Latest Boeing 737 Max issue expected to delay plans to increase production

By Marissa Nall  –  Reporter, Puget Sound Business Journal Apr 16, 2023 The latest production flaw affecting The Boeing Co.’s (NYSE: BA) Renton-made 737 Max line appears likely to hinder its plans to ramp up production of the jet, dealing a blow to the company and its Puget Sound-area suppliers. The issue, which surfaced last week, involves two of eight

Alaska Airlines expands freighter fleet with new planes and software

By Marissa Nall  –  Reporter, Puget Sound Business Journal Mar 28, 2023 SeaTac-based Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK) plans to overhaul its cargo division this year, introducing new jets and software systems for things like booking and tracking. The company has been making investments in ground support equipment in preparation for the added capacity, Alaska Air Cargo Managing

Not-so-tiny Dancer: pilot draws a ballerina

In early April a pilot in North Carolina made their contribution to the growing body of sky art with a ballerina west of Raleigh-Durham. The pilot was operating a Piper PA-28-161 from the Wings of Carolina Flying Club out of Raleigh Executive Jetport. The flight path took about an hour to complete for a total flight time

Boeing isn’t a bank, but it’s the ultimate ‘too big to fail’ company

By  Jon Talton Three things struck me as hair-on-fire points in my colleague Dominic Gates’ superb examination of Boeing’s prospects to right itself after four challenging years. First, the company’s net debt has increased to nearly eight times from where it stood at the end of 2018. That’s nearly $40 billion. Half of this comes from the

Sea-Tac Airport’s new $1B international terminal too tight a squeeze for 20 big jets

  By  Dominic Gates  Seattle Times aerospace reporter The gleaming new International Arrivals Facility at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, which opened last year at a cost of about $1 billion, was supposed to fit 20 big, widebody aircraft simultaneously. But according to the Port of Seattle, that many long-haul aircraft won’t fit side by side because

Volts – What’s Going On With Biofuels?

Although the article (and the evidence) on biofuels is clear, the subject of aviation comes up in the last eight minutes of the podcast. And it is agreed that aviation (and perhaps marine) are the only defensible uses of biofuels. However, there is a ceiling–the amount of biofuels that can be generated from waste materials. There is no, zero defensible use case for growing crops specifically for biofuels. In every such case, the net is a huge negative.

Port of Seattle paid fraudsters more than $570,000 due to lax security, audit finds

The port fell for phishing schemes on two occasions in 2021, the Washington State Auditor’s Office found, due to weak controls including staff not following protocol. In October, 2021 the Port of Seattle Diversity, Equity & Inclusion department fell victim to what auditor’s office spokesperson called a “classic phishing scheme”: cyber-fraudsters posing as a legitimate

Aging, unreliable runway safety device leaves U.S. airports vulnerable

By Alan Levin  A crucial safety system that’s relied on to avoid potentially fatal collisions at major U.S. airports is aging and plagued by outages that have left travelers unprotected for months at a time. At some airports, it hasn’t ever been installed. The technology — which tracks vehicles on or near runways to alert

EPA proposal takes on health risks near US chemical plants

By  MICHAEL PHILLIS The Associated Press In what could prove a significant move for communities facing air pollution, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed on Thursday that chemical plants nationwide measure certain hazardous compounds that cross beyond their property lines and reduce them when they are too high. The proposed rules would reduce cancer risk and