Aviation Media Fails
On the morning of July 6th, 2013; Asiana Flight 214, a Boeing 777-200ER collided with a rocky seawall at San Francisco Airport, just short of its intended runway. During a live news broadcast, KTVU Channel 2 serving San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose and the entire Bay Area, reported the names of the flight crew of Asiana Flight 214 as following: “Sum Ting Wong,” “Wi Tu Lo,” “Ho Lee Fuk,” and “Bang Ding Ow.” A news station intern was blamed for the prank, and a public apology was expediciously issued.
In August of 2019, a skydiving aircraft at Cranland Airport in Hanson, Massachusetts was involved in some kind of accident or incident. The pilot, Jacob Haselden survived intact, as did his sense of humour. When he was questioned by Boston 25 News, he may or may not have mentioned the cause of the accident to be attributable to a “defective flux capacitor.”
In the now infamous news clip, News reporter Kathryn Burcham of Boston 25 News went on air to share this insightful bit of aeronautical knowledge with their followers.
Fox 5 News reported that the CH-53E "can lift an aircraft carrier". The Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion is well known for its strengths, and is an extremely capable heavy-lift helicopter. So powerful in fact, that it can lift a load equal to its entire weight, externally. That is impressive for any aircraft. but lifting an aircraft carrier is another matter. A Nimitz class aircraft carrier weighs in at over 200 million pounds…which would take over 5 thousand five hundred and fifty seven Super Stallions at max external load to be able to pull off this incredible feat.
Tuesday May 18th 2021; A Tupolev Tu-95 "Bear" strategic bomber violated a presidential TFR restricted airspace over Delaware as reported by both CNN and MSN.
Oh wait...it was a single engine general aviation puddle jumping bug smashing Grumman AA-5 Tiger, and not a Russian nuclear weapon capable Intercontinental Strategic bomber that had penetrated a US presidential airspace?
Oh....never mind then. Carry on.
Now, in all fairness, they kind of got this one right... it is true that all aircraft will struggle to hold altitude once the fuel tanks run empty. Not just the Boeing 777
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Here is one from the U.S. State Department. Yes, the U.S. State Department, when they posted on their twitter account this tribute to honor the Air Force, but most unfortunately used a picture of US Navy Blue Angels Flight Demonstration Squadron jets to do so. (U.S. State Dept. Photo)
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.In 2021; The US was expected to deploy 6 B-52 bombers to the British territory of Diego Garcia(Outside the range of Iranian missiles) in the Indian Ocean, according to a US official. The Pentagon has traditionally deployed long range bombers and other aircraft as a sign of US force presence and capability.
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Well, CNN reported a US Navy Aircraft Carrier carrying six B-52s was deployed to the Middle East when tensions with Iran began rising. Unfortunately the intercontinental strategic bomber operated solely by the US Air Force has never, and will never operate from a ship. With its wingspan of 186 feet, its weight of 183,000 pounds along with its lack of a tail hook, it is highly doubtful that it ever will.
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The shuttle orbiters used to travel at approximately 17,500 miles per hour as they circled the globe. A bit shy of 18 times the speed of light...which travels at a constant, finite speed of one hundred eighty-six thousand miles per second.
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"Aim High" KTLA!
This DVD menu of a well-known aviation film features an F-14 Tomcat... they could have included the A-6 Intruder since the film is called "Flight of the Intruder" but who are we to say.
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