Two US Navy jets collided mid-air

                         BREAKING NEWS: 

Two United States Navy jets have collided mid-air this afternoon during the Gunfighter Skies Air Show at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho. All four crew members were able to eject safely.

The crash happened shortly after 12:30 p.m. local time on Sunday the 17th of May 2026, on the second and final day of the annual air show. The two aircraft, reported to be US Navy EA-18G Growlers from the VAQ-129 "Vikings" demonstration team, collided roughly two miles northwest of the base.

An announcer at the air show told the crowd there were "four good parachutes," meaning all four crew members ejected and parachuted to the ground safely.

Spectator videos appear to show the moment of impact, followed by four parachutes in the sky.

Mountain Home Air Force Base, located about 55 miles southeast of Boise, was placed on lockdown immediately after the incident. SSgt. Antwain Hanks of the US Air Force confirmed the "aircraft incident" and said emergency responders are on the scene with an investigation underway.

The rest of the air show, which was scheduled to feature the US Air Force Thunderbirds as the closing act, had been cancelled.


Aircraft Information:
Owner/Operator: United States Navy

Aircraft: Boeing EA-18G Growler

Registration: 168252

Serial Number: G34

Owner/Operator: United States Navy

Aircraft: Boeing EA-18G Growler

Registration: 168895

Serial Number: G93

The aircraft is manufactured by Boeing in conjunction with Northrop Grumman and remains the most advanced airborne electronic attack (AEA) platform currently in production, equipped with sophisticated jamming pods and receiver.

The current cost of a Boeing EA-18G Growler is $67 million (US)

Qatar Airways Returns to Brisbane

Last night, my family and I went to the airport to witness the long-awaited return of Qatar Airways flight QR898 as it touched down in Brisbane. The last revenue flight for Qatar had been on the 27th of February, so it was great to see this airline return, albeit only four days a week at the time being.

The usual aircraft is a Boeing 777-3DZ, but for the next month, it will be replaced with an Airbus A350-100. This is the first time Qatar have brought in the A350-100.

When we arrived, the weather was nice, but as afternoon turned into night, the skies darkened and it rained on and off.

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA BOEING 737-8FE VH-YQO (MSN 41010)
VA951 ARRIVING FROM SYDNEY (SYD) 12 YEARS

ALLIANCE AIRLINES FOKKER 70 VH-NUU (MSN 11532)

QANTAS BOEING 737-838 VH-VXE (MSN 30899)
QF631 OFF TO MELBOUNE (MEL) 24 YEARS

QANTASLINK EMBRAER E190AR VH-UYY (MSN 19000212)
QLK1955 OFF TO CANBERRA (CBR) 18 YEARS

ALLIANCE FOKKER 100 VH-FGB (MSN 11446)
VA1107 ARRIVING FROM NEWCASTLE (NTL) 33 YEARS
FLYING FOR VIRGIN AUSTRALIA

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA BOEING 737-7FE VH-VBZ (MSN 34322)
VA1118 ARRIVING FROM PROSERPINE (PPP) 202 YEARS

QANTAS BOEING 737-8SA VH-XZR (MSN 44228)
QF536 ARRIVING FROM SYDNEY (SYD) 10 YEARS

JETSTAR AIRBUS A321-251NX VH-OFU (MSN 11292)
JQ59 OFF TO DENPASAR (DPS) 3 YEARS

JETSTAR AIRBUS A320-232 VH-X3L (MSN 5708)
JQ484 ARRIVING FROM NEWCASTLE (NTL) 12 YEARS

QATAR AIRWAYS AIRBUS A350-1041 A7-ANH (MSN 229)
QR898 ARRIVING FROM DOHA (DOH) 7 YEARS

QANTAS AIRBUS A330-202 VH-EBV (MSN 1365)
QF126 ARRIVING FROM AUCKLAND (AKL) 13 YEARS

QANTAS AIRBUS A321-271NY VH-OGB (MSN 12427)
QF538 ARRIVING FROM SYDNEY (SYD) 10 MONTHS

JETSTAR AIRBUS A320-251N VH-A5A (MSN 12328)
JQ828 ARRIVING FROM SYDNEY (SYD) 1.7 YEARS

QANTASLINK AIRBUS A220-300 VH-X4F (MSN 55340)
QF1282 ARRIVED FROM ADELAIDE (ADL) 1 YEAR

AIR CALIN AIRBUS A320-271N F-ONEA (MSN 11882)
SB150 ARRIVING FROM NOUMEA (NOU) 2 YEARS

QANTAS AIRBUS A321-271NY VH-OGC (MSN 12594)
QF540 ARRIVING FROM SYDNEY (SYD) 6 MONTHS

SINGAPORE AIRLINES AIRBUS A350-941 9V-SHP (MSN 436)
SQ256 OFF TO SINGAPORE (SIN) 5 YEARS

Qantas passenger bites flight attendant - aircraft diverts

On the 15th of May a Qantas Boeing 787 flying from Melbourne (MEL/YMML) to Dallas (DFW/KDFW) was forced to divert to Tahiti (PPT/NTAA) after a passenger allegedly bit a flight attendant mid-flight.

QANTAS BOEING 787-9 VH-ZNB (MSN 39039)

Once the aircraft landed safely in Tahiti, authorities came on board the aircraft and arrested the passenger. The plane was refueled and was able to complete its journey on to Dallas. 

Parts of the incident was caught on camera by comedian Mike Goldstein, who was on the flight to Dallas-Fort Worth and shared a video on Instagram.

His video showed the passenger emerging from one of the bathrooms and arguing with flight attendants about his behaviour. The passenger was stumbling, slurring his words, and repeatedly swore at crew members and other passengers.

"There's kids around everywhere and you're acting immature," one flight attendant told the passenger.

