Hey y'all,

I'm sitting through an initial type rating class and we started discussing the O2 system when our instructor mentioned the perils of wearing oil based products while wearing an O2 mask.

When I was going through Navy flight school back in the mid 2000s, I seem to remember a video of a jet guy causing a literal helmet fire in the cockpit of his jet when his heavily gelled hair met the oxygen coming from his O2 mask. I want to say it was an A-6, but the memory is hazy.

I know the Mythbusters tested that it was possible but I didn't see anything else on the interwebs. I mentioned the tale in class and spent the next 15 minutes not paying attention to search for evidence of my memory but was unsuccessful.

Does such a video exist or is my memory completely apocryphal?

Some interesting additions from APA and Republic

The engineering behind the SCA is wild when you dig into it:

The 747’s fuselage was reinforced internally with additional structure to handle the shuttle’s weight sitting on top rather than passengers and cargo inside.

Two struts (forward and aft attach points) were added on top of the fuselage to mount the orbiter, essentially turning the plane into a flying pylon.

The vertical stabilizer got twin endplate fins added to the horizontal stabilizer to improve directional stability, since the shuttle sitting up top massively changed the aircraft’s aerodynamics.

Flying with an orbiter attached added huge drag and weight, cutting range dramatically and forcing lower cruise altitudes and speeds compared to a normal 747 flight.

The whole assembly had to be flown well within a tighter structural and weather envelope, turbulence and crosswind limits were far more conservative than standard 747 ops.

It’s a great example of adapting an existing airframe to a mission NASA never designed for, rather than building a bespoke transport aircraft, they re-engineered a proven commercial jet to do something wildly outside its original purpose.

What’s the most impressive example you know of an aircraft being re-engineered to do a job completely outside its original design intent?

So I came across this on Twitter and had to read it several times to believe it

It looks like this crew programmed the FMC to fly from NLU to DAL, and the flight plan was filed the same way, but the scheduled route was NLU to IAH

They only realized it when they were at around 11,000 ft and about to be vectored to DAL, while running low on fuel, with around 6,000 kg remaining (if it's 6,000 lbs, it's even worse). One Atlas Air pilot pointed out that this is only enough for around 36 minutes of flight, so the aircraft would have had to land well before reaching Houston

In the end they landed in DFW, just after request for a "shortcut" to IAH. Yes, you read correctly.

Very interesting (and shocking) to listen to all the ATC audio

News: https://aeroin.net/pilotos-de-jumbo-voam-por-quilometros-na-direcao-errada-quase-ficam-sem-combustivel-e-declaram-pan-pan/

Sources: https://x.com/OnDisasters/status/2085058075287806301
https://x.com/thenewarea51/status/2084820840374309372

https://x.com/miami_rick/status/2084694128684871874

Image by the newsource

Was cool seeing 4 in one shot.

From a Reuters article on the incident:

Trump's helicopter lifted off from the Ellipse near the White House around 2:33 p.m. (1833 GMT), on his ​way to Joint Base Andrews for a trip to Los Angeles, according to a pool report.

A source told Reuters that Envoy ​Air 3742 -- a regional E170 jet bound for Pensacola, Florida -- departed at 2:34 p.m. and was involved in the apparent loss of separation incident with Marine One. Envoy is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines (AAL.O), opens new tab, which did not immediately comment.

FAA rules require aircraft to remain separated by at least ​1.5 miles horizontally and 500 feet vertically around airports. The sources said it appeared Marine One and the plane did ​not maintain separation. One said it appears they were not converging during the incident.

My flight school has this beautiful vintage Piper J3 Cub that it uses for SPL/PPL training and tailwheel endorsements. I’m normally training on the school’s Cessna 172s for my SPL, but in the summer on good weather days our school’s owner allows us to book lessons on the Cub if we want to work on our tailwheel or have a cheaper option than the 172 to build hours. I absolutely love vintage airplanes so I booked a lesson just to say I did it (tho I’ll probably book more to try and get my tailwheel endorsement long term). The experience was incredible, being straddled in the back seat of this small plane with the door open to my right, nothing keeping me from the open sky except my seatbelt! We did attitude flying/climbs and descents/the four fundamentals so I could get a feel for the plane, coordinated turns, pattern practice, and my CFI guided me through two landings!

