Tag Archives: F-14

893 Airbus A220

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AirAsia places a large A220 order, a Frontier jet collides with a pedestrian, Boeing hopes for a mega-deal in China, power banks in the cabin are in the cross-hairs, the Senate hopes to save the last three Tomcats, and FedEx plans to return MD-11s to service. Also, preliminary information about AvCon 2027, upcoming airshows and fly-ins, and a detailed explanation of weight and balance for airliners.

Aviation News

Air Asia orders for 150 A220s, giving program a big boost; launches high density version

AirAsia becomes the launch customer for a 160 PAX high-density version of the Airbus A220 currently under development. The order from the Malaysian LCC brings total A220 orders to more than 1,000. Airbus wants to increase the production rate to 14 per month, and this order will help. Deliveries could begin in late 2027 or early 2028.

Rendering of Airbus A220 with AirAsia livery in flight.
Credit: Airbus

Tony Fernandes, Chief Executive Officer of Capital A (the holding company of AirAsia), said “My philosophy has been built on a very strong network. Two of the driving factors of AirAsia’s network are that 60% of our routes are routes that were never done before. We go into secondary and tertiary cities. And the second underlying principle of what we do is frequency. So, obviously, we’ve bought a lot of A321s, which have 244 seats. Not every route pairing could fill 244 seats.”

Person who jumped perimeter fence is hit and killed by Frontier plane during takeoff on Denver runway, airport says

A person crossed the perimeter fence and a runway at Denver International Airport and was subsequently struck and killed by a departing Frontier Airlines plane, Flight 4345. The flight was aborted, and a brief engine fire was extinguished. Twelve people reported minor injuries in the evacuation, and five were taken to local hospitals.

Potential 600-aircraft Boeing mega-order from China hinges on Trump-Xi summit

President Donald Trump’s business delegation is visiting China, and Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg is reportedly attending. Thirteen Chinese domestic carriers operate 97 737 MAX aircraft, and Boeing is hopeful that with Trump’s help, as many as 500 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft and about 100 widebody jets can be ordered. In April 2026, Ortberg said, “Without the administration’s support, I don’t think we’ll see any near-term large orders out of China. It really is something that would be tied to the effort from the administration.”

The CAAC does not simply rubber-stamp Western approvals. It runs a parallel, sovereign certification process based on the Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement (BASA) signed by the US and China in 2005, with the operational details specified in the Implementation Procedures for Airworthiness (IPA).

Airlines Are Cracking Down on Portable Power Banks

According to ICAO, power banks caused more reported airplane fires and thermal runaway incidents than any other lithium-battery device in 2025. FAA data shows that airlines reported lithium battery events involving fire, smoke, or extreme heat nearly twice a week on average in 2025. Airlines ban power banks in checked luggage and are now implementing new rules for these devices brought on board.

‘Maverick Act’ saves last 3 F-14 Tomcats from destruction

The US Navy has just three remaining F-14D Tomcats. The aircraft were retired in 2006, but the U.S. Senate wants to ensure that those three jets survive and maybe even fly. S. 4161, the Maverick Act, passed by the Senate but not yet enacted, authorizes the Secretary of the Navy to transfer the three F-14D Tomcats to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center Commission in Huntsville, Alabama. The Commission could put the aircraft on display or operate them at “an airshow … or a commemorative event to preserve United States naval aviation heritage.”

FedEx’s MD-11 comeback to start with short cargo flight to Miami

FedEx hopes to repair and return to service 29 grounded MD-11 freighter aircraft. The company proposes to send technicians to 16 locations worldwide, where they will remove the engine pylons and transport them to maintenance facilities in Indianapolis and Memphis. There, Boeing redesigned bearings will be installed, and the pylons will be returned to the aircraft. MD-11 operations were halted after the November 4, 2025, crash of UPS Flight 2976 in Louisville, Kentucky.

See: FAA Ends MD-11 Grounding After Boeing Review

Mentioned

AvCon is billed as “The world’s only convention built for aviation fans by aviation creators.” The organizers say,  “Based on the success of 2026, we’ve extended this – so for THREE amazing days, we’re taking over the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Orlando, Florida for panels, merch, meet-ups, and good old-fashioned AvGeek fun. Whether you’re a YouTube fan, private pilot, model collector, or airline loyalty nerd — join us aboard.” May 21, 21 & 22 2027” [sic]. Hyatt Regency, Orlando International Airport (MCO)

Stories about Flying: When a Standard Instrument Departure Becomes Hazardous to Your Professional Health. A routine instrument departure turns into a career-defining moment when poor cockpit communication and rushed decisions lead to a serious ATC deviation. In this episode, Rob Mark shares how one flight exposed the dangers of weak Crew Resource Management—and the hard lesson that remaining silent can be just as risky as making the wrong call.

The Great State of Maine Airshow, July 11 and 12, 2026, at Brunswick Executive Airport (former Brunswick Naval Air Station) and featuring the Blue Angels, the F-35 Demo Team, and the C-17 Demo Team.

