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A U.S. plane that featured in a European Parliament report into the 'extraordinary rendition' of terror suspects was met by two SAS helicopters in a secret operation at one of Britain's biggest airports. The Gulfstream jet landed at Birmingham International Airport on Friday, October 2, having flown in from an undisclosed location, and was seen by a member of staff being met minutes later by the Special Forces regiment aircraft. Records show that the jet is owned by a subsidiary of L-3 Communications, a multi-billion-dollar defence corporation based in New York, whose clients include several American government departments, among them...

U.S. President Barack Obama has set aside $13 billion in stimulus and budget funds for high-speed trains in America. If he wants an example of how best to use that cash, Obama might take a look at Spain’s growing high-speed network. I’ve just arrived in Madrid from Barcelona during a reporting trip. And for the first time, I chose the high-speed rail system, known locally as Ave, instead of a traditional airline connection. My verdict: The train beats air travel hands down. That certainly wasn’t always the case. It has been years since I’ve traveled between the two biggest Spanish...

Note: Photos included. SNIPPET: "ALBANY, Ind. — A single-engine plane crashed into an Indiana field on Wednesday after the pilot, who was seen slumped over, lost consciousness and the aircraft started flying out of control, officials said. Military officials do not believe the crash was terrorism-related but said the pilot may have had a health problem or have been suffering from a lack of oxygen." SNIPPET: "At Delta High School east of Muncie, a state trooper rushed in and told officials a plane could crash near the building within five minutes, said Principal Jim Koger. Officials raced to move the...

SNIPPET: "(CNSNews.com) – President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama are both traveling to Copenhagen this week to promote Chicago's bid to host to the 2016 Olympic Games--and they will be making the 3,979-mile trip on separate airplanes." SNIPPET: "As reported earlier by CNSNews.com, a Congressional Research Service (CRS) report cited two cost estimates for an hour of air travel by the president, vice president and first lady. One estimate comes from the White House Military Office, the other from the U.S. Air Force. Using the CRS cost estimates and the inflation adjuster from the Bureau of Labor Statisitcs,...

SNIPPET: "SPOKANE -- Authorities in North Idaho are reporting that sometime early Tuesday morning a small airplane was stolen from the Boundary County Airport. The Boundary County Sheriff confirms they received a report regarding the theft of a 2005 Cessna T182T aircraft around 7 AM Tuesday morning. The aircraft, with tail number N2183P, is a white and blue fixed wing single engine aircraft. It is believed the aircraft was taken from the airport around 5:45 Tuesday. They're not sure in what direction the plane was flown from the airport." SNIPPET: "Authorities are working to confirm if the theft is related...

(CAMANO ISLAND)— SNIPPET: "Experts say if 18-year-old Harris-Moore really did fly two stolen airplanes, he probably had some informal training. San Juan County sheriff believes Harris-Moore took a Cessna 182 and flew to Yakima last year, and stole a plane this month from Friday Harbor and flew to Orcas Island. The proof to link Harris-Moore with the latest flight may be found in DNA evidence recovered from the stolen plane."

MEXICO CITY -- A 44-year-old Bolivian drug addict and alcoholic who describes himself as a church minister was the sole person responsible for the brief hijacking Wednesday of a commercial jetliner, a Mexican official said. The suspect -- Josmar Flores Pereira -- told authorities he hijacked the Boeing 737 jet because the date -- September 9, 2009, or 9/9/9, and 666 reversed -- held some significance for him, said Genaro Garcia Luna, the secretary for public safety. "He said that because of that divine reference he wanted to alert Mexico City of an earthquake," Garcia told reporters. Flanked by two...

Plane, with different pilot, again flies into restricted air space over Washington, DC THE ASSOCIATED PRESS LANCASTER, Pennsylvania - A small airplane that flew into restricted air space and caused the evacuation of the White House four years ago has been involved in a similar incident. Federal officials say the 1970 Cessna 150 entered the no-fly zone Tuesday and was escorted down by two Coast Guard helicopters, according to the Lancaster New Era. The pilot's name wasn't released. The plane is owned by the Vintage Aero Club, a group based at the Smoketown Airport near Lancaster, Pennsylvania. A club spokesman...

