A YouTuber pilot who bailed out midair and deliberately sent his plane crashing into the ground to bolster viewing numbers on his channel could be jailed for up to 20 years, US authorities said on Thursday. In a video seen by nearly three million people and entitled “I crashed my airplane,” Trevor Jacob appears to experience engine trouble while flying over southern California in November 2021.
The dramatic footage shows Jacob, 29, ejecting from the single engine plane -- selfie-stick in hand -- and parachuting into the dense vegetation of the Los Padres National Forest.
Cameras placed all over the aircraft show its out-of-control descent into the forest, and its eventual crash landing. Jacob films himself hiking to the wreckage where he appears dismayed to discover the water he packed has disappeared. Viewers see him bush-whacking through poison oak and over hills as he seemingly struggles to find civilization, giving regular updates about how thirsty he is, and how lost he feels. Finally, he stops to scoop water from a stream, and moments later comes across a vehicle and apparent salvation as night falls.
In the weeks after the incident, investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) launched a probe into the crash, and Jacob was ordered to preserve the wreckage.
The YouTuber told officials he did not know where the plane had gone down, but, according to a plea deal lodged in Los Angeles, two weeks after the drama he and a friend winched the wreckage out of the forest with a helicopter, having earlier recovered data from the onboard cameras.
Over the next few days, he cut up the plane into small pieces, and dumped the parts in trash bins in and around Lompoc City Airport. The FAA, the body that regulates flying in the United States, yanked Jacob’s pilot’s license in April 2022. In a plea agreement, Jacob admitted he had intended to obstruct federal authorities when he disposed of the wreckage and had created the video to make money through a sponsorship with a wallet company.
“Jacob further admitted he lied to federal investigators when he submitted an aircraft accident incident report that falsely indicated that the aircraft experienced a full loss of power approximately 35 minutes after takeoff,” a statement from the Department of Justice said.
“Jacob also lied to an FAA aviation safety inspector when he said the airplane’s engine had quit and, because he could not identify any safe landing options, he had parachuted out of the plane.” He has agreed to plead guilty to one count of destruction and concealment with the intent to obstruct a federal investigation, a crime that carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. The YouTuber is expected to formally enter his plea in Los Angeles in the coming weeks and be sentenced at a later date.
The video he posted, which can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbYszLNZxhM attracted a lot of criticism in the weeks and months after it was published.
Numerous pilots and aviation experts commented that Jacob had failed to take even elementary steps to restart his plane’s apparently troubled engine. Others pointed out that he could easily have safely glided the plane to a landing spot, and that wearing a parachute while flying a small aircraft was highly unusual.
Sunday, 14 May 2023
Saturday, 13 May 2023
Covid testing clinic closes at Brisbane Airport
Brisbane Airport is closing its final COVID-19 testing clinic after the end of the WHO’s global health emergency declaration and the relaxation of international testing requirements.
The 4Cyte clinic in the international terminal closed yesterday at 6pm, following the closure of the Histopath clinic last Friday. The two clinics had tested 147,244 passengers between them over the past 18 months.
The demand for testing has steadily declined since last month, when China – whose passengers accounted for 90 per cent of tests performed – ended its testing requirements. Passengers who require testing to enter their destination countries will now have to arrange for their tests to be performed before arriving at the airport.
Stephen Beckett, head of Public Affairs at Brisbane Airport Corporation, said that the clinic closures are a “line in the sand” that closes the book on COVID at BNE.
“The opening of airport testing sites was crucial to the re-start of interstate and overseas travel and we’re grateful for the role testing played in keeping us safe and getting us moving. But now we celebrate the fact that global travel is back and with it the jobs and opportunities travel delivers to Queensland,” he said.
The testing clinics saw their busiest period around the April 2022 Easter holidays, with PCR and RATs both being performed at the airport. Greg Granger, Director of Strategic Operations from Histopath Diagnostic Services, said the clinics had performed a vital role over the past year and a half.
