Airplane News Update – Details, episodes & analysis

Welcome to your weekly General Aviation news update, and this week we have 3 stories for you; FAA Reauthorization appears close, Vitol disputes NATA Claim, and a class action lawsuit against the FAA.

First up, congress appeared this week to agree on language for a long term FAA authorization. The reauthorization is over 1,000 pages, with topics including fine increases for consumer violations, legislation over near collisions, quality control for large aircraft manufacturers, and FAA staffing. Congress now will need to vote in favor of the bill before it heads to the President’s desk. We’ll keep you updated when we see more. https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/bipartisan-congressional-approval-for-long-term-faa-reauthorization/ Next up is Vitol aviation and GAMI G100UL. Vitol Aviation has more than 1,000,000 gallons of GAMI G100UL for sale that the National Air Transportation Association says is not ready for sale. NATA says that without a fuel specification from ASTM International, furl suppliers and retailers “lack assurances that the unleaded fuel they are selling will not expose them to liability” and therefore cannot be commercially available. Vitol says it has had no issue getting insurance for the GAMI G100UL and that the fuel has an FAA approved specification. We’ll have to see if NATA’s claim hinders Vitol’s ability to bring the G100UL to market. https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/g100ul-maker-refutes-nata-claim-that-its-not-ready-to-sell/ Last up, the FAA is getting sued! A class action lawsuit filed this week states the FAA turned away more than 1000 qualified air traffic controller applicants due to discrimination. The lawsuit doesn’t state that incompetent controllers were hired, but rather that particular demographics of controllers were never given a chance to demonstrate their competency. The suit continues, stating that certain minority candidates were given “Buzz words” to bring their resumes to the top. Questions were also alleged to have been placed in the biographical questionnaire that were weighted to give certain candidates advantages, such as playing more than 4 sports in high school giving a candidate 5 points, while an applicant holding a pilot certificate only gave them 2 points. The questionnaire also omitted relevant experience as a military air traffic controller. We’ll keep you up to date with what we see from this lawsuit. https://simpleflying.com/faa-air-traffic-controller-applicants-lawsuit/ Alright, that’s it! Have a great week and we’ll see you next week.

Welcome to your weekly General Aviation news update, and this week we have 3 stories for you; Mental Health Committee issues recommendations, NTSB Warns of Dust devils, Controllers credited with Hypoxia Save.

First up, the Mental health ARC has issued a recommendation that pilots are allowed to get “Talk Therapy” from professionals without needing to disclose it on their medicals.

The ARC report also discussed the current culture within the aviation industry that contributes to medical disorders not being disclosed including fear of job/income loss, reputation loss, and potential prosecution.

Along with culture, the report discusses trust levels between pilots/controllers, the FAA, and AMEs.

In total, the report is 164 pages long, including figures, and has 24 total recommendations for the FAA.

The FAA has received the report and is in the process of reviewing it.

We’ll keep you updated if we see more.

https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/mental-health-committee-says-pilots-shouldnt-have-to-report-talk-therapy-sessions/

Next up, the NTSB has issued a safety alert for Dust Devils.

Dust devils have been present in 170 aviation accidents since 1982, and can pose a serious risk to small aircraft.

The small, swirling vortex of air are typically 100 to 300 feet wide, and about 1000 feet tall.

Wind speeds can exceed 60mph and are most commonly found in the South West of the United States.

The NTSB says that dust devils are commonly invisible and can result in uncommanded roll or yaw inputs along with loss of lift.

Should you encounter a dust devil, promptly report it to ATC.

https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/ntsb-warns-pilots-of-dust-devil-dangers/

Finally, two controllers out of Boston are being credited with a Hypoxia save.

Rosella Owen and Scott Elms were controlling a Cessna 310 on a photo mission at 13,500 when they noted the pilot wasn’t as responsive as most pilots in the congested airspace.

Owen asked if the pilot was okay and was on oxygen, to which he replied he was.

The controller determined his performance didn’t match the level of experience he had as a pilot and directed him to descend to 9000 feet.

Upon descending, radio calls were “getting clearer and sharper every time,”.

The pilot later found a kink in the oxygen line.

Great job to these controllers out of Boston!

https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/controllers-credited-with-hypoxia-save/

Alright, that’s it! Have a great week and we’ll see you next week.

