Aviation

Ever since the battery fires aboard the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft earlier this year, it appeared as though the Dreamliner was anything but a dream. After months of investigations, testing and modifications, Boeing and its luxury 787 Dreamliner jets appear to be finally ready for a second chance. Here’s a rundown of events from fires to flights: Photo Credit: Kentaro IEMOTO@Tokyo (Creative Commons) Dreamliner Batteries Up in Smoke After the Jan. 7, 2013 battery fire…

It always seems even more tragic when a medical helicopter crashes because it inevitably involves people who work day and night in an attempt to save lives. The Friday crash in Oklahoma that left two people dead and a third person critically injured did not involve a patient, but the pilot and a flight nurse were killed. The Eurocopter AS 350 helicopter reportedly was on its way to Watonga, Oklahoma, to pick up a patient….

Federal and local authorities are still examining the cause of a small jet that crashed in eastern Georgia shortly after 8 p.m. Wednesday (Feb. 20, 2013). It is being reported that five of those aboard were affiliated with a vein clinic in Augusta, Georgia, that also had offices in Tennessee. Among them, according to the Huffington Post, was a surgeon and members of his staff. Two pilots also reportedly were aboard that business jet. Five…

A medical helicopter crashed between a retirement center and a nursing home in Oklahoma City Friday morning, killing two people and critically injuring a third, according to media reports. The EagleMed helicopter, an AS 350, reportedly was leaving Baptist Hospital and was on its way to its home base in Watonga, Oklahoma, when it crashed about 5:45 a.m. Friday. Neighbors told the press they heard a loud explosion and immediately called 911. Smoke and flames…

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) sent a go-to team to investigate the crash of a Beech Premier IA jet that occurred Wednesday (Feb. 20, 2013) night as the pilot reportedly was attempting to land. Five people reportedly died and two others were injured as the pilot attempted a go-around at the Thomson-McDuffie Regional Airport near Augusta, Georgia. Media sources reported that the pilot of the business jet was on approach to Runway 10 when…

It has been four years since the crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407 on its way to Buffalo, New York, killing all 49 aboard and a person on the ground. The families have had to endure much pain and sorrow dealing with the tragedy and the process of getting answers. Of course, those events cannot be changed, but in an effort to do things more safely going forward, the families have been pushing for legislation…

All 787 aircraft in operation around the world, 50 of them total, have been grounded in the wake of the multiple problems with its lithium ion battery. A series of overheating batteries that run the plane’s electrical system led to a comprehensive inspection of the major systems of the high tech aircraft, a grounding of the jets in Japan, then in the U.S. and now across the world. Ray LaHood, the U.S. transportation secretary, said…

In the wake of all the problems that Chicago-based 787 Dreamliners have experienced in the past few weeks, aircraft maker Boeing announced Friday (1/18/13) that it will halt the delivery of the troubled new, high-tech jet until the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) provides guidance on how to make its batteries compliant. In a statement, a Boeing spokesman said, “We will not deliver 787s until the FAA approves a means of compliance with their recent Airworthiness…

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has proposed a rule for pilots that would ban use of electronics while working. The proposed rule would prohibit flight crew members from using a personal wireless communications device or laptop computer for personal use “while at their duty station on the flight deck while the aircraft is being operated.” As reported in the Federal Register, the rule “is intended to ensure that certain non-essential activities do not contribute to…