“When Australia re-opened its borders in November 2021, strong pre-departure testing mandates were enforced by airlines and destination countries. The same mandates were also enforced for interstate borders, resulting in private pathology services serving as the final gatekeepers to domestic and international travel,” he said.
“We would like to thank the passengers and airlines that have used our service these past few years, and to Brisbane Airport Corporation for ensuring that the barriers to travel were addressed for the community.”
The clinics will be replaced by airline offices following their closure. According to Histopath’s website, Sydney is now the only major airport on the eastern seaboard to have a testing clinic.
Story sourced from here
The 4Cyte clinic in the international terminal closed yesterday at 6pm, following the closure of the Histopath clinic last Friday. The two clinics had tested 147,244 passengers between them over the past 18 months.
The demand for testing has steadily declined since last month, when China – whose passengers accounted for 90 per cent of tests performed – ended its testing requirements. Passengers who require testing to enter their destination countries will now have to arrange for their tests to be performed before arriving at the airport.
Stephen Beckett, head of Public Affairs at Brisbane Airport Corporation, said that the clinic closures are a “line in the sand” that closes the book on COVID at BNE.
“The opening of airport testing sites was crucial to the re-start of interstate and overseas travel and we’re grateful for the role testing played in keeping us safe and getting us moving. But now we celebrate the fact that global travel is back and with it the jobs and opportunities travel delivers to Queensland,” he said.
The testing clinics saw their busiest period around the April 2022 Easter holidays, with PCR and RATs both being performed at the airport. Greg Granger, Director of Strategic Operations from Histopath Diagnostic Services, said the clinics had performed a vital role over the past year and a half.
“When Australia re-opened its borders in November 2021, strong pre-departure testing mandates were enforced by airlines and destination countries. The same mandates were also enforced for interstate borders, resulting in private pathology services serving as the final gatekeepers to domestic and international travel,” he said.
“We would like to thank the passengers and airlines that have used our service these past few years, and to Brisbane Airport Corporation for ensuring that the barriers to travel were addressed for the community.”
The clinics will be replaced by airline offices following their closure. According to Histopath’s website, Sydney is now the only major airport on the eastern seaboard to have a testing clinic.
Story sourced from here
Friday, 12 May 2023
Former airline pilot arrested for secretly filming women and selling naked clips
Police arrested a former pilot of a prominent airline for deceiving young women and secretly recording them in compromising situations, then selling the videos in a private group online. 30 victims have been discovered to date, prompting further investigation into the case.
Authorities reported raiding two locations in Bangkok and Chanthaburi province yesterday. The first location was the residence of Phatrawit, a former pilot who lived in the Ramkhamhaeng 112 neighborhood. The second location was Attaphon’s home in Chanthaburi’s Mueang district. Both individuals were apprehended under arrest warrants in relation to obscenity and defamation charges. Evidence including laptops, mobile phones, and hard drives were seized.
The arrest followed several victims filing complaints with the Cybercrime Investigation Division (CID) against Phatrawit, who they had met through different applications such as Instagram, Facebook, and Tinder. The former pilot allegedly impersonated an airline employee, lured the victims into intimate relationships, and eventually took them to hotel rooms for sexual activities.
Later, the victims discovered explicit clips of themselves on the VK application and other platforms showing naked ladies. They also found out that their Facebook and Instagram profiles had been linked to explicit content. As a result, they sought the assistance of cyber police in apprehending the perpetrator.
Following a thorough investigation, CID officers learned that Phatrawit and Attaphon were behind the crime and proceeded to apprehend them. The investigation uncovered that last year, Phatrawit booked hotel rooms in a Ratchathewi area hotel 13 times where he would secretly film the victims during sexual activities.
Moreover, the police found that this year, there were seven similar incidents. It was reported that Phatrawit sold explicit content featuring attractive young women as part of a secret group’s membership. In total, 29 victims were found to have been subjected to similar activities.
