Latest news with #F.A.A.
Tom's Guide
23-05-2025
- Business
- Tom's Guide
The DJI Mini 4 Pro is the best mini drone — and it's currently $319 off in Memorial Day sales
As Tom's Guide's in-house drones expert and the person responsible for the best drones buying guide, I'm always on the lookout for good deals on drones. These don't come by very often, but I've found a killer deal in this year's Memorial Day sales — and it's on the DJI Mini 4 Pro, the best mini drone money can buy. Currently, the Mini 4 Pro Fly More combo is $1,379 at Walmart. Not only are you getting the drone for $319 off, but you're also getting the RC-2 touchscreen controller, three batteries, a custom hard case, a portable landing pad, a 128GB microSD card, and other goodies. It's too good to be true! The DJI Mini 4 Pro gains iterative improvements that give this tiny drone a robust package that caters to beginners and experienced flyers. What makes the latest in the series outstanding is its improved low light performance, producing usable footage without the noise and grain other mini drones deliver. The Mini 4 Pro Fly More combo normally retails for $1,699 so there's no better time to save on it than now. The drone itself is packed with features catering to both enthusiast and pro flyers. First of all, you don't need to necessarily register the drone with the F.A.A. as it weighs less than 8.78 ounces / 249g. This means that any adult can fly the drone and also travel with it easily. What makes the Mini 4 Pro so easy to fly is the RC-2 controller, included in the discounted bundle. The RC-2 controller is rated at 700 nits of brightness so you can view it in nearly any environment. Its 5.5-inch 1080P touchscreen is highly responsive and provides a smooth, stable transmission feed. And the footage the Mini 4 Pro records is nothing short of stunning, thanks to 4K/60fps HDR capture, as you can see in the sample video above. The drone is equipped with a three-axis mechanical gimbal which ensures footage is stable. This also means that you can pan, tilt and roll as needed. I also love just how clever the Mini 4 Pro is. Featuring DJI's patented ActiveTrack 360° technology, the Mini 4 Pro accurately tracks subjects and powers several intelligent intelligent flight modes (QuickShots) for quick short content creation. And if you stand behind a tree, the drone will remember your last known location and quickly lock back onto you once you're back in the frame. Aerial photography is becoming more and more accessible every day, and mini drones like the Mini 4 Pro make it possible. I, personally, believe that drones can help you be more creative and give you a new perspective on the world when you see it from above. If I were you, I'd snap up this deal as soon as possible. The Mini 4 Pro is a popular drone and rightfully so. It can capture 12MP / 48MP stills, record 4K/60fps footage, and it boasts a respectable flight time of 34 minutes. $319 off the best mini drone is not something we see everyday. There really is no better quadcopter for those who want to take stunning photos and record beautiful scenery.
New York Times
14-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
What to Know About the Newark Airport Problems
Newark Liberty International Airport has faced many disruptions in recent weeks. Technology outages, air traffic controller shortages and runway construction at the busy hub have led to scores of canceled and delayed flights. The Federal Aviation Administration says it's trying to improve the situation, including with software and hardware upgrades. On Wednesday, it met with airline executives to discuss how to run things smoothly by reducing the number of flights at the airport on any given hour. In a Senate hearing on aviation safety on Wednesday, Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, said the agency has had a 'multiyear failure to keep pace with technology and staffing needs.' What's going on with staffing? Air traffic control facilities nationwide have not had enough controllers — the professionals who guide planes into and out of airports — for years, a result of employee turnover, tight budgets, long training times and other factors. There are only 22 certified controllers employed to serve Newark, which is about a third shy of the staffing target of 38, according to the F.A.A. The agency also employs five supervisors