Airlines told to advise passengers against packing extra batteries | Mashable

October 14, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Lithium batteries and airplanes don’t get along very well.

The U.S. government is strongly urging airlines to tell passengers not to pack spare lithium batteries in checked luggage because they can ignite and fuel fires in baggage compartments.

Batteries have been the culprit in an increasing number of incidents. Most recently, an Alaska Airlines flight had to make an emergency landing Buffalo when a credit card reader began smoking.

Aircraft manufacturers have warned about large shipments of batteries in a plane’s cargo, but the Federal Aviation Administration’s warning takes it further.

United Flights Halted: The Malicious Work Of A Hacker Or An Old-Fashioned Computer Glitch? | Forbes

June 3, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Was the world’s second-largest airline grounded for nearly an hour Tuesday morning by a hacker?

Probably not. But that was the immediate suspicion after Chicago-based United Airlines began experiencing significant problems with its flight dispatch system around 8 a.m. CT.

The Federal Aviation Administration quickly issued a ground stop, effectively shutting down the airline’s more than 700 jets (except, of course, those already in the air). The ground stop order was lifted about 40 minutes later.

Wired.com and other media outlets quickly posted online news stories about the event in which they quoted Tweets and other social media postings from passengers stuck onboard grounded United planes. Though all those early reports cautiously added that the actual cause of the dispatch system disruption remained unknown, at least to the website editors – they speculated that United’s system had been hacked into by outsiders.

Hollywood Drone Approval May Blaze Trail for Farmers: DOT | Bloomberg

September 29, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Score one for Hollywood.

Six movie and television production companies convinced the Federal Aviation Administration that they are capable of safely using drones while filming scenes in the U.S., opening the door to broader commercial use of the unmanned aircraft.

The FAA today said it granted the six companies waivers from regulations on general flight rules, pilot certification and equipment mandates designed for traditional aircraft as long as they meet certain conditions for safety. The agency is working with a seventh company on a similar drone approval and has at least 40 additional waiver requests pending for commercial use of unmanned aerial systems.

FAA Announces Restrictions on Iraqi Airspace | Mashable.com

August 1, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The Federal Aviation Administration announced mandatory restrictions on U.S. airlines flying over Iraq late on Thursday, citing “the potentially hazardous situation created by armed conflict.” Carriers are restricted from flying at or below 30,000 feet in the country, an increase from a previous restriction from flying at or below 20,000 feet.

International airlines had already begun rerouting flights to avoid Iraqi airspace, and many U.S. carriers have also developed alternate routes to avoid the country altogether. Iraqi officials have said it is safe to fly over.

The FAA’s order shows an increasing awareness of the dangers of flying over conflict zones following the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in eastern Ukraine.Although the new restrictions are meant to safeguard commercial flights, the new 30,000-foot restriction would not be sufficient to deter the kind of missile that likely hit MH17, which had been flying at 33,000 feet.