The 29th Annual Spurwink Farm Pancake Breakfast and Fly-In, Sunday, July 12, 2026, at 8:00 AM – 11:30 AM.

Why Insurance Breaks The Uber-In-The-Air Fantasy

Video: United — Safety in Motion

Video: A Hundred Years of Safety – Delta’s 2025 Centennial Safety Video

Hosts this Episode

Max Flight, our Main(e) Man Micah, and Rob Mark.

754 Ward Carroll Replay

Ward Carroll headshot.

A replay of our conversation with Ward Carroll from Episode 680, published on November 24, 2021. 

Ward is a former F-14 Naval Aviator who spent 20 years as an F-14 Radar Intercept Officer. He is the author of the bestselling Punk trilogy about life in an F-14 squadron. Punk’s Fight, Punk’s War, and Punk’s Wing are widely considered to be realistic portrayals of naval aviators in the context of a techno-thriller.

Find Ward on his YouTube channel. The Punk’s books are available on Amazon.com and on the U.S. Naval Institute website.

Hosts

Max Flight, David Vanderhoof, Max Trescott, Rob Mark, and our Main(e) Man Micah.

704 The Supersonic B-1 BONE

The fascinating development and operational history of the B-1 BONE bomber, certifying the last models of the 737 Max, the Air Force Next Generation Air Dominance fighter (NGAD), Germany selects its heavy-lift helicopter, piloting an A330 while sleeping, prison time for an unruly passenger, and staff shortages impact service at European airports

Guest

Kenneth P. Katz recently published his book titled The Supersonic BONE: A Development and Operational History of the B-1 Bomber. Highly researched with rich technical data and photographs, the book describes the fascinating history of the B-1 BONE, which turned out to be a very different aircraft from what it was originally intended to be.

Ken explains how changing military technology and strategy, political imperatives, and the evolving nature of external threats all impacted U.S. bomber strategy. The B-1A was transformed into the B-1B with 100 copies built and is still in service.

Where to buy The Supersonic BONE:

Ken is a long-time airplane geek. He was educated in aerospace engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Michigan. Ken has over three decades of experience as a US Air Force officer, flight test engineer, and project manager, and is currently employed as a staff project engineer for a major aerospace contractor. 

Ken has a commercial pilot certificate with instrument rating, and flight experience as an observer and crewmember in over 20 types of military aircraft. He’s a senior member of the Society of Flight Test Engineers.

Aviation News

Inside the Convoluted Politics of Certifying the Last 737 Max Models

If the last two 737 Max derivatives (the Max 10 and Max 7) aren’t certified by the end of 2022, Boeing will have a significant problem with the cockpits on those airplanes. Section 116 of the Aircraft Certification, Safety, and Accountability Act [PDF] signed in December 2020 prohibits the certification of any transport category aircraft that lacks “a flight crew alerting system that, at a minimum, displays and differentiates among warnings, cautions, and advisories, and includes functions to assist the flight crew in prioritizing corrective actions and responding to systems failures…” and “…any system safety assessment with respect to the Boeing 737-7, 737-8, 737-9, and 737-10 airplanes… is conducted in accordance with [this requirement].

The Air Force’s secret next-gen fighter has reached development phase

The Air Force Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter is shaping up as more than just one airplane. It’s a family of systems that include new weapons, sensors, and drones that operate with the new fighter. The highly classified 6th generation fighter is now confirmed to be in the development phase.

German Heavy-Lift Helicopter Program Selects Chinook

Germany is expected to purchase up to 60 Boeing CH-47F Chinook helicopters in a deal valued at about €4 billion ($4.3 billion). These will replace the current Sikorsky CH-53G helicopter fleet. Delivery reportedly takes place between 2023 and 2029 although the agreement has not yet been finalized.

Both Pilots Flew the Airbus A330 Asleep

This past May, pilots on an ITA Airways A330-200 failed to maintain ATC communication for about 10 minutes as they allegedly slept at cruise altitude. The plane was operated by autopilot at the time. The first officer was at “controlled rest.” Italian media reports that the captain was dismissed, but he says he was not sleeping and there was a radio communication failure.

Woman Who Knocked Out Southwest Airlines Teeth Ends Up With 15 Month Prison Sentence

The woman who assaulted a Southwest Airlines flight attendant in May 2021 has been sentenced to 15 months in prison and to pay $25,981.57 in restitution and a $7,500 fine.

Expert says ministers must declare EMERGENCY and draft in army for at least six months to solve holiday hell

British airports claim they have 40,000 job vacancies. Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary said that “defence personnel with experience providing security” should be called in for “three to four months” to with the travel disruption that has resulted. Author, media personality, and aviation expert Julian Bray thinks military personnel may be required for six months.

See also:

Mentioned

Innovations in Flight – Outdoor Aviation Display at the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum June 18, 2022, 10:00 am to 3:00 pm at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia.

Into Flight Once More –  Brings the history of June 6, 1944, to the present through the lens of one squadron and their epic recreation journey across the North Atlantic to Normandy for the 75th Anniversary of D-Day.

