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The Star
5 days ago
- The Star
From toy to threat: ‘Killer kites' bring chaos to Indonesian airspace
TANGERANG, (Indonesia): From a distance, they looked like harmless black specks dancing in the sky. But for aviation security, they were a red alert. On a quiet afternoon in Neglasari, a sub-district just kilometres from Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, a patrol team sprang into action. Its target? Kites. Four uniformed officers stepped out of an open-backed truck and fanned out across a cemetery. They scanned the sky for rogue kites – and the ground, for the children flying them. Leading the operation was Ito Sucipto, the sub-district's head of public security and order. His mission was simple: Stop the kites before they went anywhere near a plane. That day, three boys aged between 12 and 16 ran down narrow alleys as the patrol closed in. A homemade reel lay abandoned between gravestones. Overhead, a kite flailed in the wind. Not far away, a commercial plane began its descent. 'Stop, stop! Do not run, come back!' Ito shouted. 'That kite could bring down a plane.' One officer grabbed the string. Another reeled it in. The kite vanished into the patrol vehicle – one of a handful confiscated in recent weeks. It is a familiar scene in one of Indonesia's most unusual crackdowns, on an airborne threat hiding in plain sight. Kite flying is a popular pastime in the country, but kites flown in restricted aviation zones have been a menace for years and is one that is hard to cut out completely. Patrols were ramped up in Jakarta after kite-flying surged during the school holidays from June 28 to July 12, causing chaos in the skies. Between July 4 and 6 alone, 21 flights were disrupted: nine were diverted, six had landings aborted, five cancelled approaches and one aircraft turned back. All were blamed on kites. Every case occurred within the Flight Operations Safety Area, or KKOP, a strictly controlled red zone covering Neglasari and districts within a 15km radius of the Jakarta airport. On July 7, AirNav Indonesia, which manages the country's air traffic control, issued a Notam – a Notice to Airmen – warning of the danger. 'We regret that today there are still people who ignore advisories to stop flying kites around the airport area,' said the AirNav president director, Captain Avirianto Suratno, in a statement. 'We sincerely ask the public, especially those near the airport, to stop flying kites. Because it is extremely dangerous and severely threatens the safety of aircraft and the lives of their passengers,' he added. People seen flying kites at a paddy field which is located within 15km of Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta international airport's flight operations safety area, a strictly controlled red zone. - Photo: ST From toy to threat In Indonesia, kite-flying is more than a hobby. In places like Bali, it is a sacred ritual – a way to thank the gods and pray for good harvests. Some fly kites to make a statement. 'Residents flew kites intentionally to pressure the local government – demanding things like sports fields,' aviation analyst Alvin Lie told The Straits Times. 'If ignored, they flew them at night with lights, tied them down, and walked away.' Children learn to make their own kites from bamboo and coloured paper. Others buy them at roadside stalls for as little as 1,000 rupiah (about eight Singapore cents). But the risks go far beyond mischief. Between May and July 2020, seven Garuda Indonesia flights were affected by stray kites. In one alarming case, strings and bamboo sticks became tangled in a plane's propeller. The carrier reportedly spent about US$4,000 (S$5,100) on inspections and repairs. On Oct 23, 2020, a Citilink ATR 72-600 hit a kite while landing in Yogyakarta. The remains latched onto the landing gear. The twin-turboprop passenger plane landed safely, but officials warned the outcome could have been catastrophic had the kite struck a propeller or been sucked into an engine. On July 19, 2024, a Bell 505 helicopter crashed in Bali after its rotors sliced into kite strings. The pilot, a crew member, an Indonesian passenger, and two Australian tourists survived, but two of them were seriously injured. Flying kites, drones or any aerial object in restricted airspace is illegal under Indonesia's 2009 Aviation Law. Offenders face up to three years in prison or a fine of up to one billion rupiah (S$79,000). The danger is not limited to the skies: Kites can injure – or kill – on the ground. 'Kite strings have caught on utility poles and power lines, causing short circuits that spark fires and blackouts,' Ito said. They have also become a silent killer on roads. 