Flight attendant performs Heimlich maneuver during severe turbulence

Flight attendant Marcus Thompson turned into an unexpected hero when he pulled off the Heimlich maneuver on a choking passenger amid violent turbulence high above the Rocky Mountains.

Passenger Robert Davidson started choking on a piece of steak during meal service just as the plane hit a sudden bout of severe clear-air turbulence. With the seatbelt sign on and the captain instructing all crew to sit down, Thompson had to make a split-second, life-or-death choice. Ignoring the chaos as the aircraft pitched and dropped, he unbuckled his belt and made his way down the wildly rocking aisle to reach Davidson.

As the plane rocked violently, Thompson steadied himself against the seats and moved behind the choking passenger. He delivered several abdominal thrusts until Davidson coughed up the blockage. A sudden drop sent them both tumbling to the floor, but Davidson was breathing again. Thompson quickly helped him back into his seat just as the turbulence began to ease.

After landing, Davidson was checked by medical staff and made a full recovery. The airline honored Thompson with their highest award for extraordinary heroism, praising his courage in risking his own safety to save a passenger’s life.

Two pilots shot dead after landing at Korowai Batu Airport

Two pilots, who flew from Tanahmerah Airport (TMH/WAKT), to Koroway Batu Danowage Airport (WAKY) have been shot and killed moments after landing their Smart Cakrawala Aviation aircraft at the Airport in South Papua, Indonesia, on Wednesday.

“At 11:05 a.m. local time, the plane landed and was immediately fired upon,” said Lukman F. Laisa, director general of Air Transport at the Transportation Ministry, in a written statement.

The flight was carrying 13 passengers, including a toddler. In the chaos, passengers fled toward nearby forested areas.

Authorities said the pilot transmitted a distress message reporting gunfire and loss of signal. Police later identified the victims as Captain Egon Erawan and Captain Bas Koro.

South Papua Police Chief Wisnu Perdana Putra said the two pilots were chased, hunted down and killed near the runway. All of the passengers survived.

Footage from the scene shows the aircraft on the runway with doors open and visible bullet damage along the fuselage. Reports indicate a fuel leak from the right wing area was the cause of the distress call.

Indonesian officials have launched a full investigation and announced tighter security around inland airports.

Aircraft Information 

Owner/Operator: Smart Cakrawala Aviation

Aircraft: Cessna 208B Grand Caravan 

Registration: PK-SNR

Serial Number: 208B5358

Engines: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A turboprops 

First Flew: 2017

Age: 9 years 

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the deceased during this difficult time.

Australian currency turns 60 today

Thought I would share a little Australian history with you; not only are we celebrating Valentine's Day here in Australia but our currency the 'Australian Dollar' turns 60

On the 14th of February 1966 Australia changed from pounds and pence to dollars and a huge add campaign was launched early 1966.
Below is on the jingle advertisements that aired on TV and the radio to help Australians get used to the new currency.

Currency Conversion Jingle

‘Out with the old and in with the new’

In come the dollars and in come the cents
To replace the pounds and the shillings and the pence
Be prepared folks when the coins begin to mix
On the 14th of February 1966
Clink go the cents, folks clink, clink, clink
Changeover day is closer than you think
Learn the value of the coins and the way that they appear
And things will be much smoother when the decimal point is here
In come the dollars and in come the cents
To replace the pounds and the shillings and the pence
Be prepared folks when the coins begin to mix
On the 14th of February 1966.

The Mint produced new decimal coins and the 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 50 cent coins featured an image of Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse side, with depictions of Australia's unique fauna on the reverse.
The Reserve Bank of Australia oversaw the design and production of the new decimal banknotes for the $1, $2, $10 and $20 denominations. In April 1964, the concept designs by Gordon Andrews were accepted and detailed design work began. During 1965, the Bank's Note Printing Branch completed the formidable task of producing almost 153 million new decimal currency banknotes. Other items printed by the Bank for the introduction of decimal currency included cheques, travelers' cheques and bonds, as well as decimal currency postage stamps. The Reserve Bank also had responsibility for ensuring that an adequate supply of new decimal coins and banknotes was distributed to each of the 5,000 bank branches throughout Australia in readiness for Conversion Day.

When the notes were introduced in 1966, they were made on paper but in early 1988 Australia changed to the polypropylene polymer banknotes which Australia uses today.
Australia doesn't have 1 cent and 2 cent coins anymore and our $1 and $2 are now coins.

A new small airline making its move on an Air New Zealand route

A new operator will start flying between Nelson (NSN/NZNS) and Christchurch (CHC/NZCH) from today.

Originair will begin a direct service between the two centres using its 18-seater British Aerospace aircraft and will operate twice weekly on Fridays and Sundays.
Air New Zealand also flies the route and a press release from Christchurch Airport said Originair will “supplement the long-standing services” from the national carrier.

The small Nelson-based airline recently started flying between Blenheim and Christchurch. CEO Robert Inglis said there had been strong demand, so, “Nelson was a natural next step”.

“We know these routes provide essential regional links for both business and leisure travellers and our new Christchurch services are planned to operate at convenient peak timings on Friday and Sunday afternoons.

“They offer great opportunities for weekend breaks and full business weeks in Nelson or Christchurch.”

Gordon Bevan, Christchurch Airport’s general manager of aeronautical development, said the additional flights will strengthen links between Canterbury and the top of the South Island.

At the time of writing, the lowest one-way fare on the Orginair website for an adult from Nelson to Christchurch is $99. Air New Zealand is $148.

