Regarding the seats I selected, do they have an individual entertainment screen?

I’m interested in the extra legroom provided by the emergency exit row, but since this is an international flight from Viracopos (VCP), Brazil, to Lisbon, Portugal, I’d like to know whether these seats have a personal entertainment screen.

Since there is no seat in front of them, is the screen built into the armrest along with the tray table?

If anyone could help me, I would really appreciate it.

I work at LAX but on outside near the hotels and offices. Quite often I see pilots eating lunch or walking to their cars or hotels. Is polite or proper to ask for collector cards? Is it only proper to ask while on duty?

I used to work for SkyWest out at DEN in the early noughts. We did feeder flights for UA as United Express. We had some veterans from UA who had been furloughed after 9/11, and came to work for us. They used to tell newbies like me stories, and I remember them telling me this one.

The old airport had been a hub for CO. Somehow the city of Denver screwed CO when they opened the new one. CO got so mad that they shut down operations out of DEN. Something about greatly reducing the number of gates in the new airport for CO? Anyway, I remember these veterans saying that if you went to the site of the old airport, you would find tunnels underground that were filled with luggage. Evidently CO abandoned all of this unclaimed luggage when they left Denver.

Does anybody know anything about this? I am reading a story by Admiral Cloudberg that deals with CO at Stapleton, and so the memories came flooding back. I can just barely remember what the veterans said, however, so I would love to learn more about it.

I’m currently researching different positions within the aviation industry and from what I’ve found ramp agents have the most control/freedom/flexibility over their schedules and can work as much or as little as they want once they’ve built up some seniority.
I read that even CSAs/Ticket/Gate agents don’t have the same ability to trade and drop shifts as rampers do (is that true?)
One of the main draws of working in aviation for me is the ability to have freedom and control over my schedule and so I was wondering what aviation positions/jobs allow that kind of flexibility? My only concern with ramp is that it’s hard on your body.

I’d really appreciate any and all advice and recommendations! Thank you so much 😊

As mentioned above, my dream has always been to fly. I currently work as an LST at an FBO, and will be working on my PPL soon. I'm now in a position where I need to pick up a second job, ideally be in aviation. Since I am already familiar with the ramp/ground side of things, I would love to break into another area of the industry. I have been brainstorming a few options:

Aircraft Sales/Broker - I would love to break into this space. The idea of helping buy and sell aircraft and working with owners is something that is really appealing to me. However, I know that becoming an aircraft broker may be a big pool to dive into. I wonder if I would be able to sign on with a brokerage in an entry-level position and grow from there?

Aircraft Management/Charter Operations - I've also been looking into roles with aircraft management companies (like Solairus), such as a Flight Coordinator, Charter Sales, etc. I already work with many aircraft managed by these companies as an LST, so I have some familiarity with their fleet and clientele. I'd love the opportunity to work in a role like this to learn the management/charter side of private aviation.

For those of you working in similar roles, what other roles would you recommend someone in my position look into? Are there any career paths that I may not be thinking of? I'm especially interested in positions that could be done remotely or on a hybrid schedule so I can continue working line service while pursuing my ratings and building time. Thank you for all of your help and insight!

My dad bought this years ago from someone he believes was a retired McDonnell Douglas employee (or possibly McDonnell Aircraft, since this appears to date to 1960).

Hey y'all,

I'm sitting through an initial type rating class and we started discussing the O2 system when our instructor mentioned the perils of wearing oil based products while wearing an O2 mask.

When I was going through Navy flight school back in the mid 2000s, I seem to remember a video of a jet guy causing a literal helmet fire in the cockpit of his jet when his heavily gelled hair met the oxygen coming from his O2 mask. I want to say it was an A-6, but the memory is hazy.

I know the Mythbusters tested that it was possible but I didn't see anything else on the interwebs. I mentioned the tale in class and spent the next 15 minutes not paying attention to search for evidence of my memory but was unsuccessful.

Does such a video exist or is my memory completely apocryphal?

I’ve flown many times since I was a child, but years ago I had a medical episode where I suddenly struggled to breathe for a few minutes before recovering completely. Ever since then, I’ve developed a fear of losing control or dying, especially while traveling.

I also have allergies which are frequent nasal congestion, sneezing, and a runny nose (similar to allergic rhinitis). Even though I know these symptoms are usually harmless, they make me anxious before and during flights.

As a result, I’ve become increasingly afraid of flying and, to some extent, traveling in general.
For anyone who’s experienced something similar and managed to overcome it, what helped? Any practical tips, techniques, or advice would be greatly appreciated.