'There was a case where a five-year-old died and a father nearly lost his hand because of kite strings. They were riding a motorcycle and the string got tangled and acted like a blade, cutting deep into the flesh,' he added. The aerial threat is worsened by drones and laser pointers that beam blinding lights at aircraft – especially at night. 'Anything that enters restricted airspace can be dangerous,' Ito said. 'And we cannot take that risk.' Worries and warnings Still, the skies over Jakarta show little sign of clearing – even with daily patrols sweeping backyards, paddy fields and cemeteries. A check by ST over two evenings in Tangerang – where Soekarno-Hatta is located – found kites flying openly in several areas, mostly launched by children. Some flew small paper kites; others handled larger ones that soared higher and drifted farther. A wire fence is all that separates densely packed kampungs from the airport's runways. Steady winds make the area ideal for kite-flying – and dangerously close to protected airspace. On the ground, Ito keeps coaxing. He does not scold or shout. Instead, he gathers children, explains the risks, and sometimes quizzes them, hoping that the message will stick. 'We prioritise persuasion,' he said. 'Children are scared just by being warned. We involve parents to help guide and educate.' Madil, a 42-year-old odd-job labourer who goes by one name, told the patrol officers: 'I promise my nephews will not fly kites in the cemetery again. If you catch them again, you can rip their faces off.' At a rice field in Benda – another red zone sub-district – airport porter Ahmad, also 42, was flying a kite with his son. 'Yes, we know the danger, so we are cautious,' he told ST. 'Like today, the wind is blowing the other way, away from the airport, so we come out to play.' Many residents say they simply have little else to do. Herman, 55, said: 'There should not be an outright ban. Do we ban the planes that are making us go deaf and disrupting our TV and phone signals? If there were alternative activities for the children, surely they would go for that. But there is not.' Despite the incidents and tighter rules, kites are still being flown, though in fewer numbers. Lie said the lack of lasting change stems from weak enforcement and patchy public education. 'There has never been a comprehensive campaign that is integrated and repeated every year. The village heads change, the sub-district chiefs change, the police chiefs change – there is no ongoing campaign,' he added. And so the cycle continues. 'What happens is after an incident, (a public concern) heats up like anget-anget ayam – warm chicken – and then people quickly forget again,' he added. The Indonesian phrase captures a deeper challenge: a public concern flares briefly, only to fade fast. Taming the kites remains a major hurdle in the push for long-term aviation safety in Indonesia. - The Straits Times/ANN
India Today
5 days ago
- General
- India Today
Delta's Boeing 767 engine catches fire mid-air, makes emergency landing in LA
A Delta Air Lines flight bound for Atlanta was forced to make an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport on Friday after its left engine reportedly caught fire shortly after to a report by Aviation A2Z, Flight DL446, operated by a 24-year-old Boeing 767-400 (registration N836MH), had just departed Los Angeles International Airport when the crew detected indications of an engine fire. Flames were seen coming from the aircraft's left engine mid-air, as captured in ground video 787 Makes Emergency Landing in LA - Engine ON FIRE Video claims to show a Delta Airlines flight bound for Atlanta on Friday making an emergency landing at LAX. The engine reportedly caught fire shortly after take-off. @LAFlightsLIVE RT_India (@RT_India_news) July 19, 2025advertisementThe pilots quickly declared an emergency and coordinated with Air Traffic Control (ATC) for an immediate return. The aircraft initially climbed out over the Pacific Ocean before circling back inland over Downey and Paramount to complete safety checklists and prepare for landing. The aircraft maintained a stable altitude and speed throughout the manoeuvre. Upon landing, emergency crews were on standby and confirmed that the fire was extinguished. No injuries were reported among the passengers or crew."Delta flight 446 returned to Los Angeles shortly after departure following an indication of an issue with the aircraft's left engine," a Delta spokesperson told the BBC. Passengers said the captain informed them that fire crews were "verifying that the engine fire is out."The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has launched an investigation to determine the cause of the fire. The aircraft is powered by two General Electric CF6 marks the second reported engine fire incident involving Delta Air Lines this year. In January, Flight DL105, an Airbus A330neo, was forced to return to Atlanta shortly after takeoff due to a similar issue on its way to Brazil's So aircraft was en route to So Paulo's Guarulhos International Airport on January 1 when its left engine began malfunctioning shortly after takeoff, sending visible flames that alarmed the passengers.- EndsMust Watch
