DHS Changing Rules for Screening Kids

DHS Secretary Napolitano said Tuesday that in the coming months children 12-years-old and younger will not have to take off their shoes to board airplanes, and they will get patted-down less frequently.

DHS and TSA have not said exactly how they plan to implement these new procedures. And since kid's under 16 do not usually carry ID for domestic flights, presumably the only way a TSA officer will be able to tell a child's real age is by scanning the date-of-birth on a boarding pass and quickly calculating how old the kid really is. Hopefully, this will not backfire and actually slowdown boardings.
  
TSA's current official identification policy is that only people 18-years or older have to show a photo ID to get on a domestic flight.



Source: planetdata.net

By: Progress On 00:27

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Airplane Crashes in Crockery Township (Michigan)

A private airstrip in Michigan had a non-fatal crash of a single-engine plane on Saturday (9/17). The pilot was attempting to take off when he experienced a "mechanical malfunction and lost power". He was taken to a hospital in Grand Rapids. The FAA and County Sheriff’s Department are investigating.

By: Progress On 00:23

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Alaska Airlines Bomb Scare

 

An Alaska Airlines flight landed at Oakland International Airport after "someone gave a handwritten note about a bomb aboard Flight 342 to a representative at San Francisco International Airport" reports MercuryNews.com. The plane was taken to an isolated area. Eventually, the passengers were allowed back onboard to retrieve their carry-on luggage. No explosives were found.

Source: planetdata.net

By: Progress On 00:22

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Death Toll Rises in Reno Air Show Crash

A 10th person has now died from injuries sustained in a plane crash during Friday's air show in Reno, NV. Seven were killed on the tarmac when a World War II-era P-51 crashed into the crowd leaving almost 70 others with injuries. The plane was equipped with video and data recorders that may help determined what went wrong.

Source: planetdata.net

By: Progress On 00:19

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Fincantieri Launches the “Carnival breeze” at Monfalcone Yard

At Fincantieri’s shipyard in Monfalcone there was the launch of the “Carnival Breeze”, the new flagship of Carnival Cruise Lines, a brand in Carnival Group, the world’s leading cruise operator. Delivery is scheduled for Spring 2012.

The launch was preceded by the customary “coin ceremony” to bring good luck by welding in place a silver dollar on the last deck of the ship, in keeping with an old shipbuilding tradition. Godmother to the ship was Monica Conte, a shipyard employee.

Weighing in at 130,000 gross tonnes, for a length of 306 metres with a beam of 37 the “Carnival Breeze” is the sister ship of “Carnival Dream” and “Carnival Magic” which Monfalcone shipyard delivered in 2009 and 2011 respectively.

In building the “Carnival Breeze” Fincantieri will further strengthen its leading position as builder of build the largest passenger ships in the history of Italian shipbuilding. Indeed the new vessel will have 1,845 cabins, plus 746 for the crew, for a total maximum capacity of over 6,000. A record for ships built to date for Carnival by Fincantieri.

In the next few months the “Carnival Breeze” will be fitted out to the highest standards of comfort in readiness to offer her passengers a wide range of entertainment such as bars, restaurants, theatres, shops and wellness centres. She will boast a totally new design, inspired by intriguing tropical atmospheres with warm colours and pastel shades exclusively created in Germany by Partner Ship Design for Carnival. New also is the large availability of sea view cabins with two bathrooms suitable for up to 5 guests, ideal for larger families..

Since 1990 Fincantieri has built 60 cruise ships and a further 7 ships are under construction or scheduled to be built at Fincantieri shipyards.

By: Progress On 04:36

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7 victims killed in crash at Nevada air race identified

Authorities have identified seven of the 10 people who died following a crash at an air show in Reno, Nevada, on Friday.

The list includes the pilot, 74-year-old Jimmy Leeward, who lost control of his vintage plane before it plummeted into a crowd of spectators.

Seven people, including the pilot, were killed on the tarmac, while three others died at area hospitals. Almost 70 people were injured.

The six others identified are Joseph Wogan, 22, of Arizona; George and Wendy Hewitt of Washington state; Regina Bynum, 53, of Texas; Sharon Stewart, 47, of Nevada; and Gregory Morcom, 47, from Washington state.

Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board announced Sunday that the small World War II-era plane was equipped with data and video recording devices that they hope to use to help determined what happened and why.

NTSB member Mark Rosekind described the devices, as well as the discovery of information and pieces that may have come from the devices, as "significant new information." It was also not entirely expected, given the size and nature of the P-51 aircraft.

"I'm not aware of a lot of aircraft having it, this is the first one I came across," said Howard Plagens, the NTSB official heading the investigation.

Plagens was referring to a "box" that recorded key variables such as altitude, latitude and oil pressure. In addition, there was an outward-facing video camera on the plane, according to Rosekind.

Reno Air Show victims remembered


Air show nurse: 'Injuries were horrific'
Several memory cards have been found at the wreckage site that may have come from either device and will be sent to the NTSB laboratory in Washington for a full analysis, Rosekind said. They may belong to some of the 200,000 spectators who were at the annual National Championship Air Races and Air Show.

Investigators do have a copy of the "box" data, since it was sent in real time by telemetry to sources outside the aircraft.

Besides the cards, Rosekind said, parts of a plane's tail, an "elevator trim tab" and video camera fragments have been found.

"There were thousands of pieces of debris," Plagens said, explaining how the site had been laid out in a grid system to help organize the investigation.

As with the memory cards, one of the authorities' first goals will be to determine whether these came from the plane. Countering earlier reports, Rosekind said Sunday that Leeward did not send a "Mayday call," indicating he was in distress.

Investigators have repeatedly stated that it is not known why the aircraft nosedived. Some speculation has surrounded the elevator trim tab, which was breaking apart prior to the crash, a photograph shows.

Investigators also will pore over "a tremendous (amount of) video that was captured" at the scene, according to Rosekind.

A preliminary report will be available Friday, but Rosekind has said the full investigation could take six to nine months.

"It's not just what happened, it's why it happened," he said Sunday. "(We're) trying to make sure this doesn't happen again."

Source: planetdata.net

By: Progress On 00:30

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Small plane crashes at Redlands Airport-Redlands, Calif.

Authorities say a small biplane has crashed at Southern California's Redlands Municipal Airport, injuring the pilot.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor says the crash occurred shortly before 8:50 a.m. Monday on a street in front of the airport.

Authorities say the airplane clipped a vehicle and a bystander pulled the pilot out before the wreckage burned.

City spokesman Carl Baker says the pilot was taken to a hospital for treatment of head lacerations and complaints of back pain.


Source: planetdata.net

By: Progress On 00:25

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