United plane's evacuation slide deploys mid-flight

CHICAGO (AP) — An evacuation slide inflated inside a United Airlines plane as it flew from Chicago to California, filling part of the cabin and forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing in Kansas, the airline and passengers said.

Mike Schroeder said he was flying to Orange County, California, late Sunday when he heard a hiss and pop. Schroeder said he turned around and saw the plane's evacuation slide — which would normally go outside the plane during an emergency — inflating inside the cabin.

United Airlines officials said in a statement Monday that no one aboard Flight 1463 was injured.

Passengers remained calm and took pictures of the inflated slide with their phones, Schroeder said. The Boeing 737-700 pilot announced to passengers that they would be landing at Wichita's Mid-Continent Airport.

"When the pilot came out right after landing he said, 'Oh golly, I've never seen that before,'" Schroeder said.

Christen David, a spokeswoman for the Chicago-based airline, said the slide "accidentally deployed" and that all 96 passengers were seated when the slide inflated. The airline provided passengers hotel rooms and planned a flight Monday morning from Wichita to California.

United's maintenance team will inspect the aircraft to find out what happened, David said.

Elizabeth Cory, a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration, said agency investigators were at the scene in Wichita, but that the investigation would take weeks. She did not have further information.

Professional ServicesCommercial VehiclesUnited Airlinesevacuation slide

View the original article here

Boeing turns aging planes into drones for Air Force target practice

What should the U.S. Air Force do with its aging fleet of aircraft? After all, the aircraft boneyard is already pretty crowded.

How about using them for target practice?

Boeing has been turning outdated planes into unmanned drones that the Air Force can use in targeting drills.

The Daily Mail reports that Boeing has successfully converted six F-16 fighter jets into drones, allowing the aircraft to take off and fly without a pilot. Boeing says it’s the first time a F-16 has flown unmanned.

“It’s a replication of current, real world situations and aircraft platforms they can shoot as a target,” U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Ryan Inman, Commander of the 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron said in a release. “Now we have a 9G capable, highly sustainable aerial target.”

The jets had all previously been retired and were residing at Davis Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona. Boeing restored the jets and added the necessary equipment to allow them to fly as drones.

The renamed “QF-16 Full Scale Aerial Target” are now set to be used in combat drills at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida, with two Air Force test pilots controlling the target craft from the ground. In the future, the unmanned planes will also be used for weapons testing.

“I love the F-16 and brag about it a lot — and now to get something ready to take off on its own, so somebody else can shoot it down, makes it a little bittersweet in my eyes,” U.S. Air Force test pilot Jason Clements said in a video released by Boeing.

Air Force officials say they will now be used in fire drills at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico.

And to get a sense of just how sophisticated the drone controls are, considering that the planes not only took off and landed without a pilot, they actually reached supersonic speeds and simulated combat maneuvers during the test drills.

Stars and Stripes adds that during the first drone test flights, the modified F-16’s reached heights of 40,000 feet and completed several barrel rolls at 7G before returning to the ground.

View the original article here

Woman ‘jet hikes’ across country riding in private planes

Amanda Nolan is trying to reach all 50 U.S. states catching rides on private planes (Facebook)

Amber Nolan ’s story might not sound all that original at first. She’s attempting to hitchhike around the country. But this is what sets her journey apart: Nolan is traveling to all 50 states “jethiking” by private plane .

Nolan, a travel writer, started her journey in July 2012 and only has eight states to go before completing the unusual voyage. She’sbeen chronicling her journey on the Jet Hiking blog, and on her Facebook page, where she logs each of her stops along the way.

“As a travel writer, I've been all over the world but I hadn't seen much in my own backyard,” Nolan said in a recent interview with the Daily Mail. “I wanted to experience the United States in a unique way and started brainstorming ideas.”

She’ll have officially knocked out all 50 states once she’s able to hitch a ride to Alaska, Hawaii, Utah, Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois and Indiana. Most of the states on that list are clustered next to each other, so it’s entirely possible Nolan could wrap up her quest before too long.

Still, the trip has been far from easy.

“I spend hours and hours contacting people,” Nolan said. “I'll go to the airports and tell people what I am doing and wait around - and sometimes it is days before I find someone heading the direction I am.”

She’s even run out of money along the way, taking temporary jobs in some of the 250 towns she has visited along the way until she has the funds, and a ride, to head out on her next leg of the trip.

Interestingly, Nolan is not a pilot herself but said she would like to get her pilot’s license once her journey is complete. And she hopes to inspire other travelers around the world to consider her experience as a viable alternative to typical hitchhiking and couch surfing ventures.

"I think an organised ride-share system between pilots and travelers to cut costs on both ends could make this a reasonable option for travelers with a limited amount of time,” she said. “I definitely recommend visiting a local airport or flying club and seeing what the general aviation side is all about."

View the original article here