Italian newspaper says plane crash north of Tehran which left 168 people dead was caused by explosion of fuses slated to be delivered to Lebanese organization. According to report, members of Revolutionary Guards among casualties 08.02.09 / Israel News An Iranian plane crash two weeks ago – which left 168 people dead – was caused by the explosion of sophisticated fuses slated to be delivered to Hezbollah, Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported Saturday, quoting sources in the Middle East. According to the report, the pilot of the Tupolev plane, which was making its way from Tehran to Armenia, sent...

Libyan authorities made the application on behalf of Abdel Basset al Megrahi, who was sentenced to life for blowing up a Pan Am airliner over the Scottish town of Lockerbie.

U.S. District Judge Ann Montgomery cleared the way for their lawsuit to go to August trial. They claim their rights were violated when they were removed from their flight in the Twin Cities.

SNIPPET: "Three U.S Airways planes were diverted from Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix to Yuma between 7 and 8 p.m. Monday, said Craig Williams, airport director. He added that he didn't know why the flights were diverted." SNIPPET: "United connects with Los Angeles while US Airways connects with Phoenix."

The traditional throwing of a bride's bouquet for luck ended in disaster at an Italian wedding when the flowers caused a plane to crash. The bride and groom had hired a microlight plane to fly past and throw the bouquet to a line of women guests, Corriere della Sera reported. However, the flowers were sucked into the plane's engine causing it to catch fire and explode. The aircraft plunged into a hostel. One passenger on the plane was badly hurt. But about 50 people who had been in the hostel escaped unscathed, as did the pilot.

Yemeni airliner crashes in Indian Ocean 150 people reportedly on board; fate unknown BREAKING NEWS o MORONI, Comoros - An airliner belonging to Yemeni state carrier Yemenia Air crashed in the Comoros archipelago in the Indian Ocean with 150 people on board, a senior government official said Tuesday. "We don't know if there are any survivors among the 150 people on the plane," a senior government official told Reuters.

ON TV Hitler's Stealth Fighter airs Sunday, June 28, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on the National Geographic Channel. About the show >> Top stealth-plane experts have re-created a radical, nearly forgotten Nazi aircraft: the Horten 2-29, a retro-futuristic fighter that arrived too late in World War II to make it into mass production. (See Hitler's stealth fighter in pictures.) The engineers' goal was to determine whether the so-called stealth fighter was truly radar resistant. In the process, they've uncovered new clues to just how close Nazi engineers were to unleashing a jet that some say could have changed the course...

An 83-year-old pilot was forced to land on a busy expressway Sunday morning after experiencing engine trouble. Enlarge Photo The homemade single-engine Hummelbird plane ended up on the side of the road after its wing clipped a light pole upon landing on a South Florida expressway. Top News Photos View Slideshow See amazing photos from around the globe... Ralph Squeglia, who has been flying since 1944, said he was careful to avoid moving cars as he landed the plane on a stretch of the Sawgrass Expressway, just north of Oakland Park Blvd.

Saudi Arabian Muslim Student Raed Al-Saif at Univ. of Tampa Tries To Get On Plane With 7 inch Butcher Knife in His Carry On Bag, the last name "Al-Saif" is linked to Al-Qaeda. Fifteen of the nineteen on 9/11 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia they used box cutters and small knives to take over control of the 4 airplanes on 9/11. The United States government determined that al-Qaeda, headed by Osama bin Laden, bore responsibility for the attacks, with the FBI stating "evidence linking al-Qaeda and bin Laden to the attacks of September 11 is clear and irrefutable". The Government...

Note: The following text is a quote: TSA Testimony on Progress in Improving Transportation Security Speeches & Testimony UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION ORAL STATEMENT OF GALE D. ROSSIDES ACTING ADMINISTRATOR BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION SECURITY AND INFRASTRUCTURE PROTECTION COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JUNE 10, 2009 Click here to read the written testimony on TSA's progress on improving transportation security. Good afternoon Chairwoman Jackson-Lee, Ranking Member Dent, and distinguished members of the Subcommittee. Thank you for the opportunity to testify on the President's FY 2010 budget request for the Transportation...

