Stories related to: airplane

An airplane carrying three US senators and a congressman was fired upon by rockets as it left Baghdad last night, forcing the pilot to resort to evasive maneuvers to avoid being struck. Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby described the rocket attacks as “near misses,” CNN reports. “Our plane started maneuvering and changing directions and shaking all around,” the senator said. More »

A redeye flight from Denver to New York took a frightening turn yesterday when a passenger leaped from his seat and tried to open the rear door of a Frontier Airlines jet. Flight attendants and passengers then restrained the man by strapping him to his seat with duct tape. A source tells the Post the 35-year-old is mentally ill. More »

New enemies are hovering over America's unmanned drone aircraft—branches of the US armed forces battling each other for control of the high-tech flyers. The Air Force is lobbying Congress for exclusive control over purchasing and developing the spy planes, a move opposed by the Army, Navy and Marines.  More »

A Defense agency has developed an on-board flight system that connects an airplane to a re-fueling aircraft without the need for a human pilot, allowing unmanned fighter jets to remain in the air longer. The technology uses exact inertial, GPS, and video measurements to latch a probe into a 32-inch basket trailed behind a tanker. More »

A man smuggled a monkey onto a Spirit Airlines flight from Ft. Lauderdale to LaGuardia yesterday by hiding it under his hat. Fellow passengers caught on when the small primate—a baby marmoset the size of a fist—came out and hung on the man's ponytail. The monkey-smuggler, whose flight originated in Lima, Peru, is being questioned at La Guardia. Fellow-passengers credited the monkey for being well-behaved. More »

The Airbus A320 that crashed at the Sao Paulo airport Tuesday was flying with part of its braking equipment disabled, the manufacturer said today, as pressure on the government escalated. Flying without one of the aircraft's two thrust reversers is legal, but the revelation suggests the slick, short runway probably wasn't the sole cause of Brazil's deadliest air disaster. More »

In the wake of Tuesday's catastrophic plane crash, Brazilian officials are calling for the closure of Sao Paulo's Congonhas airport pending a review of safety conditions, the BBC reports. The Tam Airlines Airbus 320 landing in heavy rain skidded off a wet runway that was resurfaced last month and had not yet had drainage grooves inscribed on the new concrete. More »

Nine airline passengers are suing the Atlanta lawyer infected with a rare TB strain who flew to Europe for his wedding despite CDC warnings not to travel. The $1.3 million suit filed in Montreal claims Andrew Speaker recklessly exposed them to a deadly disease. The passengers, seven Canadians and two from the Czech Republic, flew from Prague to Montreal on Speaker's flight. More »

Airline passengers routinely suffer from altitude sickness, and aircraft cabins are insufficiently pressurized to prevent it, a new study concludes. Altitudes of 8,000 feet above sea level result in 4% lower oxygen saturation in the blood, researchers found; cabins are often pressurized at the equivalent of 8,000 feet. More »

International Lease Finance Corporation, the world’s #1 jet leasing company, ordered 52 787 Dreamliners, Boeing announced at the Paris Air Show.  This brings total orders for Boeing's new plane to 634 -- way ahead of rival Airbus' 127 orders for its A350XWB.  Both planes incorporate lightweight composites instead of metal, which will dramatically reduce operating costs. More »

Rival aircraft producers Airbus and Boeing landed a slew of new orders at a gigantic air show that began today outside Paris. The biennial air show, the largest in the world, takes place as the airline industry begins to turn around; after two years of losses, profits this year are expected to top $5 billion, the AP reports. More »

A 65-year-old former police commander and a gray-haired former marine helped flight attendants subdue an unruly passenger on a Northwest Airlines flight Saturday night. The suspicious man threatened other passengers and refused to take his seat during the three hour Minneapolis-to-Boston flight, but the two undaunted grandpas managed to detain him before landing. More »

Frequent fliers will soon be reminiscing about the small luxuries a $200 airline ticket bought: like free Diet Coke. A new wave of start-up airlines is selling ultra-affordable flights as low as $10. But prepare to plunk down for seat assignments, checked baggage—and even peanuts. More »

A Kenya Airways plane with 114 aboard has disappeared and is believed to have crashed in southern Cameroon. The Kenyan Standard reports that the plane sent out an automated distress signal five minutes after takeoff, and villagers near the suspected crash site say they heard an explosion. More »

Chatty frequent-flyers were disappointed yesterday, as the Federal Communications Commission refused to lift its ban on cell phone use during flight. The two-year old proposal had prompted a massive outpouring from airline customers who called  airborne conversation  "a recipe for a lot of anger" and "torture." More »