Results tagged “plane”

The Park Slope set's rally against aircraft noise is still going strong in the neighborhood. Last night they went face to face with federal aviation officials to describe the overhead aural assault that they face daily. Jim Williams of Brooklyn Against Aircraft Noise (it's a thing!), told them: “We can’t sit on our deck anymore! Every minute — whoosh whoosh! We can watch them fly overhead.” Not feeling any sympathy for the guy who has the luxurious deck? According to the Brooklyn Paper, there was also a resident who said her cancer was exacerbated by low-flying planes. more ›

“My earliest memory was at dinner with Dad using a knife to show us how the controls of a plane worked,” Elinor Smith told The New York Daily Mirror in 1942. At 16 she got her flying license; at 18 she set records for altitude and endurance by a female pilot; at 23 she became the first woman to have her picture on a Wheaties box; and recently at the old age of 98 she died, reports the Times. Known as the “Flying Flapper of Freeport” the Long Island native was one of the youngest flying pioneers in history and the first female test pilot for two major aircraft companies. more ›

The Rangers took an unexpected hit when they were en route to their game in Boston on Saturday... by a goose! The Post notes that a goose hit the wing of the team's plane, which caused an emergency landing. According to NJ.com, their Boeing 737 was grounded in White Plains, where they were then split between two small jets and two six-passenger helicopters. All that and they lost the game to the Bruins yesterday afternoon. And geese: you better watch your back (this is the 2nd time this month the bird has made it to the pages of the Post again). more ›

Are Canada geese fighting back at the NY Post? The plucky tabloid reports that a flock of the birds struck a Boeing 777 that left Newark for Hong Kong on Wednesday: "The pilot told controllers the geese hit the left wing of the craft, which was fully loaded with fuel for the 16-hour flight." And among the 301 passengers—a Post reporter! more ›

The body of a man whom investigators believe may have been a stowaway was found in one of the landing gear compartments of a plane in Tokyo. Last night a mechanic found the man's body while performing maintenance on the Boeing 777-200; the plane had originated in New York as Delta Flight 59. There's little information about the dead man, who has been identified only as a 5'7" male with dark skin, clothed in a long-sleeved plaid shirt and jeans. The area he was found in is inaccessible from the inside of the plane, and does not have any air conditioning or pressurization. more ›

This is going to make an amazing roadside attraction one day (or perhaps an eatery in Hell's Kitchen?). The aircraft that Capt. Sullenberger gracefully landed in the Hudson River a year ago is now for sale at auction! more ›

According to WCBS 2, "A small plane landing at Teterboro Airport with three people on board skidded off the runway and became stuck in mud... The plane, a Gulfstream 200 owned by BB & T Finance Corp. out of Charlotte, N.C., made its descent over Teterboro around 9:45 Thursday morning." The three passengers appear to have been uninjured. Back in 2005, a private plane taking off from the NJ airport skidded across a highway and crashed into a warehouse. more ›

Feds are moving to keep the Burmese python and eight other large slithering species out of the United States, and specifically out of JFK. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar says the airport ban is important since New York is the biggest entry point to the U.S. for imported wildlife, reported AP. People bring snakes in as the pets, but often end up releasing them into the wild where they wreak havoc on delicate ecosystems like Florida's Everglades. Also on the chopping block are Indian pythons, Northern African pythons, Southern African pythons, reticulated pythons, boa constrictors and four species of anacondas. Before a final decision is made, the proposal will be open to a public hearing. more ›

First birds, now cranes: On January 8th, pilots trying to land at La Guardia had to work around a giant crane on a barge in the middle of Flushing Bay, 2,000 feet from the runway. The crane is being used to build a controversial trash-transfer station in College Point, which critics predict will attract thousands of additional birds, like the ones that brought down U.S. Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River. While construction cranes are permitted near airports, ideally they're not supposed to get between planes and the runway. An FAA spokesperson tells the Post some flights had to be diverted until the barge was moved out of the flight path. more ›

January 15th is either the best or the worst day to fly. Last year on this day, the United Airways Flight 1549 flight landed in the Hudson River (no serious injuries thanks to the smooth flying of Sully!)... and we just got word that an aircraft has crash landed in a Staten Island Landfill. Word is that the "Piper Cub" landed safely, and the pilot is now outside of the aircraft and walking it off. According to reports coming over the newswire, the emergency landing was due to a mechanical failure, and the police are stating there is "debris or the banner the plane was towing down on the N/B Shore Expwy." more ›