and nearly two dozen controllers and supervisors in training. Ten trainees can do at least some work without extra supervision, the agency said this week. Tight staffing has at times disrupted operations at Newark. For several hours on Monday, for example, limited staffing forced the F.A.A. to prevent flights from leaving other airports bound for Newark. Those delays averaged an hour and 40 minutes and lasted as long as nearly seven hours. For part of the evening, as few as three air traffic controllers were working when the staffing target was 14. The air traffic controllers for Newark were moved last summer to Philadelphia from an office in Long Island, where controllers still guide planes to other New York airports. The hope was that by moving the Newark operations to a more affordable area, the agency might have an easier time recruiting controllers. But 16 of the controllers working on Newark flights are expected to return to Long Island in July 2026. Replacements are being prepared and training classes are filled through next summer, the F.A.A. said on Tuesday. Because of the complicated nature of the work, it can take a year or more to train controllers at other facilities to handle traffic at Newark, one of the busiest airports in North America. What's going on with runway construction? Since April 15, one of Newark's three runways has been closed for construction. That has caused between one and four flight cancellations per hour, peaking during the busy afternoons and evenings, according to the F.A.A. Arrival delays have also been common. The construction is expected to continue through June 15 and resume on weekends from September through the end of the year. At the same time, the Philadelphia air traffic control facility has twice had brief, but concerning radar outages that made it impossible for controllers to locate the planes they were guiding. The first of those outages left controllers rattled, with some taking leave to recover from that stress. Both outages were caused because a telecommunications line failed. A backup line was in place, but software for that line also failed, overwhelming the backup, officials said this week. 'I don't believe there was a heightened significant danger to the flying public,' Franklin McIntosh, the F.A.A.'s deputy chief operating officer, told senators at a hearing on Wednesday. What is the F.A.A. doing? On Friday, the F.A.A. installed a software upgrade that it said would help prevent outages. The agency is also working to add a third telecommunications line. And, on Wednesday, agency officials and airline officials were meeting in Washington to discuss limiting flights at the airport. While construction is underway, the agency plans to limit flights to 56 per hour, split evenly between arrivals and departures. That will restrict operations through next month, but not significantly, according to a New York Times analysis of flight schedules from Cirium, an aviation data firm. The limit would then rise to 68 flights per hour, from mid-June through late October. That would be a big decrease on many summer afternoons, when the number of flights currently scheduled can reach the high 70s or low 80s, according to the Cirium data. United Airlines would be affected the most because it operates about 70 percent of the flights at Newark, which is one of its eight airport hubs. But if the F.A.A. limits help to stabilize operations at the airport, it would be worth it, Andrew Nocella, United's chief commercial officer, said at a company event in New York on Tuesday. Mr. Nocella described the cap at 68 flights per hour as 'a great outcome.' 'Hopefully, as we get through the summer and into the fall, when staffing with the F.A.A. improves, we can increase the number,' he said. 'But the most important thing is to make sure when you head out to Newark that you can get on your aircraft and you know it's going to go and it's going to go on time.' Just months ago, Newark's operations were not far behind those of other major New York-area airports. Over the 12 months that ended in January, 77 percent of Newark's departures were on time, compared to 78 percent at Kennedy International Airport and 80 percent at LaGuardia Airport, according to federal data. Over that period, 76 percent of flights arriving at Newark were on time, compared to 77 percent at J.F.K. and 79 percent at LaGuardia.
