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Interviews and observations from the Great British Fly-In at the Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum celebrating the 100th anniversary of Great Britain’s Royal Air Force. Also, a review of Li-ion thermal runaway containment products for use on airplanes, Sun ‘n Fun, a deal to resolve the subsidy dispute between some U.S. and Gulf airlines, the F-35 reaches a developmental test flight milestone, Allegiant Air is criticized in a CBS investigation, a standoff missile makes its operational debut, and 787 Dreamliners with the Trent 1000 Package C engines get a reduced ETOPS rating.

The Great British Fly-In Celebrates the Royal Air Force Anniversary. Photo by David Vanderhoof.
Aviation News
U.S., United Arab Emirates near deal to solve airline subsidy spat, sources say
Reportedly, discussions are progressing that would resolve the subsidy dispute between some U.S. airlines and those in the Middle East. Emirates and Etihad Airways would make their accounting books available and would assert that they have no current plans to add additional flights to the United States.
F-35 completes most comprehensive flight test program in aviation history
The F-35 Joint Program Office says the program “has accomplished the final developmental test flight of the System Development and Demonstration (SDD) phase of the program.” The program operated for more than 11, conducting more than 9,200 sorties, accumulating over 17,000 flight hours, and executing more than 65,000 test points to verify the design, durability, software, sensors, weapons capability and performance for all three F-35 variants.
Allegiant Air: The budget airline flying under the radar (60 Minutes report)
Is Allegiant Air Safe? ’60 Minutes Probes Airline’s Safety Record
During its 60 Minutes television program, CBS presented their findings after a 7-month investigation of Allegiant Air. They call the airline the “most dangerous” airline in the U.S. and found “serious mechanical incidents, including mid-air engine failures, smoke and fumes in the cabin, rapid descents, flight control malfunctions, hydraulic leaks and aborted take-offs.” Allegiant issued a statement calling the report “grossly misleading.”
The JASSM-ER: A look at Lockheed Martin’s new missiles used in Syria
Here Are All The Details The Pentagon Just Released Regarding Its Missile Attack On Syria
The United States and its French and British allies launched strikes against Syrian government facilities supporting chemical weapons. Striking the Barzah Research Center in Damascus were 57 Tomahawk Land Attack Cruise Missiles (TLAM) and 19 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range (JASSM-ER) missiles.
Video: JASSM Reliability
The Great British Fly-In Celebrates the Royal Air Force Anniversary
David attended The Great British Fly-In at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, April 15, 2018. The event was conducted in partnership with Great Britain’s Royal Air Force (RAF) as part of the 100th-anniversary celebration of the RAF, the oldest air force in the world. The event featured many former RAF and other military aircraft, flown in for one day only.
Interviews [with approximate start times]:
- Assistant Air Attache Steve Richards [36:39]
- Doug Burkey from WideWings.net [41:47]
- RAF Flight Lt Sarah Cole [44:38]
- Dr. Peter Jakab, chief curator of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. [50:50]

Photo by David Vanderhoof.
Thermal Runaway Containment Products
Listener Nick undertook a study of products that are designed to contain the Li-on batteries in personal electronic devices when they experience thermal runaway on aircraft. Nick looked at the available products from:
- Aircare
- AvSax
- Baker Aviation
- Brimstone Fire Protection
- CellBlock Fire Containment Systems
- Fire Containment Concepts
- Flight Fire Containment Systems
- Highwater Innovations
- Newtex
Sun ‘n Fun Report
Airplane Geeks Reporter-at-Large Launchpad Marzari reports from Sun ‘n Fun 2018 with a quick pilot report and an interview with Chief Foreign Officer Charles Villanida. GoArmy.com.
Mentioned
Air Force One: The Aircraft of the Modern U.S. Presidency [Amazon.com link]
FAA limits flights by Boeing 787 Dreamliners with Rolls-Royce engine problems
Credit
Outtro by Bruno Misonne from The Sound of Flaps.