Originair is an airline based in Nelson, New Zealand, that operates domestic flights in New Zealand. It was founded in August 2015 by Nelson businessman Robert Inglis, who had previously founded Air Nelson. The regional airline is dedicated to connecting communities across New Zealand with convenient and reliable travel options. Destinations include Nelson, Palmerston North, Wellington, Taupo, Westport, and Hamilton. 

FAA cancels all flights into and out of El Paso

Late Tuesday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued unexplained notices closing the airspace over El Paso International Airport (ELP/KELP) and a large area of southern New Mexico west of Santa Teresa for 10 days. According to the city, El Paso International Airport is shut down to all flights.

The orders close off all air travel in and out of the affected area, which will cause massive disruption in the nation’s 23rd largest city.

“THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION (FAA) CLASSIFIES THE AIRSPACE DEFINED IN THIS NOTAM AS ‘NTL DEFENSE AIRSPACE’. PILOTS WHO DO NOT ADHERE TO THE FOLLOWING PROC WILL BE INTERCEPTED, DETAINED AND INTERVIEWED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT/SECURITY PERSONNEL,” the notices said.

“THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT MAY USE DEADLY FORCE AGAINST THE AIRBORNE ACFT, IF IT IS DETERMINED THAT THE ACFT POSES AN IMMINENT SECURITY THREAT,” the notice continued.

The notices, known as Notice to Air Missions, or NOTAM, took effect at 11:30 p.m. Mountain Time on Tuesday the 10th of February, and expire at 11:30 p.m. on Friday the 20th of February.  

Airport staff has reached out to the FAA, and we are pending additional guidance. In the meanwhile, the few commercial airlines operating out of El Paso are being informed of the restriction, which appears to be security related. 

Closing off airspace over a major U.S. city is a rare action, and officials with the Federal Aviation Administration didn’t immediately respond to questions from El Paso Matters on the reasons for the action.

A person familiar with the notices, who asked not to be identified because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly, said the action to close airspace over a major U.S. for security reasons over extended period hasn’t happened since immediately after the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Starsky Fokker 50 crashes in Somalia

A passenger plane in Somalia traveling from Mogadishu Aden Adde International Airport (MGQ/HCMM) to Gualaco Airport (GUO) crash-landed in shallow water on a seashore near the international airport on Tuesday. 

The crew of the plane, a Fokker 50, reported a problem 15 minutes after takeoff from Mogadishu’s Aden Abdulle International Airport on Tuesday morning and requested to return to the airport, according to Somalia’s Civil Aviation Authority.

Ahmed Macalin Hassan, the CAA director, said the pilot then tried to touch down but failed to stop on the runway. The plane overshot the tarmac before coming to rest in shallow water near the shoreline.

The Starsky Aviation aircraft with 55 passengers on board was bound for the northern city of Gaalkacyo.

Pictures posted on social media from the scene showed passengers walking away from the wreckage of the plane. Starsky Aviation chief executive Ahmed Nur said “the aircraft overran on the runway” before the pilot crash-landed on the shoreline near the international airport.

He added: “No injuries, no deaths.”

Aircraft Information:
Airline: Starsky Aviation
Aircraft: Fokker 50
Registration: 6O-YAS
Serial Number: 20177
Engines: 2 x PWC PW125B
First Flew: 9th February 1990
Age: 36 Years 

Surprising fact about flight attendants you might not know

Many people don’t realize that flight attendants don’t start earning their main hourly pay until the airplane doors are closed and the flight is ready to take off. All the time they spend welcoming passengers on board, storing luggage, and carrying out important safety checks during boarding isn’t counted on the official pay clock.

This surprising reality isn’t by chance—it’s the product of airline pay systems shaped and negotiated over many decades. To really grasp how flight attendants are paid, it’s important to look beyond the advertised hourly rate and dig into the specifics of airline contracts and industry practices.

When airlines advertise flight attendant positions, they usually quote a competitive hourly rate. However, that headline number often omits exactly what that “hour” measures.

Like many airlines, flight attendants are mainly paid based on “credited flight time,” also known as block time pay. This usually starts when the aircraft door closes before takeoff and ends when it opens after landing.

Consequently, several critical parts of the workday may not be paid at the full hourly rate, including:

• Preflight safety briefings
• Aircraft equipment checks
• Boarding and passenger assistance
• Ground delays with passengers onboard
• Time spent waiting between flights
• Delayed flights

This setup is often highlighted in labor reports from outlets like Reuters, which have explained how flight attendants can work long duty days, yet their pay is based on a much smaller block-time figure.

The aviation industry didn’t invent block time pay for flight attendants simply to shortchange workers. Originally, the system was built around a metric that was easy to track, predictable for scheduling, and closely tied to airline revenue.

For airlines, this model made labor costs more flexible and easier to predict. For workers, though, it meant the toughest and most visible parts of the job weren’t always directly rewarded.

Over time, this gap between “time worked” and “time paid” has become one of the most contentious issues in flight attendant labor relations.

To offset the limitations of block time, pay for flight attendants, airline contracts have evolved layers of protections. These mechanisms are often misunderstood by those outside the industry.

Common contract protections in the pay structure include:

• Minimum Day Guarantees: These ensure a baseline amount of pay credit regardless of how short the flight schedule is.
• Duty Rigs: These add pay credit if the total time on duty becomes excessive relative to flight time.
• Trip Rigs: This tie pay to the total time away from base.
• Per Diem: An hourly allowance meant to cover meals and expenses while on duty.

The pay model isn’t set in stone. In recent years, there’s been growing pressure across North America to move toward paid boarding and ground time, shaking up the traditional flight attendant pay system.