Pilot's Life Blog
JANUARY 12, 2025
For many, the thought of flying sparks more fear than getting behind the wheel, even though statistics show otherwise. Is flying in a plane safer than driving? Absolutely. Flying is backed by rigorous safety protocols, highly trained pilots, and advanced technology. As Leopard Aviation, we understand these fears and prepare pilots to ensure every flight is as safe as possible.
Aerotime
JANUARY 13, 2025
The team at Boom Supersonic are determining whether a 12 th test flight of its XB-1 demonstrator is needed before undertaking its first attempt at breaking the speed barrier. On January 10, 2025, XB-1 reached speeds of Mach 0.95 during a 44-minute flight over the Mojave Desert with Chief Test Pilot Tristan Geppetto Brandenburg at the controls. The 11 th XB-1 test flight also saw the aircraft climb to 29,481 feet as it closes in on supersonic speeds.
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Cranky Flier
JANUARY 13, 2025
There are a handful of regional airlines that I’m always surprised to find still in business. There’s Mesa, of course, and yes, GoJet, but one of the biggest surprises of all is Air Wisconsin. And now, it just lost its only regional relationship with no replacement on the horizon. Survival is… going to be a challenge. Air Wisconsin started up flying commuter routes in the 1960s.
Vintage Aviation News
JANUARY 13, 2025
The Philippine Mars has made its way back to its home base for an engine replacement. The historic aircraft departed Sproat Lake three weeks ago on a journey to its new home at the Pima Air and Space Museum (PASM) in Tucson, Arizona. The planned route included stops in San Francisco and San Diego and an inland leg to an undisclosed desert lake. However, the journey hit a snag when the aircraft made an emergency landing in Patricia Bay on December 15.
One Mile at a Time
JANUARY 12, 2025
I like to cover various aspects of the premium travel experience. For example, Ive shared what I consider to be the worlds best business class airlines , the worlds best business class seats , and the worlds best business class lounges. In this post, I want to take a look at a related but different topic which airlines have the best bedding in business class?
Aerotime
JANUARY 17, 2025
AeroTime is excited to welcome Christian Charalambous as a guest columnist. A pilot operating Boeing 767s on global routes and a consultant leveraging his extensive aviation and technology expertise, Christian also holds a First-Class Honours degree in Air Transport Operations plus a masters degree in Blockchain. In his columns, he explores the modern challenges and innovative technologies that are shaping the future of flight.
Cranky Flier
JANUARY 14, 2025
It was November 2021 when Avelo struck gold. The airline went into the recently-abandoned New Haven Tweed airport along the southern Connecticut coast, and it instantly found strong demand. It has grown to having almost 20 daily departures on peak days, a remarkable feat considering how constrained the airport is. But now, the airport seems to have hit a wall.
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One Mile at a Time
JANUARY 13, 2025
Air France-KLM Flying Blue is one of the most useful frequent flyer programs for redeeming miles. Not only does the program have great award pricing for travel on Air France-KLM, but it also has lucrative award pricing for travel on partner airlines. Well, it appears that the Flying Blue program has just rolled out a significant devaluation when it comes to redeeming miles, particularly for travel on Air France-KLM, as flagged by Travel on Points.
Aerotime
JANUARY 17, 2025
South Korean authorities have discovered bird feathers and blood in both engines of the Jeju Air aircraft that crashed and killed 179 people on December 29, 2024. On January 16, 2025, Korean investigators announced that feathers were found in one of the engines recovered from the crash scene, as reported by local news outlet MBN. The Korea Aviation Accident Investigation Board confirmed that feathers were also found in the other engine.
Vintage Aviation News
JANUARY 14, 2025
Platinum Fighter Sales has announced the listing of an extraordinary aircraft: the worlds only factory-built, two-seat Messerschmitt Bf-109 / Hispano HA-1112-M4L Buchon. This ultra-rare airplane represents a unique chapter in aviation history. Photo by Gavin Conroy via Platinum Fighter Sales The Origins of the Buchon By 1942, the Spanish Air Forces fleet of Messerschmitt Bf-109Ds was aging, prompting Spain to license the production of the newer Bf-109G model.
Simple Flying
JANUARY 17, 2025
Boeing has resumed the flight test campaign for the 777X after the test fleet was grounded due to an issue that the manufacturer discovered during scheduled maintenance.
