Next time you stand in a long line to go through a TSA security screening, consider for a moment why you have to tolerate the wait, and eventually, the burden of taking off your shoes, removing your laptop from its bag and, if you’re unlucky, enduring a pat-down.
Twenty years have passed since a DC-9 operated by budget carrier ValuJet crashed into the Florida Everglades, taking the lives of 110 people. After months of investigation, the NTSB determined that an illegal shipment of uncapped oxygen generators (secured only by duct tape) fueled a cargo fire which included tires and other ValuJet company materials, and brought down the Atlanta-bound airliner shortly after takeoff from Miami International Airport on May 11, 1996. The NTSB never determined the ignition source that started the fire.
Allegiant has suffered a string of operational anomalies over the last year, which have captured the attention of the public and aviation industry professionals alike in many news articles, union reports, and consumer complaints.
We take this day to remember, in thoughts and prayers, the families of those on MH370.
Okay, let’s face it, drones are fun. That is why perhaps more than a million Americans are expected to receive or buy a drone this holiday season. They can be purchased for as little as $50 for adults and kids alike, but they were not built in Santa’s workshop so it is important to remember that drones flown above 400 feet are not toys but aircraft.
What took so long is an issue for another day, but the FAA has finally acted to keep electronic cigarettes and lithium ion batteries out of checked baggage. Why? No, it’s not because Americans will pack airplanes by the millions this Thanksgiving. It’s because e-cigs can catch fire.