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A retired U.S. Marine Corps fighter pilot and current leadership instructor describes flying the F-16, the F/A-18, the F-22, and the F-35. He provides lessons from instructing at Top Gun, and the important behaviours for leaders. In the news, Boeing is fined for safety violations, the St. Louis strike continues, the NTSB preliminary report describes the air turbulence incident, and the creation of an aerospace hub at a former Air Force Base. Guest Dave Berke is a retired U.S. Marine Corps fighter pilot and current leadership instructor with Echelon Front. Dave is one of the rare few to have flown the F-16, F/A-18, F-22, and F-35. He also served as the Training Officer at TOPGUN, where he led the staff of instructors who trained the students in air combat tactics and leadership under pressure. He spent a year as a ground Forward Air Controller, calling in air strikes and supporting SEALs, Marines, and Soldiers in the Battle of Ramadi in 2006. Dave describes how a Marine pilot ended up flying the F-16 and F-22, and what it's like to fly the F-35B with its STOVL capabilities. He compares different jet fighters he has flown and explains how they are different and how they are similar. We hear Dave's thoughts on ground support aircraft and dedicated aircraft platforms in general. Dave tells us the combat environment is changing and how information and airframe flexibility are key now, as opposed to single-role platforms. Of course, we ask Dave if the Top Gun movies are accurate. His answer is both yes and no, but Top Gun: Maverick is very good from a flying standpoint. Dave tells us the jet fighter career path is more attainable than many people assume. Also, while flying ability is important, being a Top Gun Instructor hinges on being a good teacher. The Echelon Front leadership consultancy takes the lessons from combat and applies them to people's personal and professional lives. In his new book, The Need to Lead: A TOPGUN Instructor's Lessons on How Leadership Solves Every Challenge, Dave describes the 10 most important mindsets and behaviors for leaders that he learned from the cockpit. Order the book on Amazon, available October 21, 2025. Fighter pilot Dave "Chip" Berke. Aviation News FAA proposes to fine Boeing $3.1 million over widespread safety violations Between September 2023 and February 2024, the FAA found hundreds of quality system violations at Boeing's 737 factory in Renton, Washington, and at subcontractor Spirit AeroSystems. The FAA also identified interference with safety officials' independence and proposed a $3.1 million fine, the maximum statutory civil penalty authority consistent with law. The findings include: presenting two unairworthy aircraft to the FAA for airworthiness certificates, failure to follow its quality system rules, and a Boeing employee pressuring another worker to sign off on a non-compliant 737 MAX. Boeing has 30 days to respond. Press release: FAA Proposes $3.1 Million in Fines Against Boeing Boeing Defense, union reach tentative deal to end strike in St. Louis area On Wednesday, Boeing Defense and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers reached a tentative 5-year contract agreement that would end a five-week-long strike in the St. Louis area. Striking Boeing workers reject latest offer However, on Friday, 57% of the IAM members voted to reject the agreement that would have increased the average wage from $75,000 to $109,000. The contract term would have increased from four years to five and included a ratification bonus of $4,000. Boeing says, “...no further talks are scheduled. We will continue to execute our contingency plan, including hiring permanent replacement workers, as we maintain support for our customers.” See: Boeing's Terms of the Strike Settlement Offer [PDF] NTSB describes the turbulence that threw passengers around the cabin on a Delta flight In July,

A former Senior Counsel on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation explains how Washington works with respect to aviation policy and oversight. In the news, a Production Specification for Swift Fuels 100R unleaded avgas, the DOT Solicitation for Air Traffic Control Integrator Contract, EMAS and runway overruns, carrier qualifications for new Navy fighter pilots, and the Boeing strike. Guest Alex Simpson is Senior Vice President at Cassidy & Associates, a bipartisan government relations firm, where he focuses on the transportation sector. Previously, Alex served as Senior Counsel on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation under Chair and Ranking Member Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA). In that role, he led oversight of the FAA, TSA, NTSB, and the aviation industry. He executed over 25 hearings, including multiple high-profile hearings with airline and manufacturing CEOs, union leaders, DOT Secretaries, and FAA Administrators. Alex maintains close ties with the Senate Commerce and House Transportation & Infrastructure committees. Alex explains the major Congressional members and committees that create aviation policy and provide industry oversight. That includes the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation, and the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure. In addition, non-government stakeholders that influence policy decisions include organizations such as Airlines For America (A4A), ALPA, NATCA, Boeing, and even crash victim families acting as advocacy groups. Alex discusses a variety of topics, including ATC infrastructure, likely prime integrator candidates, and elements of a possible TSA reauthorization bill, such as the use of facial recognition technology at TSA checkpoints. Also, Boeing and the deferred prosecution agreement, lifting the 737 MAX production cap, and the 1500-hour rule for commercial airline pilots. We touch on consumer protection and the Full Fare Rule aimed at preventing deceptive airfare advertisements. As a Committee staffer, Alex drafted and negotiated the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024. He also worked closely on the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which included more than $25 billion for airport infrastructure upgrades.  Before his tenure in the Senate, Alex practiced law at the U.S. Department of Transportation and Zuckert, Scoutt, & Rasenberger (now KMA Zuckert), where he helped clients problem-solve aviation issues, including those related to the Essential Air Service Program, airport landing rights (slots), antitrust, air carrier economic authority and fitness, federal preemption, and airport grant assurances. Aviation News Swift 100 R Gets ASTM Spec ASTM International recently approved a Production Specification for Swift Fuels 100R unleaded avgas. Swift is one of three unleaded fuel makers, and the first to get ASTM approval. Swift Fuels has devoted years of research working with the FAA, Lycoming, Continental Aerospace, Rotax, Textron Aviation, Piper, and others. The ASTM AvGas standards define the required chemical, physical, and performance characteristics for unleaded Avgas sold for aviation use. DOT Opens Solicitation for Air Traffic Control Integrator Contract The Department of Transportation issued an updated request for solutions to identify a Prime Integrator for the Brand New Air Traffic Control System. (Solicitation Number BNATCSRFSFINAL.) Submissions to the Request for Solutions - Brand New Air Traffic Control System at Sam.gov must be submitted by September 21, 2025. Carrier Qualifications Axed From Graduation Requirements For New Navy Fighter Pilots U.S. Navy Tactical Air (Strike) aviators in training are no longer required to take off and land from aircraft carriers before earning their Naval Aviator wings. A Navy official said “Students in the strike pipeline, those training to fly F/A-18s, F-35s, and EA-18Gs, are no longer required to qualify by landing on ...

