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aviationupdate.bsky.social

@aviationupdate.bsky.social

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On this day, President Dwight D. Eisenhower climbed into a twin-rotor H-13J and lifted off from the White House lawn—becoming the first U.S. president to fly by helicopter. Sixty-nine years later, it’s easy to forget how radical that choice was.
On February 24, 1989, United Flight 811 climbed out of Honolulu just after 2 a.m., bound for Auckland with 355 people on board. In the left seat was Captain David Cronin, 59 years old, on his second to last flight before mandatory retirement. He had 38 years of flying behind him.
NEWS: A 31-year-old New York man has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for aiming a green laser pointer at a Delta Air Lines flight as it approached Buffalo Niagara International Airport.
On February 9, 1969, at 11:34 a.m., the first Boeing 747 lifted off from Paine Field in Washington for its maiden flight. For the thousands gathered along the runway, it was an unforgettable sight. For Boeing, it was a moment that would decide the company's future.
Some people spend years chasing a dream. Hanna decided on hers at just 15 years old. That was the first time her father, Southwest Airlines Captain Svein, took her flying. One flight was all it took. From that day forward, she had one goal: To become an airline pilot—and one day fly beside her dad.
The 8 Apache helicopter pilots who were suspended after South Carolina's July 4th "Salute from the Shore" flyover have been reinstated. The Pentagon announced this morning that the suspension of all involved pilots had been lifted, effective immediately. The South Carolina National Guard confirmed it, saying its Adjutant General had returned the eight pilots to flight status to ensure "operational readiness" for state and federal missions.
We are sad to share that the aviation and space world has lost one of its great pioneers. Wally Funk, one of the legendary Mercury 13 and the oldest person to ever fly to space at the time, has died at the age of 87.