An airline passenger opened an emergency exit and took a leap down the inflatable shoot as the plane prepared for takeoff. Why? He claims he simply wanted to check that all the safety systems were working probably.
Sealing his reputation as an enigmatic weird kinda guy, the passenger then legged it away from the plane and scaled a perimeter fence before police finally caught up with him.
A lone grasshopper never before seen in the UK arrived on a flight into Stansted Airport last week.
The so-called painted grasshopper (Poeklocerus pictus) arrived from India, where it is known as crop-munching pest.
The 6cm-long insect sports bright blue and yellow colours to warn potential predators that it is not all that tasty a treat.
The specimen was identified by the Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera).
"This insect is an economic pest in Pakistan and India where it is reported damaging a number of food plants including aubergine, citrus, cucurbits, potatoes and tomatoes," Dr Malumphy said
I bet this thing didn't have to endure security checks like us poor humans do, also how long will it have to live here until it's entitled to benefits?A lone grasshopper never before seen in the UK arrived on a flight into Stansted... more
Once we put Halloween behind us, everyone will move onto the next big holiday which is typically also one of the most traveled of the year.
If you'd like the heads-up on which airlines are making the greatest greenest strides, then please take a look at this article.
Since purchasing an airline ticket requires a sizable investment, it's always nice to support companies that are doing far more for the world than just collecting their ka-ching.
If you have the inside scoop on any other airlines that are flying greener skies, please share your insight below -- thanks!Once we put Halloween behind us, everyone will move onto the next big holiday which is... more
Continental Airlines and the Port Authority of NJ held a Special Olympics Plane Pull last month. A good day was had by all with fun for the entire family with all proceeds going to the New Jersey Special Olympics. Teams of 20 competed to pull a Boeing 737 weighing over 93,000 lbs. on the Continental Airlines tarmac at Newark Airport!Continental Airlines and the Port Authority of NJ held a Special Olympics Plane Pull... more
If you’re sitting next to someone on a plane who irritates you, try doing this:
1. Quietly and calmly open up your laptop case.
2. Remove your laptop.
3. Start it up.
4. Make sure the fellow traveller who is annoying you can see the screen.
5. Close your eyes and tilt your head up to the sky and move your lips like you are praying.
6. Then click here.
(read it on the site for the ability to click there)If you’re sitting next to someone on a plane who irritates you, try doing this:... more
A control tower recording captured an air traffic controller bantering about a dead cat with a giggling female friend as a small plane flew toward a collision with a helicopter.A control tower recording captured an air traffic controller bantering about a dead... more
Pet Airways has begun its service between five major cities – New York, Washington, Chicago, Denver and Los Angeles – and the public’s response has been overwhelmingly positive. The $250 one-way fare allows cats and dogs to fly in the plane’s cabin which has been re-fitted with carriers in place of seats. About fifty pets are allowed on each flight, they receive pre-boarding walks as well as bathroom breaks, and flight attendant checks on the animals every fifteen minutes during the flight. At each of the five airports Pet Airways stops there is a pet lounge for four-legged fliers to wait in before boarding.Pet Airways has begun its service between five major cities – New York, Washington,... more
It was 1 p.m. when the control tower at the Mexico City airport got the first word of a bizarre drama that would play out over the next two hours: The pilot of Aeromexico Flight 576 radioed that a man aboard claimed to have a bomb and wanted to talk with President Felipe Calderon.
Jose Flores, a 44-year-old Bolivian preacher who lives in Mexico, says he had gotten the word from God that he had to warn Mexicans of an impending disaster — an earthquake "like none there has ever been," he told reporters after being hustled off the plane by police without anyone being injured.
Unsuspecting passengers, including Americans and French tourists traveling from the beach resort of Cancun to Mexico City, sat not fully aware of what was happening as the pilot negotiated with Flores, bringing the plane to a smooth landing and after an hour or so of talking winning an agreement to end the standoff.
The crisis began when Flores told a flight attendant that a juice can he had was a bomb. The flight attendant notified the plane's captain over the intercom, Public Safety Secretary Genaro Garcia Luna told reporters.
Flores kept the 103 passengers and crew on the tarmac for more than an hour, the plane sitting surrounded by heavily armed police at the end of a runway in an area designed for emergencies. The airport remained open.
Pilot Ricardo Rios told the Televisa television network that Flores requested that the Boeing 737 be flown around Mexico City seven times, but there wasn't enough fuel to do that. The hijacker also asked that women reporters and Calderon be at the airport to talk to him, Rios said.
"He said he had tried to speak to the president for three months and since there hadn't been an answer he decided to use these type of threats with an airline," the pilot said.
Eventually, Flores agreed to release women and children. Minutes later, masked police stormed onto the aircraft with guns drawn and soon escorted several handcuffed men away without firing a shot.
Police later said there was only one hijacker, and the other men were briefly detained because the suspect had told a flight attendant he had three accomplices.
Flores told police his three companions were "the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost."
He said he hijacked the plane after a divine revelation. Flores told authorities Wednesday's date — 9-9-09 — is the satanic number 666 turned upside down.It was 1 p.m. when the control tower at the Mexico City airport got the first word of... more
A bird struck a jet carrying the mayor and about a half-dozen others from the Hamptons to Boston for Sen. Ted Kennedy's funeral Saturday.
Unlike the geese that forced US Airways Capt. Chesley Sullenberger to bring his jet down in the Hudson in January, Bloomberg's bird did not gum up the engine.
The bird failed to bring down the French-made Dassault 900EX, though the pilot was concerned that the strike had damaged the landing equipment, and requested emergency ground crews in Boston. The mayor was discreetly informed during the flight, which landed safely.
