On this week’s episode of AvTalk, Ian and Jason take a deep breath and discuss the New Jersey drones. What are people claiming they’ve seen, why nearly all of the reports are just aircraft, and why you should never, never shine a laser or fire a gun at an airplane—identified or not.

Plus, AerLingus takes its first (and second) A321XLRs, Boeing restarts 767/777 production, and the FAA finalizes drug and alcohol testing for repair stations outside the US. And NASA completes the first aircraft accident investigation on another planet.

Helpful links for this week’s episode

• DHS, FBI, FAA & DoD Joint Statement on New Jersey drone sightings
• Statistics on laser incidents in New Jersey in December 2024
• FAA’s finalized drug and alcohol testing rule
• The first aircraft accident investigation on another planet
• Flying stinky pigs
• Busiest routes of 2024

Thank you for listening!

Thank you so much for listening to AvTalk! Like the podcast? Have suggestions for future shows? Let us know by leaving a review on iTunes. Reviews on iTunes not only help us make a better show, they help more people find the podcast! Want to send us additional feedback, just email us. And tell that friend who asked you for a podcast recommendation that AvTalk is the one they want to listen to next.

Please click here for a transcript of this episode.

The post AvTalk Episode 299: Let’s talk about the drones appeared first on Flightradar24 Blog.

On this week’s episode of AvTalk, Ian and Jason are back from their travels and back in the studio for a full week’s worth of aviation news. We start with Boeing’s resumption of 737 production and a judge’s rejection of the plea deal negotiated by Boeing and the US Department of Justice. Then we head west for the first major moves by Alaska Airlines as it integrates Hawaiian Airlines into its operations.

And in safety news, investigators begin analyzing the black boxes of the crashed Swift Air 737. And the NTSB releases its final report on the inflight upset suffered by a Challenger 300 in 2023, which finds the pilots did not follow proper procedures at multiple points before and during the flight—all starting with an ill-timed delivery of ice.

Helpful links for this week’s episode

• NTSB report on Challenger 300
• NTSB report on Southwest 737 vs Diamond DA40

Thank you for listening!

Thank you so much for listening to AvTalk! Like the podcast? Have suggestions for future shows? Let us know by leaving a review on iTunes. Reviews on iTunes not only help us make a better show, they help more people find the podcast! Want to send us additional feedback, just email us. And tell that friend who asked you for a podcast recommendation that AvTalk is the one they want to listen to next.

Please check back soon for a transcript of this week’s episode.

The post AvTalk Episode 298: Boeing gets going again appeared first on Flightradar24 Blog.

On this week’s episode of AvTalk, Ian is joined by Flightradar24 colleague Chris Lomas in Stockholm as Jason finishes his travels in Asia. In this news this week, a marriage proposal involving a helicopter and Flightradar24, Lufthansa’s stake in ITA Airways clears the final hurdle, Aeroflot takes its first wet lease, and a fire fighting Airbus A319 is in the works.

Helpful links for this week’s episode

• A helicopter marriage proposal
• Instrument calibration flight patterns

Thank you for listening!

Thank you so much for listening to AvTalk! Like the podcast? Have suggestions for future shows? Let us know by leaving a review on iTunes. Reviews on iTunes not only help us make a better show, they help more people find the podcast! Want to send us additional feedback, just email us. And tell that friend who asked you for a podcast recommendation that AvTalk is the one they want to listen to next.

Please click here for a transcript of this week’s episode.

The post AvTalk Episode 297: He used a helicopter to ask appeared first on Flightradar24 Blog.

On this week’s episode of AvTalk, Jason is traveling in Japan and Ian is prepping his Thanksgiving Turkey. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty to discuss. An Azimuth Airlines SuperJet caught fire after a hard landing in Antalya. A Swiftair 737-400 operating for DHL crashed 1.5km short of the runway in Vilnius, killing one of four crew members on board. And Emirates took delivery of its first A350, but the flight path left many scratching their heads.

Helpful links for this week’s episode

• Azimuth Airlines flight catches fire after hard landing
• Swiftair 737-400 crashes in Vilnius
• Emirates A350 delivery flight path
• UK AAIB report on Ryanair 737-8-200 MAX
• Etihad announces 10 new destinations
• Royal New Zealand Air Force’s first C-130 flight to Antarctica

Thank you for listening!

