Getting on a plane for Thanksgiving? You might want to read this first



Last week, a new Blaze Originals dropped. Titled “Countdown to the Next Aviation Disaster,” the documentary exposes the internal rot of America’s aviation industry. The reality is, our skies aren’t as safe as they used to be. In the last year alone, the number of “close calls” — meaning that planes narrowly avoided crashing into each other — surged to three per week.

What happened?

While there are numerous factors contributing to this decline, there’s one issue that stands out among the rest — the Federal Aviation Administration has infused DEI into its hiring system.

Stu Burguiere tells Glenn Beck just how insane the policies are.

Because of DEI policies that unfairly weed out qualified would-be air traffic controllers, our current air traffic controllers are “overworked” because nearly every control tower in the country is severely “understaffed,” Stu explains.

Further, these policies are specifically “blocking white males from getting these jobs,” he tells Glenn.

Flying an aircraft “is a matter of life and death,” says Glenn. “This DEI stuff ... it's death! It should be [spelled] DIE.”

“In the end, [death] is what happens when you have unqualified people building bridges, flying planes, being your eyes in the sky,” he adds.

“I talked to a guy in the documentary who took the merit-based test to become an air traffic controller and got a 100 on it — a perfect score. Then they added another test called the biographical exam,” says Stu.

“It had really weird questions,” like, “Did you perform well in science in high school?” and, “If you say, ‘Yes, I did well in science in high school,’ you get penalized,” he explains. “To [the FAA], you're less likely to be a minority if you did well in science in high school, so you get punished for doing well in a subject that obviously would relate to what you’re doing.”

The man who made a perfect score on the merit-based test ended up “not getting the job,” likely because the biographical exam pinned him as a white male.

“Now [he’s] suing the government over it,” says Stu.

Glenn is horrified but not surprised by all of this. In fact, he was just on a flight that nearly crashed into another plane. To hear the harrowing story of how his plane suddenly “rocketed up” unexpectedly, watch the clip above.

“Blaze Originals: Countdown to the Next Aviation Disaster” is available now on BlazeTV. If you’re not already a subscriber, go to BlazeOriginals.com and start a seven-day free trial. Use code DEI for $30 off your first year of BlazeTV+.

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To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis, and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

‘Countdown to the Next Aviation Disaster’ – Blaze Originals documentary available NOW



When most people go to the airport, they are preoccupied with thoughts of checking luggage, obtaining boarding passes, getting to the correct gate, and determining whether or not their carry-on will fit in the overhead compartment. They aren’t thinking about what’s going on behind the scenes in air traffic control.

Until recently, passengers have never had to think about the strangers up in the towers tasked with ensuring that planes don’t crash into each other on the ground or in the air. They’ve always trusted that these individuals are highly qualified and capable of ensuring their safety.

Unfortunately, those days of blindly trusting that air traffic controllers have a tight grip on the reins are long gone. BlazeTV’s Stu Burguiere lays it all out in the latest Blaze Originals documentary.

“Over the past year, the number of close calls between commercial airliners has surged to nearly three per week,” says Burguiere.

What changed?

Stu traveled to Chicago, South Florida, Denver, Phoenix, and Washington, D.C., and met with experts in the field as well as government officials to seek answers to that question.

The results of his investigation are both harrowing and complicated.

From severe understaffing and absurd DEI hiring policies to outdated technology and a seemingly untouchable Federal Aviation Administration, the people managing 45,000 flights, three million travelers, and 29 million square miles of airspace every single day are not in a position to continue keeping our skies safe.

We can’t help but wonder: It’s been 15 years since the last fatal commercial airline crash, but is the golden era of flying coming to an end?

Join Stu as he digs into the air infrastructure scandal few others are willing to give attention to.

“Blaze Originals: Countdown to the Next Aviation Disaster” drops today on BlazeTV. If you’re not already a subscriber, go to BlazeOriginals.com and start a seven-day free trial. Plus, use code DEI for $30 off your first year of BlazeTV+

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Biden-Harris Official Behind Green Airplane Push Quietly Reveals He Owns an Oil Well

Federal Aviation Administration administrator Michael Whitaker is spearheading the Biden-Harris administration's quest to transition the aviation industry away from oil reliance. He also owns an oil well in Wyoming, which he leases to Hilcorp Energy, the largest privately held oil company in the United States, according to a financial disclosure made public this month.

