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  "USGS: Pond at base of Mount Hood glacier much larger than normal, could lead to debris flow" by KTVZ NBC Bend, Oregon - USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory called attention to an enlarged meltwater pond at the base of the Coalman Glacier on Mt Hood, with volcanic-origin acid in samples. This has potential to melt snow and cause a debris flow - downstream is unpopulated. 11249ft/3429m Mt Hood is in the Cascade Range between Portland and Bend. https://ktvz.com/news/oregon-northwes...

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  "High-speed train collision kills at least 68 in Spain’s 2nd deadly rail crash this year" by @AssociatedPress - A collision of two high-speed trains left 68 confirmed dead at last update. The #collision occurred in south-central Spain. Info gathered so far showed the system was recovering from a regional all-stop of trains due to a security system false alarm. One train was cleared for unrestricted speed while on a track where another was still stopped. https://apnews.com/artic...

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  "WestJet plane collides with catering truck at Toronto’s Pearson airport" by @CTVNews - At Toronto Pearson Int'l Airport #YYZ / #CYYZ, an unoccupied WestJet🇨🇦 737 MAX8 was being towed from a gate to an overnight parking area when its winglet struck a catering truck. Since the aircraft movement was not for purposes of flight and there were no injuries, there are fewer regulatory requirements for an investigation. https://www.ctvnews.ca/toronto/article/westjet-plane-collid...

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  #DorkFest (planespotting event) at LAX is coming next weekend on Sat, Sept 19. So I guess it's time to start my #LAXDorkFest2026 thread. https://crankyflier.com/dorkfest/ #KLAX #aviation #travel #avgeek

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  "British Airways flight called mayday on approach to Heathrow" by @BBCNews@flipboard.com - On July 6, a British Airways A320 on approach to London Heathrow experienced an air data computer malfunction and nearly entered an aerodynamic stall (wing stall, not related to engines) over London. Lack of air data made A320 flight computer enter alternate control law. First Officer was flying that leg but captain took over to re-stabilize flight and land. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn8n...

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  "Airbus Tests A350-1000ULR With First Flight to Australia" by AirlineGeeks / Zach Vasile - #Airbus test pilots flew a prototype A350-1000ULR (ultra long range) from the Airbus factory in Toulouse🇫🇷 #TLS / #LFBO non-stop for 19 hours to Melbourne🇦🇺 #MEL / #YMML. This test verifies ULR can achieve its purpose for launch customer Qantas🦘: non-stop flight between Western #Europe and Eastern #Australia with margin to route around weather and war zones. https://airlinegeeks.com/2026/07/27/airb...

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  26 years ago, July 25, 2000: Air France Flight 4590 Concorde crash in Paris killed all 100 passengers & 9 crew aboard. The chain of events was started with foreign object debris FOD that fell from a Continental DC-10. A metal strip cut a tire which exploded, ruptured a fuel tank and started a fire that brought down the plane. Kevlar shields under the fuel tanks briefly returned Concordes to flight from Nov 2001 - Oct 2003. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_France_Flight_4590 #TDIH #history #...

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  Perspective matters... variations of this scenario have happened over and over. A light is visible in the night sky. A conspiracist exclaims it's a UFO. An #avgeek informs them it's the landing lights of a Boeing 737. So much for "unidentified". #aviation

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  "A Massive Flow of Rock and Mud Tumbled Down Mount Rainier Centuries Ago. Scientists Pinpointed Its Date to Better Understand the Volcano’s Complex Threats" by @Smithsonianmag@flipboard.com - Communities downstream from Mt Rainier have lahar (volcanic mudflow) drills where residents walk to higher ground. One of those historic mudflows has been more precisely dated to 1507 as scientists learned how to correlate rock layers, tree rings & radiocarbon dating. https://www.smithsonianma...

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  "How Airspeed Sensors Work" by @hackaday@hackaday.social - #GPS & #GNSS 🛰 can tell ground speed for purposes of navigation. But flying an airplane🛨🛧 or glider first requires airspeed. Piloting at takeoff, landing, cruise and maximum "red line" are all by airspeed. Airspeed differs from ground speed by wind direction/speed you're flying in. Airspeed is measured via a pitot tube (French word: silent t on the end) which looks like a forward-facing spike. https://hackaday...

