WEEKLY SUMMARY(31st - 6th)

The week commencing 31st December saw us enter a new year. So Happy New Year everyone. It has also had plenty of Aviation news. We will discuss a special request from a gentleman called Tony and we say a farewell to a Aviation Legend.

The 3rd of January was a sad day stateside as Herb Kelleher passed away. For those that didn't know Herb he was the founder of Southwest Airlines. He will truly be missed by a vast amount of the aviation world. R.I.P Herbie "Fly High" (March 12th 1931 - January 3rd 2019)

Photo Credit - Southwest Airlines Twitter

Next we head to Mexico, No not to talk about walls. But to talk about a terrifying experience for the passengers of flight AM120 operated by Aeromexico. The Boeing 737 lost all main landing gear on landing. The tires ruptured. Both Runways at Guadalajara Airport were closed. Fire crews applied foam to the aircraft's damaged undercarriage. No one was injured in the event.

Next we look at the best family photo of the festive period. Nope not the Royal Family or the Jones family from down the street... The Boeing 787 Family photo published by United showing all 3 versions of the Dreamliner.

Photo Credit - United Twitter page.

This week Boeing and General Electrics began testing The new GE9X engine which will be mounted on the wings of the 777X. The sheer size of the Engine has shocked many. Below you can see the size comparison to a Boeing 747 engine. The engine is bigger than the fuselage of the 737-800. Next month the B777X will roll out at Boeing fields which will also showcase its Folding wing tips.

Photo Credit - General Electric

The end of December was dominated with the news of drones bringing Gatwick to a stand still. So in the light of last years events, LHR and LGW have placed orders for special equipment. Both London airports have placed multi-million pound orders for military grade drone defenses. The photo below shows 3 of the diverted aircraft after the chaos in the capital.

Photo Credit - AutoAvia Photographic

Great News for Ryanair, Well maybe not. They have once again been named "Worst Short Haul Airline". But its quite an achievement because its for the 6th year running. They received the lowest ratings for boarding, seat comfort, refreshments and cabin environment. So overall Ryanair did rather well.

Photo Credit : Miles to go - Aviation Blogging

Next we head to Hong Kong. Flight BI636 was mid air on route to Bandar Seri Begawan. When a shocking event occurred. A passengers power bank reportedly exploded mid flight. All passengers and crew of the Royal Brunei Airlines flight were unharmed in the event. The A320neo landed at its destination safety.

Now back in England, we head to Sheffield where this week the BBC met a gentlemen called Tony who tends to the memorial of a downed American Bomber. He has looked after the memorial ever since it was built. On the 22nd of February Tony would love to see a flypast over the Sheffield Memorial to commemorate the lost serviceman. Tony was in the park the day the bomber crashed and feels responsible for the crash. As a 8 year old he was walking through the park with his friends as the aircraft circled. To this day he blames himself for the crash because the aircraft could land. RAF Lakenheath have been contacted and it would be great to see a formation flight of the memorial for the "True Legend" that is Tony.

Photo Credit: Miles to go - Aviation Blogging

Photo Credit: Miles to go - Aviation Blogging

Also Stephen McCoy a Kegworth Air Disaster survivor took is first steps this week. The crash happened on January 8th 1989. 30 years on Stephen has taken the first steps since the crash. The gentleman didn't regain consciousness until 18 months after the incident. He remained in hospital for 3 years after the incident. We wish Stephen a happy Recovery.

Written by Kian: Miles to go - Aviation Blogging