Aircraft parts rain on Broomfield, Colorado as plane makes emergency landing at Denver airport

Debris from a commercial jet rained down on Broomfield on Saturday afternoon, and the distressed flight made an emergency landing at Denver International Airport. Denver firefighters based at the airport responded to an “emergency landing” at about 1:35 p.m., said Capt. Greg Pixley, a fire department spokesman. The crew of United Airlines Flight #328, which departed Denver at 12:15 p.m. bound for Honolulu, “reported an engine issue” after takeoff, said Alex Renteria, a DIA spokeswoman. The plane… (www.denverpost.com) More...

US Air Force C-17 moves 500,000 Covid test swabs from Italy to USA for distribution

“On March 17, [Air Mobility Command] transported a shipment of 13 pallets of Covid-19 testing supplies aboard a C-17 Globemaster III from Aviano Air Base, Italy, to the Memphis Air National Guard Base where the 164th Airlift Wing C-17 is assigned,” says the USAF. “Air Mobility Command is postured to support additional requests to deliver Covid-19 testing supplies in the coming weeks.” Upon arrival in Memphis the swabs were loaded onto FedEx aircraft for distribution throughout the USA, the… (www.flightglobal.com) More...

SpaceX satellites falling out of orbit after solar storm

Spacex’s newest fleet of satellites is tumbling out of orbit after being struck by a solar storm. Up to 40 of the 49 small satellites launched last week have either reentered the atmosphere and burned up, or are on the verge of doing so, the company said in an online update Tuesday night. SpaceX said a geomagnetic storm last Friday made the atmosphere denser, which increased the drag on the Starlink satellites, effectively dooming them. Ground controllers tried to save the compact, flat-panel… (apnews.com) More...

United, American, Delta cut more flights, some executives take pay cuts as coronavirus keeps people from flying

Airlines slashed more domestic and international flights and executives took pay cuts as the coronavirus outbreak takes a growing toll on the travel industry. (www.chicagotribune.com) More...

Captains With As Little As 4.5 Months Seniority Are Getting To Fly Delta's Boeing 757/767

Delta Air Lines is opening up the captaincy for its widebody Boeing fleet to less senior pilots as it contends with the ongoing US pilot shortage. As first reported by Aero Crew News, pilots with as little as 4.5 months of seniority can now bid to become captains on a Delta Boeing 757 or Boeing 767, far lower than the industry standard (simpleflying.com) More...

Developing: AT&T, Verizon refuse FAA request to delay 5G rollout

AT&T and Verizon have refused a request by federal officials to delay the launch of their new 5G wireless systems. Response from AT&T & Verizon leaves room for compromise. The 2 company CEOs made a limited counterproposal. As per Wall Street Journal, they offer to reduce power of 5G service for 6 months to levels authorized in France (one of several countries where 5G is active). (www.msn.com) More...

Costly Airbus A350 paint flaw goes wider than the Gulf

DUBAI (Reuters) - A dispute between Airbus and Qatar Airways over paint and surface flaws on A350 jets stretches beyond the Gulf, with at least five other airlines raising concerns since the high-tech model entered service. The planemaker said in response to queries from Reuters there had been some problems with "early surface wear" that in some cases had made visible a sub-layer of mesh designed to absorb lightning, which it is working to fix. (finance.yahoo.com) More...

U.S. successfully flight tests 3800 mph hypersonic weapon

The United States has tested an air-breathing hypersonic weapon capable of speeds faster than five times the speed of sound, marking the first successful test of the class of weapon since 2013, the Pentagon said on Monday. Hypersonic weapons travel in the upper atmosphere at speeds of more than five times the speed of sound, or about 6,200 kilometers (3,853 miles) per hour. "The missile, built by Raytheon Technologies, was released from an aircraft seconds before its Northrop Grumman… (news.yahoo.com) More...

Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket grounded as FAA investigates launch failure

Blue Origin's New Shepard spacecraft is grounded until further notice. New Shepard suffered a booster failure during an uncrewed flight from West Texas on Monday morning (Sept. 12). The vehicle's capsule successfully engaged its emergency abort system and ended up landing safely under parachutes, but the booster crashed hard back to Earth. Monday's mission was the 23rd overall for the New Shepard program and the 17th to fly without any people onboard. The failure occurred about 1… (www.space.com) More...

U.S. weighs ban on all flights from China over virus outbreak: report

CNBC reported late Tuesday that officials reportedly held a conference call with airline officials Tuesday and said a suspension of all China-U.S. flights is on the table as an option. CNBC reported that was one of a variety of responses being considered. United Airlines UAL said Tuesday it was cancelling dozens of flights to Hong Kong and mainland China, and Delta Air Lines DAL,and American Airlines AAL said they will waive fees to allow travelers to reschedule trips to China. (www.marketwatch.com) More...