Free Republic

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) told Fox News’s Dan Bongino he is forcing a vote in the next two weeks to end mask mandates on planes, noting leftist leaders are only suddenly lifting restrictions due to souring opinions, as “the science isn’t changing, but the polls sure are.” “But the interesting thing is that the Democrat governors are finally giving up on some of this stuff. Even D.C., the most Democrat city in the entire country, the mayor put on vaccine passports two weeks ago, put businesses — put restaurants out of business. Well, she’s already relinquished it,” Paul said.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday formally rejected a request to block the federal mask mandate for air travel. A father of an autistic child, Michael Seklecki, filed the emergency application, asserting that he and his child are not able to wear a mask. Lucas Wall also joined the lawsuit, claiming that he has been unable to fly because he is medically unable to wear a mask as well. The request, filed to Justice Neil Gorsuch, was denied by the justices with no further comment.

The leading medical adviser to a group representing nearly 300 airlines said in a new interview that aircraft passengers are two or three times more likely to be infected with COVID-19 on a flight since the emergence of the omicron variant. "Whatever the risk was with delta, we would have to assume the risk would be two to three times greater with omicron, just as we’ve seen in other environments," Dr. David Powell, physician and medical adviser to the International Air Transport Association, told Bloomberg News. He added that "it’s just that the relative risk has probably increased, just as...

A worker at the Mazar-e-Sharif airport confirmed several aircraft he believes were chartered by the U.S. are parked at the airport. Taliban have prevented them from leaving, saying they wanted to check the documents of those on board, many of whom do not have passports or visas. The airport official did not want to be identified because of the sensitivity of the subject. McCaul, speaking on “Fox News Sunday,” says the Taliban have made demands. He gave no specifics but said he’s worried “They’re going to demand more and more, whether it be cash or legitimacy as the government of...

Boaters on Lake Bemidji hindered efforts to fight a nearby wildfire Tuesday, the Beltrami County Sheriff's Office said. A wildfire sparked before 4 p.m. Tuesday in Eckles Township, prompting a precautionary evacuation of people in the area at about 4:45 p.m., Beltrami County Emergency Management said. Firefighting crews tackled the 75-acre blaze on the ground and from the air via air tankers and helicopters. But those interested in watching what was going on made it difficult for the airplanes to collect water from Lake Bemidji. At about 6 p.m., the Beltrami County Sheriff's Office posted on Facebook asking people to...

The Quiet SuperSonic Technology aircraft is America's newest experimental plane. A time-lapse video released by NASA in early 2020 shows the progress of the X-59, which has been referred to as the X-59 Supersonic Frankenstein. It’s assembly is using scavenged parts from iconic aircraft such as the F-16 Fighting Falcon, the NASA T-38 Talon, and the Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk.

A state lawmaker in Alaska and six others were killed on Friday morning after two planes collided mid-air in the city of Soldotna. State Rep. Gary Knopp (R), 67, was the sole occupant of a Piper PA-12 when it collided with a single-engine de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver around 8:30 a.m. local time near the Soldotna Airport, The Anchorage Daily News reported. Six people were confirmed dead at the scene except for one person who succumbed to injuries while being transported to a hospital, according to the Alaska Department of Public Safety. The other plane is designed with pontoons to make...

The taking of trophies and the building of memorials to mark military victories has been common throughout the history of warfare. The English word “trophy” is derived from the ancient Greek tropaion, which was a display of captured weapons, armor and standards commemorating the defeat of an enemy.

Japan shed a little bit of history this week as the last of the country’s RF-4E/J Phantom II reconnaissance jets, part of a fleet that has served for more than 50 years, flew for the last time. The last six recon Phantoms flew for the last time on March 9, and the country will retire its entire Phantom fleet by the end of the year. Meanwhile, Tokyo is pursuing the development of a new fighter jet it will design with help from the U.S.. The six jets, part of the 501 Hikotai squadron, were RF-4 photoreconnaissance variants of the iconic...

BALTIMORE (AP) — The city of Baltimore will be monitored by surveillance airplanes for up to six months next year under a pilot program announced Friday that is aimed at helping law enforcement investigate violent crime and that will effectively restart a tactic secretively used three years ago. The flights, which civil liberties groups oppose, will start in May and gather footage during the hours when the city experiences high rates of crime. The announcement marks a reversal for Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison, who previously expressed skepticism over the use of the planes and described the idea as an...

