An airport worker, first identified as a mechanic, and then as a ramp agent, apparently took unauthorized possession of a Horizon Air Q400 twin turboprop, powered it up, and somehow took off without permission from Sea-Tac Airport late Friday night.
There are extensive questions (and few answers) as to how he took control, got the aircraft powered up, and then gained access to a runway to engage in a takeoff -- and how much supervision/surveillance surrounded the airplane. Throughout the flight, the only person on board, Richard Russell, engaged in sightseeing and radical maneuvers that included rolls and inverted flight. Russell admitted that much of his flight experience came from flight simulator gaming. A recent flight by a NOAA Gulfstream IV Hurricane Hunter aircraft to Hawaii is thought to be the first by the agency to be flown by an all-female crew, according to NOAA’s facebook info. "On Aug. 5, 2018, NOAA deployed its Gulfstream IV "hurricane hunter" jet to Hawaii to support Hurricane #Hector forecasts." “The Aug. 5 flight was, we believe, the first ‘hurricane hunting’ mission piloted by an all-women pilot and co-pilot team.” NOAA pilots Capt. Kristie Twining and Lt. Cmdr. Rebecca Waddington crewed the flight
and are based at the NOAA Aircraft Operations Center in Lakeland, FL. The results are in: after thousands of people made their choice, Sherwin-Williams Aerospace and the EAA have unveiled the winner of the Pick the Paint Poll for EAA’s One Week Wonder. The One Week Wonder project allowed EAA staff and experienced volunteers to show how people can build their own aircraft. The aircraft was built during the week of AirVenture, being completed on July 29 and flown for the first time on July 30. All this -- and MORE in today's episode of Airborne!!!
Airborne 08.13.18 is chock full of info in this Daily News Episode, Monday, August 13th, 2018... Presented by Aero-TV veteran videographer and Airborne Hosts Laura Hutson, Brianne Cross, and Christopher Odom, and is supported by ANN CEO/Editor-In-Chief Jim Campbell, Chief Videographer Nathan Cremisino, and Aero-Journalist Tom Patton, this episode covers:
- Bizarre Airline Theft and Crash Blamed on Airport Worker
- All-Female Hurricane Hunter Crew Said To Be A First For NOAA
- Winning EAA One Week Wonder Paint Scheme Announced
- Colorado Reservists Activated To Support Fire Suppression Efforts In Western U.S
- Indonesian Student Pilot Attempts To Bribe Flight Examiner
- Production Issues Cause Logjam On Boeing 737 Assembly Lines
- The Helicopter Museum To Mark World Helicopter Day
Get Comprehensive, Real-Time, 24/7 coverage of the latest aviation and aerospace stories anytime, at aero-news.net. And be sure to join us again for the next edition of "Airborne Unlimited" here on Aero-TV. Thanks for watching. See you, again, tomorrow!
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