BRAZILIAN search aircraft late have spotted seats and part of a plane wing in the Atlantic where an Air France jet went down nearly a week ago, officials said after two bodies and other items were recovered from the area. "Plane seats, part of the wing (and) various other items (were) localised,"

DANVERS, Mass. – Maybe these bees were too tired to fly for themselves. A gang of honeybees landed on the wing of a plane used for flight school training at Beverly Airport. At first, the 10,000 or so bees swarmed over the left side of the aircraft, then landed on top of the left wing. The owner of the flight center called police, who said to call local bee removal expert Al Wilkins. Wilkins used a specially designed vacuum to suck the bees off the plane, and then relocated them to hives where they will produce honey. Wilkins guessed that...

SNIPPET: "U.S. Airways flight 4423 was supposed to leave Lynchburg for Charlotte around 2:30 p.m., Airport Director Mark Courtney said. Instead, it was delayed for nearly three hours while Transportation Security Administration workers and local law enforcement made sure it was safe to fly. Campbell County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Kevin Schmitt said a 23-year-old man was overheard on his mobile phone making the comments while he was standing in the airport lobby. “He was overheard by a TSA official making the comment that the plane wouldn’t make it to Charlotte — that it would fall out of the sky,” Schmitt...

TEHRAN, May 31 (UPI) -- An Iranian Kish Air passenger flight returned safely to Ahvaz airport after a crew member found a bomb in the plane's toilet, authorities said. The bomb was discovered late Saturday as the plane was en route to Tehran from Khuzestan province with 131 aboard, Iran's Fars news agency reported.

A man was jailed today for shining a laser at a passenger plane preparing to land. Hossein Hosseiny briefly illuminated the cockpit of the Dublin to Cardiff aircraft which was carrying 52 people on board on the evening of March 8. The pilot said the actions of the 21-year-old father-to-be from the Countisbury Avenue area of Llanrumney, Cardiff, caused a "momentary loss of concentration" during his approach to the runway due to a "dazzling green light". The incident was reported immediately by the pilot to air traffic control and Hosseiny, a failed asylum seeker from Afghanistan, was arrested soon after...

The photo of Air Force One over the Statue of Liberty is now public, and on Drudge.

<p>Was Joe Biden giving solid advice . . . or sewing the seeds of panic? Asked on Today this morning how he’d counsel family members in light of the swine flu, the Veep said he wouldn’t take a plane, a subway train, or be in any other confined space.</p>

Sen. Chuck Schumer echoed the mayor's sentiments in a separate news conference Monday afternoon, saying the Federal Aviation Administration should have notified the public to avoid panic.

2 flights canceled, but reptile expert fails to find non-venomous creaturesFour baby pythons escaped from a container aboard a passenger plane in Australia, leading to a search that forced the cancellation of two flights, the airline said Thursday. Twelve non-venomous Smitten pythons were being transported Tuesday on a flight from Alice Springs to Melbourne in the plane's cargo area in a bag inside a plastic foam box with air holes. When the flight landed, it was discovered that four snakes had escaped from the package, a Qantas spokeswoman said in a statement. A reptile expert searched for the 6-inch-long snakes...

Ever wonder what happens to airplanes after they are retired? The scrapyard is the most common place. If it is in good working order, perhaps sold over seas or to a private buyer. But a select few get transformed into personal residences, hotels, hostels, and cafes. For instance the boat-plane to the left. For some other interesting examples of transformed airplanes, click here. Links and photos on site http://nowthatsnifty.blogspot.com/2009/04/recycled-airplanes.html

FORT MYERS, Fla. – A passenger landed a twin-engine plane in Florida after the pilot died in flight with a total of six people on board. Federal Aviation Administration officials say the pilot died after takeoff from an airport in Naples on Sunday. It was on autopilot and climbing toward 10,000 feet when the pilot died. The passenger who took over is licensed for single-engine planes but isn't certified to fly the larger King Air craft. An air traffic controller helped the passanger down by calling a friend in Connecticut who knows the King Air plane and relaying instructions. The...

http://www.northlandsnewscenter.com/news/local/42563292.html SNIPPET: "A stolen airplane from Thunder Bay, Ontario that had U.S. defense Officials on high alert throughout Monday, landed on a Missouri highway." MULTIMEDIA WATCH THE VIDEO SNIPPET: "Spokespeople say a student at a flight school stole the aircraft and took off. The plane continued to fly towards Madison and that's when two F-16 fighter jets fighter intercepted the stolen Cessna"

