Latest news with #MarineCorpsAirStation
UPI
22-07-2025
- Business
- UPI
British fighter jet, famed for being stuck, leaves India
An F-35B fighter jet, stationed at Marine Corps Air Station in Iwakuni, Japan in April of 2017. File Photo by U.S. Marine Corps | Lance Cpl. Jacob A. Farbo July 22 (UPI) -- A British fighter jet that had been famously stranded at an Indian airport finally took off Tuesday after a nearly 40-day stay. The presence of the Royal Navy's F-35B fighter jet, a highly advanced stealth aircraft worth almost $117 million, at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport in the state of Kerala became an object of fascination, inspiring several memes and even a post across the Kerala Department of Tourism's social media platform that scored millions of views plus thousands of likes and reposts. "A U.K. F-35B aircraft, which landed following an emergency diversion on June 14, departed today from Thiruvananthapuram International Airport," said a British High Commission spokesperson. "A U.K. engineering team, deployed since July 6, completed the repairs and safety checks, allowing the aircraft to resume active service." The stealth jet had been grounded in Kerala since June 14 due to hydraulic issues and trouble with its auxiliary power unit. According to The Economic Times, the jet incurred over $10,000 in fees for parking at the airport. It's slated to land on a British aircraft carrier stationed in Australia.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Private plane crashes into San Diego military housing neighborhood
SAN DIEGO — Multiple people on board a private plane that crashed into a San Diego military housing neighborhood during foggy weather early Thursday are dead, but no one on the ground was injured, authorities said. The plane could hold eight to 10 people, but it's not yet known how many were on board, Assistant San Diego Fire Chief Dan Eddy said at a news conference. Authorities will be investigating whether the plane hit a power line, he said. The aircraft crashed just before 4 a.m. into the U.S. military's largest housing neighborhood, appearing to strike at least one home that had a charred and collapsed roof and smashing through half a dozen vehicles. About 10 homes suffered damage, but no one inside the homes needed transport to the hospital, authorities said. San Diego officials haven't released details about the plane but said it was a flight coming in from the Midwest. The flight tracking site FlightAware lists a Cessna Citation II jet that was scheduled to arrive at the Montgomery-Gibbs Executive airport in San Diego at 3:47 a.m. from the small Colonel James Jabara Airport in Wichita, Kansas. Officials at the airport said it just made a fueling stop in Wichita. The flight originated Wednesday night in Teterboro, New Jersey, according to FlightAware. The airport in Teterboro is about 6 miles from Manhattan and is frequently used by private and corporate jets. In the San Diego neighborhood, smell of jet fuel lingered in the air hours after the crash while authorities worked to put out one stubborn car fire. They described a frightening scene in the aftermath of the crash. 'I can't quite put words to describe what the scene looks like, but with the jet fuel going down the street, and everything on fire all at once, it was pretty horrific to see,' San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said. Half a dozen fully charred cars sat on the street and tree limbs, glass and pieces of white and blue metal were scattered on the road. At the end of the street black smoke billowed as the site continued to burn. Wahl said more than 50 police officers were on the scene within minutes and began evacuating homes. At least 100 residents were displaced to an evacuation center at a nearby elementary school. Christopher Moore, who lives one street over from the crash site, said he and his wife were awakened by a loud bang and saw smoke when they looked out the window. They grabbed their two young children and ran out of the house. On their way out of the neighborhood they saw a car engulfed in flames. 'It was definitely horrifying for sure, but sometimes you've just got to drop your head and get to safety,' he said. Police rescued three husky puppies from one of the homes and rolled them away from the crash scene in a wagon. A few blocks away, families including Moore's stood in their pajamas in a parking lot waiting for word of when they can return to their homes. The neighborhood is made up of single-family homes and townhomes. Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport and Gillespie Field are nearby. Eddy said it was very foggy at the time the private plane crashed. 'You could barely see in front of you,' he said. The Federal Aviation Administration said the National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation. In October 2021, a twin-engine plane plowed into a San Diego suburb, killing the pilot and a UPS delivery driver on the ground and burning homes. It was preparing to land at the airport. In December 2008, a Marine Corps fighter jet slammed into a house in San Diego's University City neighborhood, causing an explosion that killed four people inside. The Marine Corps blamed the crash on mechanical failure and human error. Associated Press writer Josh Funk contributed from Omaha, Nebraska.