Guests:* Rossana D'Antonio – Author of 26 Seconds: Grief and Blame in the Aftermath of Losing My Brother in a Plane Crash* Marty Ross-Dolen – Author of Always There, Always Gone: A Daughter's Search for TruthTwo authors, Rossana D'Antonio and Marty Ross-Dolen, each faced the unimaginable loss of loved ones in separate plane crashes decades apart. Their grief led them to write powerful memoirs—Rossana's 26 Seconds and Marty's Always There, Always Gone—that explore truth, healing, and the lasting impact of tragedy. In an extraordinary coincidence, both books were released in the same week, a situation that could easily spark feelings of rivalry or jealousy between writers. Instead, their shared experience created a bond as they connected over loss, resilience, and the courage it takes to turn pain into story. This episode dives into that connection, exploring not only grief but also the unexpected solidarity found in telling similar stories side by side.Hey everyone, it's Jenny Nash. This episode happens to feature an Author Accelerator book coach. Author Accelerator is the company I founded more than 10 years ago to lead the emerging book coaching industry. If you've been curious about what it takes to become a successful book coach, which is to say, someone who makes money, meaning, and joy out of serving writers, I've just created a bunch of great content to help you learn more. You can access it all by going to bookcoaches.com/waitlist. We'll be enrolling a new cohort of students in our certification program in October, so now's a perfect time to learn more and start making plans for a whole new career.Transcript below!EPISODE 464 - TRANSCRIPTJennie NashHey everyone. It's Jennie Nash. This episode happens to feature an Author Accelerator book coach. Author Accelerator is the company I founded more than 10 years ago to lead the emerging book coaching industry. If you've been curious about what it takes to become a successful book coach, which is to say someone who makes money, meaning and joy out of serving writers. I've just created a bunch of great content to help you learn more. You can access it all by going to book bookcoaches.com/waitlist. That's bookcoaches.com/waitlist. We'll be enrolling a new cohort of students in our certification program in October, so now's a perfect time to learn more and start making plans for a whole new career.Multiple SpeakersIs it recording? Now it's recording, yay. Go ahead. This is the part where I stare blankly at the microphone. I don't remember what I'm supposed to be doing. All right, let's start over. Awkward pause. I'm going to rustle some papers. Okay, now—one, two, three.Jennie NashHey everyone. I'm Jennie Nash, and this is the Hashtag AmWriting Podcast, the place where we talk about writing all the things, short things, long things, fiction, nonfiction, pitches and proposals. Today I'm here to talk with two writers who I brought together because of a very interesting coincidence; each of these writers recently published a memoir about a plane crash. They each lost somebody that they love in a plane crash, and they wrote a story about their search for understanding and their search for healing and what it all means to their lives. These two books are really different stories, which I think is so interesting and says so much about the creative process. And what's remarkable is that these two books were published just one week apart, and these two writers became aware of each other's books and became friends. I happened to have a connection to each of these writers. At several points throughout her writing process, I coached Rossana D'Antonio including the very first time she came into a classroom to write about this story. Her book is called 26 Seconds: Grief and Blame in the Aftermath of Losing My Brother in a Plane Crash. Marty Ross-Dolen is the other author. Her book is called Always There, Always Gone: A Daughter's Search for Truth. Marty is a writer who came into my Author Accelerator book coach certification program to study how to become a book coach, and that's when I became aware of her and her story. In this conversation, Marty and Rossana come together with me to talk about grief, writing, jealousy and so many of the things that make memoir such a difficult and challenging genre to write and also such a satisfying one. I can't wait for you to listen. So let's get started. Welcome Rossana and Marty. I'm so excited to have you both here today to talk about this incredible topic. And before we get going, we are talking just days after there was a terrible plane crash in India in which a lot of people died and one man walked away, and there's a plane crash at the center of both of your books. And I just wanted to start by asking, how do you feel when this happens as it happens so many times, you know, are you okay as we sit here today? Or does this weigh on you? What is it? What is it like to sit here today? So maybe we'll start Rossana with you.Rossana D'AntonioOkay, well, thanks, Jennie, for inviting me on your podcast. It's really exciting to be here and to share, you know, this podcast with Marty. And, yeah, I mean, I, I agree with you. It's really, I mean, I think our memoirs—it's just so timely that they're out during this time because it's, you know, it's not just Air India. We've had several incidents within the last several years, actually, that have brought to light the strain in the aviation industry. It's been, it's been really interesting because, as it seems like there's not a day that goes by that there isn't something in the news with regards to plane crashes or plane incidents, near misses, whatever it may be. But as we experience each incident, and it becomes breaking news, and you know, we're witnessing it on live TV, it is, it is hard not to relive the experience. And I'm—I'll speak for myself—it is hard for me not to relive the experience. And in the book, I kind of talk about it because I say that it's kind of like we belong to this group that we never asked to be part of and this group is made of families of the victims of plane crashes. And, you know, the very first images that you see are of the grieving families and the pain and the grief that is stamped on their faces, the shock of it all. Plane crashes are so dramatic and so violent that it's hard not to get caught up in the whole story, and it's hard not to think of the families and want to comfort them, knowing that their hell is just starting, and all the things that they're going to have to go through, you know, with regards to the aftermath, the investigation, recovering their loved ones and their loved ones' belongings. So it is hard, but I try to, I try to focus on hoping that their recovery or their healing—the sooner they face the disaster, the tragedy—their healing can actually start.Jennie NashIt's got to be so hard. We'll, we'll return to all of these topics again. But Marty, you're... what are your thoughts?Marty Ross-DolenI echo what Rossana says about how—first, thank you for having me. It's a pleasure to be here with you. I echo, and I love being here with Rossana, and I echo what she says as well. When I see some sort of headline or announcement that an airplane accident has taken place, my heart sinks. My stomach sinks. I know that I'm going to be in it for a couple of days, if not longer, and nowadays, with social media and the immediacy of information—and for the first time, with this devastating Air India crash, and part of it is because there was a survivor—we have information that we've never had before about the experience of it, and somehow, what came across my news feed on social media as well were videos of the inside of the cabin just before the crash. I don't even know how these were available. I don't even know if they're real because of AI—it's... but then I see that because I can't not see it, and I'm stuck with that in my brain until it goes into that little pocket that contains all those things that we see over our lifetimes that we try never to think about again. So it's hard, it's really hard, and it's really hard to get on an airplane. But that's true for everyone. That's true for everyone, but because, as Rossana describes, we're members of this group, this club that we didn't sign on for, it's probably extra hard.Jennie NashYeah, I want to come back to that "get on an airplane" thing, but just so our listeners can know about the stories that I'm referring to here, we know that you both wrote books, and they're both memoirs, and they're very, very different experiences for the reader—vibes, purposes, feelings, all of those things—and yet they share this plane crash at the center. So I wanted to ask if you would each just give a summary of what your book is about—the title, what it's about—so our readers can know, our listeners can know, what we're talking about. Your readers, our listeners. Rossana, we're kind of in a pattern here, so why don't you go first?Rossana D'AntonioSure. Thanks, Jennie. So my story, my book, is 26 Seconds: Grief and Blame in the Aftermath of Losing My Brother in a Plane Crash. And it's the story of—well, the title says it all, right? So on May 30, 2008, TACA Flight 390 departed from El Salvador International Airport en route to Miami, Florida, with an interim stop in Honduras at one of the most notoriously dangerous airports in the world, Toncontín International Airport. The area was buffeted by Tropical Storm Alma at the time. So there was a lot of wind, a lot of rain, a lot of fog, and when TACA Flight 390 attempted to land on the airport's very short runway, it overshot the runway, crashed into an embankment, and killed five people—three in the plane, including my brother, the pilot, and two in a car that were crushed when the plane landed on them. The book is my search for the truth as to what truly happened on that day. I suspected my brother would be made a scapegoat. Seventy percent of airplane accidents are blamed on the pilot, and so I just suspected that that would be our reality. And so this book is the story about me finding answers to the questions as to what happened that day..Jennie NashAnd in terms of the timeline of this story, when I first met you, you had just begun to write about it. I think it was 10 years. Oh, no, I've got that wrong. How long after the event? You came into a class of mine at UCLA—it was really close to the event.Rossana D'AntonioYeah. So it was February of 2009, so it was a little over six months. So it was still very, very raw.Jennie NashI know the 10 years part is you came back to me 10 years later, having finally wrapped your hands around how you wanted to approach it. So the story as you write it is 10–15 years after the event, looking back on it and all the work that you did to understand this crash and you are uniquely positioned. And I remember thinking about this way back when I first met you. You have a very unique perspective on disaster, and you have a very unique positioning or perspective from which to look at that. Do you want to explain what that is?Rossana D'AntonioSure. So I'm an engineer. I'm a civil engineer, and I worked for over three decades in the public sector at Los Angeles County Public Works. I was over—as I left county service, I was a deputy director over our emergency management business area, and so I was trained to respond to all sorts of different disasters. Our agency managed several pieces of infrastructure, including five different airports. So I was trained to not only plan, design, construct infrastructure, but also to respond to emergencies following not only natural disasters but, you know, human-made disasters. And following these disasters, I was the lead for preparing after-action reports, which essentially describe what happened, what went wrong, what went well, and what lessons learned can we actually take away from these disasters. So that was my background.Jennie NashYeah, it's an incredible connection to this tragic event. So we'll come back to that in a minute. So Marty, tell us about your book.Marty Ross-DolenSure. So my book is entitled Always There, Always Gone: A Daughter's Search for Truth. And in 1960, my grandparents were killed in an airplane accident that was a collision over New York Harbor. Their plane—they had left Columbus, Ohio. They were traveling to New York, and they were on a TWA Super Constellation, and then a United jet that had originated in Chicago was flying in. My grandparents' plane was set for landing in LaGuardia. The United flight was set for landing in Idlewild, which is now JFK Airport. The United plane got off course and collided with my grandparents' plane. My grandparents' plane landed in Staten Island in an empty airfield, and the United flight actually continued for a few miles and landed in Park Slope, Brooklyn, killing people on the ground. So on the planes, there were 128 people who lost their lives, and then six people on the ground in Brooklyn. And because of that horrific situation in Brooklyn, that's where most of the sort of media was focused. There was one survivor who survived for about 24 hours—a boy—but he didn't live. My grandparents were on their way from Columbus to New York to meet for a meeting to talk about their family business, their iconic family magazine Highlights for Children, and they were looking to place the magazine on the newsstands. So they were executives with the company, and this accident was actually the largest commercial jet airplane disaster up until that time in 1960, so it was a pretty well-known, famous accident.Jennie NashSo you two have a very unique connection to that accident, and where you stood when you wrote about it is much further in the future from the crash itself, because your mother, if I remember correctly, was 14 years old at the time.Marty Ross-DolenRight. So my mom was 14. It was six years before I was born, so obviously I didn't know my grandparents. My mom was the second oldest of five, and they moved from Columbus, Ohio, to Austin, Texas, to live with a paternal uncle and his family. And so my book is more about my experience of being raised by a mother who was in protracted mourning after having lost her parents and not had a way to process her grief as an adolescent, and as she got older. So my approach to my book is from that angle primarily, in addition to getting to know my grandmother through her letters, which was a significant goal through the writing process.Jennie NashRight. So you have this reverberation through time of this accident and your connection to the work your grandparents did. You're a writer, you're an editor, you're a person who deals with story, and they were—I mean, I was such a reader of Highlights back in the day—and that, you know, you use the word iconic, you know, probably launched the careers of so many writers and thinkers, and you have a connection through time with that, which is a very unique perspective to have on your story. So you each bring these very different ways of looking at this event. So before we kind of dig into the decisions you each made around how to structure your book, and the tone and shape and all of that, part of the reason we're all talking here today is this, what I think of as a very delightful outcome of these books, which is that you know each other. You've met each other after the books were written. And oftentimes we think, when we're writing something, that well, we think several things: nobody's ever written anything like this, and everybody else has already written this story. What do I have to say? You know, those sort of back-and-forth thoughts that writers often have—Is this unique? Do I have something to add? Do I have something to say? How am I going to serve my readers, or what experience am I going to give to my readers? And then, you know just those pinging back-and-forth thoughts. And it's not very often that we get to actually meet a writer who, at the same time, in the same phase here of publishing, you know, just the same year even, has written something that is similar-ish, you know, about a plane crash, but totally different books. But I just want to ask you each about the meeting of each other and the thinking of that book, and what that's like, because it's so unusual to get to have this kind of conversation. So, you know, I imagine there are lots of things going through your head when you heard about this other book or, you know, I don't know if I have a connection to both of you. I don't know if it came from me or what, but why don't we start this time with you, Marty.Marty Ross-DolenYeah, one of the great joys of this last year has been publishing with the same publisher as Rossana, and for us to get to know each other, because we both published our books with She Writes Press, and we just happened to be in the same cohort of summer 2025. We published in the same month, one week apart. Yeah, yeah. And I remember when we first were introducing ourselves as a group, and Rossana mentioned what her story was about. And my reaction was, is it really true? Is there really another airplane accident story amongst us? Because it is—it's not common. I mean, you don't very often come across people who have lost loved ones this way, and what became clear to me over time was that our books were very, very different. And by the nature of the fact that Rossana lost her beloved brother, who she was very close to, and I lost grandparents I had never met, our stories were just—and there's decades that separate these events—so by those natures, it was clear to me that our books were going to be different. I was excited to read Rossana's book. I was also apprehensive because, for the same reason that I described about when I'm reading about it in the news, it's just hard. But I will say, in reading Rossana's beautiful book, I immediately noticed just kindred spirits with her as a writer. It happened early in the chapters that I was reading. I had used the word lullaby to describe the sound of the engines getting going when you're sitting on a plane and it's about to take off, and sort of the sound of almost a lullaby that will put you to sleep. The person who was working with me as I was writing kept crossing that word out: “That doesn't make sense. Why would you call that a lullaby?” And I wanted it in there. It felt so right. And Rossana described that exact time, those sounds, as a lullaby. It was like; this is something that's just unique about people who have experienced what we've experienced.Jennie NashOh, wow, that's so interesting. Rossana, what about you? Your coming upon Marty's book.Rossana D'AntonioI know. What are the odds, right? I mean, I had never met anyone who had ever experienced a plane crash in their family. As a matter of fact, I'm going to get geeky here, but the U.S. Department of Transportation statistics indicate that one in 2 billion people will die in a plane crash. So what are the odds that, you know, life would bring Marty and I together, that had this connection, not only with the plane crash but also with you, Jennie? I mean some that came out later on. And so I thought, wow, you know, talk about serendipity and, you know, the mysterious ways of life. And although, you know, these are very different stories, I mean, they're connected at their core by a common theme, right? Very similar tragedies. And when I read Marty's book, like she says, there was—I was taken aback because there were many similar passages, you know, how we describe things or how we perceive things. There were a lot of commonalities, even though we came from it from different perspectives, which again reinforces my belief that we're part of this group that we never want to be a part of, and we'll always be connected in one way or another. I think one of the things, though, that was obvious when I read her book was that I connected, I understood, I related to her mom, obviously, right? Her mom was one that had experienced this plane crash, so it was kind of obvious the way it had impacted her, the tragedy, the aftermath, the bottling up of her feelings, PTSD, whatever—all of that I, like, clicked. But I think the most fascinating part of Marty's book was how that grief could be transferred from generation to generation. And I thought that was the fascinating thing that I learned that I really didn't know, and how these tragedies can be prolonged for, you know, generations.Jennie NashYeah, it's—well, first of all, thanks for geeking out because that is a good description of what your book is. You have a lot in your book that is kind of geeky in a—you know, you really get into the aviation industry, into the nuts and bolts of, literally, planes and how they function to the way that governments and reports about accidents function. So when reading your book, people get that layer, which is, you know, you bring to that work. So, geek out all you want. It's great. And Marty's book, by contrast, is this exploration of, you know, you drop a pebble in a pond, and how does it hit the shores? And that very emotional—you know, she had a mother immersed in grief. And what does that do to the child? And then the child's impulse to—I think it's the word search in both of your subtitles, I think it might be, or certainly the concept of it—but that idea of a quest or a journey or, you know, a need to understand. And in Rossana's case, it's what happened on that day. In Marty's case, what happened to my mom? You know, like, what was this thing that happened to my mom? And you're both seeking—that core of both of them. So I want to ask about, because I'm fascinated by this—you know, there's a raw material of a story, and how you make your choices about what the tone of that story is going to be, or the shape and structure of that story, what you want the reader to feel or to experience. Can you both go back to when you knew you were going to write about it? I think that's the first thing, is how did you catch this idea as, "This is a thing I'm going to write about"? Marty, do you want to start with that one?Marty Ross-DolenSure. I started writing after I attended a 50th anniversary memorial event for the airplane accident. And there's a sort of story that leads up to that memorial event and my attending it. But prior to that—which was, so that was 2010—prior to that, I wasn't necessarily inclined to write about it. So after attending this memorial event in 2010, a few months later, I just started telling the story of the memorial and putting some backstory into it, and that ended up being an essay that was about... I don't know, it was a long essay, like, say, 40 pages, but I was told the story was done. Because for those of us that like to use writing and words and language to try to process those things that are sitting—that we're obsessing about or sitting in our minds—I wanted to have done that and be done, because this thing was deeper than anything else that I could excavate in terms of pain in my life. So after I submitted this essay to a class that I was taking at Ohio State—writing, creative writing workshop—and at the end of the semester, the professor said to me that he thought that really what I was doing was writing a book, because there was too much material here and I hadn't done what needed to be done. My stomach sank because I didn't want to write a book. It wasn't—I wanted to be done with this topic. So I took his feedback and all of my workshop peers' feedback, and I stuck it all, the pile of papers, into a cabinet, and it stayed there for 14—well, 10—years.Jennie NashWow!Marty Ross-DolenYeah. And then, during that time, my mother had become the archivist for Highlights, for the family business, and was going through all of the saved artifacts and materials and papers related to the company and the family. And I had always wanted to know my grandmother better. My grandmother is the person I'm named for. I had always known a lot of stories about her, but I asked my mom if she had access to any letters that she might come across in the attics and basements that she was excavating—could I have them? So she started sending them to me. So while I had an essay in the cabinet, I had bins of letters from my grandmother in the basement. And that whole time, anybody who would ask me what I was working on, writing-wise, I'd say, "Well, you know I've got these letters in the basement..." but I never did anything with it. I just couldn't—it was too—everything was too overwhelming. And then what happened for me is that COVID—when the pandemic, you know, 2020, started—became part of our lives. I realized that it was an opportunity for me to pursue an MFA that I had wanted to do for a long time because it was going to be remote. And then I realized I've got time, and I could pull all of this out and see if it was something worth tackling. So that's the story of the decision to write. It was a slow one.Jennie NashWow. Oh, so interesting. And Rossana, well, we heard that you, six months after your brother died, you were in this class trying to learn how to write about it, which, at the time, I didn't quite put together that had been so recent. So when did you decide you were going to write about it? How did you know?Rossana D'AntonioYeah, so, I mean, I didn't set out to write a book. I just started to write. And as you know, as an engineer, I wasn't really trained to be like a memoir writer or writing essays of this type of nature. But I have to give you so much credit, because when I went to your class—and I went out of curiosity to see, well, is anything I'm scribbling down in these journals, is anything really good?