The post Biden-Harris Official Behind Green Airplane Push Quietly Reveals He Owns an Oil Well appeared first on .

We Can’t Know What Boeing Really Did Without A Trial

Boeing won’t stop until a judge makes it stop by rejecting a DOJ plea deal and calling for a criminal trial.

Boeing agrees to plead guilty to criminal fraud over fatal 737 MAX crashes: DOJ



The Department of Justice reported on Sunday evening that Boeing plans to plead guilty to criminal fraud stemming from two fatal 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people, the Associated Press reported.

Boeing was accused of violating a 2021 deferred prosecution agreement with the DOJ that protected the company from criminal charges for more than three years. Under that settlement, Boeing was asked to revise its compliance practices and submit to regular reporting.

'Set the matter for a public trial.'

Last week, the DOJ offered Boeing a plea deal that required the aircraft manufacturer to plead guilty to conspiring to defraud the Federal Aviation Administration and pay a fine. Boeing allegedly "deceived" the FAA's Aircraft Evaluation Group "about an important aircraft part called the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) that impacted the flight control system of the Boeing 737 MAX," the department reported.

Boeing has reportedly agreed to the deal and will pay $243.6 million, the same amount the company paid in the previous 2021 settlement that the DOJ claimed it violated. The company must also submit to third-party safety and quality audits for three years.

According to the DOJ, the plea agreement only pertains to Boeing's actions before the two fatal crashes and does not provide immunity for incidents that occurred afterward, including a mid-flight door panel blowout on an Alaska Airlines plane earlier this year. Additionally, the agreement only covers the corporation and does not include its current or former officials.

The 2021 settlement was slated to expire two days after the incident with the Alaska Airlines flight. A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board found that the aircraft likely left Boeing's factory without the key bolts needed to hold the panel in place.

Boeing is expected to enter its guilty plea in the U.S. District Court in Texas. The judge overseeing the case accused the corporation of "egregious criminal conduct."

Boeing said in a recent statement, "We can confirm that we have reached an agreement in principle on terms of a resolution with the Justice Department, subject to the memorialization and approval of specific terms."

Relatives of the victims of the two fatal crashes were briefed last week about the DOJ's plea offer to Boeing. At the time, Paul Cassell, an attorney representing the relatives, said they plan to ask the judge to reject the "sweetheart plea deal," Blaze News previously reported.

Cassell stated he would ask the judge to "simply set the matter for a public trial, so that all the facts surrounding the case will be aired in a fair and open forum before a jury."

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Senate Approves FAA Reauthorization, Sends Bill To House Just Before Key Deadline

'The American people expect and deserve the safest, most reliable and modern aerospace system in the world'

Alaska Airlines receives ‘initial’ $160M from Boeing after mid-flight panel blowout — additional compensation ‘expected’



Boeing paid Alaska Airlines $160 million following the mid-flight door panel blowout incident that occurred earlier this year, the airline stated on Thursday.

In a recent United States Securities and Exchange Commission filing, Alaska Airlines reported that Boeing provided the "initial compensation ... to address the financial damages incurred as a result of Flight 1282 and the 737-9 MAX groundings."

In January, Flight 1282 experienced a mid-air door panel blowout that forced the plane to make an emergency landing. Multiple investigations were launched as a result of the incident. The Federal Aviation Administration briefly grounded 171 Max 9 airplanes while inspections were underway, causing thousands of flight cancelations.

A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board found that all four bolts designed to secure the panel in place were missing from the aircraft. Records revealed that before the plane was delivered to Alaska Airlines, it underwent rivet repairs that required the panel to be temporarily removed and reinstalled upon completion. The repair work was completed by Spirit AeroSystems, a former Boeing subsidiary, before the aircraft was returned to Boeing's Renton, Washington, facility.

The NTSB continues to investigate the incident. The Department of Justice also launched its own investigation.

Alaska Airlines' SEC filing stated that the company lost approximately $160 million in the first quarter of 2024 due to the mandatory grounding of some of its Boeing planes.

