Simple Flying

Journalist – Aaron is an aviation and travel journalist with 14 years of experience in the travel and tourism industry. His background spans airport operations, aviation infrastructure, and travel consulting, having worked with global organizations across New Zealand, Europe, and North America. Combining industry expertise with firsthand travel experience across more than 52 countries and five continents, Aaron covers airlines, airports, aviation policy, and the wider travel sector.

The US Navy made history when the Lockheed Martin F-35C became the first carrier-capable stealth fighter jet to achieve initial operating capability. The Joint Strike Fighter has completely revolutionized Naval Aviation by bringing stealth technology to tailhook squadrons for the first time in history. Still, that has not deterred America's Navy from pursuing the next evolution in carrier air power.

The Boeing 787 runs on a software architecture that is fundamentally different from any commercial aircraft that came before it. Rather than dozens of independent avionics computers each running their own embedded software, the 787 consolidates most of its major functions onto a shared computing platform called the Common Core System, with approximately 300 Loadable Software Airplane Parts distributed across roughly 1,400-1,500 locations on the aircraft.

In a world where airlines are trying to be as efficient and economical as possible, carriers prefer to operate a fleet of new and modern aircraft, giving them the operational advantages newer jets have to offer, but also bragging rights about maintaining a young average fleet age. A possible exception to this could be the US-based carrier, Delta Air Lines, and its continual operation of the Boeing 717s. It's common to see carriers in the US operate older jets such as the Boeing 757s and 767s.

At the peak of Operation Epic Fury (around late March 2026), the US Air Force deployed around 15 B-1B Lancers and around six B-52H Stratofortresses at the UK's RAF Fairford airbase. The initial wave of B-1Bs arrived on or after March 6, with B-52s arriving soon after. As of the time of writing (late July), a large share of the Air Force's operational Rockwell B-1 Lancer fleet remains deployed at RAF Fairford.

Delta Air Lines is, by many metrics, one of the largest carriers not just in the United States or North America but, indeed, in the world as a whole. Like most American operators, its network model has it serving several hubs throughout the US because of the country's large size and population. This ensures optimal coverage as it competes against the likes of American Airlines and United Airlines for market share.

Why did McDonnell Douglas design the C-17 Globemaster III with four engines instead of two or three? This question goes beyond a simple engineering choice: rather, it touches on the aircraft’s mission profile, operational demands, and the strategic needs of the USAF. The C-17 is one of the most versatile and capable military transport aircraft in history, and its four-engine configuration is central to its performance.

A commercial flight requires a significant amount of planning beforehand. This includes commercial planning, as well as operational planning by operations. Meanwhile, the pilots spend a significant amount of time preparing for their flight. Even before getting on the plane, flight crew members meet each other at the airport, review the route, data, NOTAMS, weather, and other factors that could impact the flight, then brief the cabin crew on the flight.

Lockheed Martin is a military contractor that has long since left the commercial aviation market, at least with designing and manufacturing airliners. It was once one of the major US-based aerospace companies designing and building commercial aircraft, with the others being Boeing and Douglas (later McDonnell Douglas).

WestJet has a busy third quarter of the year on its hands, with the Canadian carrier serving 13 destinations between July and September of this year that it did not fly to during the same period in 2025. These routes originate from four airports located across Canada: Calgary (YYC), Halifax (YHZ), Montreal (YUL), and Toronto (YYZ). Certain new destinations have WestJet flights from more than one airport.