eVTOL is an acronym for electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft.
November 21, 2025
high
definition
eVTOL is a class of aircraft designed to take off and land vertically using electric propulsion.
The Beechcraft King Air is a turboprop aircraft model.
November 11, 2025
high
temporal
Aircraft model type referenced in reporting on small-plane operations.
International Air Services offers trust agreements to non-U.S. citizens to enable registration of their aircraft with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
November 11, 2025
high
temporal
Business service model used to facilitate aircraft registration for non-U.S. owners.
FlightAware and Flightradar24 are aviation tracking websites that provide flight-tracking data.
November 09, 2025
high
general
Commercial online services that track aircraft movements.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) can issue an emergency directive prohibiting flight of a specific aircraft type when it determines that an unsafe condition is likely to exist or develop in other products of the same type design.
November 09, 2025
high
temporal
Describes FAA regulatory authority to ground aircraft types via emergency directives when a systemic safety risk is identified.
As of 2025-11-09, United Parcel Service (UPS) operated 26 McDonnell Douglas MD-11 aircraft out of more than 500 aircraft in its fleet, and FedEx operated 28 MD-11 aircraft out of about 700 aircraft in its fleet.
November 09, 2025
high
temporal
Fleet composition statistics indicating the relative share of MD-11 aircraft within major cargo carriers' total fleets.
The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 Freighter is a large cargo aircraft model used in air freight operations.
November 07, 2025
high
temporal
General description of the MD-11 Freighter as an aircraft type used for cargo transport.
Bode Aviation provides flight instruction and employs flight instructors.
November 07, 2025
high
descriptive
Indicates the company offers flight training services.
The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 is a tri-jet aircraft with three engines: one mounted on each wing and a third mounted in the tail.
November 06, 2025
high
technical
Aircraft design configuration for the MD-11 tri-jet.
Three-engine aircraft such as the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 are generally designed to be able to continue takeoff or flight with one engine inoperative.
November 06, 2025
medium
operational
General aviation performance principle for tri-jet aircraft; continued flight capability depends on damage to other systems or engines.
The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 trijet was designed to be capable of takeoff with one engine inoperative (i.e., able to take off without one engine).
November 04, 2025
high
technical
Design capability of the MD-11 three-engine airliner
In 2025, the heads of NORAD and U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) reported to the U.S. Congress that some unidentified drones observed in United States airspace may have been conducting surveillance.
November 03, 2025
high
temporal
U.S. defense assessment about unidentified drones
The Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) is an independent labor union representing aircraft maintenance technicians and related employees in the United States and had about 4,400 members representing technicians at Alaska Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Horizon Air, Spirit Airlines, and Sun Country Airlines as of 2025.
October 30, 2025
high
temporal
Organizational membership and representation information about a trade union.
Government shutdowns can result in some federal aviation personnelāsuch as air traffic controllers, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers, and aircraft maintenance techniciansācontinuing to work without pay until funding is restored.
October 30, 2025
high
temporal
Describes an operational and labor consequence of federal funding lapses affecting the aviation sector.
Ground stops in U.S. aviation are issued by the Federal Aviation Administration and are often requested by airlines.
October 24, 2025
high
procedural
Defines the purpose and issuer of a ground stop in U.S. aviation operations.
Alaska Airlines is one of the largest U.S. passenger carriers and is primarily centered on the U.S. West Coast.
October 24, 2025
high
corporate
General description of the airline's market position and geographic center of operations.
Alaska Airlines serves approximately 140 destinations worldwide, including destinations in 37 U.S. states and 12 countries.
October 24, 2025
high
statistical
Airline network size and geographic scope as reported by the carrier.
Information technology outages can force airlines to ground flights and lead to flight cancellations and broader operational disruptions.
October 24, 2025
high
operational
General relationship between IT system failures and airline operations.
Computer-system failures have historically disrupted airline operations, and most such disruptions have been temporary.
October 24, 2025
high
historical
Observed pattern in the airline industry regarding the typical duration of disruptions caused by computer problems.
The Rockwell B-1 Lancer is a supersonic heavy bomber in U.S. military service.
October 23, 2025
high
descriptive
Aircraft type and role
The B-1 Lancer bomber can carry more bombs than any other aircraft in the U.S. inventory.
October 23, 2025
high
descriptive
Comparative payload capacity among U.S. combat aircraft
The X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology (QueSST) aircraft, developed by NASA and Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, is designed to reduce the traditional sonic boom to a much quieter "thump" to enable potential supersonic flight over land.
October 23, 2025
high
temporal
Design goal aimed at mitigating sonic-boom noise to allow supersonic operations over land.
The X-59 is designed for a cruising speed of approximately 925 miles per hour (about Mach 1.4) and an operational altitude near 55,000 feet.
October 23, 2025
high
temporal
Design performance specifications for the X-59 experimental quiet supersonic aircraft.
The AC-130 gunship is an aircraft used by the United States Air Force to provide 'low and slow' close-air support in low-intensity conflicts and has been employed historically in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan to support tasks such as convoy protection and urban operations.
October 18, 2025
high
operational
Description of AC-130 operational role and historical employment.
The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 commercial aircraft model was first introduced in 1986, began service flights in December 1990, and the last MD-11 was manufactured in 2000.