"As a result of the Flight 1282 accident and the Boeing 737-9 MAX grounding, we lost approximately $160 million in Q1 pretax profit, primarily comprising lost revenues, costs due to irregular operations, and costs to restore our fleet to operating service," the airline wrote.

Boeing paid Alaska Airlines the compensation in cash during the first quarter.

"This cash payment is equivalent to the lost profits resulting from the accident and grounding in Q1 2024. Additional compensation is expected to be provided beyond Q1, the complete terms of which are confidential," it added.

Boeing referred to statements made last month by CFO Brian West when contacted for comment, ABC News reported. During the Bank of America Industrials Conference, West remarked that there will be "customer consideration that is going to manifest itself in the quarter."

"We've got to take care of that and we're well down the road to do that. And we continue to stand behind our customers with that responsibility," West added.

The mid-flight panel blowout ignited a safety scandal for Boeing, prompting a management shake-up. In February, Boeing removed Ed Clark, the head of its 737 Max program. In March, it announced that CEO Dave Calhoun would leave the company at the end of the year. Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Stan Deal announced his immediate retirement last month. Larry Kellner, board chairman, is set to resign and not seek re-election in May.

Last week, Calhoun stated, "The eyes of the world are on us, and I know that we will come through this moment a better company."

"We will remain squarely focused on completing the work we have done together to return our company to stability after the extraordinary challenges of the past five years, with safety and quality at the forefront of everything that we do," he said.

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EXCLUSIVE: Cruz, Senate Republicans Warn Officials That Blue Cities Might ‘Repurpose’ Airports To House Illegal Immigrants

'illegal aliens will see commercial airports as an appealing alternative to city facilities'

Boeing fails 33 FAA product audits following mid-flight panel blowout: Report



Boeing failed 33 of the Federal Aviation Administration’s 89 product audits that were recently conducted as a result of a mid-flight panel blowout on an Alaska Airlines flight in January, according to the New York Times.

An FAA slide presentation obtained by the Times reportedly revealed that a six-week audit conducted by the federal agency found several problems with Boeing’s production of its 737 Max airplanes. The FAA stated that it discovered “multiple instances” in which Boeing and its former subsidiary, Spirit AeroSystems, failed to comply with quality-control standards.

The presentation indicated that of the 89 product audits, Boeing passed 56 and failed 33. The FAA reportedly found 97 instances of alleged noncompliance.

Spirit AeroSystems also underwent 13 product audits concerning its production of the 737 Max fuselage. According to the Times’ review of the FAA’s presentation, the company failed seven audits and passed six. Additionally, Spirit reportedly failed an audit that dealt with the installation of the door plug, the component that blew off mid-air during an Alaska Airlines flight earlier this year. Additionally, the agency found that Boeing failed to check the aircraft’s door plug.

The federal agency stated that it observed one Spirit mechanic using a hotel key card to inspect a door seal and another applying liquid dish soap “as a lubricant” to a door seal. The FAA noted that the methods were “not identified/documented/called-out in the production order.” The agency added that instructions provided to the workers were “vague and unclear on what specifications/actions are to be followed or recorded by the mechanic.”

Many of the issues the FAA’s 20 auditors discovered were related to a failure to follow an “approved manufacturing process, procedure or instruction,” the presentation stated.

The FAA interviewed six Boeing engineers to assess their understanding of the company’s quality-control process. According to the presentation, the engineers received an average score of just 58%.

A spokesperson for Spirit told the Times that the company was “reviewing all identified nonconformities for corrective action.”

“Meanwhile, we continue multiple efforts undertaken to improve our safety and quality programs,” Joe Buccino, a spokesperson for Spirit, said. “These improvements focus on human factors and other steps to minimize nonconformities.”

In a statement to the news outlet, Boeing spokesperson Jessica Kowal said the airplane manufacturer continued “to implement immediate changes and develop a comprehensive action plan to strengthen safety and quality, and build the confidence of our customers and their passengers.”

The FAA told the Times it could not release additional details while its investigation into Boeing remained ongoing. The National Transportation Safety Board and the Department of Justice are also investigating the airplane manufacturer.

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In China’s Commercial Warfare With Boeing, American Foreign Policy Is Collateral

At best, the maker of some of our most advanced defense systems finds itself groveling to China. At worst, our foreign policy could be weakened to protect these defense systems.