One Mile at a Time
JANUARY 15, 2025
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) was recently unbanned from the European Union , with the first route resumption being between Islamabad (ISB) and Paris (CDG). Well, Pakistans government is now reportedly investigating the airline, over what might be one of the most widely seen airline social media posts ever Pakistans Prime Minister calls PIA ad stupid When PIA resumed nonstop flights to Paris, the airline shared an attention grabbing post on social media, depicting a PIA Boeing 777 flying
Aerotime
JANUARY 15, 2025
Boeing delivered 180 fewer commercial aircraft in 2024 than 2023 after a torrid year which began with a door plug separating from an Alaska Airline 737-9 midflight. On January 14, 2025, Boeing confirmed that 348 passenger jets were delivered to customers last year including just 57 in the final quarter. In 2023, a total of 528 commercial planes were handed over to operators, with 157 delivered in the final quarter.
Vintage Aviation News
JANUARY 17, 2025
We often receive questions about the fate of Lockheed L-1649A Starliner N7361Cthe aircraft Lufthansa invested heavily in restoring for airworthy use, only to cancel the project at the final stage. Nearly six years ago, Lufthansa announced the end of its ambitious Super Star project. Shortly after, the largely restored aircraft was shipped from the USA to Germany and stored in a hangar in Bremen.
Simple Flying
JANUARY 17, 2025
The National Transportation Safety Board ( NTSB ) has released its report on a United Airlines flight that ended in a damaged fuselage due to pilot inputs. The Boeing 767 was landing in Houston from Newark when the nose gear of the plane touched down with such force that it caused significant damage.
One Mile at a Time
JANUARY 14, 2025
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating a close call that happened at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) on Saturday, January 11, 2025. This is a case where automation prevented a potential disaster. TCAS saves the day for jets on approach to Phoenix This incident happened around 11AM this past Saturday, while two aircraft were on approach to Phoenix: Delta flight DL1070 was coming from Detroit (DTW), and was operated by a 17-year-old Airbus A330-300 with the regis
Aerotime
JANUARY 14, 2025
Lufthansa and Thai Airways International are expanding their existing codeshare program to expand connectivity between Europe and several Asian destinations. The deal will see two cities in Vietnam plus one in the Philippines join the program to be linked by the Thai carrier from its hub in Bangkok. The expansion will see flights between Bangkok Suvarnabhumi (BKK) to Hanoi (HAN), Ho Chi Minh (SGN), and Manila (MNL) all continuing to be operated by Thai Airways but carrying an additional LH fligh
AV Web
JANUARY 16, 2025
Mokulele Airlines, a key inter-island carrier in Hawaii, grounded its fleet Wednesday amid maintenance concerns. The airline issued a statement writing, “Safety is our top priority, we are temporarily not operating some flights in our fleet for precautionary maintenance inspections. We continue to operate certain flights, and on impacted flights we’re rebooking or otherwise accommodating passengers.
Simple Flying
JANUARY 16, 2025
Ethiopian Airlines is Africa's largest carrier by many metrics, although there's little competition for that title. As of January 16 and subject to change, the Star Alliance member plans passenger flights to 138 airports from its Addis Ababa hub this year.
One Mile at a Time
JANUARY 15, 2025
Many of us aviation enthusiasts are big fans of the Airbus A380 and Boeing 747 , given that these planes are no longer in production, and wont be in passenger service for that much longer. Korean Air is one of two airlines in the world to operate both of these jets (the other is Lufthansa). Up until recently, the carriers plan was to retire Airbus A380s by 2026, and retire Boeing 747s by 2031.
Aerotime
JANUARY 14, 2025
Austrian Airlines has become the latest carrier from the Lufthansa Group to adopt the aerodynamics-enhancing AeroSHARK technology. The Austrian flag carrier announced on January 14, 2024, that one of its Boeing 777-200ER aircraft (OE-LPC) had flown between Bangkok (BKK) and Vienna (VIE) featuring the specially treated fuel-saving fuselage surfaces. AeroSHARK was developed jointly by Lufthansa Technik, which is the engineering and maintenance arm of airline group, and German chemicals giant BASF.
Airline Geeks
JANUARY 17, 2025
While subtle updates have been implemented over the years, the core elements have remained consistent, contributing to the airline's strong brand identity.
Simple Flying
JANUARY 17, 2025
Of the 123 Airbus A380s that Emirates took delivery of, 15 have a two-class configuration. This configuration has 615 seats: 557 economy class seats spread across both decks and 58 business class seats on the upper deck.
One Mile at a Time
JANUARY 12, 2025
I spend more nights in airport hotels than Id care to admit. Over the years, Ive developed some strong preferences, and I tend to have pretty polarizing takes on them. I love some airport hotels so much that Id almost want to vacation at them (purely for aviation geek reasons), while there are plenty I just wouldnt return to. In this post, I want to talk about that in a bit more detail.
