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 when it comes to the 787, the FAA says a tired pilot is better than a headless pilot.

Helpful links for this week’s episode

• New York Times article on Boeing’s response to Ethiopian Airlines
• FAA SAFO regarding rudder actuator assemblies
• Photo of Boeing 787 flight deck
• Playback of Turkish Airlines flight 204 diversion to JFK
• Playback of Beech C90 King Air landing by passenger
• NTSB preliminary report on Alaska Airlines rejected take off due to runway incursion
• NTSB preliminary report on Delta A350 vs CRJ-900 strike in Atlanta
• Recording of the conversation between IATA CEO Willie Walsh and Breeze founder David Neeleman

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

On this week’s episode of AvTalk, we discuss Iran’s missile attack on Israel and the consequences (so far) for commercial aviation. The NTSB shakes its fist at the FAA over moist rudders, while the FAA’s investigation into United’s safety system turns up nothing. Qatar Airways is taking a 25% stake in Virgin Australia, with an interesting twist. A WWII-era bomb long-buried under a taxiway at Miyazaki Airport in Japan explodes. And NOAA is getting a new pair of hurricane hunter aircraft.

Plus, we sit down with Capt. David Surridge, American Airlines’ director of air traffic management to learn more about ADS-B IN and how the airline is working with the FAA to gain operational efficiencies and save money in the process.

Helpful links for this week’s episode

• NTSB’s urgent safety recommendation on 737 rudder assemblies
• WWII bomb explodes under Japanese airport taxiway
• How dropsondes work
• NOAA’s new hurricane hunting drones

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 288: Escalation or the new normal? appeared first on Flightradar24 Blog.

On this week’s episode of AvTalk, Boeing gives its striking machinists union its “best and final” offer. But how best and final is it?  EASA informs A350 operators to ensure they’re cleaning their fuel hoses properly. Canada heads down a confusing path on its quest resolve airline complaints. And a United Airlines flight experiences an unusual TCAS Resolution Advisory as it prepares to land in San Francisco.

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 287: How best and final is “best and final”? appeared first on Flightradar24 Blog.

On this episode of AvTalk, Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines secure Department of Transportation approval of their merger.

As the Boeing Machinists’ strike enters week two, the company is implementing a long list of measures to hoard cash. In other strike news, Air Canada and its pilots union have reached a tentative agreement, but it still needs to be ratified.

Ian heads to Dorkfest and SpotLAX in Los Angeles and chats with Kevin and Rudy from YouTube channel Airline Videos Live about the growth and future plans. And a US company is suing Australian airline REX for allegedly stripping aircraft for parts that didn’t belong to them.

Helpful links for this week’s episode

• US Department of Transportation announcement on Alaska + Hawaii merger approval conditions
• Airline Videos Live captures a Lufthansa 747-8 hard landing and go around at LAX
• Brett Snyder’s Cranky Dorkfest wrap-up

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.

Click here for a transcript of this week’s episode.

The post AvTalk Episode 286: Leis, strikes, and stripped for parts appeared first on Flightradar24 Blog.

On this week’s episode of AvTalk, a Delta A350 clips a CRJ-900, knocking the regional jet’s tail off. Brazilian investigators release their preliminary report on the crash of VoePass flight 2283. Boeing reaches a tentative labor agreement with its machinists union, but the union rank and file are not happy. Air Canada’s pilots could be on strike as early as September 18. And Southwest Executive Chairman and former CEO Gary Kelly is stepping down next year as the airline continues to try to hold off Elliott Management’s call for wholesale change in leadership. Plus, authorities find 2.7 tonnes of cocaine in a G-IV in Guinea Bissau.

Helpful links for this week’s episode

• Delta A350 hits CRJ-900
• VoePass 2283 preliminary report
• Southwest Airlines board changes
• EASA requiring Trent XWB97 inspections
• 2.7 tonnes is a lot of cocaine

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.

Click here for a transcript of this week’s episode.

The post AvTalk Episode 285: How much cocaine can you fit in a Gulfstream? appeared first on Flightradar24 Blog.

On this week’s AvTalk, a fuel hose failure on a Cathay Pacific A350 prompts fleet-wide inspections of the Trent XWB engine. Russian investigators release their preliminary report on the Gazpromavia SuperJet crash—and incorrectly installed angle of attack sensors feature prominently. Plus, a vulnerability in the US’ Known Crewmember system could have theoretically allowed anyone to […]

The post AvTalk Episode 284: When protection doesn’t protect you appeared first on Flightradar24 Blog.