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  "Passengers Say They Won’t Fly To [he who shall not be named] Airport—United Now Lets Them Switch Destinations Free" by ViewFromTheWing - United is not charging fees for the itinerary change for passengers who refuse to fly to Palm Beach, Florida's airport due to its recent renaming. Customers have to call support to change destination to other Miami-area airports without change fees. https://viewfromthewing.com/passengers-say-they-wont-fly-to-donald-trump-airport-united-now-lets-t...

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  "The Australian tree reshaping the world's wildfires" by DW News🇩🇪 - Originally imported for timber & wood pulp industry, eucalyptus trees from Australia have become an #InvasiveSpecies in Spain, Brazil, Chile, California, India & South Africa. They burn hot and make #wildfires🔥 worse. Across affected areas, varying efforts now seek to eradicate them and restore local native vegetation. https://www.dw.com/en/the-australian-tree-reshaping-the-worlds-wildfires/a-77560208 #natu...

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  "Boeing CEO says company met requirements to increase 737 Max production to 47 jets per month" by CNBC / Laya Neelakandan - FAA monitoring of Boeing 737 production ramp-up has reached approval for another 5 planes per month, up to 47. That's an average of 2¼ planes each weekday. https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/27/boeing-ortberg-737-max-production.html #aviation #business #travel #avgeek #PNW

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  "Ryanair jet window ‘dislodged’ during flight forcing emergency landing in Greece" by @CNBC@flipboard.com - Initial chaotic reports say RyanAir 737-800 (NG, not MAX) experienced a window blowout on climbout from Thessaloniki Airport #SKG / #LGTS🇬🇷. A seat-belted passenger was injured, partly pulled out and rescued. Reports mention debris from the engine caused the window blowout. So the main story appears likely to change to an uncontained engine failure. https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/10...

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  "The British are coming!" And unlike a similar quote from 250 years ago, we hope they enjoy their visit. Spotted on approach to Portland #PDX / #KPDX this afternoon: British Airways 787-10 Dreamliner coming from London Heathrow #LHR / #EGLL. #aviation #travel #avgeek

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  That last tail at the end of the video may have seemed like a bit much to add after all the other Alaska tails in that video. It was actually unintentional. As I panned to follow the A330's takeoff, this 737-900ER parked at the airline cargo ramp (AA/AS/DL/WN cargo) got in the shot. #aviation #avgeek

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  "Holes" by #XKCD comic - Comparison of various mostly-artificial holes in the ground and their depths: tunnels, mines and bore holes compared by depth to the Mariana Trench at the deepest spot in the Pacific Ocean. The deepest parking garage in the world is under the Sydney Opera House. The mouseover text prods readers toward the crystal caves in Mexico. Also some #oops markers where digging projects didn't go well. https://xkcd.com/3266/ #geology #mining #science #entertainment #h...

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  I bicycled to Portland Int'l Airport #KPDX for a closer view of this unpainted Boeing 737 MAX8. Coming from Renton WA #KRNT where the 737 final assembly line is, I suspect this was the very first flight of this aircraft, known as the "B1" flight since it's the first flight done by Boeing test pilots. (A later pre-delivery flight with customer test pilots is called the "C1" flight.) Boeing has a paint hangar in Portland so some new planes fly here on B1 to get painted....

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  "Janet: The secret US airline that flies to Area 51" by Aerospace Global News - One of the worst-kept secrets: workers at the secret USAF base at Groom Lake, Nevada #KXTA, a.k.a. "Area 51", commute to work from Las Vegas #KLAS on a military contractor airline. All we know for sure about it is they fly 737-600s and use the radio callsign "Janet". https://aerospaceglobalnews.com/news/janet-the-secret-us-airline-that-flies-to-area-51/ #military...

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  "PDX opens shiny new baggage claim escalators as major renovation continues" by The Oregonian @OregonLive - Terminal construction projects are continuing to reach completion through the year at Portland Int'l Airport. South-side escalators down to baggage claim from the new exit at Concourses B/C (Alaska, American, Frontier, Hawaiian & JetBlue) are open. The north-side escalators are scheduled to open in June. https://www.oregonlive.com/travel/2026/05/pdx-opens-...