—and so your class brought me together with all these other students, and, you know, reading some of the material out loud, all of a sudden, it was a four-day—I don't know if you remember—it was a four-day, one of these four-day intensive classes, and at the end, we're reading our material, and all these strangers are suddenly referring to my brother like they know him, and I recognize that it was because I was somehow relaying his story to them, and I was somehow, maybe through my work or my words, keeping him alive in some way, and that was really transformational for me, because I thought, well, maybe I can do this. And you were very kind. You said that the work was actually pretty good, and then I had some teachers that, you know, added to that. So it started out like, you know, just like playing with words, and then it turned into a grief memoir. That's the… you know, it's evolved greatly. It turned into a grief memoir, which you—I went back to you and you said, “Well, this is great, congratulations, but it's really not marketable, and if you really want to get it out into the world, you're going to have to make some changes.” And so at that point, that's when I decided, all right, I'm going to go ahead and explore. I'm going to go deeper and try to explore the truth about what happened that day. Maybe make it more scientific, more technical; maybe bring in some of the elements that were missing from this memoir. And so along with working with you and working with my editor­— Jodi Fodor—both of you, like within the last few years—I thought I had written it, I thought I was fine, I thought it was done. But then I'd come back to all of you, and you would ask me these probing questions. Perhaps I hadn't developed a scene well enough, or maybe I needed to go deeper. You know, memoir is different than what I was trained to do, and that would send me down this rabbit hole in search of answers to, you know, the questions you were asking, which, by the way, was very annoying because obviously I did not want to come to terms with, you know, the questions that you were asking, because it would, like, get me down into the feeling part of the whole memoir writing. But I did the homework, I came back with answers, and then I realized that memoir is a different animal. And I really felt that your input, your feedback, your questions, your probing, really did make it a lot richer of a story. And even through those seeking answers to the questions that you had brought me to self-discoveries, epiphanies, that perhaps… things that I had bottled up, and that even at the tail end of writing the story, there was still so much more to discover with regards to grief and healing, and which was a lesson to me that I suppose this journey never really ends.Jennie NashOh, I want to defend myself when I said, “This is great, but it's not marketable.” There is such a danger with memoir, particularly memoir around big things, and you both are writing about a big thing, and also particularly around grief, where it's so big in your own head, it takes over your whole mind or life or heart or world, that you assume that everybody else gets it. Right? Like this thing happened, and it's tragic, and in Marty's case, it reverberates through my whole life, and it's so easy to skip over the work of making that story mean something to the reader, and of just sort of resting on the fact that this dramatic thing happened in your family and your life. And there are so many manuscripts like that that when they land on the desk of an agent or the hands of a reader, it's not enough, right? It's not enough. And so that was what I was responding to you. And I know because I got to work with you, and I know from Marty, because I see the result of her finished book, you both did that really hard work, and when I say it's really hard, you just named, Rossana, why it's hard. You have to look at yourself in a way… you know you have to dig in there to things you might not really want to think about. You certainly probably don't want to feel. Do you even want to share them? All of those decisions and choices and ideas. That's what's so hard. And you both put yourself through that process. So I want to ask you each about that—what was it like? So Marty, we'll start with you. In your case, you're digging into these letters, you start then digging into the news, the articles, the pictures, the—you know, all this stuff that your mother never spoke about, and here you're digging, digging, digging. What was that like for you on an emotional level?Marty Ross-DolenAh, it took over my life for a period of time. It was very time-consuming and overwhelming, and nothing about it was easy. I spent a lot of time and tears. I had a tough time sleeping. I did a lot of the work of writing in the middle of the night. In my head, I would wake up in the middle of the night reciting something I had written the day before. It had totally taken over my brain, and fortunately, my mother is very supportive of my work and has been very supportive of the book. And while I was reading the letters—and I read them all, and there are hundreds and hundreds of letters and thousands of pages of them—my mom was available to me to have very long conversations each day through it, because I would want to share something that I read with her, check with her about a story, or she would add and fill in some cracks. And she and I spent a lot of time on the phone crying. We also spent a lot of time laughing, because my grandmother was hilarious, which helped the situation. Her letters were a joy to read. But it really—it's a commitment. It's something that anybody who decides that they're going to take on a project that's going to just sort of open up the wound and create a rawness you're not even familiar with until you're there certainly needs to have established the support system. And I also had my husband, who was incredibly willing to talk about—I mean, he's been talking about this with me and listening for, at this point, for years, but certainly all the time back then, during those days. So it's not pretty, it was hard, but there's nothing about it that doesn't feel like the biggest gift I've ever given myself, because as much as I was trying to avoid it for all those years, there was a reason. I had to do it. I had to go through the process. And also, no question, there's a healing component to writing about something like this, and that reflective writing process, when you do the deep work and try to really dig and let yourself—as Rossana was saying—you know, the annoying stuff that was really like not where you wanted to go, but that is what really changed how it helped me heal in terms of grief, but it really also changed the way I thought about the story and imagined the story, and helped me not look at it through quite as much sadness and even anger, as much as I then was able to look through more of a lens of love at all of it. And I would venture to say that Rossana may have felt that too, because I read her book, and her book is all love. So…Jennie NashYeah, so Rossana, what was that experience of writing like for you?Rossana D'AntonioYeah, well, like Marty said, you know, it was, it did become all-consuming. I became obsessed. For me, though, it was the plane crash, right? The plane crash is the common thread throughout the whole book. And I would venture to say that the crash is a character itself. I like to think of it as the crash is the villain that I battle throughout the story. Everything revolves around it, and it was all-consuming. I analyzed it a million different ways. I deconstructed it. I peeled layer after layer, fact upon fact, trying to get to the core of what truly happened, right? And then I put everything back together, reconstructing it to try to make sense of it all in an effort to find out the truth, with a little bit of fear as to what I may actually find, right? There were no guarantees that I would like what I actually discovered. And as a matter of fact, you know, working with my editor—because I got so ingrained in it, because I got so weedy and geeky and just too technical—you know, she would actually slash dozens of pages, and she said, “I'm not even going to read this because this is not memoir appropriate. You need to do better.” And I think it was at that point where I had that conversation with Jody that the crash evolved from a thing to a character that I could eventually conquer. And like Marty said, there is a healing, and at the end, I actually make peace with this experience. You know, not that I'm all healed, but I make peace with it. There's really nothing I could do. My search was for the truth, and I got the truth, and then I was able to let it go and actually continue to live, because it was so consuming that I wasn't really living until I let it go.Marty Ross-DolenCan I ask, Rossana, do you think that all that writing that you did that got slashed out—do you, because I have writing also that had to be removed—do you feel that that had to be written in order to be removed, in order to get on the other side of it?Rossana D'AntonioOh, that's a good question. I never thought of it that way, but yeah, it could be. I mean, it's part of the quest. It wasn't appropriate for the work that I was working on, but it did highlight facts that I needed to know in order to, like you said, let it go.Marty Ross-DolenYeah, I just think that's interesting, because I have material that didn't end up in the book, but I know I couldn't have written the book if I hadn't written that material. It's just… yeah.Jennie NashSo you both talk about having arrived at a place of peace, or you use the word a “gift to yourself,” Marty. It sounds like during the writing of these books it didn't feel like that… it feels like that now. So why did you keep going when it was so hard? Marty, what would you say to that?Marty Ross-DolenI think because even though it was hard, I was sensing that it was necessary. I was sensing the value of it, and I had just decided that I was committed to it, and I wasn't going to give up. I just had a sense that once I found myself on the other side, I would be in a place that would have made it all worth it.Jennie NashWhat about you, Rossana?Rossana D'AntonioWell, I mean, for me, there are two things. I mean, people who know me know that once I say I'm going to do something, I cannot let it go. So that's one. But the whole purpose of going down this journey was I needed to know what happened. So not knowing what happened was just not an option. I mean, that was the outcome that I was looking for, and there was fear and pain that I knew I was going to take on. But in order to get there, I needed to go through it. So it was just something inevitable. I just knew what I was getting myself into. And I—you know—bring it on.Jennie NashYeah. So I want to ask about the shaping of the stories. You know, there are so many different shapes a story can take. And Rossana, we heard how you started with one type of book, moved into another. You cut this and that. And Marty, you had this incredible amount of primary source material. How did you make a decision? I mean, there are so many questions we could ask here, but I'm going to just focus on the plane crash as part of this discussion. How did you decide where in the story the crash would come—let's call it the scene of the crash—because it appears in very different places in your books, and in some ways, that colors the tone or form or experience for the reader of that book. So, Marty, how did you make that decision? Because the crash comes quite late in your book, where we actually see it. And it struck me when I was reading your book that that was exactly right for your story, because your mother never spoke about it. You didn't know about it. It wasn't a thing you were playing over in your head, and so the not feeling the crash or knowing about the crash was part of the story of it, in a way. So how did you make that decision??Marty Ross-DolenI will say that the essay that I wrote in 2010 that I described as the foundational essay for the book was largely what part five of my book is. So in many ways, I had written the end of the book. That was the first thing I wrote. And then figuring out where to put what was really the largest challenge. And I ultimately started to realize that I knew that I was coming to the book with the goal of not having the book be about my grandparents' death, but having it be about their life, particularly my grandmother's life. And so I wanted to downplay, even though the details of the accident and my discovering it were critical to the story, I wanted to downplay their death, because that's what I was trying to do for myself, because I had grown up my whole life only knowing their death, and that wasn't what I wanted people to know about myself, my mother, or my grandmother. So that was probably the biggest reason that I decided to put it at the end. And then also I put it at the end because I did want to have some buildup. I sensed some value in the reader getting to know the characters well before finding out what actually happened, and I also wanted it to correlate with my own—as you said—my own discovery of the story, which happened later in my life.Jennie NashWell, then there's this—yeah, there's this cool thing that I thought was really cool that happens in your book, which is your grandparents have this magazine, this business, and they make a decision: “Oh, maybe we should see if we could get this in—was it dentist's offices or, you know, doctors' offices waiting rooms?” And then, you know, they're on this plane to try to get it on newsstands. And we know the incredible success that those ideas went on to have in terms of a business. You know, the seeds that they planted bore incredible fruit. And so that part of the story, I thought, was really beautifully handled as well, because we all know what Highlights was and what it became. And then to find out those were their ideas, and then they died. They were not the ones that saw that through. There's something so powerful about that, that their ideas were so strong. They were so prescient. They were, you know, they created this thing that reverberated—there's that word again—through so many people's lives. I thought that was really a beautiful touch to how you placed that plane crash too.Marty Ross-DolenOh, thank you. That's interesting to think of it from that perspective because, in addition to my not wanting the story to be about my grandparents' deaths solely, it was also not meant to be the story of the history of Highlights. It was meant to be who they were. And, you know, it really is more of a focus on my grandmother in relation to the company, but they saved the company. And there were many times in the 1950s when they were struggling to keep it from bankruptcy and the decision—the sort of… actually, it was an epiphany of a salesperson who came up with the idea of selling through doctors' and dentists' offices. But their decision to implement that happened a couple of years before they died, and that's when they actually started to see the company thrive. So they died when the company was thriving, and they were, just as you said, pursuing more. Because the whole Highlights is a mission-driven company. Our whole goal is to have material that will help children become their best selves. So the more children that it touches, the more successful the mission. And so, yes, I mean, it is part of the story as much as maybe I see it as separate. It's just not separate. But making decisions about how much of one thing, you know, is this book supposed to have? I mean, there were people who wanted me to write the history of Highlights more than I did, for sure. There were people who wanted more airplane accident, for sure. And I wanted more of my grandmother, my mother, and me, so…Jennie NashRight.Marty Ross-DolenYeah, it was a balance.Jennie NashRight. Well, you pulled it off beautifully.Marty Ross-DolenThank you.Jennie NashAnd Rossana, in your book, the plane crash literally starts on page one—or even in the title. How did you…? And I feel like it was maybe always that way. Was it always that way? Was that one thing that never changed?Rossana D'AntonioYeah, I was just going to tell you, the book went through a ton of revisions, but the one thing that remained constant was the opening scene, which was the timeline of the 26 seconds that describe touchdown to impact. And I remember reading that in your class early on, and there was a sense of shock from the reception from the other folks in the class, and I knew that that's how I wanted to start the book. I mean, that's the premise that sets everything in motion. So that was the one constant, and I'm pretty proud of that.Jennie NashYeah. I mean, it's really interesting. So we know from the very beginning what happens. And then you circle back to talk about how you learned of the crash, which is a very dramatic story as well. So how did you hold the tension through the rest of the book? When the reader knows what happened, this is not a mystery, then you have to construct the story in such a way to hold the reader—you know, what else are we going to root for or learn or find out? How did you pull that off? Because you did.Rossana D'AntonioWell, the mystery is, you know, what happened? The mystery—I mean, I talk about how the industry had, continues to have, a tendency to blame one individual, which is the pilot, the last person that touches this very complex system that is the aviation industry. And so I kind of made the industry somewhat of a villain. And this quest for me to seek the truth and hopefully to—you know, I suppose the reader wanted me to be right that the industry was somehow to blame. And so that's how I thread the story, in addition to the fact that, you know, there were facts that kind of reinforced my whole premise, right? I mean, the accident report was never—so the accident happened outside of the country. And so here in the United States, the NTSB will always do an investigation and release the report as public information, as a public document. But outside of the country, the accident investigation—although the NTSB and the FAA participated in it—the lead was the Salvadoran Civil Aviation Authority, and they opted not to make that investigation report public. And so to me, that screamed of a conspiracy. So I thread that into the whole story. And, you know, my family gets the report through indirect means, and I'm able to dive into it, and lo and behold, I discover smoking guns in the report that indicate that the industry lied and covered up. And there were conspiracies, which are not—they're not unique to this one accident. And that's the other thing I do in the book, is I bring in parallel accidents here in the United States that reinforce that the industry is a global industry, and that corporate greed is alive and well in this industry as well.Jennie NashYeah, indeed, your book is revelatory that way. And that leads me to a question I want to ask you both, which I'll start with you, Rossana. Given how hard it was to write the story, and to be in it, and to think about it, and how this plane crash dominated your thinking for so long, what do you think about when you step on a plane? Is it hard for you?Rossana D'AntonioWell, there's a little trepidation. Yes, absolutely. Every time I have to fly, there's a thinking in the back of the mind, right? I think I had a conversation with you, Jennie, where we talked about when I crossed the threshold, whether we like it or not, we are relinquishing all sense of control to those people who are flying the plane and to everybody else in the industry who helps support that pilot and co-pilot, and we have to trust that everyone has done their job. And we've discovered with recent incidents that that isn't always true. So, I mean, there are things that I do. I mean, I try to sit in the exit row. From now on, I will be sitting on 11A, you know? And, you know, I do pay attention to the safety message that the flight attendants do before we depart. I think that's a common courtesy. And by the way, you know, a lot of us feel that we're professional flyers, but we've never been tested under the most dire of conditions in an accident, so we just assume we know what to do. But do we really? And hopefully we'll never be, you know, required to put that knowledge into use. I text my husband, “We're leaving now, taking off,” and then when we land, I tell him that we've landed safe and sound, because there's no guarantee, there's no guarantee that we will make it to our destination. I like to believe—you know, we've been conditioned to believe—that flying is the safest mode of travel, and I believe that, I really do. I don't want to dispel that. I don't want to cause fear. But I do also believe that the industry is under tremendous strain. Those two things can be true at the same time. We can't just say, “I'm not going to travel.” That's just not realistic. And so I choose to trust just like my brother trusted the system when he was alive. I choose to trust the system, and we'll leave it at that.Jennie NashI love that. Marty, what about you?Marty Ross-DolenI find, interestingly, I have a lot more anxiety leading up to flying than actually while I'm flying. In the days before, I can't really focus. Part of it is this feeling of needing to get every little thing in order. And it just sort of takes over in my mind. So the thing that I like the least about flying is the days before I actually do it. And then I have a tradition that I insist that anybody flying with me, that I know personally, also take part in, which is that I kiss the plane, kiss my hand, and place it on the outside of the plane. I think that that's super superstitiously protective. And then I actually feel some relief once I'm in my seat that it's going to move forward. And maybe, maybe part of that is that whatever control I've had up to that point, I can let go. But I do, you know, my husband always says it's safer to fly than drive. And I think that that's true. I'm not a great passenger in a car, for sure, but I'm with Rossana. You trust the system, and you have to live, and you can't choose not to travel or not use a mode of transportation. It's just the way our society and lives are. And I guess I feel grateful and fortunate that we have those options. So, yeah.Jennie NashI love that! Kiss the plane. I might start doing that. I cannot recommend both of these books more. They're so beautiful, they're so different. Reading them together would be incredibly powerful if that's something listeners are inclined to do. But just to remind folks, Marty's book is called Always There, Always Gone. Rossana's book is called 26 Seconds. Thank you both for coming on with each other to talk about this unique connection you have to each other and also your individual books. Can you tell folks where they can go to learn more other than the obvious, go-buy-the-book places? Marty, why don't you go first?Marty Ross-DolenSure. Thank you. All of my information—there's a lot to learn through my website, which is martyrossdolen.com. It's M-A-R-T-Y-R-O-S-S-D-O-L-E-N.com, where there's things to learn about Highlights, there's book club questions, there's Q&A's, just lots of things. There are links to things I've done and all places where you can find the book.Jennie NashWe'll link to that in the show notes. It's just a beautiful book about mothers and daughters and grandmothers and history and our place in it, and grief and life and all of it. It's a beautiful read. And Rossana, where can people find your geeky and soulful book about your beautiful brother, Caesar [Captain Cesare D'Antonio], and his love of flying and this tragedy that unfolded and how you made sense of it? Where can they learn more?Rossana D'AntonioYeah, thank you. So my website is rossanadantonio.com—that's R-O-S-S-A-N-A-D-A-N-T-O-N-I-O.com—and you can find all sorts of information there as well.Jennie NashWell, thank you both for talking to me today.Rossana D'AntonioThank you, Jennie. Thank you, Marty.Marty Ross-DolenThank you, Jennie. Thank you, Rossana. It's been a pleasure.Rossana D'AntonioIt's been fun.Jennie NashAnd for our listeners, keep your butt in the chair and your head in the game.NarratorThe Hashtag AmWriting Podcast is produced by Andrew Perella. Our intro music, aptly titled Unemployed Monday, was written and played by Max Cohen. Andrew and Max were paid for their time and their creative output, because everyone deserves to be paid for their work. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com/subscribe