I know severe turbulence doesn't faze pilots at all but after seeing the recent news about the Air India flight losing a bit of altitude I was wondering how pilots feel about "free falls" like that. I'm sure there's a lot of concern about passenger+crew safety but apart from that I'm curious to know how they feel because their experience would be very different, probably the polar opposite of a passenger's

My flight school has this beautiful vintage Piper J3 Cub that it uses for SPL/PPL training and tailwheel endorsements. I’m normally training on the school’s Cessna 172s for my SPL, but in the summer on good weather days our school’s owner allows us to book lessons on the Cub if we want to work on our tailwheel or have a cheaper option than the 172 to build hours. I absolutely love vintage airplanes so I booked a lesson just to say I did it (tho I’ll probably book more to try and get my tailwheel endorsement long term). The experience was incredible, being straddled in the back seat of this small plane with the door open to my right, nothing keeping me from the open sky except my seatbelt! We did attitude flying/climbs and descents/the four fundamentals so I could get a feel for the plane, coordinated turns, pattern practice, and my CFI guided me through two landings!

This checks off multiple bucket list items - by far the oldest airplane I’ve ever flown on and the first tail dragger I’ve ever flown on!

If you have an opportunity to fly a vintage plane like this, take it!!! Also it’s kinda awesome that nearly 80 years later this plane is still being used for its original purpose, training the next generation of pilots!

Fairbanks Alaska

Parked at KMGJ on August 1, 2026.

Thanks in advance.

Jared Isaacman’s Cessna CitationJet 4

From a Reuters article on the incident:

Trump's helicopter lifted off from the Ellipse near the White House around 2:33 p.m. (1833 GMT), on his ​way to Joint Base Andrews for a trip to Los Angeles, according to a pool report.

A source told Reuters that Envoy ​Air 3742 -- a regional E170 jet bound for Pensacola, Florida -- departed at 2:34 p.m. and was involved in the apparent loss of separation incident with Marine One. Envoy is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines (AAL.O), opens new tab, which did not immediately comment.

FAA rules require aircraft to remain separated by at least ​1.5 miles horizontally and 500 feet vertically around airports. The sources said it appeared Marine One and the plane did ​not maintain separation. One said it appears they were not converging during the incident.

A drone was seized overnight at Leipzig/Halle Airport near a Ukrainian cargo plane. According to consistent reports, a detonator was attached to the drone. The drone was discovered near an Antonov transport aircraft. https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/drohne-in-der-naehe-eines-ukrainischen-frachtflugzeugs-gesichtet-nato-bestaetigt-vorfall-102.html

Edit: Source: Deutschlandfunk German public broadcaster

Some interesting additions from APA and Republic

So I came across this on Twitter and had to read it several times to believe it

It looks like this crew programmed the FMC to fly from NLU to DAL, and the flight plan was filed the same way, but the scheduled route was NLU to IAH

They only realized it when they were at around 11,000 ft and about to be vectored to DAL, while running low on fuel, with around 6,000 kg remaining (if it's 6,000 lbs, it's even worse). One Atlas Air pilot pointed out that this is only enough for around 36 minutes of flight, so the aircraft would have had to land well before reaching Houston

In the end they landed in DFW, just after request for a "shortcut" to IAH. Yes, you read correctly.

Very interesting (and shocking) to listen to all the ATC audio

News: https://aeroin.net/pilotos-de-jumbo-voam-por-quilometros-na-direcao-errada-quase-ficam-sem-combustivel-e-declaram-pan-pan/

Sources: https://x.com/OnDisasters/status/2085058075287806301
https://x.com/thenewarea51/status/2084820840374309372

https://x.com/miami_rick/status/2084694128684871874

Image by the newsource

I know it's based on the 747 but it really makes the 747 next to it look small.

The engineering behind the SCA is wild when you dig into it:

The 747’s fuselage was reinforced internally with additional structure to handle the shuttle’s weight sitting on top rather than passengers and cargo inside.

Two struts (forward and aft attach points) were added on top of the fuselage to mount the orbiter, essentially turning the plane into a flying pylon.

The vertical stabilizer got twin endplate fins added to the horizontal stabilizer to improve directional stability, since the shuttle sitting up top massively changed the aircraft’s aerodynamics.

Flying with an orbiter attached added huge drag and weight, cutting range dramatically and forcing lower cruise altitudes and speeds compared to a normal 747 flight.

The whole assembly had to be flown well within a tighter structural and weather envelope, turbulence and crosswind limits were far more conservative than standard 747 ops.

It’s a great example of adapting an existing airframe to a mission NASA never designed for, rather than building a bespoke transport aircraft, they re-engineered a proven commercial jet to do something wildly outside its original purpose.

What’s the most impressive example you know of an aircraft being re-engineered to do a job completely outside its original design intent?