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘You can't just wing it.' How pilots prepare for the Marine Corps Air Show in Beaufort, SC
As roaring jets streak across the sky over Beaufort for the Marine Corps Air Show this weekend, what spectators won't see is how much precision, discipline and skill goes into each maneuver. For months, these skilled pilots train and practice for hours on end, only to perform for a mere few minutes in the sky. 'They don't go out there and just wing it,' said Danny Lucas, director of the Ridgeland-Claude Dean Airport, where pilots from the Full Throttle Formation Team were spotted practicing earlier this week. The team, based in Atlanta, is one of several elite aviation groups scheduled to perform at this year's show, which commemorates the 250th anniversary of the Marine Corps. The air show runs Saturday and Sunday, April 12 and 13, at the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort. If you want to catch the Full Throttle Formation Team in action, their scheduled performance time is from 1:05-1:17 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. According to Lucas, who watched the team practice ahead of this weekend's show, the work behind the scenes is intense. 'There's something called 'chair flying,' where pilots rehearse their entire routine from the ground,' he said. 'They'll walk through every maneuver, imagining where they are in the sky, what their airspeed is and what position they hold in the formation. Sometimes, they do it with their eyes closed. It's all about muscle memory and mental focus.' The result? A seamless performance that looks effortless to those watching from the ground. Lucas notes that it's important for the public, especially younger children, to understand that airshows aren't just about spectacle. 'It's all based on a plan,' Lucas said. 'No matter if you're flying a private jet to a military plane, you have to have a path to get from where you are to where you want to be. You can't just wing it.' Aviation blends both art and science, which is a delicate balance that becomes especially complex once you're in the air. That's why these air shows can be special for visitors both big and small because they offer ways to connect people to a larger conversation about STEM education. 'We live in an area surrounded by airports and aviation,' Lucas said. 'This provides a great way to get kids thinking about science, technology, engineering and math, which are critically important skills, even if they don't want to become pilots.' That's why the focus for these air shows extends beyond aviation but helps blend local opportunities with educational goals to encourage curiosity. 'We want our kids to use their imagination but also set themselves up to follow a particular path to get from where they are to where they want to be,' Lucas said. With a packed weekend of intricate aerial performances and family-friendly fun, the 2025 Marine Corps Air Show promises to be a can't-miss event not just for aviation lovers but for anyone who enjoys a high-adrenaline demonstration of precision, discipline and teamwork. What: Marine Corps Air Show featuring the Blue Angels When: Saturday, April 12 and Sunday, April 13 Where: Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort: Geiger Boulevard More information:
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hegseth Preaches ‘Merit-Based' Military While Cleaning Up His Own Security Mess
Pete Hegseth has unironically extolled the virtues of being good at one's job, in the midst of cleaning up a national security mess of his own making. The defense secretary, fresh from discussing airstrikes on Yemen's Houthi rebels in a group chat that included a prominent journalist, was back on his usual script: blasting Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policies. Speaking at Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay in Hawaii Tuesday, the under-fire defense chief fielded questions from reporters, including one on how the Department of Defense would change under the Trump administration. 'The DOD will be merit-based and color-blind. You will be judged based on how good you are at your job. Full stop. That's it,' Hegseth said. 'Getting rid of DEI, getting rid of different standards was fundamental to getting back to basics. When I get a chance to talk to commanders here, that's what I emphasise,' he went on. 'Standards at every level need to be adhered to. When you talk to soldiers, you talk to Marines, they get it. They've seen the standards slide under the previous administration. They watched, in many different ways, how it eroded.... quotas were being met, boxes had to be checked. Not anymore. The only box that gets checked in this Defense Department is lethality and your ability to do your job.' Earlier in the day, at the same site, Hegseth continued to insist that 'nobody was texting war plans' in the Signal group chat, which contained high-ranking national security officials—and the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg. Goldberg revealed in a bombshell report Monday that he somehow got inadvertently added to the group chat, which was created to discuss the operational details of airstrikes which later killed 53 people. Goldberg's report insisted that Hegseth sent 'precise information about weapons packages, targets and timing.' In response, the defense chief attacked Goldberg as 'a deceitful and highly discredited so-called journalist who's made a profession of peddling hoaxes time and time again.' He offered no evidence of any deceit. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz has said he took 'full responsibility' for the mess, saying he started the group and accidentally invited Goldberg. That doesn't mean Hegseth has escaped calls for his sacking, though. Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader, called Hegseth 'the most unqualified Secretary of Defense in American history' and demanded he be sacked. 'His continued presence in the top position of leadership at the Pentagon threatens the nation's security and puts our brave men and women in uniform throughout the world in danger,' he wrote. Hegseth, who is even being sued for his national security faux pas, also faced questions about how fit he was for his last job, at Fox News. When he became Trump's pick for defense secretary, the former Fox & Friends Weekend co-host faced intense scrutiny after a number of reports detailed his past exploits—including allegations of sexual assault, lecherous behavior and binge-drinking during his time running veterans organizations.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
MCAS Beaufort to conduct display test to simulate visuals of bomb drops
BEAUFORT, S.C. (WSAV) — Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Beaufort will be conducting display tests Tuesday to simulate what a bomb being dropped from an aircraft looks like. No actual bombs will be deployed, a MCAS Beaufort spokesperson said. It might look like it though, with bright white flashes, loud bangs and smoke clouds up to 1,000 feet in the air. MCAS Beaufort said they have taken measures to minimize concerns and ensure public safety by working with local authorities. 'Our team's professionalism and commitment to safety ensure that while the displays are dramatic, they remain well-controlled and entirely safe for the public and our local partners,' said Colonel Mark D. Bortnem, Commanding Officer of MCAS Beaufort. 'We appreciate the cooperation of our community and local authorities as we carry out these essential preparations for the upcoming Air Show. We hope to see you there!' For further details, please contact the MCAS Beaufort Communication Strategy and Operations Office at BFRT_COMMSTRAT@ Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