On Friday it will have been a year since “Miracle on the Hudson”-pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger flawlessly executed a water landing that saved his passengers from near obliteration. The media is already buzzing with updates on the pilot, crew and passengers. And what about those poor geese? more ›

With nerves running high after the December 25 incident of a Nigerian man allegedly trying to set off an explosive on Northwest Airlines Flight 253 from Amsterdam to Detroit, the flight crew of today's NWA Flight 253 asked for emergency help because of a disruptive Nigerian passenger, an incident the Department of Homeland Security later characterized as "nonserious." The Detroit Free-Press reports, "A law enforcement official says the man removed from a flight to Detroit today posed no security risk to the plane. The official says the passenger was taken into custody after becoming verbally disruptive on landing. Subsequent interviews by investigators determined he was a businessman who became ill during the flight." (CNN said the passenger had locked himself in the lavatory for an hour.) more ›

Sigh: Apparently a passenger aboard a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Detroit tried to set off an explosive as the plane was landing. ABC News reports, "Federal officials and police are interviewing a Nigerian man, who allegedly tried to 'explode' a powdery substance...injuring himself and two other passengers." more ›

Some 2 million pets and other animals travel by commercial airline each year, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. And considering how much airlines charge for the service, it all amounts to big business for the industry. But how much should it cost to take your pet with you on a flight? One area woman is up in arms after realizing that her cat's ticket to fly from New York to Virginia actually cost more than her own ticket! more ›

On this day 49 years ago, two planes collided in midair above Staten Island — causing the United Airlines flight to crash into a Park Slope intersection (7th Avenue and Sterling Street) and a TWA aircraft's wreckage to land in Miller Field on Staten Island. The crash killed 134 passengers as well as 6 people on the ground — one young boy survived the crash, but died at the NY Methodist hospital the next day. The Bowery Boys note there are still scars to be seen on Sterling Place, and more images of the aftermath can be seen at the Brooklyn Public LIbrary. more ›

On Thursday, a 20-pound engine tail cone fell from a Boeing 777 plane headed from JFK Airport to Tokyo and onto the front yard of Michelle Russell in Roosevelt, Long Island. The Delta crew only realized the four-foot piece of metal was missing after it landed in Tokyo—14 hours later. While airline officials say the tail cone isn't necessary for the plane to operate (it helps with fuel efficiency), Russell said, "I'm a firm believer if you take off with something you should land with the same parts you took off with." more ›

If you see a giant V in the sky on Friday, fear not, it's just the big wigs in Hollywood trying to get you to watch a new television show about aliens. Reportedly "The network is mum on where and when the V's will strike, but such places as the Statue of Liberty are under consideration. The skywriting will be done multiple times a day at each site until the series launch." Yes, television people, it is a great idea to "secretly" send a small aircraft spouting out gas over major landmarks in New York City. more ›

With Miracle on the Hudson pilot Captain Chesley Sullenberger back in the air, of course there's some grumbling. The Post suggests, "Wimpy US Airways bosses feared... Sullenberger might not be able to hack the media glare of what they billed as his 'return to the air' yesterday," so they had him fly three other flights for prep. A US Airways spokesman explained, "We didn't want to put too much pressure on the guy." Of course, the Post probably has sour grapes since the Daily News was included on one of the earlier flights. more ›

After the Scottish government released him on "compassionate" grounds, Abdel Baset al-Megrahi was greeted like a hero in Tripoli, Libya, much to the dismay of U.S. and British governments. al-Megrahi was convicted of the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland; 270 were killed, 189 of them Americans. President Obama had said yesterday that al-Megrahi's release was a "mistake" and added, "We are now in contact with the Libyan government, and want to make sure that if in fact this transfer has taken place, he is not welcomed back in some way but instead should be under house arrest." However, as CNN described, "al Megrahi walked off a plane in his native country to a cheering crowd that waved flags and honked horns." more ›

NYPD divers and the Army Corps of Engineers managed to raise some of the wreckage of the small plane that crashed into a helicopter this past Saturday. Two more bodies were recovered, meaning that all nine victims' bodies have been found; three were on the plane while six were on the sightseeing helicopter. The Hudson River's murky conditions have been an obstacle to divers during the recovery effort; they explained to the Times they have been doing much of the search by touch. more ›

