Pilot recovering sight, but still in serious condition
Independent (UK) Nov 8, 08 4:17 PM CST
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An amateur pilot who suffered a stroke and went blind as he flew over North England landed his plane without a scratch, the Independent reports. Jim O’Neill, 65, was initially unable to follow instructions from civilian traffic controllers, but was guided to safety by British military planes. He remains hospitalized in serious condition, but is regaining his sight, BBC notes.
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Press, public kept mum about '48 flight under city bridge
Charleston Gazette Oct 8, 08 6:00 PM CDT
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When local son Chuck Yeager flew his jet under a Charleston bridge in 1948, there was no advance warning—and no official record of it afterward. The rebellious fighter pilot was scheduled to buzz a boat race, but no one expected him to do it from 6 feet above the water, and no one snapped a picture, reports the Charleston Gazette .
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Questions surround disappearance
News of the World (UK) Jul 28, 08 3:05 AM CDT
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Air adventurer Steve Fossett may have faked his own death, reports the tabloid News of the World . No wreckage was ever found after Fossett disappeared last year in a light plane over the Nevada desert. Fossett didn't bother to wear his GPS watch—and he may have had strong motives to disappear, including getting out from under shaky investments and possible marital troubles.
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Missing adventurer declared dead in February
Reno Gazette-Journal Jul 15, 08 9:36 AM CDT
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Ten months after Steve Fossett disappeared, a new search for the adventurer's body began yesterday under the guidance of a Canadian geologist and adventure racer who is scouring the Sweetwater Mountains on the Nevada-California border with a team of 10, reports the Reno Gazette-Journal. A competing search party has narrowed possible crash sites to about 150 using satellite imagery.
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Passenger humiliated after sitting in can for 3 hours
New York Post May 12, 08 8:42 PM CDT
(Newser)
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A New York man is suing JetBlue for $2 million, claiming he was put in the bathroom during a cross-country flight, the New York Post reports. Gokhan Mutlu said he was "mortified, disgraced, degraded and shamed" after a flight attendant took his seat and the pilot told him to "go and 'hang out' in the bathroom."
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Pilot lost control of Cessna that crashed near London
Guardian (UK) Mar 30, 08 6:53 PM CDT
(Newser)
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All five people on a private jet were killed today when it crashed into a home outside London, the Guardian reports. One witness said the pilot appeared to lose control of the Cessna before it crashed in "a massive fireball. It seemed like a fighter jet, the noise of the engine screaming." No one was hurt on the ground, although the house of a family on vacation was destroyed, CNN reports.
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Can't carry a gun after he blows hole in fuselage during flight
CNN Mar 26, 08 9:43 AM CDT
(Newser)
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A trigger-happy US Airways pilot whose gun accidentally discharged in the cockpit has been suspended from the federal program that permits pilots to pack heat, reports CNN. He's also been yanked from flight duty pending the results of an investigation by the FAA, the TSA, and US Air. The shocking weekend discharge was the first time a gun has been fired on board since the feds enacted the gun program to discourage would-be hijackers.
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Discharge is first incident since passage of new law
Associated Press Mar 25, 08 1:15 PM CDT
(Newser)
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A pilot’s gun went off in the cockpit of a US Airways plane just as it was landing in North Carolina this weekend, the AP reports. It was the first time a gun was discharged inside a plane since pilots were armed in the wake of 9/11. Though no one was hurt in the incident, the plane has been taken out of service.
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As US deaths approach 4,000, here's a look behind the statistics
USA Today Mar 21, 08 2:01 PM CDT
(Newser)
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As US troop losses in Iraq near 4,000, USA Today profiles the dead: 98% were male, and the most common age among those killed was 21—but one in six was younger. The bloodiest day was Jan. 26, 2005, when a helicopter crash killed 31 and six died in combat; the bloodiest month was November 2004, which saw 137 deaths.
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Youngest person to ever cross the Atlantic dead at 26
Associated Press Mar 19, 08 10:06 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Vicki Van Meter, the girl who at age 11 astounded the nation with a 5-hour cross-country flight, is dead at 26, the AP reports, of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound. Van Meter’s trans-continental flight was a record at the time, and a year later she became the youngest pilot to fly across the Atlantic. “We all thought she was coping,” her brother said of her history of depression.
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Critical seniority issue could be a deal buster
Minneapolis Star Tribune Mar 18, 08 9:55 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Merger talks between Delta and Northwest appear to be headed for a hard landing after pilots for the carriers called off their own negotiations over seniority issues, reports the Minneapolis Star Tribune. The airlines boards will meet this week to decide whether the merger should go forward, but Delta's CEO is on record saying it hinges on the pilots' agreement.
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3 other Guam-based Stealth bombers staying put, for now
Associated Press Feb 23, 08 6:42 AM CST
(Newser)
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A B-2 stealth bomber crashed after takeoff from a US base in Guam this morning—the first-ever failure for the $1.2 billion bat-winged craft, AP reports. Thick, black smoke could be seen billowing from the wreckage, one witness said. Both pilots successfully ejected and are in good condition; one has already been released.
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Seniority issue puts merger talks on hold
Associated Press Feb 20, 08 6:49 AM CST
(Newser)
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Northwest and Delta merger talks are stuck on the runway today, as pilots continue talks on a deal to combine their workforces, AP reports. Representatives for the 12,000 pilots are hung up on issues of seniority, insiders said; directors of the airlines hoping to announce their $20-billion merger plans today are waiting for a breakthrough. The pilots unions have agreed on a joint contract, but seniority lists are crucial to determine rankings for benefits.
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Boards meet tomorrow to vote on plans that would create world's largest airline
Wall Street Journal Feb 19, 08 6:27 AM CST
(Newser)
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Directors at Delta and Northwest meeting tomorrow could announce a marriage of the two airlines by day’s end if a crucial deal with the airlines’ 11,000 unionized pilots can be reached, reports the Wall Street Journal. The resulting company would be the largest airline in the world, and would almost certainly face tough scrutiny from regulators.
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