Here's the latest on the near miss between military jet, passenger plane at Reagan Airport
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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Man catches ‘monster' 86-pound catfish from Missouri River
WASHINGTON, Mo. – A man recently hauled in the catch of a lifetime from the Missouri River, a 'monster' 86-pound blue catfish near Washington, Missouri. Wally Klein made his impressive catch using gizzard shad as bait on a road-and-reel setup. His feat required patience, strength and skill. Wally told the Missouri Department of Conservation it's the biggest fish he has ever caught. After snapping a quick photo, Wally released the massive catfish back into the river. According to MDC, the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers are prime waters for catching large catfish, especially blue, flathead and channel catfish. Tonia Haddix found to be hiding another chimp These catfish often gather in deep water below dikes, in dam tailwaters, or in the mouths of tributary streams. In the summer, they're commonly found around submerged structures, drop-offs, rocky banks and dike tips. Blue catfish in particular, like Wally's catch, favor fast-moving water near the main channel and waterways with a strong current. The Missouri and Mississippi rivers, despite their potential, can be intimidating for anglers, especially after storms or flooding. Strong currents and deep water demand different fishing strategies than those used in smaller lakes or streams. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hamilton Spectator
3 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Close call between a B-52 bomber and a commercial jet over North Dakota puts focus on small airports
The evasive action an airline pilot took to avoid a B-52 bomber in the skies over North Dakota has focused attention on the way small airport towers are often run by private companies without their own radars. Neither one of the pilots of the bomber or of the Delta Air Lines jet seemed to know the other plane was there before the airline pilot saw the B-52 looming in its path. The incident last Friday is still under investigation. But the Air Force has said the controller at the Minot airport didn't let the bomber's crew know about the airliner, and the SkyWest pilot flying the Delta flight told passengers he was surprised. Passengers were alarmed by the sharp turn and dive the pilot of Delta Flight 3788 executed to avoid the bomber that had just completed a flyover at the State Fair in Minot, and a video shot aboard the plane captured the pilot's explanation afterward. 'Sorry about the aggressive maneuver. It caught me by surprise,' the pilot can be heard saying on the video posted on social media. 'This is not normal at all. I don't know why they didn't give us a heads-up.' This close call is just the latest incident to raise questions about aviation safety in the wake of January's midair collision over Washington, D.C., that killed 67 people. Here's more about the way small airports like Minot operate: Many small airports lack radar It is common for small airports across the country to operate without their own radar systems because it would be too costly to install them at every airport. But there generally aren't many problems with that. The controllers at small airports are able to guide planes in to land visually with binoculars and radios as long as the weather is clear. Aviation safety consultant Jeff Guzzetti, who used to investigate crashes for both the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration, said if the weather is bad, a regional FAA radar facility may be able to help, but ultimately planes simply won't land if the weather is too bad. Sometimes small airport towers do have a video feed that gives controllers a view of a radar screen at an FAA facility miles away. Because the radar is so far away the display may not be as detailed about planes flying close to the ground, but the system does give controllers more information. It's not clear if the Minot tower has one of those systems because the company that runs it, Midwest Air Traffic Control Inc., hasn't responded to questions since the incident. The overlapping network of FAA radar facilities across the country also keeps track of planes flying between airports, and an approach control radar center in Minneapolis helps direct planes in and out of Minot before controllers at the airport take over once they see the planes. The Minot airport typically handles between 18 and 24 flights a day. That's how it works at many small airports. 'Most times it works just fine,' Guzzetti said. Some of these small airports could gain radar as part of a massive overhaul of the air traffic control system, but that will depend on how busy the airports are and how much funding Congress ultimately approves for the multibillion-dollar project. So far, $12.5 billion was included in President Trump's overall budget bill. Private companies operate the towers The FAA says that 265 airport towers nationwide are operated by companies as part of the contract system. The Transportation Department's Inspector General has said the contract towers that handle more than one quarter of the nation's flights are more cost effective than comparable FAA towers and have similar safety records. In some cases, local governments help pay the costs of contract towers. The program began in 1982 at five less busy towers that had closed because of the air traffic controller strike the previous year, and it has expanded significantly over the years because it has been so successful. Most of the airports with contract towers would have no controllers without the program. 'Common sense would tell you that having an extra set of eyes controlling the local traffic — especially in good weather — would be safer than having no controller and just having the pilots talking to each other,' Guzzetti said. That's exactly how it works at the vast majority of the 5,100 public airports nationwide that are smaller than Minot. Pilots at those uncontrolled airports use their radios to coordinate takeoffs and landings with other planes in the area. Only about 10% of all airports have towers. The FAA says it works closely with the companies that run contract towers to ensure their controllers are properly trained. It is easier to get certified at a contract tower because they handle fewer flights than FAA towers even though controllers are held to the same standard. More controllers are needed nationwide The ongoing shortage of air traffic controllers has persisted for years partly because it takes so long to train and certify new controllers. The FAA has said that it is roughly 3,000 short of the number of controllers it should have at its facilities. The staffing situation at private towers is similar because they hire from the same pool of candidates. All the roughly 1,400 controllers at these smaller airports have to meet the same qualification and training requirements. But contract towers also have the ability to hire controllers who retired from an FAA tower before the mandatory retirement age of 56. The contract towers don't have a retirement age. The FAA has been working for a long time to hire more air traffic controllers to replace retiring workers and handle growing air traffic. But it can be hard to find good candidates for the stressful positions who can complete the rigorous training. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has announced several efforts to hire and retain more controllers. The FAA is trying to shorten the time it takes between when someone applies to the air traffic controller academy in Oklahoma City and when they start training, and the agency is also trying to improve the graduation rate there by offering more support to the students. The candidates with the highest scores on the entrance exam are also getting top priority. The FAA is also offering bonuses to experienced controllers if they opt not to retire early and continue working to help ease the shortage. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
USA Today
8 hours ago
- USA Today
Delta flight forced to hit brakes when another jet lands on same runway
Passengers on a Delta Air Lines flight from Mexico City to Atlanta experienced a jolt this week when the pilots were forced to hit the brakes before takeoff as another jet landed on the same runway, airline officials confirmed. Delta flight 590 departed the gate at 7 a.m. local time on Monday, July 21, and was accelerating to takeoff at Benito Juárez Mexico City International Airport when the incident took place, according to Delta and information from theonline site Flight Aware, which tracks flight paths. The Boeing 737-800 aircraft had 144 passengers on board, including two pilots and four flight attendants, Delta spokesperson Morgan Durrant told USA TODAY. The plane had just started to roll for takeoff when a regional Aeromexico jet flew over the Delta flight and landed in front of it on the same runway, forcing the Delta pilots to hit the brakes. Aeromexico Flight 1691 arrived from the city of Aguascalientes, online tracking shows. "As the flight crew was initiating the takeoff, they observed another aircraft landing in front of their aircraft on the same runway," Durrant said. No injuries were reported. More news: Social media users are proving why nothing beats a Jet2 holiday. What's that? Delta near-collision reported to FAA, NTSB After taking on additional fuel and conferring with Delta safety and flight operations officials, the plane eventually departed for Atlanta at 9:42 a.m. local time and arrived at 3:20 p.m. ET, Durrant said. 'Because nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and people, Delta will fully cooperate with authorities as the circumstances around this flight are investigated," Delta released in a statement on Wednesday, July 23. "We appreciate the flight crew's actions to maintain situational awareness and act quickly." According to Delta, the airline reported the incident to the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board. USA TODAY has reached out to both federal agencies. Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@ and follow her on X @nataliealund.