Britons fighting for militant groups in Syria are being targeted to smuggle explosives on to Western airliners and become suicide bombers as Al Qaeda plan a spectacular attack over a major city, intelligence officials warn. The Pakistan-based, Iranian-backed Khorasan group linked to Al Qaeda is said to have sent members to 'embed' with affiliated terror groups to identify British, European and United States passport holders who could slip through security and carry a bomb on to a plane.

As the anti-flying movement known as “flight shaming” is gaining momentum across Europe, Switzerland is adding new train services to some of its international routes. The TGV company Lyria, which is owned jointly by the Swiss Federal Railways and France’s SNCF, is adding trains to its high-speed link between major Swiss cities and Paris. Beginning on December 15th, 30% more connections will be offered to the French capital from Geneva, Zürich, Lausanne and Basel. That means an increase from the currently available 13,500 seats daily to 18,000 by the end of 2020. The goal of the expanded service is to...

In this video, join me for a stay at the iconic TWA Hotel and explore all the amazing features in this AvGeek friendly hotel. It has some of the coolest aviation feature include the best JFK airport spotting location. TWA Hotel is a hotel at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York that opened on May 15, 2019. It utilizes the headhouse of the TWA Flight Center airline terminal, designed in 1962 by the architect Eero Saarinen.

On a barren hillside in northern Albania lies a portal to the country's communist past: a massive steel door creaks open to reveal a hidden former air base burrowed into the heart of the mountain. Made up of 600 metres (1,980 feet) of tunnels that once teemed with military life, the secret Gjader air base is now a depot for dozens of hulking communist-era MiG jets collecting dust in the darkness. Three decades after shedding communism, Albanian authorities are still trying to sell off the Soviet and Chinese-made aircraft, of which there are dozens more in another nearby air base.

During flight simulations recreating the problems with the doomed Lion Air plane, pilots discovered that they had less than 40 seconds to override an automated system on Boeing’s new jets and avert disaster. The pilots tested a crisis situation similar to what investigators suspect went wrong in the Lion Air crash in Indonesia last fall. In the tests, a single sensor failed, triggering software designed to help prevent a stall.

About 20 tons of gold from Venezuela's central bank was ready to be hauled away Tuesday on a Russian airline's Boeing 777 that landed in Caracas a day earlier, a Venezuelan lawmaker wrote on Twitter.

A pilot escaped injury after his vintage single-engine plane crashed and burst into flames on a southern California freeway on Tuesday, authorities said. The North American AT-6 was painted with second-world-war-era German air force markings, said Chris Rushing, president of Condor Squadron. The plane belonged to the group, which performs mock dogfights for air shows and flies in formation over parades, memorial services and events commemorating veterans, Rushing said. The plane struck the center divider of US 101 and the pilot, the only occupant, was safely removed before flames consumed much of the aircraft, the Los Angeles county fire department...

British Airways Flight 5390 was a scheduled passenger flight operated by British Airways between Birmingham Airport in England and Málaga Airport in Spain on 10th June, 1990.

Boeing will buy a controlling stake in the commercial aircraft arm of Brazilian planemaker Embraer SA under a new $4.75billion joint venture. Both companies made the announcement on Thursday, cementing a global passenger jet duopoly. The new company, encompassing Embraer's commercial aircraft and services businesses, should make Boeing the market leader for smaller passenger jets, creating stiffer competition for the CSeries aircraft program designed by Canada's Bombardier Inc and backed by European rival Airbus SE. The deal values Embraer's commercial aircraft operations, the world's third-largest, at $4.75billion and Boeing's 80-per cent ownership stake in the joint venture at $3.8billion, the...

Morris and his wife Esther went to the state fair every year and every year Morris would say, "Esther, I'd like to ride in that airplane." Esther always replied, "I know Morris, but that airplane ride costs 50 dollars, and 50 dollars is 50 dollars." One year Morris and Esther went to the fair and Morris said, "Esther, I'm 85 years old. If I don't ride that airplane I might never get another chance." Esther replied, "Morris, that airplane ride costs 50 dollars, and 50 dollars is 50 dollars." The pilot overheard them and said, "Folks, I'll make you a...