Welcome to your weekly General Aviation news update, and this week we have 4 stories for you; Atlas 747 Engine Fire, Zenith Aircraft Workshops, Comments on MOSAIC, and Three Years of Airplane News! https://youtu.be/RNItNKbjwBs https://youtu.be/UKHXfoKZxE4 00:00 Introduction 00:16 Atlas 747 Engine Fire 00:55 Zenith Aircraft Workshops 01:40 Comments on MOSAIC 02:18 Three Years of Airplane News Not sure where to start for your Pilot's license? Check out our FREE guide: https://pilotinstitute.com/course/ultimate-pilot-guide/ Get your Private Pilot's License today: https://pilotinstitute.com/course/part-61-private-pilot/ Already got your PPL? Go for Instrument: https://pilotinstitute.com/course/instrument-rating-made-easy/ First up this week is a crazy one, an Atlas Air 747 had an engine failure after taking off from Miami. Video shows the airplane’s engine throwing sparks in bursts out of the back of the engine. It isn’t immediately clear what caused the incident, but the FAA said the aircraft had a “Softball sized hole” above the incident engine. The crew returned to Miami and landed without injuries. We’ll let you know if we see more. New up this week is Zenith Aircraft, who will be hosting a hands-on workshop for kit aircraft! The event will be February 23 and 24th at Boerne Stage Airfield (5C1), north of San Antonio, Texas. Participants will learn to read blueprints, drilling, blind riveting, will learn the process for assembling an aircraft, and will leave with an assembled rudder kit for a Zenith Aircraft. Fees for the event are $375 for a Zenith rudder kit, and 425 for a CH 750 model kit. If you’re in the area, this seems to be a pretty cool workshop opportunity. Third this week is MOSAIC, which closed comments after a number of major aviation groups asked for tweaks. The primary requested changes include increasing the maximum clean stall speed to 57kts and increasing the number of passengers from one to three, allowing sport pilots the ability to fly more aircraft. As of Monday, the NPRM had more than 1200 comments. We’ll keep you updated when we see a final rule from the FAA. Last up this week a big one for Pilot Institute, Three years of Airplane news as of this week! Thank you for watching, this channel is now at 13,000 subscribers and we’re going to continue to release videos like our Fronts and Trim videos, If you haven’t had a chance to check those out, be sure to! We also are continuing to expand our catalog of airplane courses adding more free deep dive courses and more courses to help you become a better, safer pilot. Alright, that’s it! Have a great week and we’ll see you next week. https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/atlas-747-engine-failureZ https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/aviation-groups-post-joint-mosaic-comments https://generalaviationnews.com/2024/01/23/zenith-aircraft-returns-to-texas-in-february/

Welcome to your weekly General Aviation news update, and this week we have 4 stories for you; Phillips 66 pauses unleaded testing, Ural Airlines won’t fly A320 from field, JetBlue & Spirit merger blocked, and a Balloon Crash in AZ.
First up this week is Phillips 66, who has been working to create an unleaded Avgas Alternative. According to Avweb, a “major test failure” occurred and resulted in Phillips pausing the initiative. Details about the issues were not publicized by Phillips, but other sources with knowledge of the issue said the test fuel was powering a Lycoming Engine in a test cell. Sources said the engine failed due to a buildup of Manganese deposits that fouled the spark plugs and/or caused pre-ignition. We’ll keep you updated if we see anything else! Next up this week is Ural Airline, who won’t be flying the A320 out of that field after all. Instead Ural will scrap the A320 for parts starting next summer due to the unavailability of parts. If you’re unfamiliar with this story, Ural intended to refuel the airplane and fly it out of the field where it crash landed due to fuel starvation in September of 2023. Probably for the better that the airplane is scrapped rather than risk flying out of a farm field. Third up this week is Jet Blue and Spirit Airlines. If you hadn’t heard… About the bird-kidding, Jet blue was looking to purchase and basically absorb Spirit Airlines. A federal judge has blocked the 3.8 Billion take over saying it would reduce airline competition and increase fare prices. The judge said “Spirit is a small airline, But there are those who love it. To those dedicated customers of Spirit, this one’s for you.” We’ll keep you updated with what we see next from Spirit. Last up this week is a sad one, a hot air balloon crash in Eloy, AZ killed 4 people this week. The balloon, a Czech Republic BB 85, was initially carrying 13, however 8 folks were skydivers who exited the balloon prior to the crash. According to Police, the skydivers departure was planned and was not in response to any balloon problems. Witnesses said the copy was deflated and the balloon’s basket hit hard in the desert. It’s unclear what may have caused the crash but we’ll keep you updated if we see anything else. Alright, that’s it! Have a great week and we’ll see you next week. https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/290142/ https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/phillips-66-suspends-unleaded-avgas-testing https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/ural-airlines-scraps-plan-to-fly-a320-from-field https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/judge-blocks-jetblues-takeover-of-spirit