January 01, 2000
high
temporal
Basic production and service-entry timeline for the MD-11 aircraft model.
Boeing merged with McDonnell Douglas in 1997.
January 01, 1997
high
historical
Corporate merger date between Boeing and McDonnell Douglas.
Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan vanished on July 2, 1937 after departing Lae, Papua New Guinea on a roughly 2,500-mile flight to refuel on Howland Island and did not reach their destination.
July 02, 1937
high
temporal
The disappearance occurred during an around-the-world flight leg between Lae and Howland Island.
The prevailing historical belief is that Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan ran out of fuel and ditched their twin-engine Lockheed Electra in the Pacific Ocean near Howland Island in 1937.
July 02, 1937
high
temporal
This is the dominant hypothesis among historians and aviation experts about their disappearance.
The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Itasca was the last ship to have radio contact with Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan before their disappearance; the last recorded communication from their plane was at about 8:43 a.m. on July 2, 1937 and read in part, "We are on the line 157 337 wl rept msg we wl reptā¦"
July 02, 1937
high
temporal
Radio logs from the Itasca show it was the final vessel to report contact with Earhart's aircraft prior to the disappearance.
Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean in 1932.
January 01, 1932
high
temporal
Earhart gained international fame for this 1932 solo transatlantic flight.
Automatic Dependent SurveillanceāBroadcast (ADS-B) is an avionics system that allows aircraft to be tracked by broadcasting position and identification information.
high
descriptive
ADS-B is used for aircraft surveillance and tracking in airspace management.
ADS-B includes two complementary functions: ADS-B Out, which broadcasts an aircraft's position, and ADS-B In, which receives position information from other aircraft and services.
high
descriptive
The two functions enable both transmission and reception of surveillance information for situational awareness.
The U.S. military can obtain waivers that exempt its aircraft from ADS-B equipage or usage requirements.
high
descriptive
Waivers can allow military aircraft to operate without using mandated surveillance equipment in certain circumstances.
The B-52 is a long-range bomber capable of carrying conventional or nuclear weapons.
high
technical
Describes the capabilities of the B-52 bomber.
The Russian Knights aerobatic team operates Sukhoi Su-35S fighter jets.
high
organizational
Association of a specific aerobatic team with its aircraft type.
The B-1 Lancer is a bomber aircraft operated by the United States Air Force.
high
definition
Identifies the type and operator of the B-1 Lancer aircraft.
The MH-60R is a U.S. Navy helicopter model designated 'Sea Hawk'.
high
entity
Aircraft model designation used by the U.S. Navy for helicopter operations.
The F/A-18F Super Hornet is a U.S. Navy fighter aircraft model.
high
entity
F/A-18F is a variant within the Super Hornet family used by the U.S. Navy.
The MH-60R Sea Hawk is a model of helicopter operated by the U.S. Navy.
high
static
Aircraft model designation used by the U.S. Navy for helicopter operations.
The F/A-18F Super Hornet is a model of fighter jet operated by the U.S. Navy.
high
static
Aircraft model designation used by the U.S. Navy for strike fighter operations.
Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 73 is nicknamed 'Battle Cats' and Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 22 is nicknamed 'Fighting Redcocks'.
high
static
Official squadron nicknames used for identification within U.S. Navy aviation units.
Air traffic control operations use staffing-trigger metrics that can prompt operational responses such as flight reductions or ground stops when controller staffing falls below set thresholds.
high
temporal
Staffing-trigger metrics are operational thresholds used to maintain safe airspace operations.
During periods of staffing strain, air traffic controllers may work extended schedules, for example multiple 10-hour shifts across several days in a week.
high
temporal
Extended schedules for controllers are a response to short staffing and operational demands.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has authority to impose civil penalties on carriers that operate flights in excess of government-imposed capacity limits.
high
temporal
The FAA can enforce operational capacity limits through monetary penalties to ensure compliance with safety-related directives.
Prolonged periods without pay for aviation employees are associated with increases in sick-call rates, which can worsen staffing shortages.
medium
temporal
Unpaid employees may call in sick more frequently, contributing to operational staffing challenges.
A "staffing trigger" in air traffic control denotes an occurrence when air traffic controller staffing levels fall below the planned minimum required for a control tower's operations.
high
definition
Term used in air traffic control workforce management to indicate minimum-staffing shortfalls that can affect tower operations.
When flight reductions are phased in by airlines or regulators, reversing those flight cuts is typically a gradual process and aviation authorities commonly review safety-related data such as pilot complaints, loss-of-separation incidents, and runway incursions before restoring service levels.
high
operational
Describes standard operational and safety review practices used to determine when to resume normal flight schedules after reductions.
During major operational disruptions (for example, workforce shortages or government shutdowns), airlines may cancel a portion of scheduled flights at busy airports to adjust capacity and maintain safety.
high
operational
General airline operational response to significant disruptions that affect staffing or air traffic management.
Aircraft engine fire handles typically activate onboard fire-suppression systems and shut off fuel supply to the affected engines.
high
technical
Describes the general function of engine fire handles in aircraft fire-response systems.
The MD-11 is an aircraft model that is used in cargo operations.
high
descriptive
Identifies the MD-11 as an aircraft model commonly operated in cargo service.