Category Archives for Aircraft.
After meeting with President Trump in Washington, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s Air Force KC-30A diverted to St. Louis on the way home when falling luggage struck a crewmember in the head. The military jet, a modified Airbus A330, was bound for Honolulu before continuing to Sydney.
For decades, the FAA relied on independent “fixers” — outside engineers who kept aircraft approvals moving when bureaucracy stalled. Now it’s dismantling that system, embracing the Boeing model of corporate self-oversight that once drew intense scrutiny.
A Boeing 747 cargo jet operated by ACT Airlines on behalf of Emirates SkyCargo veered off the runway at Hong Kong International Airport, smashing through a perimeter fence and plunging partially into the sea. Two airport employees were tragically killed when their patrol vehicle was struck by the aircraft.
Boeing is quietly working on a successor to the troubled 737 MAX, holding early talks with Rolls-Royce and sketching a fresh cockpit design. But with regulators watching closely and a decade-long timeline, this time failure simply isn’t an option.
WhatsApp and Telegram groups are quietly selling seats on private jets. The FAA calls it illegal, but other countries show how to make it work safely.
The French government put up black partition walls around displays by Israeli defense industry companies at the Paris Air Show as a performative statement in support of Hamas.
The FAA’s move, announced without fanfare when it was granted earlier in May, allows Boeing to return to performing critical certification tasks on behalf of the agency. The ODA program delegates regulatory responsibilities to manufacturers, streamlining oversight while preserving accountability through FAA supervision. Boeing engineers, known as authorized representatives, can approve design and production changes under FAA authority.
Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin had to fill out a customs declaration when he came back from walking on the moon in 1969, because he left the United States and then ‘re-entered’. He also had to submit an expense reimbursement for the business trip too.
These planes feature hardened communications systems resistant to electronic warfare and cyber-attacks with electromagnetic pulse protection and nuclear-thermal shielding; in-flight refueling capability, extending mission duration indefinitely; secure conference rooms, briefing rooms, rest areas, and space for up to 112 personnel; and trailing low-frequency antenna extending up to five miles for secure communication with submerged ballistic missile submarines.
Boeing is facing a critical moment as it confronts federal criminal charges that it conspired to defraud the Federal Aviation Administration, stemming from the two fatal 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019, which killed 346 people.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
