The events described in the FlyDubai terrorist incident are just astonishing in sequence that led to the safe recovery of a Boeing 737 as it descended at a rate of speed beyond test limits of the aircraft during an attempted terrorist incident.

The Co-Pilot of the aircraft flying from Dubai to Israel, stabbed the captain with a pocketknife and attempted to destroy the flight controls as the plane began a rapid descent.  The captain somehow managed to activate the door locking mechanism unlocking the cabin door just before losing consciousness during the struggle.

A passenger then forcibly entered the cabin, pulled the terrorist away from the controls, pulling him back into the cabin where Israeli passengers took control of him.  As the passenger began pulling back on the flight controls trying to stop the descent, two other pilots who were on board -one Russian and one Ukrainian- came forward and took over.

Together the plainclothes pilots were able to recover the aircraft from descent as the tail stabilizing mechanism of the airliner fell apart.  The new pilots then executed an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia and all passengers were unharmed.

It really is an amazing story with so many individual events that came together to save the flight from sure disaster.  Reading about the events leaves you speechless.  These were exceptionally brave, skilled and lucky people all traveling together on just the right flight at just the right moment.  The Daily Mail has more on the story HERE.

VIDEO BELOW:

(more…)

You can’t make this stuff up folks.

Just days before making his next trip to lead the ‘middle-powers-summit’ in Europe where he will deliver his grandiose speech to announce ‘sovereign’ Canada is now a European subsidiary, the former central Banker turned appointed Prime Minister of Canada has announced he’s selling the Canadian airports.

Because in the banker’s world, sovereignty comes with a price, or something.

CANADA – Prime Minister Mark Carney says his government will open up Canada’s four largest airports to private investment, but that Ottawa will maintain ownership of airport land.

The prime minister said the private money will be sought through “long-term concessions” to operate these airports, which would include Toronto Pearson International Airport, Vancouver International Airport, Trudeau International Airport in Montreal and Calgary International Airport.

“The government of Canada will retain ownership of the underlying land and assets, but we will unlock their true value by bringing in new capital and expertise to their operations and growth,” Carney said during an address at the Canada Investment Summit in Toronto on Tuesday morning. (read more)

(more…)

Today the CIA released an unprecedented 71 Presidential Daily Briefs given to the Executive Branch before and after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.  You can review the material [HERE – CIA LINK]

I would remind readers, in 2010 George W Bush’s campaign manager, aide and senior staff, Karl Rove, revealed [“Courage and Consequence“] that then CIA Director George Tenet had been trying for several weeks to get a personal meeting with President Bush to outline an intelligence concern about an international terror threat.

According to Rove, White House National Security Advisor, Condoleezza Rice, had been blocking Tenet from meeting with President Bush.  Director Tenet sent several requests using alternate channels to reach Bush.  Eventually, in the late spring or early summer 2001, Tenet overcame the Rice block and was given time to brief President Bush.

CIA Director George Tenet then told President Bush the CIA had intercepted telephone “chatter” pointing to an al-Qaeda terrorist threat that somehow involved airlines.  However, the details and the specifics of the threat were unknown.  The only thing Tenet knew with certainty was that some type of plot was underway and airlines were involved.

George W Bush responded to Tenet by saying it appeared the CIA director was just trying to “cover his ass” in case something happened.  Bush was angered at the vagueness of the warning and told Tenet to consider his ass covered, but essentially the information was useless without specifics.

The rest, as they say, is history.  The matter did not surface again until after the 9/11/01 plot was carried out.

(more…)

Bombardier airplane manufacturing sells approximately 55% of its products inside the United States. The company is based in Montreal and manufacturers the airliners mainly in Ottawa; however, component parts are made in the USA and also Mexico.

The company has a history of being heavily dependent on Canadian government subsidies and bailouts.

Bombardier employs approximately 5,000 U.S. workers and 12,000 Canadian workers but is also heavily dependent on sales to the USA to maintain over half their business.  On the eve of Canada’s retaliatory tariffs against the U.S, President Trump is now recommending a boycott of the airliner.  The U.S. airline builder Gulfstream has been blocked from sales in Canada by regulatory slow walking, a non-tariff barrier.

“NO MORE SELLING BOMBARDIER IN THE UNITED STATES! Their products aren’t good enough! Over 50% of their revenue comes from the United States — They live off American Buyers, American Companies, American Airports, and American Service — All while Canada blocks our GREAT American Banks, and Companies, throughout the U.S.A. They even blocked Gulfstream Aerospace from doing business in Canada — Completely unjust and unfair! That Era is OVER! If they want our Market, they must build here, and stop treating America like a “piggybank.” BUY AMERICAN. FLY ON AMERICAN AIRLINERS. ENJOY AMERICAN LIQUOR AND BEVERAGES. SAIL ON LAKE AMERICA. AMERICA FIRST! Thank you for your attention to this matter.” 