Aerotime
JANUARY 15, 2025
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has begun an investigation into a midair incident involving a United Airlines Boeing 737-900ER and a Delta Air Lines Airbus A330-300. According to the US aviation regulator, both aircraft were scheduled to arrive at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) on January 11, 2025, within 23 minutes of each other.
Airline Geeks
JANUARY 12, 2025
In its latest cost-cutting move, ultra-low-cost carrier Spirit has phased out its remaining two Airbus A319 aircraft earlier than planned.
Simple Flying
JANUARY 16, 2025
The sinkhole created by Boeing keeps getting bigger, with another airline seeing its plans disappear into thin air. Yesterday, news emerged that 2025 deliveries of Boeing 787 Dreamliners to Riyadh Air would be halved, pushing the airline's launch back to the third quarter of this year.
One Mile at a Time
JANUARY 17, 2025
Recently, United Airlines announced an incredible international expansion for the summer of 2025, whereby the airline is adding eight new destinations. What makes this so cool is how far-flung some of the new destinations are. If you ask me, the two coolest new routes are to Nuuk, Greenland, and Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. While United Airlines Greenland route went on sale a few months back, there was no sign of the Mongolia route going on sale until now.
Aerotime
JANUARY 15, 2025
Southwest Airlines is pausing corporate hiring and promotions and will be suspending most of its summer internships to cut costs and improve profits, CEO Bob Jordan said in a message to employees. Every single dollar matters as we continue to fight to return to excellent financial performance, Jordan said in a memo to employees on January 13, 2025, which was seen by CNBC.
AV Web
JANUARY 13, 2025
Police have arrested three people involved in two drone incidents related to aerial firefighting in Los Angeles. L.A. County Sheriff’s department did not release details of the circumstances of their arrest or whether either of the incidents involved the collision of a drone with a CL-415 waterbomber late last week. The specific charges have also not been released.
Simple Flying
JANUARY 17, 2025
South Korean investigators have discovered traces of bird feathers and blood in both engines of the Jeju Air aircraft that crashed in South Korea in December 2024.
One Mile at a Time
JANUARY 17, 2025
Did you know that long haul, low cost carrier French Bee actually has a flat bed premium economy product? Well, neither did I, until now. For that matter, it seems the airline barely even acknowledges this exists, since theres virtually no mention of this product on French Bees website. Let me explain whats going on here (thanks to David for flagging this) French Bees unadvertised flat bed experience For some context, French Bee is a French low cost carrier with a fleet of six Airbus A350s four
Aerotime
JANUARY 14, 2025
Australian airline Qantas has said it is being repeatedly forced to delay its flights operating between Sydney and Johannesburg in South Africa with little notice due to warnings the airline receives about descending debris from Elon Musks SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets re-entering the Earths atmosphere. The delays of up to six hours are being caused due to last-minute changes in coordinates for the location and timing of the re-entry of rockets from Musk’s space technology firm.
Plane and Pilot
JANUARY 12, 2025
Many years ago, while working my way through college pumping avgas at the local airport, I discovered that one of our university deans owned a diminutive two-seat, twin-tailed airplanean Ercoupe. He was proud of his little bird, with its unique split sliding canopy, no rudder pedals, and a delightful art deco instrument panel. Long before he purchased his very own Boeing 707, actor John Travolta discovered this economical fun flier and began his remarkable aviation career as a proud owner.
Simple Flying
JANUARY 14, 2025
Over recent weeks, multiple wildfires have ravaged several different neighborhoods across the Los Angeles , California, area. Due to powerful winds and severe drought conditions, wildfires have spread rapidly across the Los Angeles area, affecting thousands of residents. According to ABC News, so far, approximately 24 people have died due to the fires.
One Mile at a Time
JANUARY 17, 2025
Many airline and hotel frequent flyer programs offer lifetime status, whereby you can earn status for a lifetime (whether thats your lifetime or the lifetime of the program is a different question). World of Hyatt Globalist is my favorite hotel status, and in this post I want to take a closer look at how you can earn lifetime Globalist status in the World of Hyatt program.
Aerotime
JANUARY 14, 2025
A Canadair firefighting aircraft that collided with a private drone has been repaired and will return to service, California fire officials announced. During a press conference on January 13, 2025, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone informed local reporters that the aircraft was urgently repaired. It will resume operations after an inspection by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
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