Welcome to your weekly General Aviation news update, and this week we have 3 stories for you; 737 Max 9 loses plug door in flight, NASA to release X59 this week, and the new Cirrus G7 Series. 00:00 Introduction 00:15 Boeing 737 Loses Door 02:06 NASA Releasing X59 03:06 New Cirrus G7 Series

First up this week is an Alaskan Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9, which lost a plug door while climbing out of Portland, OR. The door was blown off in an explosive decompression that left a hole in the airplane and even reportedly tore the shirt off of a teenager sitting nearby. The decompression occurred at nearly 16,000 feet. No one was occupying the seat directly next to where the decompression occurred and thankfully injuries were limited to scratches. The aircraft landed without incident back in Portland where an investigation was promptly initiated. So far, the FAA has issued an emergency Airworthiness Directive to carriers operating the 737 Max 9 requiring inspection of the door plugs. These plugs exist because some carriers use more seats in the aircraft and thus require additional emergency exits. On United and Alaska Airlines planes, the number of seats is reduced, so the doors are fitted with a permanent plug. It’s unclear how this plug failed and became loose enough to be blown off, but loose screws and bolts were found on other 737 Max 9s in United’s fleet after the Airworthiness Directive. And this folks, is why you wear your seatbelt… Maybe Trevor Jacobs was onto something?? Next up this week is NASA, who has announced that they will unveil the X59 supersonic demonstrator. NASA, in partnership with Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, has been developing the X59 since 2018 when Skunk Works was selected to design, build and fly the demonstrator. The primary goal of the X59 is to prove that quiet supersonic flight can be achieved. The X59 will cruise at 55,000 feet, mach 1.4, and will be about 75dB. The aircraft will fly over selected US cities later this year as part of NASA’s research to hopefully bring back supersonic air travel! We’ll keep you updated with what we see out of the X59! Third up is the new Cirrus SR Series G7! The G7 is an update to the SR20, SR22, and SR22T with updates including 12-inch and 14-inch touchscreen displays, similar to those in the Vision Jet. Engine start is now a push-button start, again mimicking the Vision Jet. Cirrus has also added improved flight controls, incorporating a stick shaker on both left and right controls, an automatic fuel selector that switches tanks every 5 gallons, and flap protection to protect the pilot from accidentally deploying or retracting flaps. Interior additions include the 12 or 14-inch Garmin displays, dimmable task lights, accent lighting, two center console compartments, powered headset jacks, and USB-C chargers. Pretty cool updates from Cirrus affecting the new 2024 model SR aircraft! Alright, that’s it! Happy new year and we’ll see you next week! https://www.flyingmag.com/the-big-reveal-cirrus-shows-off-the-sr-g7/ https://www.nasa.gov/mission/quesst/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/alaska-airlines-flight-door-plug-jack-teenager-shirt-passenger-kelly-bartlett/