CNBC
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CNBC
Disney's spent 70 years funneling IP into its theme parks. Here's why it works
The "Happiest Place on Earth" turns 70 this week. Disneyland, a pillar of the Anaheim, California, community since 1955, was a passion project of founder Walt Disney, a place where adults and their children could have fun together. It also served as a place where the longtime media company could show off and weave together different pieces of its business from films, television shows and comic strips to music and merchandising. Disney's portfolio of intellectual property has been the bedrock of its theme parks since the very first opened its doors. These days, the company's experiences division, which includes parks, resorts, cruises and consumer products, remains one of its best profit drivers. Operating income for the unit for fiscal 2024 was more than double that of the content-centric entertainment division, where the IP originates. Disneyland in Anaheim began with more than a dozen attractions, many of which were pulled directly from Disney's archive of theatrical films. Among them were Mad Tea Party based on "Alice in Wonderland," Mr. Toad's Wild Ride from "The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad," Peter Pan's Flight, Snow White's Enchanted Wish and Dumbo the Flying Elephant. Over the past seven decades, Disney has opened a total of 12 theme parks across the United States, Europe and Asia, with another set to open in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, in the coming years. It also has a fleet of cruise ships, which is set to double by 2031, and nearly 60 resort hotels and vacation properties globally. "If you go back now 70 years ago, Walt knew the great stories that he was creating, if he combined those with the technologies that were at hand at the time with this idea of an immersive experience that he could create something that no one else had ever done," said Josh D'Amaro, chairman of Walt Disney's parks and resorts. "And it really set the Disney brand apart." The first rides at Disneyland were interspersed with original creations like Jungle Cruise, Autopia and the Disneyland Railroad. While Disney would bring a number of non-IP attractions to life over the next few decades — Matterhorn Bobsleds, Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder Mountain and Space Mountain, among them — in the last decade, the company has committed to utilizing its existing catalog of stories to fuel new and updated attractions in its domestic and international theme parks. Much of that strategy has come in the wake of CEO Bob Iger's acquisition of four major studios — Pixar (2006), Marvel (2009), Lucasfilm (2012) and 20th Century Fox (2019) — which brought coveted franchises under the House of Mouse roof. "I think we've been fortunate now in that we have gone after that IP, brought it into the Disney fold, and just made the brand even more powerful," D'Amaro said. Many of these brands already appeared in the company's parks as part of licensing deals, like Star Tours, which opened in 1987; Indiana Jones Adventure, added in 1995; and Buzz Lightyear Astro Blaster, which debuted in 2005. The company also opened entire lands — curated areas that have themed rides, food and entertainment centered on one piece of IP. This included A Bug's Land, which opened in 2002 at Disney's California Adventure park, based on Pixar's "A Bug's Life" and Pandora — The World of Avatar, set on the fictional planet Pandora from Fox's "Avatar" film and built at Animal Kingdom in Florida. Many of these additions came under the leadership of then-CEO Michael Eisner, who helmed the company from 1984 until 2005. Chief among his acquisitions was securing the IP for Star Wars and Indiana Jones — two of the biggest franchises of the time — according to Gavin Doyle, founder of Eisner "went and licensed it and brought it into the parks," Doyle said. Decades later, Disney acquired Lucasfilm, which owns both film franchises, and expanded their presence. In 2019, the company opened two identical Star Wars-themed lands, one in Florida at Hollywood Studios and one in California at Disneyland. A new Indiana Jones attraction is planned for Disney's Animal Kingdom as part of the park's new Tropical Americas area. It is set to open in 2027. Last year, revenue growth in Disney's experiences division was the strongest