Canadian Pilot Steals Plane; Wisconsin Capitol EvacuatedUpdated: April 6, 2009 07:19 PM EDT Two F-16 fighters were dispatched this afternoon to track a single-engine plane over Wisconsin that was believed stolen in Canada by a student pilot, authorities said. The incident caused the Wisconsin Capitol in Madison to be evacuated as a precaution. Mike Kucharek of the North American Aerospace Defense Command in Colorado says that by 5:30 p.m., the Cessna 172 was south of Madison and headed southwest. Kucharek says the plane was stolen from Thunder Bay, Ontario, about 2:30 p.m. and the pilot had been flying erratically and...

Source was anonymous e-mail so I cannot vouch for accuracy. If anyone has any knowledge I'd like to know. This brand spanking new Airbus 340-600, the largest passenger airplane ever built, sits just outside it's hangar in Toulouse, France , without a single hour of airtime on the clock.... Enter the Arab flight crew of Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies (ADAT) to conduct pre-delivery tests on the ground, such as engine run-ups prior to delivery to Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi. The ADAT crew taxied the A340-600 to the run-up area. Then they took all Four engines to takeoff power with...

Newt Gingrich, a Republican, served in the House from Georgia from 1978 and as House Minority Whip in 1989. He was Speaker of the House from 1995 to 1999. During that time he never made use of military air craft. Nancy Pelosi, Democrat from California, current Speaker of the House. The Pentagon provides the House speaker with an Air Force plane large enough to accommodate her staff, family, supporters, and members of the California delegation when she travels around the country. But, Pelosi wants routine access to a larger plane. It includes 42 business class seats, a fully-enclosed state room,...

A pilot accused of praying when he should have been taking emergency measures to avoid a crash in which 16 people died has been sentenced to 10 years in jail by an Italian court. Captain Chafik Gharby was at the controls of a plane belonging to the Tunisian charter airline Tuninter that crashed in the sea off the coast of Sicily four years ago. The 23 survivors were left swimming for their lives, some clinging to a piece of the fuselage that stayed afloat after the turbo-prop aircraft broke up on impact. Gharby was at first hailed as a hero...

Holy cow..

No info yet, breaking headline on CNN TV..

SNIPPET: "Fourteen years ago today Aum Shinrikyo released sarin gas on the Tokyo subway." SNIPPET: "A final note - Aum Shinrikyo operatives, on the order of the cult's leader, underwent flight training in Florida. There is no evidence that they made any attempts to use this training. It is just an odd, disturbing coincidence."

(Video on Site) http://www.notoriouslyconservative.com/2009/03/video-russian-fighter-jet-sukhoi-su-30.html Wikipedia: The Sukhoi Su-30 (NATO reporting name "Flanker-C") is a twin-engine military aircraft developed by Russia's Sukhoi Aviation Corporation and introduced into operational service in 1996. It is a multi-role strike fighter that can perform both air superiority and ground attack missions. The strike fighter is a two-seated, dual-role strike fighter for all-weather, air-to-air and air-to-surface deep interdiction missions; very comparable to F-15E Strike Eagle. The aircraft is a modernized version of the Su-27UB and has several variants. The Su-30K and Su-30MK series have had commercial success. The variants are manufactured by competing organizations: KNAAPO and...

Entire South African Airways crew arrested for drug smuggling - TWICE in one month By SAM GREENHILL 17th February 2009 The entire crew of a South African Airways flight has been arrested on suspicion of drug smuggling - for the second time in a month. Fifteen members of the flight crew, including the pilot, were detained yesterday at Heathrow airport after customs officers found five kilos of cocaine in a bag. They were being held by officers after the class A drug, with an estimated street value of £250,000, was discovered as the crew tried to clear customs following a...

The White House is providing a government plane for Sen. Sherrod Brown to return to the Capitol for the vote tonight and then get back to Mansfield for his mother's funeral in the morning. Today's visitation ends at 8 p.m. There were no commercial flights available that could accommodate the Senate's schedule and Brown's obligations to be with his family and honor his mother, officials said. The trip is considered official business. Assuming that Republicans will vote no differently from last time, it will take every available Democratic senator tonight to win final passage of the $789 billion economic stimulus...