Welcome to your weekly General Aviation news update, and this week we have 3 stories for you; Japan Airlines A350 crashes into Dash-8 at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, Robinson R44 hits drone, and a man in Utah dies after crawling into an A220s engine nacelle. Not sure where to start for your Pilot's license? Check out our FREE guide: https://pilotinstitute.com/course/ultimate-pilot-guide/ Get your Private Pilot's License today: https://pilotinstitute.com/course/part-61-private-pilot/ Already got your PPL? Go for Instrument: https://pilotinstitute.com/course/instrument-rating-made-easy/ Check out our list of pilot must-haves: https://www.amazon.com/shop/pilotinstitute/list/1W36BGF4CLADJ Build your own sim: https://www.amazon.com/shop/pilotinstitute/list/1G82XLJTTIY0M First up this week is a scary one, an A350 landing in Tokyo hit a Dash-8, resulting in a post crash fire. 5 of the 6 passengers aboard the Dash-8 were killed, with no fatalities on the A550. Japan Airlines is being praised for a flawless evacuation, with all 379 passengers being evacuated. The cause of the crash is unclear and the Coast Guard says an investigation is underway. We’ll keep you updated when we see more. Next up this week is a Robinson R44 Helicopter, operated by Leading Edge Helicopter Tours hit a drone at approximately 180 feet near KDAB. It’s unclear what phase of flight the helicopter was in, but it was able to land without any injuries. The incident occurred above the Daytona Beach Flea Market, in Daytona Beach, Florida while the UAS operator was flying a mission for a construction company. All current information points to the UAS operator having the valid permissions to operate at that altitude in that area. The replacement of the R44’s rotor blade is estimated to cost approximately $60,000. Both the NTSB and FAA were notified and we’re going to hold off on assumptions at this time, we’ll wait for the NTSB report to be released. Last up this week is a weird one, a 30 year old man died after crawling into the nacelle of a Delta Airlines A220 engine, while it was rotating. The specific stage of engine operation was unknown but is being investigated. The individual exited the airport after an altercation with a store employee on the secure side of the airport, running down the ramp and crawling into the engine. On the way to the aircraft, they also removed their clothes. Police were able to get the tower to have the Delta aircraft shut down their engines, where CPR was performed and an anti-overdose drug was administered unsuccessfully. We’ll keep you updated if we see anything else about this. Alright, that’s it! Happy new year and we’ll see you next week! https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/man-dies-in-a220-nacelle/ https://dronexl.co/2023/12/31/florida-drone-helicopter-collision/ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-67862011

Welcome to your weekly General Aviation news update, and this week we have 4 stories for you; More California Airports try to ditch leaded fuel, NTSB final for Jet Blue A320 Tail Strike, EAA Announces Jet Demo Teams for 2024, and a Pilot Institute Update!

First up this week is the proposed Piper AD. If you’re unfamiliar with the proposed AD, there were two incidents in Alaska where the rudder on Piper aircraft failed and bent into a 90 degree angle. Both aircraft landed safely and there were in injuries. The FAA responded with a proposed AD the covers nearly all cubs and cub variants made before 1974, which is about 31,000 aircraft. The Short Wing Piper Club says that this is a huge over-reach and the process itself is flawed. According to the club’s statement, both incident aircraft were modified with larger engines, larger props and aftermarket beacons. The Piper Club had much more to say with specifics on aircraft, types, regions, and aircraft storage, so we’ll leave a link below if you’d like to check it out! Next up this week is a follow up to GPS signal spoofing, which we covered a few months ago. If you haven’t heard about this, aircraft in the Middle East were experiencing false position reports with variations of up to 120NM. Reports started in September, with some commercial crews requesting vectors to remain on course. A University of Texas student has traced the source of the spoofing signals to the eastern side of Tehran. The spoofing appears to be aimed at jamming and denial of service according to UT. We’ll keep you up to date if we see anything more about the GPS spoofing. Last up this week is a fun one, a passenger experiencing a “mental health emergency” opened an overwing exit on a SWA 737 in New Orleans and exited the airplane onto the ramp. The incident occurred after the boarding process had completed for a flight from New Orleans to Atlanta and on to Baltimore but before taxiing. The police were called and the passenger was detained with no injuries to anyone in the aircraft or on the ramp. Police said the man was incoherent and was not fully aware of his surroundings. Alright, that’s it! No live next week, I’ll be on vacation, so we’ll pick back up with the Live events in January! Have a great weekend, and we’ll see you next week! https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/passenger-jumps-from-737-at-new-orleans/ https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/piper-club-says-rudder-ad-needs-work https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/gps-spoofing-signals-traced-to-tehran/

First up this week is FedEx and UPS, who both seem to have too many pilots. 

FedEx and UPS have advised pilots to take severance offers and move to American Airlines subsidiary PSA. 

PSA is offering existing FedEx and USP pilots a $250,000 bonus and a left seat job in Embraer and CRJ regional jets. 

While $250,000 sounds like a ton of money, it’s less than a year’s pay for senior captains at UPS and FedEx.

FedEx went as far as saying they don’t have enough business to keep all their pilots fully employed. 

Fedex VP of flight operations said 

“While I understand this is not something that will appeal to every pilot, for those of you who are frustrated with current flight hours, career progression, or have just been on the fence about available options, you may consider this unique opportunity enough of an incentive to make a move,”

Some speculations say FedEx may have 700 extra pilots or more as shipping volumes have turned down. 