of any Disney division. Experiences posted record revenue and profit for fiscal 2024, with revenue rising 5% for the full year to $34.15 billion and operating income up 4% to $9.27 billion. Heading into 2025, the company said it expected to see 6% to 8% profit growth for experiences in fiscal 2025 — and that's before it breaks ground on a slew of planned land expansions, new rides and re-themed attractions. "While investor focus understandably remains on near-term attendance and consumer spending trends, renewed momentum in creating successful content with Disney's premium IP play a crucial role in generating long-term earnings power across parks, Disney+ and accelerating the unique advantage of the Disney flywheel across its portfolio," said Robert Fishman, analyst at MoffettNathanson. Disney is relying heavily on IP as part of its 2023 pledge to invest $60 billion in experiences over the next decade. On the docket is a new villains land coming to Magic Kingdom, a "Monsters Inc." land at Hollywood Studios, an "Encanto" ride at Animal Kingdom and the expansion of Avengers Campus with two new attractions. Disneyland is also expected to open a new Avatar area inspired by the scenery in the upcoming "Avatar: Fire and Ash." Of course, these new developments also come with some drawbacks. Fan-favorite rides and even whole lands have shuttered or been re-themed as a result. Anaheim's A Bug's Land closed in 2018 so the space could be used to build Avengers Campus, a Marvel-themed land. DinoLand at Animal Kingdom is disappearing to make space for the new Tropical Americas area. At Magic Kingdom, Rivers of America, Tom Sawyer Island and the Liberty Square Riverboat have shut down to make room for an area called Piston Peak — a second Cars-themed land modeled after America's natural parks. For individual rides, the most recent change was the re-theming of Splash Mountain at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. It was refreshed as Tiana's Bayou Adventure, based on the characters from "The Princess and the Frog." While some Disney parks fans have balked at the changes the company has made to the parks, the strategy has expanded the company's fan base and driven revenue growth across its global footprint. "It's interesting because the IP is not always for the most vocal theme park fan," Doyle said. "By definition, the IP is meant to broaden the audience." "The whole company's premised on entertaining, great storytelling," D'Amaro said. "And in all of our stories, whether they be in animation or through our traditional characters or Star Wars or Marvel or Pixar, there's this sense of connection to these characters. There's this emotion that's created, and then we carry that through into the theme parks."
The Independent
16-07-2025
- The Independent
Would cockpit video recorders help plane crash investigators? Experts are divided
The deadly Air India crash has reignited a decades-old debate in the aviation industry over cockpit video recorders. International Air Transport Association head Willie Walsh, a former airline pilot, says there was a strong argument for video cameras to be installed in airliner cockpits to monitor pilot actions and complement voice and flight data recorders already used by accident investigators. The renewed discussion stems from a preliminary report from India 's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which raised questions over whether one of the pilots of the Air India flight cut fuel to the engines seconds after takeoff, leading to an irrecoverable situation. The crash in Ahmedabad, India, killed 241 of the 242 people aboard, as well as 19 people on the ground. As of now, "based on what little we know now, it's quite possible that a video recording, in addition to the voice recording, would significantly assist the investigators in conducting that investigation on the issue of mental health," Walsh said. Advocates for cockpit video cameras say the footage could fill in gaps left by the audio and data recorders, while opponents say concerns about privacy and misuse outweigh what they argue are marginal benefits for investigations. Video footage was "invaluable" to Australian crash investigators determining what led to the Robinson R66 helicopter breaking up in mid-air in 2023, killing the pilot, the only person aboard, according to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau 's final report, which was released 18 days after the Air India crash. The video showed "the pilot was occupied with non-flying related tasks for much of this time, specifically, mobile phone use and the consumption of food and beverages," the report said. The ATSB commended Robinson Helicopters for providing factory-installed cameras and said it encouraged other manufacturers and owners to