AvTalk - Aviation Podcast Flightradar24

We bring you an abbreviated Thanksgiving week episode, partly because of the Thanksgiving holiday, but mostly because Jason is wandering around Japan on high speed trains. We have some updates on stories we discussed last week as well as some much welcome news for Boeing and its 737-10 MAX.

And on next week’s episode we’ll be chatting with Olov Lindström, the captain at Norse Atlantic Airways who landed the first 787 in Antarctica. You won’t want to miss that conversation.

On this week’s episode of AvTalk, a horse escapes its stall onboard a 747 flying from New York to Liege. A panel of experts says decades of congressional meddling and underfunding of the FAA introduces undue risk to flying in the US. And the Dubai Airshow is Boeing’s show with orders for nearly 300 aircraft, most of which are for wide body aircraft.

Quit horsing around back there

A horse being transported aboard a 747 operated by Air Atlanta Icelandic escaped its stall as the aircraft began its crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. The flight turned back near Boston and dumped 20 tonnes of fuel before returning to New York.

Safety Review Team says congressional treatment of FAA makes flying less safe

The Safety Review Team composed of six experts submitted their report this week, pointing to decades-long systematic underfunding and continuous meddling with FAA programs as injecting undue risk into the national airspace system and making flying less safe. The detailed report can be read in full here.

Ural crews actions were “unreasonable”

A preliminary Russian report termed the actions of a Ural Airlines crew “unreasonable” after they decided to divert the aircraft and ran out of fuel.

Dubai Airshow is Boeing’s week in the sun

Boeing took nearly 75 percent of the orders at the Dubai Airshow this week, hauling in more than 150 orders for its 777X and 787 jets. But it wasn’t a total wash for Airbus.

Dutch government flip-flops on flight cuts

After promising to cut flights at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport beginning in the 2024 summer season, the Dutch government has announced it will not put that plan in place. The change of plans comes after US and European Commission concerns that the cuts could violate Open Skies agreements.

Mexicana will start with an E145

In the paint hangar now, it looks like the revived Mexicana will get its start with an E145—not the group of 737-800s originally promised.

Preliminary data suggests SAF produces fewer and less intense contrails

NASA and German Aerospace Centre scientists looking at preliminary data from the ecoDemonstrator program flights with a Boeing 737-10 and NASA’s DC-8 see evidence that contrails produced by SAF are fewer and less robust than those produced by burning Jet A-1 fuel.

First 787 flies to Antarctica

Norse Atlantic Airways operated the first 787 flight to Antarctica, carrying scientists and supplies to Troll Station on behalf of the Norwegian Polar Institute.

QantasLink’s first A220 receives stunning livery

The first A220-300 for QantasLink will wear a special livery as part of Qantas’ long-running Flying Art Series featuring indigenous artists. Minyma Kutjara Tjukurpa took 100 painters, 130 stencils, and 20,000 individual dots to complete.

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 episode.

On this episode of AvTalk, we learn that the arraignment of the pilot who threatened his captain with a gun has been delayed—because he is on active duty military service outside the country. A Titan Airways A321neo was damaged by high-intensity film lighting, more PW1100G issues, and you could be in charge of the world’s most secretive airline.

Links we said we would put in the show notes:



* History of EG&G

* PSA recruitment landing page for FedEx | UPS



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 episode.

On this episode of AvTalk, we’re flabbergasted to learn about the events aboard a Delta flight last August as the first officer threatened to shoot the captain if they diverted the flight due to an onboard medical emergency. Elsewhere, the JetBlue-Spirit Airlines merger trial is underway in Boston, Southwest might flight to the other Dallas airport a few years from now, and Lufthansa might need to start lifting weights.

First officer threatens to shoot captain

According to an indictment issued this week in Salt Lake City, a first officer on a Delta flight last August threatened to shoot the captain if they diverted the flight due to an onboard medical emergency. The first officer was part of a program that deputizes flight crews and allows them to carry a gun onboard, so this was not an idle threat. We walk through the sequence of events laid out by the government and discuss if the Federal Flight Deck Officer (FFDO) program has outlived its usefulness.

JetBlue-Spirit Airlines merger trial begins

The trial over the JetBlue-Spirit Airlines merger began this week in Boston, pitting the two airlines against the US Department of Justice, which is arguing the merger should be blocked on competition grounds.

SAS, Sky Team, and a lucrative joint venture

Brett Snyder at Crankyflier published an excellent piece detailing the wisdom of SAS’ move to Sky Team with the real money in joining the AF-KLM, Delta, Virgin Atlantic transatlantic joint venture.

Spirit Aerosystems loses $204M in the third quarter

A major supplier of fuselages and other components to Boeing, Spirit Aerosystems lost $204 million in the third quarter, largely in part due to quality issues and rework necessary on a large number of aircraft.

Southwest orders more MAX and might go to DFW

Southwest Airlines order an additional 108 737-7 MAX aircraft this week, bringing its total 737 order book over 500 aircraft. And the airline also said that by 2025 it could be operating flights out of DFW.

Lufthansa is trying to make weight

Lufthansa may need to install a counterweight in the rear of its 747s after installing its new Allegris cabin, thanks to the weight of the business class seats. The airline may also need to forgo installing the new seats on the upper deck of the 747 because of the cabin width.

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 episode.

On this episode of AvTalk, we spend a full third of the episode attempting to understand what happened on Horizon Air flight 2059 after an off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot sitting in the flight deck jump seat tried to shut down the aircraft’s engines. Also this week, a pilot in Houston failed to follow ATC instructions and caused a collision on the runway, Boeing’s third quarter earnings, Pratt and Whitney’s GTF problems grow larger, JetBlue’s lawyers make an interesting argument, and Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker is stepping down.

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 episode.

On this week’s AvTalk, Jason Rosewell from Infinite Flight joins us to discuss the new partnership between Flightradar24 and Infinite Flight that makes our new 3D view so amazing. We also learn more about how Infinite Flight got started and what’s next for the mobile flight sim company. Plus, a bizarre accident involving a Titan Airways A321 and an airline rebrands by channeling ee Cummings.

Titan A321 windows go missing

A bizarre accident where the crew noticed a few windows missing after takeoff. A post-flight inspection found damage to the horizontal stabilizer as well.

Boeing dumps cash into Spirit Aerosystems

Boeing is giving Spirit $100 million in cash and reconfiguring how it pays the supplier for 737 and 787 components in an effort to stem the tide of poor quality work. We dive in to the deal.

United CEO sees structural adjustment in the industry coming

While announcing Q3 earnings, United CEO Scott Kirby had much to say about the state of the industry. United had a solid third quarter, is revamping its boarding procedures and took delivery this week of its first A321neo.

EU realizes airline mergers may have been too easy

European Union competition regulators are concerned that airline mergers have proceeded too quickly and easily over the past decade or so.

Jason Roswell from Infinite Flight

Flightradar24’s new 3D view now includes models and liveries from Infinite Flight. We chat with Jason Rosewell to learn more about how Infinite Flight got started, what makes their community so dedicated to the app, and where the mobile flight sim company is headed next.

EHang

EHang becomes the first eVTOL certified worldwide. But Ian and Jason have some questions about how to get in and out of the aircraft.

Air India Express rebrands

Air India Express unveiled its brand refresh this week on its first 737 MAX.

Avianca is now avianca

According to avianca’s CEO, this is the “greatest reinvention of an airline in the history of aviation.” Okay then…

JAL  adds extra flight for weighty sumo wrestlers

With the group of sumo wrestlers weighing double that of normal passengers, JAL was concerned about weight and balance on one of its 737s, so the airline added an extra flight to split the group.