How the Pope Flies: Papal Planes, Shepherd One and Fighter Escorts
Share this story The President of the United States has Air Force One. The Pope, head of a state of less than half a square kilometre, has no air force, no airline and no airport. Yet he flies more than most heads of state, and when two French Rafales formed up on his...
E-4B Nightwatch: Inside America’s Doomsday Plane
Share this story Every so often, a white Boeing 747 with a hump on its back turns up at a regional airport, flies a few approaches and leaves. Local TV stations ask what it was. Most recently, News On 6 asked that question in Tulsa at the end of September. The answer...
Visual Identification: Why Fighter Pilots Needed Eyes on the Target
Share this story Modern fighters carry missiles that can hit a target they will never see. Radar finds it, a data link tracks it, and a missile covers the last 50 or 100 kilometres on its own. Yet for most of the jet age, one of the most important rules in air combat...
Rejected Take-Off Explained: What V1 Really Means for Pilots
Share this story Every airline take-off has a moment when the pilot’s choice disappears. Before it, a crew that sees a fire warning or loses an engine can pull the thrust levers back and stop on the runway. After it, the same crew must keep going and take the...
Austrian Military Pilots to Fly Airbus A320s for Austrian Airlines
Share this story Many air forces share the same problem. It spends years and a small fortune turning a young officer into a military pilot, and then an airline offers that pilot a better salary and a calmer life. Austria has decided to stop fighting the airlines and...
AMCA First Flight Set for 2028: India Names Its Stealth Fighter Deadline
Share this story India has been talking about its own stealth fighter for well over a decade. Now it has a date. Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh says the first prototype of the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) is targeted to fly in September 2028. Speaking...
Air Algérie 5017: Paris Court Convicts Swiftair 12 Years After Crash
Share this story Twelve years after Air Algérie flight 5017 fell out of the sky over northern Mali, a French court has named someone responsible. On 28 September 2026, the Paris Criminal Court found Spanish charter airline Swiftair guilty of involuntary manslaughter...
Pope Leo XIV Blesses Rafale Pilots Escorting His Air France A321
Share this story Most passengers get a window seat and a view of the wing. On Monday morning, 28 September, the passenger in the Air France A321 from Lourdes to Metz got the cockpit, a radio microphone, and two Rafales flying about 50 metres off the nose. Pope Leo XIV...
Turkish Pilots Start Eurofighter Typhoon Training at RAF Coningsby
Share this story Turkey will not receive its first Eurofighter Typhoon until 2030. Its first Typhoon pilots, however, are already in Lincolnshire. On 27 September, the Royal Air Force announced that two Turkish Air Force pilots have started conversion training with 29...
Boeing 737 MAX 10 Certification on Hold: FAA Waits on Software Fix
Share this story Boeing looked close to certifying its biggest 737. Then a software problem got in the way. On Monday, 28 September, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the agency would hold off on certifying the 737 MAX 10 until it understands a newly disclosed...
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