Minutes before Continental Flight 3407 plummeted to the ground killing all on board the pilots noticed a build up of ice on the plane's wings and windshield, an official said Friday. The plane was on its approach to Buffalo airport, New York state, when the crew spotted the problem, according to recordings taken earlier Friday from the aircraft's black boxes after the crash left 50 dead. "The crew discussed significant ice buildup, ice on the windshield and leading edge of the wings," Steve Chealander, an official with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), told a press conference. "The crew briefed...

(Video on Site) http://www.notoriouslyconservative.com/2009/02/video-god-bless-military-10-thunderbolt.html The A-10 Thunderbolt II is an American single-seat, twin-engine, straight-wing jet aircraft developed by Fairchild-Republic for the United States Air Force to provide close air support (CAS) of ground forces by attacking tanks, armored vehicles, and other ground targets, with a limited air interdiction capability. It is the first U.S. Air Force aircraft designed exclusively for close air support. The A-10's official name comes from the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt of World War II, a fighter that was particularly effective at close air support. However, the A-10 is more commonly known by its nickname "Warthog" or simply...

There is news that the plane had some problems a few days before it landed safely on the Hudson River in NYC. This article looks at the background events and some of the breaking news on this development.

Planes can float, but the US Airways Airbus A-320 that crashed into the Hudson River Thursday had a better chance than most. That's because it was equipped with a special device unique to Airbus planes that increased the likelihood it would stay on top of the water. The device, called a "ditching switch," effectively seals the plane by closing valves and ventilation ports, a spokesman for the airline said.

Amazing raw video from various surveillance cameras of the US Airways Flight 1549 crash landing into the Hudson Riveron January 15, 2009. All 155 passengers aboard the plane survived in what is being called "Miracle on the Hudson."

There is a lot of discussion tonight about the plane that made an emergency landing in the Hudson River, but so far I haven't heard anyone talk about the fact that it essentially took the same route it would have if it had intended to crash into the Empire State Building. Anyone have any thoughts about this? ML/NJ

Nine Muslim passengers were kicked off a flight from Washington, D.C., to Florida after other passengers reported hearing a suspicious remark about airplane security. AirTran Airways spokesman Tad Hutcheson called the incident on the New Year's Day flight from Reagan National Airport to Orlando, Fla., a misunderstanding, but defended the company's response. He said the airline followed federal rules and did nothing wrong. One of the Muslim passengers, Kashif Irfan, told The Washington Post the confusion began when his brother was talking about the safest place to sit on an airplane. "My brother and his wife were discussing some aspect...

Officials ordered nine Muslim passengers, including three young children, off an AirTran flight headed to Orlando from Reagan National Airport yesterday afternoon after two other passengers overheard what they thought was a suspicious remark. Members of the party, all but one of them U.S.-born citizens who were headed to a religious retreat in Florida, were subsequently cleared for travel by FBI agents who characterized the incident as a misunderstanding, an airport official said. But the passengers said AirTran refused to rebook them, and they had to pay for seats on another carrier secured with help from the FBI. Kashif Irfan,...

A Britten-Norman Trislander, the kind of small aircraft that disappeared off the Dominican Republic Monday with 12 on board. A small Caribbean airplane that vanished into thin air Monday was allegedly stolen by a fired Dominican Navy cadet who may have been trying to carry illegal immigrants to America, the plane’s owner told FOXNews.com. Luis Perez, the Puerto Rico-based owner of the aircraft charter company, said his twin-engine plane was stolen by an unlicensed pilot named Adrian Jimenez. Authorities told him Jimenez was a student of the Dominican Republic Armed Forces and a former Navy cadet. “They took his pilot’s...

Asha Ali Abdille was remanded in custody to a pre-trial conference in the High Court at Christchurch on February 13, when the trial date may be set. The 34-year-old Somali woman, faces a charge of hijacking, taking an offensive weapon onto an aircraft, and four charges of wounding or injuring with reckless disregard for safety. When the armed offenders squad members escorted Abdille away from the plane they handcuffed her and made her kneel down. They found a knife in her shoe ... Detective Donald Rayne, said he first noticed a trail of blood from the steps of the plane...