"You have to behave yourself; you're on a plane."

The passenger expressed some confusion at the fact he was on a plane and asked the flight attendant if he has been "smoking weed".

"I was just about to walk out for a cigarette," the passenger said.

Goldstein's video shows the passenger getting more aggressive and abusive when he was told to go to the back of the plane. According to a post on X, it was reported that the passenger bit a crew member, though this allegation has not been confirmed by the airline or by authorities.

"The safety of our customers and our crew is our number one priority," a Qantas spokesperson said in a statement.

"We have zero tolerance for disruptive or threatening behaviour on our flights."

The passenger has been banned from all Qantas flights, which includes, QantasLink and Jetstar.

Aircraft Information:

Airline: Qantas 

Code: QF/QFA   
Aircraft: Boeing 787-9
Registration: VH-ZNB
Serial Number: 39039
Engines: 2 x GEnx-1B
First Flew: 30th November 2017

Age: 8.6 years

One Million views -Thank You

Late yesterday afternoon, this little aviation blog from Brisbane crossed 1 million views. That number is honestly hard for me to wrap my head around.

I’ve been passionate about aviation since I was a child. I live, eat, and breathe commercial aviation, but a severe lung disease kept me from fulfilling my dream of becoming a pilot or an air traffic controller. This blog, along with my aviation photography, is the closest I’ve come to living that dream.

To every single person who visits my blog, whether it's daily or weekly, and reads an article, thank you. It's your support that has kept me going.

1 million views is not just a number to me; it represents a million moments of support from an amazing community. Thank you for being part of this journey. There’s still so much more ahead so please keep checking back in.

Shout out to my beautiful, amazing wife and daughters who have, and continue to support me, encourage me, and keep me going, I couldn't have done this without your input.

Spotting at New Farm

My family and I have visited New Farm Park by the river several times lately, but I haven’t had a chance to post any photos about it until today.

PHILIPPINE AIRLINES AIRBUS A321-271N RP-C9933 (MSN 8284)
PR222 OFF TO MANILA (MNL) 7 YEARS

QANTAS AIRBUS A330-202 VH-EBK (MSN 945)
QF51 OFF TO SINGAPORE (SIN) 17 YEARS

JETSTAR BOEING 787-8 VH-VKF (MSN 36231)
JQ53 OFF TO SEOUL (ICN) 11 YEARS

ALLIANCE AIRLINES FOKKER 70 VH-NKQ (MSN 11572)
VA1239 OFF TO ROKHAMPTON (ROK) 30 YEARS
FLYING FOR VIRGIN AUSTRALIA

QANTASLINK EMBRAER E190AR VH-UYI (MSN 19000053)
QLK1844 OFF TO ROCKHAMPTON (ROK) 20 YEARS

QANTAS AIRBUS A330-303 VH-QPC (MSN 564)
QF61 OFF TO TOKYO (NRT) 22 YEARS

UNITED AIRLINES BOEING 777-224 N79011 (MSN 29859)
UA97 OFF TO SAN FRANCISCO (SFO) 26 YEARS

CHINA SOUTHERN AIRBUS A350-941 B-30F9 (MSN 417)
CZ382 OFF TO GUANGZHOU (CAN) 5 YEARS

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA BOEING 737-MAX 8 VH-8ID (MSN 66638)
VA447 OFF TO DARWIN (DRW) 2 YEARS

SINGAPORE AIRLINES AIRBUS A350-941 9V-SHY (MSN 494)
SQ256 OFF TO SINGAPORE (SIN) 4 YEARS

MALAYSIA AIRLINES AIRBUS A330-323 9M-MTF (MSN 1281)
MH134 OFF TO MALAYSIA (KUL) 14 YEARS

QANTAS BOEING 737-838 VH-VXQ (MSN 33723)
QF824 OFF TO DARWIN (DRW) 22 YEARS

QANTASLINK EMBRAER E190AR VH-UYB (MSN 19000012)
QF1822 OFF TO MACKAY (MKY) 21 YEARS

Fighterworld Museum - Newcastle

A few weeks ago, my wife and I, along with seven other avgeeks, flew down to Newcastle for a day of military plane spotting. (That story was posted on the 2nd of May)

During our five-hour stay, we visited the Fighterworld Museum at the airport.

My wife and I had visited this place before and loved it so much that we were looking forward to going back. The museum features over 17 historic aircraft and replicas, including the F/A-18A Hornet, F-111C, Mirage II, Avon Sabre, Gloster Meteor, and more. There’s an open observation deck where you can watch aircraft like the F-35A Lightning take off and land, while listening to live aircraft audio from Air Traffic Control. There is an on-site cafe, called Fighter Beans Café, and it offers plenty of snacks, meals, and coffee, all with great views of the airfield. Seating options include indoor, outdoor undercover, and open-air areas. The hangars and café are wheelchair accessible, though the observation deck is only reachable by stairs. The museum is open daily (except Christmas Day) from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.

It is a 30-minute walk or a 5-minute car ride from the airport to Fighterworld.

This incredible museum is a must-visit for aviation lovers.

AERMACCHI MB-326H (A7-031)

PILATUS PC-9/A (A23-020)

F-111 AARDVARK/ RAVEN (A8-148)

DASSAULT MIRAGE IIID (A3-102)

EJECTION SEAT

BRISTOL BLOODHOUND MK1 SURFACE TO AIR MISSILE

BLERIOT XI (WORLDS FIRST WAR PLANE)

SOPWITH CAMEL F1 (REPLICA)

BOEING F/A-18 HORNET (A21-023)

SUPERMARINE SPITFIRE MK IX

DEHAVILLAND VAMPIRE (A79-1)

CA-27 SABRE

GLOSTER METEOR F.8 (A77-851)