to take pre-orders as part of the turboprop production re-start program (theaviationgeekclub.com) More...

FlightAware 2023 Intern Summer Projects - Part 1

This summer, we had 5 students from across the country join FlightAware as interns. They collaborated with other FlightAware engineers to build out their project (and in one case, two projects!) and accomplished impressive work that they demoed to the entire company. In addition to that, they got to know each other better through get-togethers and participated in talks about tech and career development presented by FlightAware engineers. We invite you to see the results of their hard work, as we… (flightaware.engineering) More...

Introducing FlightAware Foresight Labs

FlightAware Foresight, the most advanced machine learning predictions in the aviation industry, just became more accessible. FlightAware Foresight Labs is a space to explore potential new predictive applications powered by FlightAware data. (go.flightaware.com) More...

Next Generation Model Serving

Model Server Motivation Producing real-time predictions requires two components: feature vector building and model evaluation (aka inference). Our original infrastructure (the Python streamer) handled both of these in one place. It followed our flight data feed to build feature vectors and evaluated those vectors on models it loaded into memory. The streamer was not performant enough to run for all the airports we wished to make predictions for, so we ran many copies of it, with each streamer… (flightaware.engineering) More...

San Carlos Tower Has An ATC Problem

The repercussions of contracted controllers being overworked and underpaid seem to be spilling onto the radio waves, and is a sign of a bigger problem with the system. (www.gatechecked.com) More...

EasyJet pilot makes a 360º so passengers could see view of the northern lights

A most welcome flight diversion. That’s a rarity for commercial airline passengers, but it’s what travelers on at least two flights got this week when their planes looped around to give everyone a good view of the northern lights. (www.cnn.com) More...

Another Landing Forced to Go-Around After Plane was Cleared to Take-Off

"A Mesa Airlines flight crew was forced to abruptly halt a landing at California's Hollywood Burbank Airport on Wednesday after an air traffic controller cleared a plane to depart ahead of them, according to preliminary information obtained by NBC News." (www.nbcnews.com) More...

Cessna Citation violates US Capitol airspace, crashes in Virginia

Reuters reported that U.S. authorities scrambled jet fighters to pursue a light aircraft that entered restricted airspace over the U.S. Capitol area, that later crashed into the mountains in southwestern Virginia. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, a Cessna Citation that took off from Elizabethton, Tennessee, and bound for Islip, New York crashed in the sparsely populated town of Montebello, Virginia in around 3 p.m. (www.foxnews.com) More...

Reducing Flight Delays with AI and Analytics

The way today’s airlines operate – having one aircraft arrive at a location just in time to refuel, clean the cabin, and depart again can create challenges when problems arise. If an aircraft is delayed because of weather at one airport or mechanical problems in the air that need attention when they land, this “just in time” approach to flight scheduling can result in a snowball effect that impacts multiple other flights in multiple other destinations and airports. But there are ways that these… (connectedaviationtoday.com) More...