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  "Ex-NATO chief Rasmussen warns of ‘disintegration’ of alliance, calls for new European defense bloc" by @politico - Anders Fogh Rasmussen (formerly Prime Minister of Denmark 2001-2009, NATO Secretary General 2009-2014) recommends a new European defense bloc to replace NATO due to uncertain USA commitment. His proposal would include Ukraine, plunging Europe into #UkraineWar. He is not a current official - depends if countries take up the idea. https://www.politico.com/news/2026/...

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  Spotted on approach to PDX: Royal Canadian Air Force RCAF CC330 (Airbus A330) - this is a Canadian government VIP transport. I don't see news of the Prime Minister visiting Portland (which has happened). So I'm guessing it's an RCAF General visiting related to the North American Aerospace Defense Command NORAD, a joint US🇺🇸/Canada🇨🇦 military command. It flew to PDX from Colorado Springs COS, also a NORAD base. #military #aviation #avgeek

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  RE: https://live.acarsdrama.com/@acarsdrama/116525110550150045 Why does this sound like a ferry crew for a Spirit Airlines creditor? #SpiritShutdown #aviation #business #travel #avgeek

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  "Horizontal Stabilizers" by XKCD comic - The cartoonist wonders out loud if airplanes really need those "little wings" in the back. Short answer: Sure, just remove one of the pilot's 3 axes of control and see what happens. But it doesn't even count as a short flight if it runs off the end of the runway, failing to get off the ground. Don't buy a ticket from an airline that cuts flight controls to save costs. https://xkcd.com/3241/ #aviation #pilot #avgeek #travel...

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  @flyhigh @rpmik Someone got a pic when N747FU came back a few weeks later. Then it was obvious why I wasn't quick to recognize the livery. It was actually white + stripe with decals when taking a group on tour. That time it was Ballet San Jose - one of the Fry brothers was on the board. Later it flew decals for SJ Sharks when it took them on tour. Then it was Fry's Electronics decals until they sold the plane to NASA for parts for SOFIA, just before SOFIA was cancelled. https://www.jetph...

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  We know how he works… lies & chaos every day. But now apparently Benedict Donald has earned himself yet another new nickname. YT video clip from Tuesday night’s opening of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert: https://youtu.be/kZYRxLR-m84 #politics #USpol #HeWhoShallNotBeNamed

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  "Canadian Airline May Have Found The Legroom Limit" by AvBrief / Russ Niles - WestJet🇨🇦 was caught in the midst of an unannounced reduction in seat pitch to squeeze 6 more seats into 737s when a #SocialMedia complaint video went viral. They were shamed into undoing those changes. https://avbrief.com/canadian-airline-may-have-found-the-legroom-limit/ #aviation #travel #avgeek

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  #AvGeek tip: to quickly look up airport info on Wikipedia, usually typing the airport's 3-letter IATA code, a space and "air" will present the airport's article in the first few search suggestions. It works for most mainline airline-served airports. Though some airport codes that match words in the English dictionary (like SEA, PER) may not make the top suggestions at times depending on any page you're already viewing or recent site-internal search stats...

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  FinnAir hasn't done this in a while, but used to have a Flight 666 to HEL. Their hub airport is Helsinki so every flight is either to or from there. Usually they'd do that around #FridayThe13th or Halloween. The flight was popular among people who wanted to say/brag they flew on it. https://www.flightaware.com/live/flight/FIN666 #aviation #avgeek

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  "WB-57 pilot made heroic landing in Houston after its landing gear failed" by @arstechnica@mastodon.social / @sciguyspace@journa.host - A #NASA WB-57F landed gear-up at Houston Ellington Field (NASA JSC) due to gear failure. The crew of two were uninjured. Gear-up landings are often repairable - but this is an old plane. The Martin B-57 Canberra was a 1950s USAF bomber retired in the 1980s. NASA has the last 3 airworthy WB-57Fs for high-altitude #science research. https://arstechnica.c...