One person was killed in an anchorage hit and run Friday night. What police know so far, and how you can help them understand what happened. And the Anchorage Fire Department says no one was injured after a plane crash at Merrill Field on Friday night. What the NTSB knows so far about what happened to the plane, which was sold just hours before the crash.

August in flight safety: at least 40 reportable events in just 12 days. The Flight Safety Detectives have reason to believe the number of events is even higher.Worse, the NTSB is putting out inadequate reports. They often provide the obvious cause and do not dig in to find the root cause. Significant questions are left with no answers. Greg Feith notes every accident has a safety lesson to learn.The NTSB preliminary report for a fatal crash of a Piper J5 Cub that happened on the first of the month, was a situation where the aircraft had been sitting idle for months and likely had an engine problem due to fuel contamination. The investigation documented the engine failure but apparently did not look into whether there had been a thorough preflight of the aircraft.Another just-released report covers an accident involving a new aircraft being ferried from Canada across the Atlantic to its new owner in Portugal. The pilot and most of the aircraft were not found, but key information, such as the logbooks for the pilot and the aircraft, was recovered. Despite the ample evidence from the crash and information from Canadian authorities and other parties to the investigation, the NTSB probable cause simply stated that the plane impacted the ocean.More than enough information is available to support a specific root cause. The NTSB did not attempt to address basic questions about the circumstances of the accident, such as what anti-icing or deicing capability the plane had, whether the pilot conducted a thorough preflight plan for the trip, or even if the pilot had the basic qualifications to conduct the flight. Don't miss what's to come from the Flight Safety Detectives - subscribe to the Flight Safety Detectives YouTube channel, listen at your favorite podcast service and visit the Flight Safety Detectives website. Music: “Inspirational Sports” license ASLC-22B89B29-052322DDB8

Foreign nations consider F-35 alternatives such as the Typhoon and FCAS, Denver Airport studies the use of a small modular reactor, Astronaut Jim Lovell passed, Senate bill blocks ATC privatization, NTSB hearings highlighted, and the Regional Airline Association calls for accredited flight training programs to be recognized as professional degrees. Aviation News Spain rules out F-35 order, prioritizes Eurofighter and FCAS The Spanish Ministry of Defense has decided to “prioritize investment in European industry” and will consider the Eurofighter Typhoon or the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) over the Lockheed Martin F-35. The Spanish government wants to replace its aging fleet of McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornets and AV-8B Harrier II aircraft. Previously, the F-35 was considered a leading candidate. Talks with Lockheed Martin are now suspended. Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, courtesy F35.com. Other potential foreign F-35 customers, including Canada and Portugal, have signaled doubts about joining the American-led program amid geopolitical strain with the Trump administration. Swiss lawmakers are calling for the government to cancel a $9.1 billion order for Lockheed Martin's F-35 stealth fighter. Denver to look at nuclear option for power at Denver International Airport The Denver airport (DIA) “issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to study the feasibility of building a small modular (nuclear) reactor (SMR) on the DEN campus. The study is part of DEN's overall efforts to meet future clean energy demands.” A new Colorado law reclassifies nuclear energy as a clean energy resource. See the press release: DEN to Pursue More Alternative Energy Options for Future Needs and A nuclear reactor at the Denver airport? Here's what you need to know. Professor Thomas Albrecht, director of the Nuclear Science and Engineering Center at the Colorado School of Mines, said, "The idea, with many of the small modular reactors, is you can drive them up on a semi. put them down on a concrete pad and plug them in, and they just go. The idea of many of these designs is you could keep adding them." The study will cost up to $1.25 million and is expected to take between 6-12 months to complete, at which time DEN, along with its partners, will evaluate the findings and determine next steps. NASA Administrator Reflects on Passing of Astronaut Jim Lovell Astronaut James A. Lovell was a pioneering NASA astronaut best known as the commander of Apollo 13 and as one of the first humans to orbit the Moon, having flown a total of four space missions—Gemini 7, Gemini 12, Apollo 8, and Apollo 13—more than any astronaut in NASA's early years. Astronaut James A. Lovell, NASA. Gemini 7 (1965): Set an endurance record of nearly 14 days in orbit and accomplished the first rendezvous of two manned spacecraft, a vital maneuver for Moon missions. Gemini 12 (1966): Commanded the final Gemini mission, featured Buzz Aldrin as pilot, and executed complex extravehicular activities, closing the Gemini program successfully. Apollo 8 (1968): Served as Command Module Pilot for the first crewed mission to leave Earth's orbit and enter lunar orbit, making him and his crewmates the first humans to orbit the Moon and see its far side. Apollo 13 (1970): Commanded the ill-fated lunar mission that suffered a catastrophic explosion en route, forcing a dramatic turnaround and Moon flyby. His leadership in crisis turned it into an inspirational story of survival; Lovell and his crew made it back safely, an event celebrated worldwide and dramatized in the 1995 film "Apollo 13". See Former Astronaut James A. Lovell - NASA and EAA's Jack Pelton on the Death of Astronaut Jim Lovell. Senate ATC modernization funding bill blocks privatization The Senate Appropriations Committee bill to fund the Department of Transportation, including the FAA, in 2026 seeks to block any attempts to privatize the U.S. air traffic control system.