In the wake of the fatal collision between a small fixed-wing airplane and a sightseeing helicopter, officials gathered today at the 30th Street Heliport on the west side to demand that the F.A.A. and the city ban tourism helicopter flights over the densest parts of Manhattan. Meanwhile, outside an East Harlem elementary school, Mayor Bloomberg said he was leaving the decision up to the F.A.A., telling reporters, "They don’t need me weighing in. They know certainly well what goes on there. They are professionals. I assume they’re going to wait until the National Transportation Safety Board to make its report and then they’ll make their decisions." more ›

Investigators continue searching the Hudson River for other remains and wreckage from Saturday's tragic collision between a small plane and sightseeing helicopter over the Hudson River. So far, seven bodies have been found, as well as helicopter wreckage. Authorities are hoping to pull the plane's wreckage from the water, but they say that finding the two remaining bodies is their first priority. more ›

Happy Friday—the Pentagon has released more photographs from the Presidential Airlift Group's NYC flyover. You remember that day back in late April, when the Boeing 747 (known as Air Force One when the President is on board) and fighter jets zoomed near Lower Manhattan building, prompting building evacuations, panic, front page marvels and annoyance. The White House released one underwhelming photo in May, but now, on a slow summer Friday, we've got more to peruse—here's the PDF. more ›

Because the cost of housing homeless families in shelters is so high, the Bloomberg administration has been quietly funding a $500,000-a-year program to buy one-way plane tickets for indigent individuals if they agree to stay away. Well, the program was quiet until it was featured in today's Times, so who knows how many New Yorkers will now start posing as transients for one-way tickets to Burning Man. So far the city has paid for more than 550 families to leave since 2007. more ›

Brazilian and French military jets are conducting searches of the Atlantic Ocean, in hopes of finding wreckage from the Paris-bound Air France Flight 447 that disappeared a few hours after taking off from Rio de Janeiro on Sunday night. Brazil's largest airline, TAM, reported that a crew member saw "several orange points" on the ocean's surface yesterday morning, over the same route the Air France flight was taking. more ›

The White House spent up to $357,000 for the Presidential Airlift Group—which includes the 747 that is Air Force One when the President is on board and a military fighter jet escort—to fly over lower Manhattan and take pictures—and is the photograph they release? It's really mediocre—we guess they didn't want to spend the money/time to Photoshop it up. And why not at least give us a shot of the darn plane in front of the lower Manhattan skyline? Or is that too good for us? more ›

Maybe Senator Chuck Schumer has the right idea with being constantly ticked off by the Federal Aviation Administration—it turns out that the FAA was well aware that the Boeing 747 and military jets (also known as the "Presidential Airlift Group") would scare the bejesus out of people in lower Manhattan and New Jersey as they did on Monday. From WCBS 2:

In a memo obtained by CBS 2 HD the Federal Aviation Administration's James Johnston said the agency was aware of "the possibility of public concern regarding DOD (Department of Defense) aircraft flying at low altitudes" in an around New York City. But they demanded total secrecy from the NYPD, the Secret Service, the FBI and even the mayor's office and threatened federal sanctions if the secret got out.

As it faces criticism over engine maintenance, American Airlines says the engine of a Chicago-bound plane that failed because of an object that was sucked in. However, in this post-Flight 1549 world, American doesn't think it was a bird; "early speculation" is that the object may be from an earlier flight (the engine was sent to Tulsa for inspection). The flight had taken off from Laguardia on Tuesday morning and, about 20 minutes in, something caused dozens, if not hundreds, of pieces of sharp metal to fall over a warehouse in College Point, Queens. The flight made an emergency landing at JFK and no one was hurt from the plane or on the ground. Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal reported that the plane had a recent history of engine issues and was overdue for inspection; American disputed that and said, "There was nothing in our previous maintenance checks to indicate any issue that could be related or connected to the failure of this engine." more ›

Yikes: WABC 7 reports, "A plane that experienced an engine failure above Queens may have dropped plane parts on a College Point neighborhood." An American Airlines flight (#309) left Laguardia this morning, bound for Chicago's O'Hare airport, and experienced some trouble and engine number two failed. The FAA said metal parts fell from the engine onto a home on 123rd Street. The plane, an MD-80, was diverted to JFK; according to WCBS 2, no injuries were reported from the plane or on the ground. more ›

Get ready to heart Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger even more; the air traffic control tower recording from Flight 1549's dramatic "splash landing" in the Hudson has surfaced. And it's pretty riveting; the man is a remarkable paragon of calmness in the midst of extreme crisis. Sure, Sully doesn't talk much on the recording—he's kinda busy—but as soon as we heard him say, "Unable. We may end up in the Hudson" we knew we'd found our new ring tone. more ›