We’ll keep you updated if we see anything else about this! 

Next up this week is a man in Omaha who pointed a green laser at a helicopter. 

34 Year Old Richard Detty was on a smoke break when he shined the laser at buildings to see how far it would go before turning the laser on a helicopter.

The helicopter turned out to be a police helicopter who found the location of the laser using a camera array.

Getty was arrested and pled guilty stating “I was not aware it was a crime,” and “I regret my actions.”.

Getty was sentenced to 15 months in prison and two years of supervised release.

Don’t point lasers at aircraft. 

The third story this week is a scale B29, which collided with a golf cart injuring a bystander.

The incident occurred at Glendale Airport near Kokomo, Indiana. 

The replica B29 has a 50 foot wingspan, is 35 feet long, and is driven by four Honda Fit car engines. 

The 35% replica of the B29 Superfortress was on landing when it drifted and struck a golf card causing the cart to rollover and knock a women filming the landing unconscious. 

The pilot of the scale replica was apparently uninjured.

Crazy story! 

Last up this week is a lucky pilot in Florida who survived a night time crash in the Everglades.

A pilot in a C172 crashed into alligator infested waters around 4AM from an altitude of 2000 feet. 

The aircraft, owned by a flight school wasn’t reported missing until 10:30 the following morning. 

Miami-Dade fire Rescue located the down Skyhawk with the Pilot sitting on the wing of the sunken airplane. 

The pilot of the 172 was then winched into the Fire Rescue helicopter with a non-life threatening leg injury. 

Another crazy story with a happy outcome!

Alright, that’s it! 

Have a great weekend, and we’ll see you next week! 

https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/florida-pilot-survives-crash-landing-and-several-hours-in-the-everglades/

https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/omaha-man-gets-15-months-in-prison-for-aiming-laser-pointer-at-police-helicopter/

https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/fedex-pilots-advised-to-work-for-regional-airline/

https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/193-ups-pilots-take-buyouts-regional-offers-soft-landing

https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/woman-hurt-in-collision-with-scaled-piloted-b-29-replica/

First up this week in your “Don’t be that guy” news update is a first officer for an airline who threatened to shoot the captain over a diversion. Jonathan J Dunn is an airline pilot an unspecified airline, who is a member of the Federal Flight Deck Officer program, this means he received training to carry a loaded pistol on the flight deck. He has been charged with interference with the flight crew for an incident that occurred in August of 2022, where Dunn and the captain (unnamed) had a disagreement about a potential diversion due to a passenger’s medical event. According to the inspector general’s office “Dunn told the Captain they would be shot multiple times if the Captain diverted the flight,” Dunn will be arranged in Utah on November 16th, 2023. We’ll keep you updated when we see more. Next up this week is another case of “don’t be that guy” with a student in Stuart, Florida who damaged 10 airplanes after being denied solo flights. 23 Year Old Sumebh Singh was arrested on felony criminal mischief after damaging throttles on 10 of the school’s aircraft. Singh had allegedly paid $50,000 to Treasure Coast Flight Training and became angry after instructors told him he wasn’t ready to solo. Reports say his goal was to cause $50,000 in damage to aircraft. The school said all flight school aircraft have been grounded until mechanics can evaluate the extent of the damage. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has also been notified according to Avweb. Last up this week is a city council in California who is trying to ban touch and gos. Zamperini field is an airport in Torrance, CA who hosts 10 flight school and a factory for Robinson Helicopters. Council member Asam Sheikh is quoted as saying “I believe we are here for the constituents, we represent them,” “We don’t have to be expert on anything when we make decisions. We have to represent the community and that’s the only thing we should be expert on.” The FAA however disagrees however saying the council there are ways they can minimize airport noice but their authority “does not extend to many aspects of aircraft operations, including route, altitude, time of operation and frequency.”. The FAA is reportedly working on a formal response, however Torrance has not received federal funds or airport grants. The council is also attempting to ban the use of 100LL, imposing landing fees, and capping the number of flight schools at the airport. Another one that we’ll keep you updated about if we see more! That’s it for this week, we hope it goes without saying but don’t be that guy. Have a great weekend, and we’ll see you next week on Monday for our live Q&A! https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/indictment-alleged-fo-threatened-to-shoot-his-captain-over-flight-diversion/ https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/aircraft-damage-after-student-denied-solo/ https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/torrance-council-trying-to-ban-touch-and-goes/