On this week's episode of AvTalk, what we learned from days two and three of the NTSB's hearings on the midair collision at DCA. A Delta A330neo experiences severe turbulence, Boeing adds a new 777-9 to 777X test fleet, and Alaska Airlines unveils a new livery for its 787s. Plus, ANA retires the R2-D2 livery […] The post AvTalk Episode 331: Stuck on the plane for 28 hours appeared first on Flightradar24 Blog.

The Lockheed U-2 spy plane on its 70th anniversary, Boeing workers strike the St. Louis plant, the NTSB hearing on the DCA mid-air collision, and Injuries due to air turbulence. Also, Micah and Capt. Dana meet up and record the conversation, and news about this year's Cranky Dorkfest. Aviation News U-2 Just Set New Records On The 70th Anniversary Of Its First Flight Lockheed proposed the U-2 Dragon Lady spy plane in 1953, it was approved in 1954, and its first test flight took place in 1955, seventy years ago. According to ATC radio traffic, the U-2 just set several records, including an “endurance record for category and class for aircraft.” During the Cold War era, the U-2 flew over the Soviet Union, China, Vietnam, and Cuba. Gary Powers was shot down in a CIA U-2 by a surface-to-air missile over the Soviet Union in 1960. Major Rudolf Anderson Jr. was shot down in 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis. U-2 Dragon Lady, courtesy Lockheed Martin. ‘Double Trouble' Boeing F-47 NGAD Problems the Air Force Never Saw Coming The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) recommended that members accept Boeing's four-year contract offer for the St. Louis plant. Instead, union membership voted to authorize a strike, potentially disrupting the production of Boeing aircraft. IAM District 837 Members in St. Louis Reject Latest Boeing Offer, Strike for Fair Contract Approximately 3,200 highly-skilled IAM Union members at Boeing facilities in St. Louis voted to reject a modified four-year labor agreement with Boeing. This vote follows members' rejection of Boeing's earlier proposal on Sunday, July 27. See also: Boeing Strike Begins Monday After Negotiations Fail and More than 3,000 Boeing defense workers go on strike after rejecting contract. FAA planning more helicopter route changes after fatal collision At a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)  investigative hearing, the FAA said additional changes will be made to a key helicopter route near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. This follows restrictions imposed in March and June. At the hearing, NTSB officials expressed concerns about the FAA failing to turn over documents in a timely manner, inaction by the agency after earlier reports of close calls, and a "disconnect" between controllers and FAA leaders. Turbulent SLC flight passengers likely entitled to up to $250k for damages, aviation attorney says “An aviation attorney says passengers on the Delta flight could be entitled to $250K in compensation.” The turbulence was encountered on a Delta Airbus A330-900 flying from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam. The plane diverted to Minneapolis, and 25 passengers and crew members were hospitalized. Dinner With Dana Captain Dana, an A320 family pilot, visited with Micah and talked about flying, his background, and how he traveled to Maine. Captain Dana and our Main(e) Man Micah. Mentioned NTSB News Talk - Reagan National Midair NTSB Hearing Day 1: Army Black Hawk & Regional Jet Crash Testimony Reagan National Midair NTSB Hearing Day 2: Army Black Hawk & CRJ-700 Testimony It is Time to RSVP for Cranky Dorkfest (Yes, You Need to RSVP This Year) Sustainable Skies World Summit 2026: Save the Date! - 17–18 March 2026, Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre, UK. Hosts this Episode Max Flight, our Main(e) Man Micah, Rob Mark, and David Vanderhoof.

Casmo, Mover, and Gonky break down some of the new information from the latest NTSB hearings on the DCA crash. No teleprompters, no fluff—just pilots telling it like it is, swapping tales from the cockpit, and breaking it all down with the kind of insight only we can offer. This ain't the news… or anything close to it!Go here to support the channel. https://www.themoverandgonkyshow.comMost Mondays at 8PM ET, Mover (F-16, F/A-18, T-38, 737, 787, helicopter pilot, author, cop, and wanna be race car driver) and Gonky (F/A-18, T-38, A320, dirt bike racer, author, and awesome dad) discuss everything from aviation to racing to life and anything in between. More About Mover:Mover's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CWLemoineLooking for a good book? https://www.cwlemoine.comMore About Gonky:Gonky's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@therealgonkyKids Coloring and Activity Books! https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0CDS4C68Y*The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.Views presented are our own or our guests and do not represent the views of DoD or its Components.*

The NTSB just finished a 3-day hearing about the fatal January 2025 midair collision between an airliner and a U.S. Army helicopter over the Potomac River. Greg Feith, John Goglia and Todd Curtis tuned in and share their takeaways.The hearing covered many issues, particularly the role that FAA and Army procedures and systems played in the crash. They credit NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy and Member Todd Inman with assertive questioning that took the FAA to task for lack of cooperation with the NTSB. The NTSB can't make regulations and can only recommend them. This independence is crucial, but it limits its power to implement significant changes. The regulatory process and the technological complexity of the air traffic system mean that any recommendations coming from this investigation may take years.Overall, this accident investigation is being conducted in a way that will advance aviation safety. However, the resources devoted to this investigation may affect the quality of other current NTSB investigations and aviation safety initiatives. Don't miss what's to come from the Flight Safety Detectives - subscribe to the Flight Safety Detectives YouTube channel, listen at your favorite podcast service and visit the Flight Safety Detectives website. Music: “Inspirational Sports” license ASLC-22B89B29-052322DDB8

Send us a textDoug is with family in Colorado after just making it there and Drew is having to change from airline radio lingo to airport lingo. Its, “roger”… copy? We condense days of NTSB hearings on the DCA crash into 3 main takeaways. Also on this episode:So long SeatGuru!Blue Sky gets the Green LightAmerican Airlines finds a new partnerMore bad news at SpiritDCA crash NTSB hearings updateA tsunami hits the PacificListener feedback https://www.nexttripnetwork.com/

On this episode of AvTalk, what we learned from the first of three days of investigative hearings by the NTSB into January's crash at DCA. Russian investigators peel the layers of problems that led to the crash of a Gazpromavia SuperJet. An American Airlines 737 suffers a landing gear problem and fire in Denver. In […] The post AvTalk Episode 330: Acceptable deviation? appeared first on Flightradar24 Blog.

Formal announcements are made in the race for N.C. Senate, Republicans override several of Gov. Stein's vetoes with the help of local Democrats, and the National Transportation Safety Board investigates an accident on Interstate 485 that left six dead.

Trump unleashes sweeping new tariffs in a blow to global trade. Jobs not threatened by AI. Chad's Wheel of Surprise. How Trump's poll numbers on immigration have shifted as he has enacted his agenda. NTSB to wrap up final day of public hearings into deadly midair crash near DCA. Kerr County, Texas, lead emergency management official says he was asleep during deadly flooding. Jim Kennedy, Kennedy Institue for Public Policy Research, talks about Texas redistricting.

AP correspondent Ed Donahue reports on a hearing into a deadly helicopter/jet crash.

The latest local news impacting D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia. Today's stories include: a new Commanders stadium in the District gets initial approval from the D.C. Council and the final day of National Transportation Safety Board hearings on the deadly January mid-air collision over the Potomac Rover near Reagan National Airport.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

BEST OF - White House Correspondent Jon Decker reports on the start of Trump's new tariffs. President Trump sends strongly worded letters to pharmaceutical companies demanding lower drug prices, and the White House announces plans for a new ballroom. Fox News Radio's Tonya J. Powers and National Correspondent Rory O'Neill report on Trump's push to bring back school fitness tests. ABC News Transportation Reporter Clara McMichael covers the FAA and NTSB investigation into a severe turbulence incident on a Delta flight. Plus, home prices drop in 14 major U.S. metro areas.

An NTSB hearing reveals troubling findings about the last moments before a Blackhawk helicopter collided with a passenger jet in Washington, D.C. Officials evaluate evacuation procedures after a tsunami scare. And Congress considers a bill that would bar lawmakers from trading stocks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There's just one day left for US trade partners to get a deal or face steeper tariffs, but the duties are facing a legal challenge. American support for Israel's military actions in Gaza is declining. We'll tell you what we've learned so far at NTSB hearings investigating January's mid-air collision that killed 67 people. Police have arrested a man after a married couple were found dead on a hiking trail. And, President Donald Trump has helped boost a TV show's ratings, but he's probably not happy about it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Flooding threats for parts of the country and an update on Texas lawmakers hearing from residents on the deadly Kerrville floods. The latest on the NTSB investigation into the flight that underwent major turbulence that left passengers severely injured. "Eye on America"...the growing popularity of Astrology among American's searching for answers. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Join the conversation with C4 & Bryan Nehman.  Michael Collins fills In for Bryan Nehman this morning.  Baltimore City schools ignored anti-semitism complaints.  NTSB begins hearings on mid air collission at Reagan Airport.  County teachers ratify new contract.  Congressman Johnny O talks IG saga & more in-studio.  Latest on county IG saga.  Listen to C4 & Bryan Nehman live weekdays from 5:30 to 10am on WBAL News Radio 1090, FM 101.5 & the WBAL Radio App.

Vince discusses the NTSB probe into the tragic DC helicopter crash involving flight 5342. Plus, Former VP Kamala Harris is scheduled to appear on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to promote her new book. That and much more on The Vince Coakley Radio Program. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A historic magnitude 8.8 earthquake off the coast of Russia triggers tsunami warnings across the Pacific — including for Hawaii, Alaska, and the U.S. West Coast. Earthquake geologist Dr. Wendy Bohon joins the Carolina Weather Group to break down the science behind the massive quake, tsunami generation, and what to expect in the days ahead.Plus: the Carolinas swelter under relentless heat, but is relief finally on the way? Meteorologist Frank Strait has the forecast — and what it could mean for tropical development in early August.