consider the ongoing safety benefits of similar devices. In 2000, U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairman Jim Hall urged the Federal Aviation Administration to require commercial airliners to be equipped with cockpit image recorders. Hall's recommendation came in the wake of 1999's Egyptair Flight 990 crash, when the first officer intentionally crashed the Boeing 767, according to the NTSB, killing all 217 people on board. "In the balance between privacy and safety, the scale tips toward safety, unequivocally," air safety expert and former commercial airline pilot John Nance said. "Protecting the flying public is a sacred obligation." Another aviation safety expert, Anthony Brickhouse, said that as an accident investigator, he is in favour of cockpit video, but acknowledged that commercial pilots have real concerns. Video on Air India flight 171 "would have answered lots of questions," he said. Air India declined to comment. India's AAIB, which is expected to release a final report within a year of the crash under international rules, did not reply to a request for comment. Pilot objections U.S. pilots' unions such as the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) and Allied Pilots Association (APA) say the voice and data recorders already provide enough information to determine the cause of a crash and that the cameras would be an invasion of privacy and could be misused. Calls for cockpit cameras are an understandable reaction to "the stress of not knowing what happened immediately after an accident," said APA spokesperson Dennis Tajer, an American Airlines pilot. "I can understand the initial reaction of the more information, the better," but investigators already have enough data to adequately determine an accident's cause, leaving no need for cameras, he said. To make flying safer, current safety systems should be enhanced to record higher-quality data, rather than adding video cameras, an ALPA spokesperson said. There are also concerns that the footage could be used by airlines for disciplinary actions or that the video could be leaked to the public after a crash, said John Cox, an aviation safety expert, retired airline pilot and former ALPA executive air safety chairman. A pilot's death being broadcast on "the 6 o'clock news is not something that the pilot's family should ever have to go through," he said. If confidentiality can be assured around the world, "I can see an argument" for installing cameras, Cox said. Cockpit voice recordings are typically kept confidential by investigators in favour of partial or full transcripts being released in final reports. Despite that, the International Federation of Air Line Pilots Associations said it was sceptical that confidentiality could ever be assured for cockpit videos. "Given the high demand for sensational pictures, IFALPA has absolutely no doubt that the protection of (airborne image recorder) data, which can include identifiable images of flight crewmembers, would not be ensured either," the organisation said in a statement. Boeing declined to disclose whether customers are able to order cockpit video recorders, while Airbus did not reply to a request for comment.
Otago Daily Times
07-07-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Stolen sculpture may have been destroyed and turned to scrap
Flight depicts a soaring bird above the sea and was stolen in early June. Photo: File image A $95,000 Llew Summers sculpture stolen from outside the Mt Pleasant Community Centre may have been cut up and sold for scrap. Parts of what is thought could be the 2.2 tonne and 2.2m long bronze sculpture, 'Flight', were sold to a scrap metal yard. After buying the scrap, the yard realised it could be the stolen sculpture and contacted police. Police told The Star they were following 'strong lines of inquiry'. Mt Pleasant Residents' Association chair Derek McCullough has seen the parts sold to the scrap metal yard and assumes they came from the sculpture. But police would not confirm if they had. Llew Summers. Photo: The large sculpture depicts a soaring bird above the sea and was stolen in early June. It was purchased by the centre to honour Summers last year for $95,000 after two years of fundraising by the community. "We were just devastated,' McCullough said of the theft. "Ever since then, I've had nothing but calls of commiseration from the community members. It was very meaningful to the community.' 'Flight' was Summers' final work before he died in 2019. His funeral was held at the community centre. The association committee is now looking into how it can replace the sculpture. One option is to recreate it with a 3D printer. McCullough said the association was in the early stages of deliberation and was unsure about costs and feasibility.