In June the Port Authority announced a plan to kill 2,000 geese during their molting season to prevent accidents like the one that brought Flight 1549 down in the Hudson River. Mayor Bloomberg immediately voiced his support for gassing geese, telling radio listeners, "There is not a lot of cost involved in rounding up a couple thousand geese and letting them go to sleep with nice dreams."
Maybe it was payback.A bird struck a jet carrying the mayor and about a half-dozen others from the Hamptons... more
Every Monday is the “Wish List,” a blog entry dedicated to one online shopping site where a dream outfit is compiled editorial style from the site. The blogger is a magazine editor so the page is like her dream editorial spread as if she had complete creative rights without any Editor cutting her off! She gives you a great history about the brand, a little story about the look she compiled and then picks the outfit based on the theme of the spread adding captions explaining each item she’s chosen. Really fun and unique. This week it’s the cutting edge store Opening Ceremony and she has chosen really unique designers that are up and coming and really in-the-know in the fashion world (except for a pair of Hussein Chalayan heels---killer—seriously, killer). The look is how to get upgraded to First Class when you fly, so you’ll definitely want to check this outfit out---who want’s to fly coach with a bunch of screaming kids when you could be sipping champagne with a big cozy leather chair up-front pimp style!
Really fun fashion page that shows off trends in a really eclectic way. Blogger has an amazingly eclectic site with everything from beauty, fashion, diary style entries, poetry, life in the magazine world----this girl has everything. Already winner of the prestigious “Blog Of The Day Award” (some people take years to earn this—she’s only had her blog up 6 weeks!) and on top level blog rolls of awesome bloggers, this girl is amazing. A+++++Every Monday is the “Wish List,” a blog entry dedicated to one online shopping... more
Disturbing footage may shed new light on fatal crash above Hudson River, which left nine people dead.Disturbing footage may shed new light on fatal crash above Hudson River, which left... more
The air traffic controller responsible for handling the airplane involved in Saturday's fatal midair collision with a helicopter over the Hudson River was put on administrative leave Thursday after investigators said he was involved in “apparently inappropriate conversations on the telephone at the time of the accident.”
The crash killed all nine people aboard both aircraft, including three people from a Pennsylvania family on the plane and five Italian tourists and a pilot on the helicopter. The collision, in broad daylight on a clear weekend afternoon, has led some officials to call for greater regulation of the busy airspace surrounding the Manhattan and New Jersey waterfronts.
The FAA said in a statement Thursday that disciplinary proceedings have begun against the controller and his supervisor, who was not present in the building as required.The air traffic controller responsible for handling the airplane involved in... more
Divers hope to pull a plane out of the Hudson River on Monday, but their first priority is to recover the bodies of two remaining victims of the air collision that killed nine people, a chief investigator said.Divers hope to pull a plane out of the Hudson River on Monday, but their first... more
When choosing an airline to fly, who cares about things such as safety records, pricing or how close they fly to your intended destination?
It's all about the hottest stewardesses, right? Of course it is, and this is a handy top ten to help you choose the best carrier to fly with...
I personally go for stewardesses that can sing whilst playing guitar...When choosing an airline to fly, who cares about things such as safety records,... more
The Coast Guard says a small plane has collided with a helicopter over the Hudson River.
Witnesses say the accident happened just after noon between Manhattan and Hoboken, N.J. Both aircraft crashed into the water.
Emergency crews are on both sides of the river and police divers are going into the water.
Buzz Nahas saw the crash from the shore in Hoboken, N.J. He says there was a loud pop, like a car backfire. He says the helicopter "dropped like a rock" and that the plane lost its wing.
In January, a US Airways jet with more than 150 people on board crashed into the Hudson River after apparently striking a flock of geese. All aboard survived.The Coast Guard says a small plane has collided with a helicopter over the Hudson... more
Witnesses say the accident happened just after noon between Manhattan and Hoboken, N.J. Both aircraft crashed into the water.Witnesses say the accident happened just after noon between Manhattan and Hoboken,... more
A TEENAGE boy from Yorkshire succeeded in persuading British aviation executives that he was a tycoon about to launch his own airline. Using the pseudonym Adam Tait, the smooth-talking 17-year-old told airport and airline executives that he had a fleet of jets.A TEENAGE boy from Yorkshire succeeded in persuading British aviation executives that... more
Canadian folk singer Dave Carroll was pissed off with United Airlines for breaking his guitar when he flew with them.
After getting the runaround from the airline about the $1200 in damages caused to his band's equipment by baggage handlers, he recorded a song and video called 'United Breaks Guitars' and posted it on YouTube.
The video has quickly become a smash on YouTube. There must be a lot of people out there with a lot of damaged suitcases.Canadian folk singer Dave Carroll was pissed off with United Airlines for breaking his... more
A passenger on a broken-down Thomas Cook jet fixed the aircraft, causing the flight to be only 35 minutes late arriving at its destination instead of the eight hours predicted by the airline.
When the captain announced that the plane had a technical fault and a qualified engineer would likely have to be flown in to deal with the situation, a passeger notified cabin crew members that he was qualified. After checking his credentials, Thomas Cook allowed him to work on the Boeing 757-200.
The unidentified man received a round of applause from the remaining passengers when he reboarded the flight.A passenger on a broken-down Thomas Cook jet fixed the aircraft, causing the flight to... more
Holidaymakers avoided a long delay to their flight home when a passenger fixed a mechanical problem with their plane.
Passengers on Thomas Cook flight TCX9641 from Menorca were told to expect an eight-hour wait while an engineer was flown out from the UK.
One passenger then identified himself as a qualified aircraft engineer and offered to try to remedy the fault.Holidaymakers avoided a long delay to their flight home when a passenger fixed a... more
