Qantas Pilots Report Radio Interference and GPS Jamming From Chinese Warships

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — Qantas pilots reported repeating radio interference and GPS jamming from Chinese military units in the South China Sea and the Philippine Sea. Qantas said there were no safety concerns and has instructed its pilots to keep flying on their routes despite the breach. (www.airlinerwatch.com) More...

Lufthansa To Bring Back A380 On U.S. Routes

Lufthansa has officially announced that it will be bringing back its Airbus A380s. Its first post-pandemic routes? The East Coast. Due to higher-than-expected demand, Lufthansa is set to expand service from its Munich hub using the biggest passenger plane in its armory. (aeroxplorer.com) More...

Union urges pilots to ‘increase vigilance’ to prevent close calls

The largest US airline pilots union is counseling its members to be more focused to avoid additional close calls. There have been multiple close calls on runways this year which have raised questions about air safety. The Air Line Pilots Association issued a safety alert encouraging pilots to “increase vigilance” and “prevent complacency” in themselves and others. (edition.cnn.com) More...

Flight problems, not turbulence, found in death of former White House official

The flight that left a former White House official dead earlier this month was marked by a series of missteps, alerts and system issues before the plane lurched violently in the sky, according to a preliminary report Friday from the National Transportation Safety Board. (link to NTSB report in story) (www.washingtonpost.com) More...

American Airlines to temporarily suspend route due to Boeing dreamliner delays

The Fort Worth, Texas-based carrier said Friday it would suspend its Philadelphia-Madrid route for a few weeks in May and early June, citing delivery delays for the jets. American said it was cutting the flights now to ensure it could help customers arrange different travel plans. (www.foxbusiness.com) More...

New Zealand's Wicked Spaceplane Approved for Suborbital Test Flights

Dawn Aerospace CEO Stefan Powell announced today that the company’s Mk-II Aurora spaceplane has received approval from the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand for rocket-powered flight. The company is now ready to test the vehicle’s rocket engines with flights beginning next month. (gizmodo.com) More...

First Black national airline pilot recalls career highlight — flying Rosa Parks’ body home

Lou Freeman made history in 1980 when he became the first Black pilot to fly a plane for Southwest Airlines. Known as Captain Lou, he also made history in 1992 when he became the first Black chief pilot for any major airline. (www.chicagotribune.com) More...

Project Heisenberg enters phase 3 testing of upgraded F-35 electronic warfare system

The program office for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter is ready to award BAE Systems a sole-source contract to conduct phase 3 flight trials of the aircraft’s future electronic warfare and countermeasures suite. (dcnewsroom.blogspot.com) More...