New York Times
05-05-2025
- New York Times
Travelers Face Delays as Newark Airport Chaos Enters Second Week
Passengers traveling through Newark Liberty International Airport on Monday were confronted with cancellations and hourslong delays as disruptions to air traffic there extended into a second week. Low clouds on Monday prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to pause departures of planes heading to Newark, leading to delays averaging four hours and exacerbating the travel chaos at one of the nation's busiest airports. More than 200 flights into and out of Newark had been delayed on Monday morning, according to the tracking site FlightAware. Major flight disruptions started early last week, when the Philadelphia air traffic control center experienced equipment failures and staffing issues, the F.A.A. said. It came as one of Newark's three runways has been closed for construction and as air traffic control centers nationwide have experienced staffing shortages. United said last week that it was forced to cut 35 round-trip flights per day from its Newark schedule. The scene at the main United terminal at Newark on Monday was relatively calm, but travelers whose flights had been canceled expressed frustration with being directed to online customer service agents. Senator Chuck Schumer of New York on Monday called for the Office of the Inspector General to investigate the problems at Newark, saying a 'real forensic look' into safety issues and outdated technology was needed. 'To say that there is just minor turbulence at Newark Airport and the F.A.A. that would be the understatement of the year,' Mr. Schumer, the minority leader, said at a news conference. 'We're here because the F.A.A. is really a mess.' He said the problems at Newark could be a 'harbinger, if issues like these aren't fixed.' He blamed mismanagement at the F.A.A. and cuts imposed by the Trump administration for the staffing issues, and warned that the nation's other airports could experience similar problems if they are not addressed. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates Newark Airport as well as Kennedy International and LaGuardia Airports in New York, said in a statement on Monday that staffing shortages at air traffic control centers were to blame. 'The Port Authority has invested billions to modernize Newark Liberty, but those improvements depend on a fully staffed and modern federal air traffic system,' the Port Authority said. 'We continue to urge the F.A.A. to address ongoing staffing shortages and accelerate long-overdue technology upgrades that continue to cause delays in the nation's busiest air corridor.' In a statement on Friday, Scott Kirby, the chief executive of United Airlines, Newark's largest carrier, attributed recent flight cancellations to equipment failures and air traffic controllers who had 'walked off the job.' As a result, he added, there were 'dozens of diverted flights, hundreds of delayed and canceled flights and worst of all, thousands of customers with disrupted travel plans.' About 68 percent of the more than 3,300 scheduled departures at Newark this week were sold by United, according to Cirium, an aviation data firm. It was not clear when the staffing and construction-related delays would clear up, and bad weather was likely to contribute to the headaches for travelers at Newark as well as at the other metro-area airports. Low clouds and rain may limit flights in and out of the region until midweek. Rain may increase in intensity on Monday, with some thunderstorms also possible. The chance of showers will linger into Wednesday.
New York Times
24-04-2025
- General
- New York Times
Rob Holland, Aerobatic Pilot, Dies in Crash at Langley Air Force Base
Rob Holland, a well-known aerobatic pilot, died on Thursday when his custom-built carbon fiber plane crashed at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia, where he had been preparing to fly in an air show this weekend, according to a statement on his Facebook page. The Federal Aviation Administration said that the plane, an MXS model built by the MX Aircraft Company, crashed while trying to land at Langley at around 11:50 a.m. The F.A.A. and the National Transportation Safety Board were investigating the cause of the accident. The federal agencies did not identify the pilot, who was the only person in the plane. But the statement on Mr. Holland's Facebook page confirmed that it was him. A professional air show and aerobatic pilot for more than 20 years, Mr. Holland was a 13-time U.S. national aerobatic champion, a six-time world four-minute freestyle champion and the 2015 World Air Games freestyle gold medalist, according to his website. Mr. Holland had been planning to fly this weekend in Air Power Over Hampton Roads, an air show at Langley, according to the event's website The show, which also features military jets such as the F-22 Raptor, attracts thousands of spectators. Langley confirmed a crash had occurred but did not immediately release further information. An N.T.S.B. investigator was expected to arrive at Langley on Friday morning, the agency said. The investigator will begin the process of documenting the scene and examining the aircraft. The plane will then be moved to a secure facility for further evaluation, the board said. Mr. Holland's website says that he flew an MXS-RH aircraft, which it described as 'a one-of-a-kind, all carbon-fiber masterpiece,' designed to his specifications by the MX Aircraft Company in North Carolina. Weighing a relatively light 1,200 pounds and powered by a 380-horsepower engine, the single-seat plane was capable of 'pulling 16 positive and negative G's, and rolls at nearly 500 degrees per second,' the website says. Mr. Holland had a custom harness to keep him secure in the plane, the website says, and wore a helmet and a custom-built parachute for emergencies. Videos of Mr. Holland's performances show him flying giant loops and tumbling and rolling in his plane, which appeared at times to stall in midair, all while releasing a trail of white smoke. The moves had names like Frisbee and double hammerhead. 