Thank you so much for listening to AvTalk! Like the podcast? Have suggestions for future shows? Let us know by leaving a review on iTunes. Reviews on iTunes not only help us make a better show, they help more people find the podcast! Want to send us additional feedback, just email us. And tell that friend who asked you for a podcast recommendation that AvTalk is the one they want to listen to next.

Please click here for a transcript of this week’s episode.

The post AvTalk Episode 296: A fire, a crash, and a contract appeared first on Flightradar24 Blog.

On this week’s AvTalk, severe turbulence leads to an inflight engine shut down on an SAS A330. A CargoJet 767 overruns the runway in Vancouver after a flap failure. A Southwest Airlines jet is struck by a bullet in Dallas. A Qantas A380 flew for a month with a tool in one of its engines. And hundreds of hamsters get loose on a TAP A321neo.

Helpful links for this week’s episode

• SAS A330 encounters severe turbulence
• CargoJet 767 runway overrun in Vancouver
• ATSB Qantas A380 engine tool report
• Hamster plane

Thank you for listening!

Thank you so much for listening to AvTalk! Like the podcast? Have suggestions for future shows? Let us know by leaving a review on iTunes. Reviews on iTunes not only help us make a better show, they help more people find the podcast! Want to send us additional feedback, just email us. And tell that friend who asked you for a podcast recommendation that AvTalk is the one they want to listen to next.

Please click here for a transcript of this week’s episode.

The post AvTalk Episode 295: Severe turbulence, more bullets, and hundreds of hamsters appeared first on Flightradar24 Blog.

On this week’s AvTalk, at least three aircraft are struck by bullets while trying to landing in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Spirit Airlines could soon file for bankruptcy after Frontier walks away from a potential merger. And Colombian cargo carrier Aerosucre has yet another close call, striking the ILS array at the end of the runway while trying to depart Bogota.

Helpful links for this week’s episode

• Spirit Airlines flight 951 hit by bullets
• FAA NOTAM restricting US flights in Haiti below 10,000 feet
• Aerosucre 727 strikes ILS array
• Apple AirTag find my bag coming soon
• 99% Invisible’s podcast on Spirit Halloween

Thank you for listening!

Thank you so much for listening to AvTalk! Like the podcast? Have suggestions for future shows? Let us know by leaving a review on iTunes. Reviews on iTunes not only help us make a better show, they help more people find the podcast! Want to send us additional feedback, just email us. And tell that friend who asked you for a podcast recommendation that AvTalk is the one they want to listen to next.

Please click here for a transcript of this week’s episode.

The post AvTalk Episode 294: Please don’t shoot at the planes appeared first on Flightradar24 Blog.

On this week’s episode of AvTalk, Boeing machinists in the pacific northwest ratify a new contract, ending a 53 day strike. We discuss what’s in the contract and where Boeing goes from here.

Spirit Aerosystems, the maker of 737 fuselages, says it may not have long as a “going concern.” Spirit Airlines will furlough hundreds more pilots next year as it continues searching for a path out of the financial hole it’s in. The Wall Street Journal reports that Russia is behind the series of parcel fires in air cargo shipments in Europe. Dublin’s passenger cap is on hold for now, Air Canada is bringing back a pair of 767 passenger jets, and airlines in the US must now refund you for significantly delayed or canceled flights if you choose not to fly. And we pay tribute to Ben Baldanza, former Spirit Airlines CEO and US ultra low cost carrier pioneer, who died this week at the age of 62 after a battle with ALS.

Helpful links for this week’s show

• The machinists new contract compared to previous contract
• Wall Street Journal report on incendiary devices in air cargo
• Air Canada 767 parked in the desert

Thank you for listening!

Thank you so much for listening to AvTalk! Like the podcast? Have suggestions for future shows? Let us know by leaving a review on iTunes. Reviews on iTunes not only help us make a better show, they help more people find the podcast! Want to send us additional feedback, just email us. And tell that friend who asked you for a podcast recommendation that AvTalk is the one they want to listen to next.