~ President DONALD J. TRUMP

There is a reciprocity justification for Bombardier sales restrictions in the USA considering the non-tariff barriers that U.S. company Gulfstream faces against their Canadian competition.  It will be interesting to see if the Dept of Commerce or USTR enact a regulatory barrier.

(more…)

During an Oval Office event to announce the remodel of Washington DC, Dulles airport, President Trump took questions from the assembled press pool.  The questions begin at 16:30, prompted:

.

(more…)

You would have to read dozens of energy industry reports to get the information provided here in this exceptionally well-done news segment.

Sky News economics and data editor Ed Conway presents a fantastic look at how the issue with the Strait of Hormuz has impacted the global distribution of energy, oil, LNG and Kerosene (jet fuel), with particular emphasis on the vulnerabilities of the “modern industrialized western nations.”

Conway never points the finger to the “net zero” carbon goals of Europe, the U.K and Australia. However, he shows the outcome of their dependence on production and refining by other non-participating nations. The timelines clearly show, as the Green Energy policies were pushed the vulnerability inherent within any supply shock begins to get worse. This is a very well-presented data-driven analysis that is worth watching.

The last two-minutes also shred the claims by EU and British leadership, and highlights how Europe and the U.K are now dependent on the United States to meet their energy needs. WATCH:

.

(more…)

Video of the horrific crash has been released to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the footage also found its way into social media.   The Air Canada jet was landing when it hit an emergency firetruck that was crossing the runway.  WATCH: 

According to a CNN update, one of the flight attendants was thrown out of the plane during the incident and was found alive still strapped to her seat.

(VIA CNN) A flight attendant survived the deadly Air Canada plane crash after she was found outside the aircraft still strapped in her seat, a law enforcement source told CNN.

Two people — a pilot and a first officer — were killed in Sunday night’s crash, Air Canada said. But the airline said it could not confirm the exact number of injuries or deaths early this morning. (Live Updates)

(more…)

The scenes on the ground at LaGuardia airport are horrific as the nose of the Air Canada regional jet is completely destroyed.  AP reports “two persons” were killed in the crash.

Apparently, an aircraft rescue and firefighting vehicle was crossing the runway at the same time the Air Canada plane was arriving. The New York Times has a live update feed with the following information:

[SOURCE] An Air Canada Express regional jet collided with a Port Authority fire truck at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, killing the plane’s two pilots and shutting down all flights at the airport, officials said Monday.

Forty-one passengers and crew members were taken to the hospital, Kathryn Garcia, the executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, said at an early morning news conference. She said that 32 of them had been released, and that some of the others had been seriously injured.

The vehicle struck by an incoming plane at LaGuardia Airport was a Port Authority Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting vehicle that had been responding to a separate incident, the agency said in a statement. (source)

The X Account for LaGuardia Airport released the following statement:

(more…)

Democrats have refused to fund the Dept of Homeland Security which means the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officials are working at reduced capacity.  This is slowing down security times at airports and creating massive delays for U.S. air travelers.  The problem has been worsening day-by-day for well over a week.

President Trump announced today that if Democrats don’t fund DHS/TSA, he will move Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers into TSA positions with the benefit of creating an illegal alien catch net.

PRESIDENT TRUMP – “If the Radical Left Democrats don’t immediately sign an agreement to let our Country, in particular, our Airports, be FREE and SAFE again, I will move our brilliant and patriotic ICE Agents to the Airports where they will do Security like no one has ever seen before, including the immediate arrest of all Illegal Immigrants who have come into our Country, with heavy emphasis on those from Somalia, who have totally destroyed, with the approval of a corrupt Governor, Attorney General, and Congresswoman, Ilhan Omar, the once Great State of Minnesota. I look forward to seeing ICE in action at our Airports. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”  ~ President DONALD J. TRUMP

President Trump then followed up his Truth Social announcement with another emphatic statement emphasizing it.

(more…)

With increased holiday travel season soon to take place, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy discusses some of the issues to federal transportation, specifically air travel, with CBS Margaret Brennan. Transcript and Video below:

[Transcript] – MARGARET BRENNAN: We go now to the Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, who joins us this morning from Far Hills, New Jersey. Welcome to Face The Nation.

TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY SEAN DUFFY: Hey, thanks, Margaret, good to be with you.

MARGARET BRENNAN: So our CBS polling shows that there is real concern among Americans regarding the effect of the shutdown on all transportation. Should Americans also have safety concerns at this point?

SEC. DUFFY: I think that’s a great question. We work overtime to make sure the system is safe. And we will slow traffic down, you’ll see delays, we’ll have flights canceled to make sure the system is safe. But we have to be honest, when we have controllers, where we have shortages and towers and TRACONs doing two jobs, does it add more risk into the system? Sure, it does. But again, we’re always managing that. Again, we don’t- we don’t want crashes, we want people to go safely, and so we will slow and stop traffic if we don’t think we can manage it in a way that keeps people safe as they go from point A to point B.

(more…)