NTSB Hearings on Reagan National Crash Begin  The NTSB has begun a multi-day hearing on January's fatal plane crash at Reagan National Airport. Correspondent Lisa Dwyer reports the blackhawk helicopter that was involved in the crash may have had faulty equipment on board.    Trump Tariffs India  After months of negotiations, President Trump is threatening India with a big increase on tariffs. Correspondent Jennifer King reports.      Harris Says She Won't Run for CA Governor  Since she lost the 2024 presidential election questions have swirled about what Kamala Harris will do for her next job. Correspondent Ed Donahue reports one option has been crossed out.    Brown University Makes Deal with White House  Another university has reached an agreement with Trump Administration to restore its federal funding. Correspondent Haya Panjwani reports the deal is similar to the one signed last week by Columbia.    Tsunami Danger Passes  People along the pacific coast of the western hemisphere are breathing easier. Tsunami warnings, advisories and watches have been cancelled. But Correspondent Rich Johnson reports experts remain vigilant.    FDA Vaccine Chief Stepping Down  The FDA's vaccine chief has announced he plans to step down from the role. Correspondent Sagar Meghani reports his tenure in that position was brief.    Ozzy Osbourne Laid to Rest  Correspondent Charles de Ledesma takes us to Birmingham, England, where fans of heavy metal gathered to honor Ozzy Osbourne as he travelled to his final resting place.    Francis Scott Key Bridge Final Demolition Begins  The final stages of the demolition of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore has begun. And correspondent Mike Hempen reports this step involves breaking down large sections of the collapsed bridge.  Virginia Councilman Hospitalized After Attack  An elected official in Virginia has been hospitalized after being attacked at his place of work. Correspondent Haya Panjwani reports that officials do not believe the incident was politically motivated.    Appeals Court Judge Confirmed by Senate  A former lawyer for Donald Trump has been confirmed by the Senate as an appeals court judge. Correspondent Ben Thomas reports.    Government Looking to Take Back COVID Relief Funding  The federal government is looking to get some of its money back. Correspondent Mike Hempen explains.    Energy Drink Recall  Correspondent Lisa Dwyer reports there's been a recall of an energy drink brand after some cans wound up in the wrong product line at the factory.    NASA Launches Satellite  NASA and India have jointly launched a satellite into space. Correspondent Charles De Ledesma reports the spacecraft will help scientists track changes to the land.    National Guard Called After Cyber Attack  The National Guard Cyber response unit was called in to respond to a threat inside the network of St. Paul Minnesota. Correspondent Chuck Palm has details with today's tech report.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Max talks about a dramatic ground collision between two Pasadena Police Department helicopters and the wide-ranging lessons pilots can draw from it. On November 17, 2012, two Bell OH-58 helicopters collided at the Pasadena PD Benedict Heliport when one returned from a flight and struck another that was sitting on the pad with its rotors turning. Six people suffered minor injuries, but the accident destroyed both aircraft and revealed systemic issues far beyond a single pilot error. Max uses the NTSB report and audio clips from the Rotary Wing Show—where host Mick Cullen interviewed Dan Parsons—to examine how this accident unfolded and why different people interpret it so differently. Initial reactions, including Max's own when first hearing the episode, tended to blame the landing pilot. However, as Dan points out, there were organizational and procedural factors that made this an accident waiting to happen. One major factor was the normalization of deviance. Due to poor drainage on Pad 1, it was common for helicopters to be parked slightly outside the designated landing box to avoid puddles. On the day of the accident, N96BM was positioned completely outside the pad's markings. When N911FA returned to land in light rain with a wet windscreen, the landing pilot assumed the parked helicopter was within its box and focused on positioning her own aircraft properly on Pad 2. The two rotor systems intersected just as she lowered the collective to land. The lack of a monitored UNICOM frequency and formal radio procedures compounded the hazard. At the time of the accident, no standard protocol existed for announcing arrivals or departures beyond what ground personnel could hear. The parked helicopter's radios were not yet on, so the pilots had no communication link. Combined with rain-obscured visibility and non-standard pad markings, these conditions created a perfect storm. Max highlights how this accident illustrates core principles of Safety Management Systems (SMS), even for pilots outside of airline or charter operations. SMS emphasizes proactively identifying hazards, implementing mitigations, and creating feedback mechanisms to prevent unsafe practices from becoming normalized. The Pasadena PD air unit responded after the accident by redesigning their heliport layout to increase pad separation, establishing monitored UNICOM procedures, and instituting regular safety meetings to address hazards before they could lead to incidents. The episode also touches on pilot psychology. As Mick Cullen points out in one clip, the markings on the ground or guidance from a marshaller are just that—guidance. Ultimately, the pilot in command decides where to place the aircraft and is responsible for ensuring clearance. This is a valuable lesson not just for helicopter pilots but for fixed-wing pilots taxiing around crowded ramps. Max connects this to a story of a low-time pilot at his club who taxied into a fuel truck and insisted it wasn't his fault—a reminder that responsibility always lies with the PIC. In the Updates segment, Max turns to two sobering Cirrus SR22 accidents. The first, in Jesup, Georgia, involved an experienced pilot attempting to land in near-zero visibility without flying the published instrument approach. Track data showed low-speed, high-bank maneuvers just before the airplane stalled and crashed short of the runway. The pilot's tendency to avoid being late for appointments may have contributed to self-induced pressure, leading to a poor decision to attempt a visual arrival in IMC. The second accident, in Oxbow, Oregon, involved a newly certificated pilot who encountered forecast icing conditions at altitude. The airplane entered IMC, likely accumulated ice, and descended rapidly. The pilot deployed the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System, but at a speed far above the published deployment limit, causing structural failure of the parachute system. The accident underscores the critical importance of understanding aircraft limitations, respecting icing forecasts, and recognizing that CAPS is not a magic shield if operated outside design parameters. Max ties both Cirrus accidents back to the SMS theme. In each case, small decisions compounded into catastrophic outcomes. An absence of previous incidents can create a false sense of security, but SMS teaches that safety is not the absence of accidents—it's the presence of robust defenses and hazard awareness. For general aviation pilots, this means constantly evaluating risks, questioning assumptions, and not allowing convenience or routine to override sound decision-making. The Pasadena PD helicopter accident provides a vivid case study in how seemingly minor deviations, inadequate procedures, and environmental factors can align to produce a serious accident even among highly experienced pilots. With over 16,000 and 13,000 hours respectively, neither pilot fit the stereotype of “low-time error.” Instead, it was the system around them—and the normalization of small deviations—that created the conditions for disaster. Max concludes with a reminder that SMS isn't a bureaucratic requirement; it's a mindset. Whether you fly a Cirrus SR22, a Robinson R44, or a law enforcement helicopter, applying SMS principles—identifying hazards, creating mitigations, and fostering open communication—can make the difference between routine operations and a preventable accident. For all pilots, this episode offers both a sobering analysis and actionable takeaways to enhance safety in every flight environment. If you're getting value from this show, please support the show via PayPal, Venmo, Zelle or Patreon. Support the Show by buying a Lightspeed ANR Headsets Max has been using only Lightspeed headsets for nearly 25 years! I love their tradeup program that let's you trade in an older Lightspeed headset for a newer model. Start with one of the links below, and Lightspeed will pay a referral fee to support Aviation News Talk. Lightspeed Delta Zulu Headset $1299 NEW – Lightspeed Zulu 4 Headset $1099 Lightspeed Zulu 3 Headset $949Lightspeed Sierra Headset $749 My Review on the Lightspeed Delta Zulu Send us your feedback or comments via email If you have a question you'd like answered on the show, let listeners hear you ask the question, by recording your listener question using your phone. News Stories GA Groups Rally to Support Next Year's Special Olympics Airlift Dual electronic ignition introduced in Skyhawks 172 Takes Off From Oshkosh Taxiway In Wrong Direction Garmin introduces Guided Visual Approaches Avidyne earns FAA certification to continue Cirrus avionics upgrades Senate Bill Would Require ADS-B on All Civilian and Military Aircraft Distracted pilot crashes while landing Overloaded Aircraft Carrying Moose Meat Caused Fatal 2023 Crash Vibrating Suit Could Help Pilots Avoid Fatal Disorientation Mentioned on the Show Buy Max Trescott's G3000 Book Call 800-247-6553 Lightspeed Delta Zulu Headset Giveaway NTSB News Talk Podcast UAV News Talk Podcast Rotary Wing Show Podcast NTSB's Dust Devils Video Max's article in FLYING Magazine: RNAV Glidepath Capture three-day investigative hearing into the Reagan National midair  Free Index to the first 282 episodes of Aviation New Talk So You Want To Learn to Fly or Buy a Cirrus seminars Online Version of the Seminar Coming Soon – Register for Notification Check out our recommended ADS-B receivers, and order one for yourself. Yes, we'll make a couple of dollars if you do. Get the Free Aviation News Talk app for iOS or Android. Check out Max's Online Courses: G1000 VFR, G1000 IFR, and Flying WAAS & GPS Approaches. Find them all at: https://www.pilotlearning.com/ Social Media Like Aviation News Talk podcast on Facebook Follow Max on Instagram Follow Max on Twitter Listen to all Aviation News Talk podcasts on YouTube or YouTube Premium "Go Around" song used by permission of Ken Dravis; you can buy his music at kendravis.com If you purchase a product through a link on our site, we may receive compensation.

The MOSAIC final rule, an interview with the founder and CEO of Flying Eyes Optics, FAA guidance on certification of powered lift vehicles, new galleries opening at the National Air and Space Museum, a Delta pilot lands and gets immediately arrested, deer strikes in Alaska, and the NTSB investigation of a fatal flight in that state. Also, thoughts on recent moves to relocate the Space Shuttle Discovery from the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum to Space Center Houston. Guest Dean Siracusa Dean Siracusa is the founder and CEO of Flying Eyes Optics. Dean, a pilot, started the company when he realized that existing sunglasses did not perform well with the increased clamping force of modern aviation headsets. Flying Eyes temples are made of a patented material that allows the temples to conform to your head instead of curving around your ears. They're easy to put on and take off while wearing a headset or helmet. The flexibility of the temple material and shatterproof polycarbonate lenses makes these glasses hard to break. Hillel Glazer, our Aviation Innovation and Entrepreneurship Correspondent, interviewed Dean at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2025. Aviation News U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy Announces Improvements to Recreational Aviation Safety, Expansion of Light-Sport Sector The Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification (MOSAIC) final rule was announced by U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. The new rule makes changes to the Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) category and Sport Pilot privileges by expanding an alternative to experimental amateur-built aircraft. MOSAIC: Removes the weight limit Encompasses aircraft with higher speeds, more seats, and retractable landing gear.  Allows for new types of propulsion and modern avionics. Allows aerial work with LSA, such as infrastructure and forest inspections, photography/filming, and agricultural surveillance. Allows pilots operating under Sport Pilot privileges to fly a broader range of aircraft. Reduces regulatory requirements by expanding the types of aircraft that qualify as LSA and the types of aircraft pilots can fly under Sport Pilot privileges. Changes for sport pilots and light-sport repairmen take effect 90 days after the final rule publishes. Changes for LSA certification take effect 365 days after the final rule publishes. Video: Secretary Sean P. Duffy Holds Press Conference for Important Announcement on General Aviation https://www.youtube.com/live/iRzzTspdjUM?si=gje-ftiRm94Y2eY4 EAA Airventure Oshkosh 2025 Facts and Figures Attendance for the week: approximately 704,000, the highest on record. More than 10,000 aircraft, 2,543 show planes, nearly 6,000 volunteers, and 962 commercial exhibitors. FAA Releases Powered-Lift Certification Guidance Originally, certification of the new advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft types, such as eVTOLs, had been worked under Part 23 regulations for light aircraft. In 2022, the FAA categorized them as powered-lift under FAR 21.17(b) regulations for special class aircraft. That category had no airworthiness standards and operating rules. The FAA has now released an advisory circular “streamlining the certification process for advanced air mobility aircraft by releasing guidance for how manufacturers can meet the agency's aircraft design and performance safety standards. It establishes a consistent, performance-based framework for manufacturers to follow.  The FAA will carefully evaluate each proposed design to ensure it meets the agency's rigorous standards.” The AC defines powered-lift as heavier-than-air aircraft that use “engine-driven lift devices” or engine thrust for vertical takeoff and landing and low-speed flight. For lift during horizontal flight, they use rigid airfoils such as wings. National Air and Space Museum Opens Five New Galleries July 28 [2025] The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum opened five ...

The latest on the NTSB's investigation in the deadly midair crash between a blackhawk helicopter and a DC flight that killed 67 people. Federal Reserve leaves rates unchanged. During national disasters state Governors often call in the national guard for help. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz's call to enlist the national guard to help with a cyber attack. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

AP's Lisa Dwyer reports that hearings on a fatal midair crash in D.C. have begun.