Please click here for a transcript of this week’s episode.

The post AvTalk Episode 293: All right, everybody back to work appeared first on Flightradar24 Blog.

On this week’s episode of AvTalk, we welcome Max Comer, and airline mechanic and the man behind social media sensation Airplane Facts with Max, which compares and contrasts interesting aviation information… and the works of JRR Tolkien. Also this week, the NTSB releases its preliminary report on the Frontier Airlines flight that made an emergency landing in Las Vegas last month. WestJet is sending a trio of hail-damaged 737s to the desert. Riyadh Air places a major order for its narrow body fleet. And the final report on the crash of MS804 is out—eight years after the accident and with two starkly different conclusions.

Helpful links for this week’s episode

• Airplane facts with Max — where you can find Max’s content
• Frontier emergency landing preliminary report
• MS804 final report

Thank you for listening!

Thank you so much for listening to AvTalk! Like the podcast? Have suggestions for future shows? Let us know by leaving a review on iTunes. Reviews on iTunes not only help us make a better show, they help more people find the podcast! Want to send us additional feedback, just email us. And tell that friend who asked you for a podcast recommendation that AvTalk is the one they want to listen to next.

Please click here for a transcript of this week’s episode.

The post AvTalk Episode 292: Airplane facts with Max appeared first on Flightradar24 Blog.

On this week’s episode of AvTalk, Boeing announces a $6 billion third quarter loss, while the company’s striking machinists reject the latest contract offer, sending negotiators back to work. A close call in Austin as TCAS comes to the rescue, while Indian airlines deal with a spate of hoax bomb threats. Frontier and Spirit could revive merger talks and it was a terrible week to taxi an aircraft at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport.

Helpful links for this week’s episode

• Boeing’s third quarter earnings
• Boeing CEO statement on third quarter earnings
• TCAS saves the day in Austin
• Indian airlines facing hoax bomb threats
• ULD container wedged in Japan Airlines 747, 2009
• FAA “powered lift” final rule and Medium post
• Final Qantas 717 flight
• Final CSA Czech Airlines flight

Thank you for listening!

Thank you so much for listening to AvTalk! Like the podcast? Have suggestions for future shows? Let us know by leaving a review on iTunes. Reviews on iTunes not only help us make a better show, they help more people find the podcast! Want to send us additional feedback, just email us. And tell that friend who asked you for a podcast recommendation that AvTalk is the one they want to listen to next.

Please click here for a transcript of this week’s episode.

The post AvTalk Episode 291: They strike on appeared first on Flightradar24 Blog.

On this week’s episode of AvTalk, Boeing announces layoffs affecting 17,000 employees and the sunset of the 767 program. The 777X is delayed until at least 2026 and airlines are having trouble getting ahold of aircraft that are already certified. This is leading to some airlines refurbishing already well-worn aircraft and others canceling flights and routes.

The US DOT OIG says the FAA (acronym much?) isn’t capable of effectively regulating Boeing. Sri Lankan investigators are probing a bizarre incident in which the captain allegedly locked the first officer out of the flight deck. And the ARJ21-700 is now the C909.

Helpful links for this week’s episode

• Boeing CEO letter to the company
• US DOT OIG Report on FAA oversigt of Boeing
• ARJ21 > C909

Thank you for listening!

Thank you so much for listening to AvTalk! Like the podcast? Have suggestions for future shows? Let us know by leaving a review on iTunes. Reviews on iTunes not only help us make a better show, they help more people find the podcast! Want to send us additional feedback, just email us. And tell that friend who asked you for a podcast recommendation that AvTalk is the one they want to listen to next.

Please click here for a transcript of this week’s episode.

The post AvTalk Episode 290: Boeing brings the battle axe appeared first on Flightradar24 Blog.

On this episode of AvTalk, a new report from the New York Times raises questions about Boeing’s differing response to 737 MAX operators’ requests for safety information following the crash of Lion Air 610. A passenger safely lands a King Air after the pilot is incapacitated. The NTSB issues a pair of preliminary reports. And […]

The post AvTalk Episode 289: The FAA doesn’t want headless pilots appeared first on Flightradar24 Blog.