Authorities reported raiding two locations in Bangkok and Chanthaburi province yesterday. The first location was the residence of Phatrawit, a former pilot who lived in the Ramkhamhaeng 112 neighborhood. The second location was Attaphon’s home in Chanthaburi’s Mueang district. Both individuals were apprehended under arrest warrants in relation to obscenity and defamation charges. Evidence including laptops, mobile phones, and hard drives were seized.
The arrest followed several victims filing complaints with the Cybercrime Investigation Division (CID) against Phatrawit, who they had met through different applications such as Instagram, Facebook, and Tinder. The former pilot allegedly impersonated an airline employee, lured the victims into intimate relationships, and eventually took them to hotel rooms for sexual activities.
Later, the victims discovered explicit clips of themselves on the VK application and other platforms showing naked ladies. They also found out that their Facebook and Instagram profiles had been linked to explicit content. As a result, they sought the assistance of cyber police in apprehending the perpetrator.
Moreover, the police found that this year, there were seven similar incidents. It was reported that Phatrawit sold explicit content featuring attractive young women as part of a secret group’s membership. In total, 29 victims were found to have been subjected to similar activities.
Thursday, 11 May 2023
Australian airline passengers could soon receive compensation for delays and cancellations
Australian airlines could soon be forced to pay cash compensation to passengers whose flights are delayed or cancelled as the government faces mounting calls to introduce laws to rein in carriers arbitrarily changing their schedules. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, consumer advocate Choice and the Australian Lawyers Alliance have all separately raised the prospect of a compensation scheme as the government considers its aviation white paper.
Advocates of such a scheme claim local laws are “lagging behind the rest of the world”, pointing to the EU’s air passenger compensation laws as an ideal model for Australia to consider. In Europe, passengers whose flights arrive at their final destination with a delay of more than three hours are entitled to between €250 ($405 AUS) and €600 ($974 AUS) each, depending on the distance of the trip. Longer delays mean passengers can opt to be refunded, which must be repaid to them within seven days. If a delay means a passenger misses a connecting flight on the same reservation, the airline must also pay compensation.
The compensation rules do not apply in situations where extraordinary circumstances, such as poor weather, caused the delays. In Australia, different airlines offer varying levels of compensation, and while the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) applies, there are no aviation-specific regulations forcing a minimum amount or timeframe for compensation.
Choice Australia’s money and travel expert, Jodi Bird, said compensation offered by Australian airlines has decreased recently and is often buried in terms and conditions, which means passengers are not aware of what they can access.
“Typically in Australia, if your flight with a cheaper carrier is delayed you might get a voucher, which at the airport can buy you a coffee if you’re lucky.”
Bird said current laws allow airlines to issue tickets that do not guarantee departure at a particular time or date, meaning there are no repercussions if airlines choose to cancel flights or bump passengers at the last minute to suit their operations.
“There is currently no real incentive for airlines not to cancel or delay flights … there is no obligation to deliver a service,” he said.
“Airlines would rather not have [a compensation scheme] because it would affect their commercial models and force them to concentrate more on flights leaving as close to on-time as possible.”
Bird said that while the EU model “is very clear and consistent across airlines so people know what they are entitled to”, the US and Indonesia also have forms of regulated compensation, meaning “Australia is really lagging behind the rest of the world here”.
“Australian airlines don’t seem to care about customer service after they’ve sold you the ticket, and something like this would mean they’d have to,” Bird said.
Forcing airlines to compensate passengers for cancelled flights could also help address slot availability issues at airports such as Sydney, where legislation caps the number of take-offs and landings.
Recently, smaller carriers seeking to increase flights at Sydney have accused larger operators of scheduling more flights than they intend to run to hoard slots, before cancelling some services at the last minute to prevent competitors from accessing those slots – something allowed under the “use it or lose it” system.
Regarding airlines deliberately cancelling flights to maintain a slot, Bird said “it makes sense that a compensation scheme would deter that [as] they can’t just schedule a flight and cancel it without penalty”.