'One of my goals is to take aerobatics to the next level,' he was quoted as saying on his website. 'I want to push the limits of what can be done.' John Cudahy, the president and chief executive of the International Council of Air Shows, said in an interview on Thursday that Mr. Holland was 'very well known in the whole industry and very well respected in the whole industry.' It was not clear, he said, what caused his plane to crash. While he was known for daring flying maneuvers, Mr. Holland was an 'advocate for air show safety and professionalism and doing things with practice — all the things you would expect of a professional pilot,' Mr. Cudahy said. 'He was sort of a poster boy for that.' Jared Isaacman, a billionaire entrepreneur and private astronaut who has been chosen by President Trump to serve as the next NASA administrator, was among those mourning Mr. Holland. 'Deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Rob Holland — an airshow legend,' he wrote on social media. Mr. Holland has said he fell in love with aerial tricks as a boy, when he saw a plane flying upside down at an air show. From then on, he said, all his model planes hung upside down in his bedroom. He earned a pilot's license as a teenager and began flying aerobatics almost immediately, while also working as a corporate pilot, commuter pilot, flight instructor and ferry pilot, and operating his own aerobatic flight school, his website says. A 1997 graduate of Daniel Webster College in New Hampshire, where he studied aviation, he had logged more than 15,000 hours of flight time in more than 180 types of aircraft, according to his website. 'Rob was one of the most respected and inspiring aerobatic pilots in aviation history,' the statement on his Facebook page said. 'Even with an absolutely impressive list of accomplishments, both in classical competition aerobatics and within the air show world, Rob was the most humble person with a singular goal to simply be better than he was yesterday.'
New York Times
15-04-2025
- New York Times
Missing Rotor Is Recovered From Site of Helicopter Crash in Hudson River
When rescue crews reached the passenger compartment of the helicopter that plunged into the Hudson River on Thursday, killing all six of its occupants, the aircraft was missing several critical components, including the rotor and blades that had kept it aloft. On Monday afternoon, four days after the fatal crash, investigators fished several of those missing pieces out of the river, according to the National Transportation Safety Board, the federal agency that is leading the investigation to determine the cause. Divers from the New York Police Department, working with the United States Army Corps of Engineers and the Jersey City Office of Emergency Management, recovered the helicopter's main rotor system, its transmission and roof beam, the safety board said late Monday. The helicopter, a Bell 206L-4 LongRanger operated by New York Helicopter Tours, was on a sightseeing flight over the river on Thursday when it suddenly broke apart in midair. Videos posted on social media showed the rotor blades and part of the aircraft's tail falling separately toward the water. The main body of the helicopter plummeted into the water on the western side of the river near Jersey City, N.J., and then floated upside down. The passengers — Agustín Escobar, Mercè Camprubí Montal and their three young children, Agustín, Mercè and Víctor — were all killed. The pilot, Seankese Johnson, also died. The chief executive of New York Helicopter, Michael Roth, said last week that he had no information about what had happened to the helicopter, which took off from a heliport in Lower Manhattan and was headed back there when it crashed. The Federal Aviation Administration, which regulates commercial air transportation, said on Sunday night that New York Helicopter had stopped taking customers on tours after the crash. Then on Monday night, the F.A.A. issued an emergency order to shut down New York Helicopter for safety reasons. The agency said that, after the crash, the company's director of operations, Jason Costello, had said it would suspend operations. But within half an hour, Mr. Roth contacted the agency to say he had not authorized a suspension of operations and that Mr. Costello no longer worked for him. The F.A.A. called the 'intentional firing' of Mr. Costello a retaliation and determined that it left the company without 'sufficient qualified management and technical personnel to ensure the safety of its operations.' The transportation safety board said that its efforts to recover pieces of the helicopter had concluded. But its investigation is just getting underway. The safety board's staff will conduct interviews and study the wreckage and the operator's maintenance records to try to determine why the helicopter had broken apart. Its investigations often take several months and sometimes are not concluded for more than a year. On Tuesday, the safety board is holding a hearing to discuss its final report on a fire aboard a ship in Newark, in which two members of Newark's fire department died. That fire happened in July 2023.