The sweltering heat continues in Boston, NTSB hearings into January's deadly plane crash at Raegan Airport begin today, and the tsunami warning in Hawaii downgraded. Stay in "The Loop" with WBZ NewsRadio.

Headline of the week contender #5: Too much moose meat and antlers caused a plane crash in Alaska that killed congresswoman's husband according to NTSB report, Does The Price is Right only pick contestants with perfect smiles and teeth? School district in Tennessee hopes to improve attendance numbers by no longer accepting a doctor's note as an excused absence

This is the second of two episodes with MIT Professor David Mindell. In these conversations we are exploring the detailed realities of "human in the loop" systems. In the first session we learned about the Apollo Program's lunar landing control system. In this episode we are going to explore a contemporary human plus computer control system failure involving a US Navy warship. We will be looking at a collision in the Singapore Strait in the pre-dawn darkness of August 21, 2017. The National Transportation Safety Board, or NTSB, determined that the causes of the collision between the destroyer USS John S McCain and the tanker Alnic MC included a lack of effective operational oversight, insufficient training, and inadequate bridge operating procedures. Also contributing to the accident were the McCain bridge team's loss of situational awareness and failure to follow steering loss emergency procedures.

Former US Air Force and NASA Flight Surgeon Dr. Gregory Rodgers discusses first-hand experiences with the NASA space shuttle program. Among his efforts, he helped change NASA procedures that endangered shuttle crews. Among his efforts to improve space safety, Dr. Rogers tried to convince NASA to add a repair kit to Shuttle missions to deal with the ongoing issue of protective heat-resistant tiles being damaged during missions. Part of his effort was to write the book "Impact," a fictional novel about a shuttle that was severely damaged and unable to return to Earth. The book was published in 1995. The shuttle in the book was Columbia, which was lost in 2003 due to heat shield damage sustained shortly after liftoff.He also shares details of a flight test of a disc-shaped vehicle with USAF markings that displayed extraordinary flight characteristics. He kept this 1992 experience to himself for over 30 years until speaking publicly about it in May 2025.John Goglia adds his experience at the NTSB investigating a possible collision between either an unknown exotic aircraft or a UAP and a general aviation aircraft off the coast of Florida. The wreckage had paint transfer marks that could not be associated with any known aircraft. Don't miss what's to come from the Flight Safety Detectives - subscribe to the Flight Safety Detectives YouTube channel, listen at your favorite podcast service and visit the Flight Safety Detectives website. Music: “Inspirational Sports” license ASLC-22B89B29-052322DDB8

TWA Flight 800 crashed into the Atlantic shortly after takeoff from JFK airport on July 17, 1996, killing all 230 passengers on board. Although initial reports suggested a terrorist attack, FBI and NTSB investigators blamed a fuel tank explosion. But skeptics have long questioned the official story, and new evidence has surfaced that suggests a widespread conspiracy...In TWA 800, historian Jack Cashill introduces new documents and testimonies that reveal the shocking true chain of events: from the disastrous crash to the high-level decision to create a cover story and the attempts to silence anyone who dared speak the truth.https://amzn.to/40hm9ilBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-opperman-report--1198501/support.

India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau plans to issue a preliminary report on the June 12, 2025, fatal crash of an Air India 787 tomorrow. Todd Curtis, Greg Feith, and John Goglia detectives have serious concerns about the credibility of this investigation and the upcoming preliminary report.They discuss several irregularities with the investigation, including the unusual decision not to include Air India as a party to the investigation. John and Greg have learned through their networks that the Indian authorities have limited the involvement of key parties including Boeing, the NTSB, the FAA, and engine manufacturer GE.Since the crash, no specific service bulletins, airworthiness directives, or special inspections related to the aircraft or the engines involved have been issued by the Indian authorities, Boeing, GE, or others. Little information has been released by the Indian authorities, including basic facts about who was flying the plane and details about the background of the flight crew, especially the first officer. Don't miss what's to come from the Flight Safety Detectives - subscribe to the Flight Safety Detectives YouTube channel, listen at your favorite podcast service and visit the Flight Safety Detectives website. Music: “Inspirational Sports” license ASLC-22B89B29-052322DDB8

A new Chinese ekranoplan is spotted, the Air India Flight AI171 black boxes, a Ryanair Boeing 737 evacuation, Essential Air Service subsidies, exploding soda cans on Southwest Airlines flights, and keeping your shoes on at the TSA checkpoint. Aviation News Full Photo of New Chinese Ekranoplan Breaks Cover A photograph published on Chinese social media shows a Chinese ekranoplan, a wing-in-ground-effect vehicle that resembles an airplane but typically flies over water, supported by the air between its wings and the surface. Previously In China Builds New Large Jet-Powered Ekranoplan, Naval News published a photograph showing a portion of a vehicle that appeared to be an ekranoplan. New we have a view of the entire airframe on the water. China's new ekranoplan. (Image credit: Chinese social media, via X) Air India plane crash investigation: Lawyers oppose sending black box abroad The Khaleej Times reports that a group of Indian lawyers have notified the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Air India, and Boeing India, urging that the investigation remain entirely under Indian jurisdiction. They argue that sending the black boxes from Air India Flight AI171 to foreign entities could compromise the transparency and independence of the investigation. The black boxes were flown to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) lab in Delhi for analysis. Indian and NTSB experts were present. 18 Passengers Injured As False Fire Alarm Prompts Emergency Evacuation Of Ryanair Boeing 737 After a fire alarm activated on a Ryanair Boeing 737, a chaotic passenger evacuation ensued, resulting in 18 passengers being injured, including six who were taken to local hospitals. The evacuation took place on the tarmac at Palma Airport on the Spanish Island of Mallorca. Passengers evacuated the plane via emergency slides, as well as onto the wings. See also: Ryanair Boeing 737 Fire Triggers Wing Evacuation at Palma Airport, 18 Injured. President Trump wants to slash subsidies for small airports across rural America Congress created the Essential Air Service (or EAS) in 1978 as part of the Airline Deregulation Act. The EAS was designed to ensure that small and rural communities would continue to receive a minimum level of scheduled commercial air service after deregulation. Initially authorized for a ten-year term, it is now permanently authorized by Congress. About 180 airports benefit from EAS funding. See: Current List of Eligible EAS Communities (Excluding Alaska & Hawaii) [PDF]. Estimates of EAS spending vary between approximately $200 million and $394 million due to differences in how the program's funding is categorized, the inclusion of both discretionary and mandatory appropriations, and variations in budget requests versus enacted appropriations. Southwest Airlines Explains What's [sic] It's Doing To Tackle The Curious Case Of The Exploding Soda Cans Previously, we talked about exploding soda cans on Southwest Airlines flights that mysteriously exploded and injured flight attendants. It was observed that Southwest didn't chill its in-flight supplies, and the cans could sit for hours in the heat before being moved onto the plane. Since then, Southwest started using 60 refrigerated vehicles in Phoenix and Las Vegas, with the possible addition to the catering fleet in Dallas and Houston. Also, the crew has infrared guns to check soda can temperature. Numerous Outlets Are Citing TikTok for a TSA Rule Change on Shoes, but What Does TSA Say? Several media outlets report that as of July 7, 2025, the TSA has made a significant policy change and all travelers, regardless of PreCheck status, will now be allowed to keep their shoes on during security screening. As we recorded this episode, reports were inconsistent and the TSA had not published an official statement. See: You Can Finally Keep Your Shoes On—TSA's 23-Year Airport Security Rule Ended Today.

An update on the Air India crash investigation, with focus on the flight data recorders installed and recovered from the aircraft.John explains the identical dual flight data and voice recorders installed on the plane. Viewer questions led to further investigation and clarification of the Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorders (EAFR) installed on the plane.In other news, the NTSB has issued more than 30 findings related to the January 2024 Alaska Airlines door blowout event. The findings reveal how the manufacturing process of the Boeing 737 Max allowed a plug door to be reinstalled on the aircraft without the bolts that secure the door to the fuselage.Todd shares his insights from his time as a Boeing engineer. He highlights the complexity of the manufacturing process that involves Spirit in Wichita, Kansas making the fuselage and shipping to Boeing in Seattle for final assembly. Todd and John discuss each of the NTSB findings and the story they tell about what went wrong and what went right in this event. Don't miss what's to come from the Flight Safety Detectives - subscribe to the Flight Safety Detectives YouTube channel, listen at your favorite podcast service and visit the Flight Safety Detectives website. Music: “Inspirational Sports” license ASLC-22B89B29-052322DDB8

Tonight's episode comes on the heels of another horrific weather tragedy; a Texas hill country flash flooding event that killed at least 100 people.   This was a flash flood that we all fear - extreme rainfall, rugged terrain, and was a nocturnal event overnight on a holiday weekend.  It's a home-grown show among our panelists, and it's a critical topic about a historical weather event. Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: email@weatherbrains.com. 1978 Texas Flash Flood/Tropical Storm Amelia (03:00) What makes the Hill Country so susceptible to flooding?  (05:00) WEA Alerts issued before flash flood tragedy (12:00) Prior major flash floods that have plagued the U. S. (20:45) Returning to critical thinking about risk assessment and wading through the madness of social media (25:00) Exploring the role of NWS Warning Coordination Meteorologist and the EMA coordination process (37:25) Difficulties of warning the public for flooding events/Call to action (50:30) Warning fatigue similarities with Severe Thunderstorm/Flash Flood NWS bulletins (59:25) Legacy and critical lasting importance radio/NOAA weather radio communication in an emergency (01:11:30) Modeling post-event reports from NTSB service assessments (01:15:00) First ever issued NWS Flash Flood Emergency (01:24:00) Political activist posts following tragedy/cloud seeding explained (01:33:45) The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:47:35) This Week in Tornado History With Jen (No segment this week - stay tuned!) E-Mail Segment (No segment this week - stay tuned!) and more! Web Sites from Episode 1016: Samaritan's Purse Responding to Deadly Floods in Texas Convoy of Hope Response to Texas Deadly Floods Picks of the Week: James Aydelott - James Aydelott on Facebook: Texas Flood Tragedy Discussion Jen Narramore - Samaritan's Purse/Convoy of Hope Texas Flood Tragedy Fundraising Campaigns Rick Smith - Cuts to NOAA increase the risk of deadly weather tragedies - Yale Climate Connections Troy Kimmel - Foghorn Kim Klockow-McClain - Wine Fish  John Gordon - July 23rd, 2020 Rainbow Wash Flash Flood Bill Murray - How one Texas summer camp successfully evacuated from the floods James Spann - James Spann on Facebook: Texas Flood FAQ and answers The WeatherBrains crew includes your host, James Spann, plus other notable geeks like Troy Kimmel, Bill Murray, Rick Smith, James Aydelott, Jen Narramore, John Gordon, and Dr. Kim Klockow-McClain. They bring together a wealth of weather knowledge and experience for another fascinating podcast about weather.