Advocates of such a scheme claim local laws are “lagging behind the rest of the world”, pointing to the EU’s air passenger compensation laws as an ideal model for Australia to consider. In Europe, passengers whose flights arrive at their final destination with a delay of more than three hours are entitled to between €250 ($405 AUS) and €600 ($974 AUS) each, depending on the distance of the trip. Longer delays mean passengers can opt to be refunded, which must be repaid to them within seven days. If a delay means a passenger misses a connecting flight on the same reservation, the airline must also pay compensation.
The compensation rules do not apply in situations where extraordinary circumstances, such as poor weather, caused the delays. In Australia, different airlines offer varying levels of compensation, and while the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) applies, there are no aviation-specific regulations forcing a minimum amount or timeframe for compensation.
Choice Australia’s money and travel expert, Jodi Bird, said compensation offered by Australian airlines has decreased recently and is often buried in terms and conditions, which means passengers are not aware of what they can access.
“Typically in Australia, if your flight with a cheaper carrier is delayed you might get a voucher, which at the airport can buy you a coffee if you’re lucky.”
Bird said current laws allow airlines to issue tickets that do not guarantee departure at a particular time or date, meaning there are no repercussions if airlines choose to cancel flights or bump passengers at the last minute to suit their operations.
“There is currently no real incentive for airlines not to cancel or delay flights … there is no obligation to deliver a service,” he said.
“Airlines would rather not have [a compensation scheme] because it would affect their commercial models and force them to concentrate more on flights leaving as close to on-time as possible.”
Bird said that while the EU model “is very clear and consistent across airlines so people know what they are entitled to”, the US and Indonesia also have forms of regulated compensation, meaning “Australia is really lagging behind the rest of the world here”.
“Australian airlines don’t seem to care about customer service after they’ve sold you the ticket, and something like this would mean they’d have to,” Bird said.
Forcing airlines to compensate passengers for cancelled flights could also help address slot availability issues at airports such as Sydney, where legislation caps the number of take-offs and landings.
Recently, smaller carriers seeking to increase flights at Sydney have accused larger operators of scheduling more flights than they intend to run to hoard slots, before cancelling some services at the last minute to prevent competitors from accessing those slots – something allowed under the “use it or lose it” system.
Regarding airlines deliberately cancelling flights to maintain a slot, Bird said “it makes sense that a compensation scheme would deter that [as] they can’t just schedule a flight and cancel it without penalty”.
Story sourced from here
Wednesday, 10 May 2023
VietJet to increase Sydney & Melbourne flights
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| VIETJET AIR AIRBUS A330-343 VN-A810 (MSN 0952) |
Based on data from AeroRoutes.com, the service upgrades are marginal but are still reflective of very strong booking demand for the carrier.
VietJet is set to increase services from thrice weekly to four times per week, using its Airbus A330s.
There will be two different flight times as a result of this alteration by the carrier.
VJ081 on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays will depart Ho Chi Minh at 09.55 local time and arrive in Melbourne at 22.35 local time.
VJ082, on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, will depart Melbourne at 00.30 local time and arrive back in Vietnam at 05.30 local time.
The additional VJ081 service, which will depart on Sundays, will depart Ho Chi Minh at 10.50 local time before arriving at the Australian airport at 23.35 local time.
The return VJ082 service, which will depart on Mondays, will leave Melbourne at 01.30 local time, and arrive back at the Vietnamese destination at 06.30 local time.
There will be two different flight times as a result of this alteration by the carrier.
VJ081 on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays will depart Ho Chi Minh at 09.55 local time and arrive in Melbourne at 22.35 local time.
VJ082, on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, will depart Melbourne at 00.30 local time and arrive back in Vietnam at 05.30 local time.
The additional VJ081 service, which will depart on Sundays, will depart Ho Chi Minh at 10.50 local time before arriving at the Australian airport at 23.35 local time.
The return VJ082 service, which will depart on Mondays, will leave Melbourne at 01.30 local time, and arrive back at the Vietnamese destination at 06.30 local time.
For the Sydney services:
VietJet is also set to increase services from thrice weekly to four times per week but with no flight time alteration.
VJ085 departs Ho Chi Minh at 19.30 local time and arrives in Sydney at 08.20 local time the next day.
