leadnews

With six crashes in the last six weeks killing close to 500 people, the loss of life in airliners worldwide this year already is greater than it was for all of 2004 (which was the safest in recent record). But of those six accidents, only one — the Air France Airbus A340 that skidded off […]

Boeing 737 Down In Indonesia A Boeing 737-200 flown by Mandala Airlines crashed shortly after takeoff Monday on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, killing at least 150 people, including 47 on the ground. Fifteen people seated in the rear of the airplane escaped through a hole in the fuselage and survived. “The plane had actually […]

When it’s your own 79-year-old grandmother who’s in need, then neither floods nor bureaucrats nor even a TFR can stop you from trying to help. So it was for Derek Lott, a CFI living in Crestview, Fla., when he heard that his grandmother in Picayune, Miss., was weakening every day without her heart medication. He […]

“The impetus for this was, we were watching the storm coverage on TV, and we saw the need, and we knew we could help.” The ad hoc group “Operation Brother’s Keeper,” based in Atlanta, grew from an effort to provide empty vacation rentals as free temporary shelter to evacuees along with free air transportation. Now […]

Angel Flight Pilots Reunite Families “People just don’t realize the magnitude of this,” Angel Flight America (AFA) spokesman Steve Patterson told AVweb on Tuesday. “This is not just about New Orleans — this involves the whole south-central Gulf Coast.” AFA is working to coordinate the efforts of hundreds of volunteer pilots across the country who […]

The airspace around New Orleans and the Gulf coast is complicated, crowded and no place for aircraft that don’t have a role in the relief effort. That’s the clear message being sent by the federal government as the evacuation, rescue and resupply missions escalate. There are new TFRs up for New Orleans and the Mississippi […]

Of course, without the planes, the airlift would be impossible and the Air Transport Association gets the credit for organizing the aircraft. Member airlines, many of them on the ropes financially, have pitched in with only vague assurances that some of their costs, such as fuel, might be covered. Crews are flying voluntarily and company […]

Largest-Ever Airlift Under Way It’s being billed as the largest airlift in U.S. history and it’s bringing relief to tens of thousands of Hurricane Katrina’s victims. Operation Air Care swung into high gear over the weekend, with dozens of commercial airliners, flying VFR, bringing tons of food, clothing, medical supplies and other necessities to storm-ravaged […]

Although the situation at the smaller airports is likely different, volunteer pilots who show up without a game plan in Baton Rouge are likely to be disappointed. Marino said a lot of well-meaning volunteers who arrived unannounced have left in frustration. “You see these people coming in with the best of intentions just stopped cold,” […]