Guest Scott Hamilton is fresh from the Paris Air Show, and we talk about next-generation aircraft and engines, industry sustainability, the supply chain, and Boeing's path back. Also, an NTSB safety recommendation for the CFM Leap-1B engine, and the possibility of restarting production of the C-17. Guest Scott Hamilton Scott Hamilton is the Founder and Managing Director of Leeham Company and has spent more than four decades in the commercial aviation industry. Leeham News and Analysis has been a go-to source for spotting trends and providing verified, credible, relevant aviation news that's impartial and unbiased. Leeham Consulting Services provides expertise in several areas, including aircraft economic analysis, lease and return condition analysis and negotiations, aircraft product and strategy analysis, fleet planning and contract negotiations, market demand analysis, and MRO strategy. In our conversation with Scott, we looked at some of the technologies that may appear in next-generation aircraft. That includes ducted and unducted engines, as well as developments with geared fans. In public, the OEMs tout their own technology choices, but in reality, they are quietly working on multiple options. We touch on Boeing's ability to make the financial investment required to proceed with a single-aisle replacement, and on the company's path to recovery. Scott provides some observations on this year's Paris Air Show, including the low-key participation by Boeing. Scott offers his thoughts on electric aircraft, alternative fuels, and the airline industry goal for net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Scott's book, Air Wars: The Global Combat Between Airbus and Boeing, was published in 2021. This coming September, a sequel titled The Rise and Fall of Boeing and the Way Back will be published and available on Amazon. Follow Leham News and Analysis on X, Bluesky, and Facebook. Aviation News Boeing Calls For Next-Gen Engine Info For Future Single Aisle Boeing issued a request for information (RFI) to engine manufacturers for advanced ducted propulsion systems in the 30,000-lb-thrust class. That thrust class is suitable for powering a future single-aisle replacement for the 737. Rolls-Royce and Pratt & Whitney are likely to respond to the RFI with geared, ducted turbofans, which they are proposing to Airbus for its next-generation single aisle (NGSA). CFMI will likely respond with a ducted engine based on technology from its Revolutionary Innovation for Sustainable Engine (RISE) unducted open fan program. Engine makers tout “Plan A” but have “Plan B” backups in R&D Each engine OEM has a vision for future engines (open fan, ducted fan, geared fan), but is each company also developing an alternative at the same time? PW's sister company, Pratt & Whitney Canada, has publicly disclosed its development of an Open Fan engine for a new 70-100-seat aircraft designed by the start-up company MAEVE Aerospace. See: Maeve Redesigns Its Hybrid-Electric Regional Aircraft MAEVE Aerospace concept. NTSB issues rare safety bulletin about potential issues with Boeing 737 Max engines Two bird strike incidents in 2023 with CFMI LEAP-1B engines caused smoke to enter the ventilation system. The NTSB has issued an urgent safety bulletin, asking operators to inform flight crews of the potential hazard and calling for modifications to engine software. The NTSB notes that Boeing has revised flight manuals. GE Aerospace says it had already made changes. See: NTSB Recommends Modifications to LEAP-1B Engines The NTSB found that the engine load reduction device, or LRD, a safety feature designed to reduce the severity of vibrations transmitted from a damaged engine to the airframe, can result in damage to the engine oil system. Such a condition can allow smoke from hot oil to enter the ventilation system and ultimately the cockpit or passenger cabin. Boeing in Talks to Restart C-17 Production

This week: Guest Co-Host Maya Leibman; Guest Jay Sorensen, President, The IdeaWorks Company; News: Bryan Bedford, CEO, Republic Airways, on track for FAA Administrator; Southwest starts assigned seating, Spirit drops the "Go" & renames fares, Delta adds more international flights from Seattle; NTSB issues report on Alaska door plug failure; Air India crash flight recorder found - nothing released yet; Listener Q on United-JetBlue partnership.

Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani has clinched the Democratic nomination for New York City mayor, with preliminary ranked choice results showing him winning 56 percent of the vote over former Governor Andrew Cuomo. The Associated Press has now called the race in Mamdani's favor. Meanwhile, federal investigators say they are still trying to determine what caused a historic Mexican sailboat to crash into the Brooklyn Bridge in May, killing two crew members. Plus, lawmakers in New Jersey have approved a nearly $60-Billion dollar budget for the Garden State. Statehouse reporter for The Star-Ledger and NJ.com Susan Livio breaks it down.

CPK Kung Pao Pasta Sauce – sauce sold at Costco. Dukes in Malibu. NTSB reports on Alaska Airlines coming off midflight 18 months ago. What were their conclusions? // Dean Sharp, the House Whisperer – his Sunday show will be simulcasting on KOGO in San Diego // Dean Sharp –How often should you be painting your house. Water leaked from the sprinkler valve and ran for 72 hours. Power washing wood deck. //LA County announces 600 layoffs Swamp People star gets married Cheyenne Pickle  #CPK #Costco #KungPaoSauce #DeanSharp #DIY #HomeDesign #Malibu #Dukes #AlaskaAirlines #KOGO #SanDiego #LACOunty #JobLayoffs #SwampPeople 

About 128 million Americans from Louisiana to Maine are still under heat advisories after dozens of record high temperatures were set Tuesday in parts of the U.S. CBS News' Rob Marciano reports. Over the last three years, retail electricity prices have gone up faster than the rate of inflation, and new research from Texas A&M shows climate change is making it more expensive to cool homes. CBS News' David Schechter reports on the impact. A report from the National Transportation Safety Board found issues with Boeing's production process, training, documentation and safety culture, as well as the FAA's oversight in a review following a midair door panel blow out of an Alaska Airlines plane. Everyone on the packed plane survived. Now, the NTSB is making nearly a dozen recommendations to Boeing and the FAA. The defense in Sean "Diddy" Combs' federal sex trafficking trial rested its case in less than 30 minutes as the music mogul did not testify nor did the defense call any witnesses. Over the course of six weeks, the prosecution called 34 witnesses to the stand. Combs has pleaded not guilty. Katie Sturino, known for her viral body positivity posts and celebrity fashion recreations, joins "CBS Mornings" to discuss her debut novel "Sunny Side Up" and how it reflects her mission to empower women of all sizes. Writer and comedian Josh Gondelman joins "CBS Mornings" to talk about his new stand-up special "Positive Reinforcement," where he jokes about aging, obscure desserts, and why kindness is still funny. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In our news wrap Tuesday, a heatwave is peaking in some parts of the Northeast with more than 160 million people enduring brutal conditions, RFK Jr. told lawmakers that he's hired back nearly 1,000 staffers who had been laid off from the CDC and the National Institutes of Health and the NTSB said failures at several levels led a door plug panel to come off during an Alaska Airlines flight. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Todd Curtis and John Goglia share the unfolding information surrounding a October 20, 2024 crash of an air tour R44 helicopter into a radio tower in Houston. The NTSB investigation continues.The air tour helicopter apparently crashed into the radio tower while the pilot in command was reading back a traffic advisory about a second helicopter in the vicinity. The second helicopter was operated by the same air tour company. The preliminary NTSB report issued less than a month after the accident. Details in the preliminary report and additional information from security cameras show that the pilot of the accident helicopter had the second helicopter in sight and made no major heading changes to avoid hitting the radio tower. Hear Todd's assessment of the alignment of the tower and the helicopters.John and Todd discuss general safety issues of air tour aircraft, including the fact that the ones involved in this crash often lack voice and data recorders. John notes that in his experience the NTSB might not be able to determine a probable cause due to the lack of data.  Don't miss what's to come from the Flight Safety Detectives - subscribe to the Flight Safety Detectives YouTube channel, listen at your favorite podcast service and visit the Flight Safety Detectives website. Music: “Inspirational Sports” license ASLC-22B89B29-052322DDB8

18 students from San Diego Hebrew Day School were evacuated from Israel after Israel launched the first round of missiles on Iran. The NTSB released a preliminary report on the deadly plane crash that happened in San Diego's Murphy Canyon neighborhood, nearly a month ago. Today is Juneteenth and there will be several events celebrating the federal holiday across San Diego, including one in North Park and at San Diego Central Library. 

On this week's episode of AvTalk, Silver Airways ceases operations immediately and Qantas says subsidiary Jetstar Asia will wind down flights by the end of July. The NTSB releases the preliminary report on the American Airlines 737 fire in Denver. May was a big month for Boeing, with more than 300 orders, while Airbus recorded […] The post AvTalk Episode 324: Five flights to nowhere appeared first on Flightradar24 Blog.

An Air India passenger plane carrying 242 passengers and crew crashed in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad on Thursday, soon after departing for London's Gatwick airport. Officials confirmed one man who had been on the plane survived and was being treated at a hospital. The U.S. is ready to send a team from the NTSB to assist with the Air India plane crash investigation. Entire Fulbright scholarship board quits, accusing Trump administration of meddling. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Trump and Musk's public feud escalates into personal attack; Boulder attack suspect formally charged with 118 criminal counts; NTSB focusing on possible human error as cause of American Airlines engine fire Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A cabin door pops open just after takeoff. It's noisy, surprising—but the aircraft is still flying just fine. So why are general aviation pilots still crashing and dying in these scenarios? In this episode, Max explores the unsettling trend of fatal accidents caused not by mechanical failure, but by how pilots react to in-flight distractions—specifically, an open cabin or baggage door. In just the first five months of 2025, four U.S. GA crashes involved doors opening shortly after takeoff. Three were fatal; the fourth resulted in serious burn injuries. Max walks through each accident in detail, including the tragic crashes of a Beech Baron in Colorado, a Vans RV-10 in California, a Beech A36TC in Pennsylvania, and a Piper Saratoga in Florida. In all cases, the door opening startled the pilot, who either tried to immediately return at low altitude or became distracted from flying. The result: stalls, spins, or uncontrolled impacts—none of which were caused by the open door itself. Drawing from FAA guidance, NTSB investigations, and personal experience with over two dozen open-door incidents, Max explains exactly how pilots should handle this situation. The key? Don't panic. Don't try to fix the problem in the air. Fly the airplane, climb to pattern altitude, and land normally. You'll also learn about door designs that are more prone to issues—like gull-wing doors on RV-10s and Columbias, or rear doors on Diamonds—and the importance of educating passengers on how to respond. The episode also includes real-world listener stories, POH comparisons across different aircraft, and a review of FAA training materials that stress proper task management in abnormal situations. Max reminds pilots that an open door is not an emergency—it's a test of focus. If mishandled, it can become a fatal distraction. But with the right knowledge and discipline, it should be a non-event. This episode is a must-listen for every GA pilot—because distractions happen, and it's how we respond that makes the difference. If you're getting value from this show, please support the show via PayPal, Venmo, Zelle or Patreon. Support the Show by buying a Lightspeed ANR Headsets Max has been using only Lightspeed headsets for nearly 25 years! I love their tradeup program that let's you trade in an older Lightspeed headset for a newer model. Start with one of the links below, and Lightspeed will pay a referral fee to support Aviation News Talk. Lightspeed Delta Zulu Headset $1199 Lightspeed Zulu 3 Headset $899Lightspeed Sierra Headset $699 My Review on the Lightspeed Delta Zulu Send us your feedback or comments via email If you have a question you'd like answered on the show, let listeners hear you ask the question, by recording your listener question using your phone. News Stories FAA is discontinuing some Charting Products Garmin Reinvents Procedural Charts with SmartCharts Sporty's introduces new CFI Test Prep Course Tornado Levels Much Of London, Kentucky Airport GAMA Numbers All Positive for the First Quarter of 2025 Pilot regrets flying after pressured by boss Student pilot emergency landing sentenced to 30 months  Mentioned on the Show Buy Max Trescott's G3000 Book Call 800-247-6553 Lightspeed Delta Zulu Headset Giveaway Video of the Week: Garmin AutoLand in SR22/G7 Aeronautical Chart Users' Guide FLYING Magazine: Flying the Margins FLYING Magazine: What Happens When Autopilots Fail? NTSB News Talk Podcast UAV News Talk Podcast Rotary Wing Show Podcast Free Index to the first 282 episodes of Aviation New Talk So You Want To Learn to Fly or Buy a Cirrus seminars Online Version of the Seminar Coming Soon – Register for Notification Check out our recommended ADS-B receivers, and order one for yourself. Yes, we'll make a couple of dollars if you do. Get the Free Aviation News Talk app for iOS or Android. Check out Max's Online Courses: G1000 VFR, G1000 IFR, and Flying WAAS & GPS Approaches. Find them all at: https://www.pilotlearning.com/ Social Media Like Aviation News Talk podcast on Facebook Follow Max on Instagram Follow Max on Twitter Listen to all Aviation News Talk podcasts on YouTube or YouTube Premium "Go Around" song used by permission of Ken Dravis; you can buy his music at kendravis.com If you purchase a product through a link on our site, we may receive compensation.

On this episode of AvTalk, Ian and Jason and back home from Stockholm and ready to take on the week's news. The NTSB is out with a handful of reports, including details on the FedEx 767 bird strike in Newark, Frontier's hard landing and go around in San Juan, and Alaska Airlines' main landing gear […] The post AvTalk Episode 322: They bounced the wheel right off appeared first on Flightradar24 Blog.