As for the return, being VJ086, the VietJet flight will depart Sydney at 11.15 local time and arrive back in Ho Chi Minh City at 16.30 local time.
It is clear that the carrier continues to experience strong demand for its Melbourne and Sydney flights, and it will be interesting to see what comes next for services to Australia from Vietnam.
Tuesday, 9 May 2023
Vietnam Airlines adds new destination out of Melbourne
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| VIETNAM AIRLINES BOEING 787-9 VN-A871 (MSN 39290) |
Vietnam Airlines will start flights between Melbourne (Victoria) (MEL/YMML) and the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi (HAN/VVNB) next month. The Vietnamese flag and the Skyteam carrier will fly between the two cities from the 15th of June utilizing its modern and efficient state-of-the-art A350-900. The airline plans to fly the route twice weekly.
The new Hanoi to Melbourne service will complement the airlines existing and already successful Melbourne to Ho Chi Minh City service. It will increase the annual seating capacity between the Victorian capital and Vietnam by more than 65,000 seats.
The new route spells prosperity for Vietnamese Airlines, as it will now offer the most direct flights between Vietnam and the land of the down under with a total frequency of up to 18 flights a week.
Melbourne Airport Chief of Aviation Jim Parashos commented on Vietnam Airlines’ increased frequency to Australia, that the airline’s ever-growing footprint, especially in Melbourne.
This is a massive boost for Victorian tourists and business goers to travel to Vietnam and those in Vietnam who come to Australia, for tourism, tertiary education purposes, exporters, and healthcare tourism. Jim later commented: “Vietnam Airlines was the first airline to connect Victoria with Vietnam and we’re proud to see this relationship going from strength to strength.”
“This extra capacity means more Vietnamese students can travel to Victoria for study, more families can connect with their loved ones and Victorian exporters have more options to move their products into the Vietnamese market.”
“These new flights also mean Victorian tourists will be able to fly into either Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City before travelling along the country’s spectacular coast and then flying home directly. Vietnam has consistently been in our top ten international destinations, and we know there is huge demand from travellers at both ends.”
The new service announced by Vietnam Airlines will see flights from Melbourne to Hanoi operating on Thursdays and Sundays. Arriving in Melbourne at 12:30 PM and departing for Hanoi at 3 PM.
Recently, Vietjet Airlines, one of Vietnam’s low-cost carriers launched flights from Vietnam to Melbourne and Sydney and Brisbane to follow suit. With the fanfare gathering the Vietnamese low-cost carrier, one has to realize that air traffic between the two countries is becoming more popular than ever.
With the Vietnamese economy growing impressively each quarter since the re-opening of borders, more Vietnamese consumers are more capable to fly abroad than ever before. There are many Australians of Vietnamese descent, which explains why the visiting friends and family traffic is so prominent on flights between Vietnam and Australia.
With more flights emerging by Vietnam Airlines to Australia from Hanoi, this shows that the Hanoi hib is gaining more prominence than ever before.
The new Hanoi to Melbourne service will complement the airlines existing and already successful Melbourne to Ho Chi Minh City service. It will increase the annual seating capacity between the Victorian capital and Vietnam by more than 65,000 seats.
The new route spells prosperity for Vietnamese Airlines, as it will now offer the most direct flights between Vietnam and the land of the down under with a total frequency of up to 18 flights a week.
Melbourne Airport Chief of Aviation Jim Parashos commented on Vietnam Airlines’ increased frequency to Australia, that the airline’s ever-growing footprint, especially in Melbourne.
This is a massive boost for Victorian tourists and business goers to travel to Vietnam and those in Vietnam who come to Australia, for tourism, tertiary education purposes, exporters, and healthcare tourism. Jim later commented: “Vietnam Airlines was the first airline to connect Victoria with Vietnam and we’re proud to see this relationship going from strength to strength.”
“This extra capacity means more Vietnamese students can travel to Victoria for study, more families can connect with their loved ones and Victorian exporters have more options to move their products into the Vietnamese market.”