In 1994, Lt. Carey Lohrenz, U.S. Navy, retired, became one of the first women to fly the F-14 Tomcat… This is a story that has had generational impact and continues to inspire women in the armed forces and beyond: Video: Flying an F-14 ‘I Can’t Believe It Was Legal’

Accurate Ranging Perception for Assisted and Automated Driving

This report by Sam Abuelsamid provides an overview of the assistive and automated driving technology landscape including the steps these systems take and how distance and trajectory are measured by various sensor types.

Hosts this Episode

Max Flight, Rob Mark, David Vanderhoof, and Max Trescott.

680 F-14 Tomcat

A former F-14 Naval Aviator communicates the military aviation experience through his novels, videos, and writing. In the news, the Rolls-Royce all-electric airplane appears to have set three world records, an F-35B crash, flight attendant bonuses for the holiday travel season, flying under the influence, and an open rotor engine demonstrator program. Plus, an Across the Pond segment.

Guest

Ward Carroll, F-14 Tomcat Naval Aviator

Ward Carroll is a former F-14 Naval Aviator who spent 20 years as an F-14 Radar Intercept Officer. He is the author of the bestselling Punk trilogy about life in an F-14 squadron. Punk’s Fight, Punk’s War, and the new Punk’s Wing are widely considered to be realistic portrayals of naval aviators in the context of a techno-thriller.

In his novels, Ward creates characters that are recognizable as representatives of real people doing real jobs. As an example, through his female character, Ward confronts the issues surrounding the integration of women into the Tomcat community.

Ward’s YouTube channel has grown to be very popular and gets much of his focus these days. He talks, as he says, about “airplanes, music, and writing . . . but mostly airplanes.”

In our aviation news segment, Ward shares the perspectives of a Naval Aviator as we discuss the recent F-35B crash after takeoff from a British aircraft carrier.

Outside the Navy, Ward has extensive experience as a military journalist. He was editor of Military.com and Approach magazine, and writes for the US Naval Institute. Besides his passion for aviation, Ward is a lover of music and plays in the band MiLES FRoM CLEVeR.

Find Ward at his YouTube channel. The Punk’s books are available on Amazon.com and on the U.S. Naval Institute website.

Video: The Real Truth About F-14 Tomcats and the Achille Lauro Hijacking

Mentioned: C.W. Lemoine’s YouTube Channel

Aviation News

Rolls-Royce says its all-electric aircraft ‘is world’s fastest’

In test runs, the Rolls-Royce “Spirit of Innovation” electric airplane has flown 387.4 mph (623 km/h). The company believes they have set three all-electric world records and await verification from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI): top speed over 3 km of 345.4 mph, top speed over 15 km of 330 mph, and time to climb to 3,000 meters of 202 seconds.

Video: Rolls-Royce | Spirit of Innovation – the world’s fastest all-electric aircraft

The ‘Spirit of Innovation’ is part of the ACCEL (Accelerating the Electrification of Flight) project and is based on the Nemesis NXT airframe.

F-35 From The Carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth Has Crashed Into The Sea

The pilot safely ejected from the F-35B (the STOVL version) in the eastern Mediterranean shortly after takeoff from the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth. See: Probe after British F-35 fighter crashes in Mediterranean.

Other F-35 crashes:

JetBlue dangles $1,000 attendance bonuses for flight attendants ahead of holiday rush

According to a company memo, JetBlue Airways flight attendants could earn a $1,000 attendance bonus if they don’t call out through early January. Meanwhile, if they meet attendance goals, Southwest Airlines will provide flight attendants and some other operations employees 120,000 points in the airline’s frequent flyer program. American Airlines flight attendants can earn pay bonuses for peak holiday trips as well as for meeting attendance goals through early next year. $1,000 bonuses are available to other staff and regional airline subsidiaries.

A 63-year-old United Airlines pilot was arrested after being found four times over the legal limit. After drinking whiskey at a Glasgow pub during a 2019 layover, the man became fall-over drunk. A concerned member of the public tipped off the airline with a Tweet. The pilot was sentenced to 10 months in jail.

RISE Tech Plan Could Feed CFM Leap-1 Upgrades Through 2020s

GE Aviation and Safran launched the Revolutionary Innovations for Sustainable Engines (RISE)  initiative in 2021. This open-fan demonstrator program anticipates a mid-2030s application. It could also feed technologies to the LEAP-1 turbofan engine. The open rotor design features a second stage of fixed variable pitch stators, a fan-drive gear system, a compact high-pressure core for increased thermodynamic efficiency, waste exhaust heat used to preheat combustion air, and ceramic matrix composites in the hot section.

Across the Pond

Aviation from the European perspective with Pieter Johnson.

Two Vickers Varsity T Mk 1 aircraft – Copyright BAE Systems and Ron Smith

Trusted Traveler Programs

Our Main(e) Man Micah recently wrote a piece for Johnny Jet explaining the five Trusted Traveler Programs available in the USA through Homeland Security, and an announcement about NEXUS appointments:

Hosts this episode: Max Flight, David Vanderhoof, Max Trescott, Rob Mark, and our Main(e) Man Micah.