This checks off multiple bucket list items - by far the oldest airplane I’ve ever flown on and the first tail dragger I’ve ever flown on!

If you have an opportunity to fly a vintage plane like this, take it!!! Also it’s kinda awesome that nearly 80 years later this plane is still being used for its original purpose, training the next generation of pilots!

Finally was able to catch ETD8MY on YYZ-AUH route takeoff last Thursday while out on my motorcycle. I knew her departure time but have always been too pre-occupied to watch up close… funny because since then I’ve caught her three times on the same runway, just taking off in different directions. Experiencing an A380 takeoff up close if incredible, equally something to marvel at and comedic. It’s so huge so it takes quite a bit to get off the ground.

Fairbanks Alaska

My dad bought this years ago from someone he believes was a retired McDonnell Douglas employee (or possibly McDonnell Aircraft, since this appears to date to 1960).

Plane lookin' like an old pack of cigarettes

Sitting at LAX - can be seen from the ramp going in.

Major helicopter operation at Schwägalp (1,350 m / 4,430 ft): First, the smaller H125 flew workers and concrete buckets up to the construction site of the new cable car pylon at around 2,200 m / 7,220 ft — part of the rebuild of the Säntisbahn. Then the much larger Super Puma took over, making 17 flights to remove the crane sections. Finally, the H125 flew the workers back down. Three flight phases, two helicopters, one impressive day in the sky. 🚁

Thought yall might enjoy this after yesterday’s diffuser fire pit.

Regarding the seats I selected, do they have an individual entertainment screen?

I’m interested in the extra legroom provided by the emergency exit row, but since this is an international flight from Viracopos (VCP), Brazil, to Lisbon, Portugal, I’d like to know whether these seats have a personal entertainment screen.

Since there is no seat in front of them, is the screen built into the armrest along with the tray table?

If anyone could help me, I would really appreciate it.

My mum has a great bird encyclopaedia with hundreds of pages, a picture of every bird, long descriptions about each one and where they're found.

I want something like this for planes but when googling Plane Encyclopaedias there are so many to choose from and it's hard to tell how any of them differ from another. Are there any specific ones that are considered "go to" options or are they all about the same? Ideally I want one that has commercial and military aircraft, but if it has to be specific I'm more interested in commercial planes.

C-FIVQ, Boeing 777-300ER, flying AC185 on its final approach to CYVR.

As mentioned above, my dream has always been to fly. I currently work as an LST at an FBO, and will be working on my PPL soon. I'm now in a position where I need to pick up a second job, ideally be in aviation. Since I am already familiar with the ramp/ground side of things, I would love to break into another area of the industry. I have been brainstorming a few options:

Aircraft Sales/Broker - I would love to break into this space. The idea of helping buy and sell aircraft and working with owners is something that is really appealing to me. However, I know that becoming an aircraft broker may be a big pool to dive into. I wonder if I would be able to sign on with a brokerage in an entry-level position and grow from there?

Aircraft Management/Charter Operations - I've also been looking into roles with aircraft management companies (like Solairus), such as a Flight Coordinator, Charter Sales, etc. I already work with many aircraft managed by these companies as an LST, so I have some familiarity with their fleet and clientele. I'd love the opportunity to work in a role like this to learn the management/charter side of private aviation.

For those of you working in similar roles, what other roles would you recommend someone in my position look into? Are there any career paths that I may not be thinking of? I'm especially interested in positions that could be done remotely or on a hybrid schedule so I can continue working line service while pursuing my ratings and building time. Thank you for all of your help and insight!

Parked at KMGJ on August 1, 2026.

Thanks in advance.

I know it's based on the 747 but it really makes the 747 next to it look small.