“These new flights also mean Victorian tourists will be able to fly into either Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City before travelling along the country’s spectacular coast and then flying home directly. Vietnam has consistently been in our top ten international destinations, and we know there is huge demand from travellers at both ends.”
The new service announced by Vietnam Airlines will see flights from Melbourne to Hanoi operating on Thursdays and Sundays. Arriving in Melbourne at 12:30 PM and departing for Hanoi at 3 PM.
Recently, Vietjet Airlines, one of Vietnam’s low-cost carriers launched flights from Vietnam to Melbourne and Sydney and Brisbane to follow suit. With the fanfare gathering the Vietnamese low-cost carrier, one has to realize that air traffic between the two countries is becoming more popular than ever.
With the Vietnamese economy growing impressively each quarter since the re-opening of borders, more Vietnamese consumers are more capable to fly abroad than ever before. There are many Australians of Vietnamese descent, which explains why the visiting friends and family traffic is so prominent on flights between Vietnam and Australia.
With more flights emerging by Vietnam Airlines to Australia from Hanoi, this shows that the Hanoi hib is gaining more prominence than ever before.
Story sourced from here
Monday, 8 May 2023
Military aircraft almost crashes into Black Sea after being intercepted by Russian fighter
A Polish plane nearly crashed after a Russian fighter jet intercepted it in a series of 'aggressive and dangerous' manoeuvres, according to Poland's border force. The Polish surveillance plane, an L-410 Turbolet, was on patrol for the EU's border agency over the Black Sea last Friday when a Russian Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jet flew within 'five metres' of the aircraft three times.
The Russian jet did 'not make radio contact' before approaching the plane, which caused Polish pilots to 'lose control' of the aircraft and perform an emergency landing in Romania, the border agency said. It comes after RAF Typhoon fighters and a Norwegian F-35A plane scrambled to intercept a Russian Tu-142 patrol aircraft approaching British airspace last week.
European leaders slammed the move as 'aggressive and dangerous' and called it a 'planned provocation'. Romania said the Polish plane was on a routine Frontex patrol with Romanian border police when it was intercepted. Romania's defence ministry, which first reported the move, condemned Moscow's 'aggressive and dangerous' behaviour.
Poland's Government spokesman also slammed the interception as a 'planned provocation' by Russia.
The aircraft landed safely in Romania afterwards and Romanian and Spanish planes were put on 'pre-alert' by NATO. It took place 'in international airspace over the Black Sea,' around 37 miles east of Romania's airspace, according to Romania's defence ministry.
The Polish plane has been deployed in Romania from April 19 and is due to stay there until May 17 as part of a Frontex operation organised by Romania that also includes Spain and Sweden.
Nato air commanders have accused Russia of deliberately flying towards its borders to test reaction times and provoke an incident to escalate the war in Ukraine.
The Russian jet did 'not make radio contact' before approaching the plane, which caused Polish pilots to 'lose control' of the aircraft and perform an emergency landing in Romania, the border agency said. It comes after RAF Typhoon fighters and a Norwegian F-35A plane scrambled to intercept a Russian Tu-142 patrol aircraft approaching British airspace last week.
European leaders slammed the move as 'aggressive and dangerous' and called it a 'planned provocation'. Romania said the Polish plane was on a routine Frontex patrol with Romanian border police when it was intercepted. Romania's defence ministry, which first reported the move, condemned Moscow's 'aggressive and dangerous' behaviour.
Poland's Government spokesman also slammed the interception as a 'planned provocation' by Russia.
The aircraft landed safely in Romania afterwards and Romanian and Spanish planes were put on 'pre-alert' by NATO. It took place 'in international airspace over the Black Sea,' around 37 miles east of Romania's airspace, according to Romania's defence ministry.
The Polish plane has been deployed in Romania from April 19 and is due to stay there until May 17 as part of a Frontex operation organised by Romania that also includes Spain and Sweden.
Nato air commanders have accused Russia of deliberately flying towards its borders to test reaction times and provoke an incident to escalate the war in Ukraine.
Story sourced from here
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