General Aviation News: General Aviation News archives digitized back to 1990. “The print edition of General Aviation News has been digitized from 1990 through March 2023. Those archives can be seen at the General Aviation News website.” The archives seem to be completely free. They’re hosted on Dropbox.
Tag Archives: airplanes
WIRED: Elon Musk and the Dangers of Censoring Real-Time Flight Trackers
WIRED: Elon Musk and the Dangers of Censoring Real-Time Flight Trackers. “Aircraft operators are required to report detailed information on their flight path to various national regulators, including the Federal Aviation Administration. That data is generally a matter of public record and is published to various websites popular amongst airline enthusiasts.”
Interesting Engineering: Teenager who tracks Elon Musk’s jet sets up a new Twitter account, with a small difference
Interesting Engineering: Teenager who tracks Elon Musk’s jet sets up a new Twitter account, with a small difference. “Elonjet, the account that was allegedly banned for ‘doxxing’ Elon Musk’s live location is now back on Twitter under a new name. To comply with Musk-led Twitter’s new privacy policies, the account will post updates about Musk’s private plane but with a slight change.”
The Guardian: From celebrity jets to Pelosi’s Taiwan trip, flight trackers are the sleeper hit of the summer
The Guardian: From celebrity jets to Pelosi’s Taiwan trip, flight trackers are the sleeper hit of the summer. “Want to watch a top-secret government flight live? Track a drug kingpin’s movements in real time? Or know how much Taylor Swift’s jets are polluting the air? They’re all streaming live on the sleeper hit of the summer: online flight trackers.”
Hackaday: It’s A Bird! It’s A Plane! It’s… A Live Air Traffic Plane Spotting Simulation
Hackaday: It’s A Bird! It’s A Plane! It’s… A Live Air Traffic Plane Spotting Simulation . “By using publicly available information, software, and some ingenuity, [Information Zulu] has created a live simulation of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) for your simulated plane spotting pleasure.”
Gizmodo: Feds Say YouTuber-Pilot Intentionally Crashed Plane for Views
Gizmodo: Feds Say YouTuber-Pilot Intentionally Crashed Plane for Views. “The pilot, YouTuber, and former Olympic snowboarder, Trevor Jacob, who posted a 13-minute video of himself escaping a crashing plane in December 2021, no longer has a license to fly. This comes after the Federal Aviation Administration wrapped up a 3-month long investigation that uncovered some pretty insane findings. In an April 11 letter to Jacob, first revealed in a New York Times report on Wednesday, the FAA said evidence shows he operated the flight to purposely cause it to crash, adding evidence like, ‘during this flight, you opened the left side pilot door before you claimed the engine had failed.'”
Flying: Avidyne Expands Database to Include Backcountry Airstrips
Flying: Avidyne Expands Database to Include Backcountry Airstrips. “Flying into the backcountry and landing on an unimproved strip next to a lake where the fish normally die of old age is on many a pilot’s bucket list. The Avidyne Corporation, Jeppesen and the Recreational Aviation Foundation are making it easier to find these out-of-the-way places by including them in the new Jeppesen Nav Databases for GPS. The new database will feature unimproved airstrips on both private property and public lands.”
FAA: Dangerous Laser Strikes Continue Rise in ’21
FAA: Dangerous Laser Strikes Continue Rise in ’21. “Shining a laser at an aircraft is a serious safety threat that continues to rise. As of Oct. 14, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has received 7,186 laser strike reports for 2021, exceeding the 2020 total of 6,852. This marks the highest number or reports since 2016…. To identify laser strike trends, the FAA developed a visualization tool, using the Tableau software platform that shows laser strike data from 2010 to 2020 and highlights trends by geographic area, per capita data, time of day and year.”
Warbird Digest: Rare Short Films Now Online Digital Delights
Warbird Digest: Rare Short Films Now Online Digital Delights. “Eighty-six selections from The Museum of Flight’s collection of rare, behind-the-scenes movies have been digitized for the first time and are now online. The films date from World War I to Apollo 13. Most of the films are privately shot footage and home movies that offer surprising views of local culture and aerospace history not available anywhere else. Highlights include home movies of flight attendants at work and leisure circa 1940; making and flying German fighters in 1918; Alaska bush flying the 1940s; Aerocar fun in 1968; and Bill Boeing partying with friends circa 1930.”
Federal Aviation Administration: FAA Releases Data Showing Trends in Dangerous Laser Strikes
Federal Aviation Administration: FAA Releases Data Showing Trends in Dangerous Laser Strikes. “Shining a laser at an aircraft poses a serious safety threat and can result in large fines and criminal penalties. Working to identify trends in laser strikes, the U.S. Transportation Department’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has developed a visualization tool that analyzes laser strike data from 2010 to 2020. Using the Tableau software platform, the tool identifies trends that include geographic area, per capita data, time of day and year.”
BBC: Just how hard is it to recycle a jumbo jet?
BBC: Just how hard is it to recycle a jumbo jet?. “Thanks to the pandemic and the subsequent collapse in air travel, around a quarter of the world’s passenger jets remain idle – parked at airports and storage facilities while their owners decide what to do with them. Some of those aircraft will never fly again.”
Wired: The art and science of boarding an airplane in a pandemic
Wired: The art and science of boarding an airplane in a pandemic. “Delta, which previously boarded passengers according to ticket classes and mileage club memberships, is loading the airplane back to front, so that flyers don’t pass by others as they make their way to their seats. After preboarding families and passengers that need extra time, United is going back-to-front too. Even Southwest, famous for letting passengers choose their seats, is only letting 10 passengers on at a time, instead of the usual 30. The process is certainly slower, but Southwest, and other airlines, have far fewer passengers these days.”
AI Copilot: Air Force achieves first military flight with artificial intelligence (US Air Force)
US Air Force: AI Copilot: Air Force achieves first military flight with artificial intelligence. “Signaling a major leap forward for national defense in the digital age, the Air Force flew with artificial intelligence as a working aircrew member onboard a military aircraft for the first time Dec. 15. The AI algorithm, known as ARTUµ, flew with the pilot, U.S. Air Force Maj. ‘Vudu’, on a U-2 Dragon Lady assigned to the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base.”
Aerotime Hub: EASA to collect aircraft noise level data in single database
Aerotime Hub: EASA to collect aircraft noise level data in single database. “On December 15, 2020, the EASA launched the Aircraft Noise Certificate or Equivalent Noise Documentation (ANC) database, where the aircraft operators will provide the necessary information about the noise levels. The collected data will be available to airports, air navigation service providers, and other European authorities for operational purposes.”
NPR: Do Masks On Plane Flights Really Cut Your Risk Of Catching COVID-19?
NPR: Do Masks On Plane Flights Really Cut Your Risk Of Catching COVID-19?. “Just on Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it now ‘strongly recommends’ all passengers and crew members wear masks. So the big question is this: How well do the masks work? Do they make it safe to fly across the country for a family visit? Scientists are just beginning to answer that question. And their findings offer a glimmer of hope as well as fresh ideas about what’s most important for protecting yourself on a plane.”