fly

SACRAMENTO — The state Legislature on Monday passed a pair of bills to address industrial accidents in the wake of a massive blaze at a cold storage facility in Los Angeles’ Boyle Heights neighborhood.

Assembly Bill 817 by Assemblymember Mark González (D-Los Angeles) would prohibit the approval of a building permit for a cold storage facility unless the owner or operator of the facility establishes and maintains a contingency fund.

González sought the creation of the fund for air purifiers, masks and other health essentials for neighbors in the wake of an accident.

The bill would apply to Boyle Heights in the short term and would go into effect statewide July 1, 2028.

The bill also would ensure that anyone who sues over the fire doesn’t have to pay state taxes on any settlement.

A June 17 fire at cold storage operator Lineage’s 500,000-square-foot food warehouse left the community with noxious smoke and an influx of rats and flies attracted to rotting meat.

Senate Bill 716 by Sen. María Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles), also passed Monday, would raise the amount of fines that can be levied by local agencies against companies who pose a threat to health and safety. Under the legislation, companies could face fines of up to $50,000 per violation.

Durazo said current rules limit the fines to just a few hundred or thousand dollars.

“The fines are too small to matter,” said Durazo, describing the “massive fly and rat infestation” and “stench of rotting food” at the Lineage site.

The law would apply only to Los Angeles County and expand statewide starting July 1, 2028. It includes several exemptions for business categories, including institutional and educational.

Scores of business groups, including those representing agriculture, opposed the bills.

Some Republican legislators expressed sympathy for the Boyle Heights community, but questioned the financial ramifications for businesses.

“One terrible incident should not automatically translate into a new statewide financial burden on every similarly situated facility,” said state Sen. Suzette Martinez Valladares (R-Acton) during a Monday discussion of Assembly Bill 817. “Especially when those costs can ultimately ripple through our food supply chain and contribute to higher costs for families.”

The bills now head to Gov. Gavin Newsom for consideration.

WHAT’S your rainy day activity checklist with kids? Soft play, museum, cinema… how about flying?

No, not the kind where you go up in a plane – the real flying.

Reaching the tail end of the school summer holidays and fresh out of ideas for what to do with my seven year old, I decided to think outside the box with a trip to iFly Indoor Skydiving.

With five venues in Milton Keynes, Manchester, Birmingham, Basingstoke and London, we opted for the one at the O2 Arena in London’s Docklands.

And you can get half price iFly tickets with Sun Club. 

Sun Club members can get 50% off tickets on first time flyer packages if they book between August 31 and September 29. 

Read More On Sun Club Offers

BREAKAWAY

This is one of the most popular £9.50 holiday parks – and it’s had a £12m revamp

STEAL-CATION

UK holiday park that ‘feels like you’re abroad’ & you can stay for just £9.50

But while your tickets must be booked by September 29, you can buy tickets to fly right up until January 1, 2027, so plenty of rainy day activity options for October half term and the Christmas school holidays. 

Sign up to Sun Club for £1.99 a month or just £12 for your first year, then £19.99 thereafter, then head to the Sun Club Offers hub and find the iFly offers page.

Plus, you’ll get unlimited access to our award-winning articles plus exclusive showbiz scoops, and a huge range of other offers and discounts too – from early access to book Hols From £9.50, free racing tickets to top UK racecourses and 2-4-1 tickets to theme parks.

The concept to iFly indoor skydiving is simple(ish) – decked out in a jumpsuit, helmet and goggles, you stand inside a huge, glass wind tunnel that sends air upwards at speeds of 120mph to 165mph, and attempt to do your best flying squirrel impression.

The activity was barely on my radar before this summer, because I’d always assumed it was something exclusively for daredevils that needed to train for real flying out of planes.

But in reality, you don’t actually have to be any good at all. Because anyone is welcome aged 3 upwards, and they have highly experienced instructors on hand at all times.

After watching the safety video, my son and I were understandably nervous, but the instructor was so kind and patient that by the time we got to the tunnel, my child was confident enough to volunteer to go first.

The wind is STRONG. So strong that you simply have to flop forwards as you enter the tunnel. And it’s also loud, which is why they provide you with ear plugs and communicate via hand signals.

But I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a big grin on his face as the moment he first flew off the ground, which only got wider when he opted for the special “High Flight” add-on, where the instructor took him on a spinning flight, 40 feet up towards the top of the tunnel.

Each session lasts around a minute, and everyone in our group got four sessions as part of their package (although that might change depending on group size), with the opportunity to add a High Flight to each of their goes in the wind tunnel, which cost £15 a pop.

It’s well worth doing the add-on at least once if you can afford the extra cost, as unless you’re planning on jumping out of a plane anytime soon, this is the closest you’ll ever come to flying high above the ground.

If you’re not feeling confident (or flush) though, there is still plenty of tunnel time six feet off the ground, where the instructor helps you to steer around the tunnel, using hand signals to instruct you to bend or straighten your legs and arms.

My son has become obsessed with ‘once in a lifetime’ experiences, which apply as a justification for everything from eating an ice cream at the park on a sunny day, to buying the latest Lego magazine.

But when he declared at the end of our iFly experience that it was ‘truly the best once in a lifetime experience ever,’ I had to agree with him.

Forget pigs flying, this middle-aged mum never thought it would happen to her either.

And yet, I’ve got a school of flight certificate with full marks for my ‘stable belly flying’ to prove it.

18+ England, Scotland and Wales residents only. Sun Savers multiple code collect 29/08/26-05/09/26 or subscription to Sun Club or digital subscription required. Online access required. Booking closes 23:59pm on 29/09/26. Non-transferable & non-refundable. Offer valid on a first time flyer experience only at all IFLY locations across England. Flights must be booked between August 29- September 29 and must take place before Friday January 1, 2027. Subject to availability. Not valid on voucher purchases. Cannot be used in conjunction with any other other offer, discount, voucher or promotion.  T&Cs apply, see sunsavers.co.uk or club.thesun.co.uk/sun-club. Sun Club new customer offer: £1.99 per month or £9.99 for the first year, then £19.99 thereafter unless you cancel at least seven days before your next billing date. Full T&Cs apply, see thesun.co.uk/club.

The U.S. Air Force has stood up a new squadron at Andrews Air Force Base to manage the arrival of HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopters to replace aging UH-1N Twin Hueys. Originally designed for combat search and rescue (CSAR) missions, the HH-60Ws assigned to the 5th Helicopter Squadron will be in a specialized configuration to take on the tasks of ferrying VIPs around the nation’s capital and supporting continuity of government plans. Questions have been raised about using Jolly Green IIs in these roles, and how this may impact the ability of the overall fleet of these helicopters to meet CSAR demands.

The Air Force held a ceremony at Andrews yesterday to mark the formal activation of the 5th Helicopter Squadron, also sometimes abbreviated as 5 HS. The 1st Helicopter Squadron (1 HS), with its UH-1Ns, will continue to operate throughout the transition to the HH-60W, which is expected to be completed in 2030, to avoid any gaps in capacity to meet critical operational requirements. A total of 26 Jolly Green IIs are set to be based at the facility, which is situated just outside Washington, D.C., a one-for-one replacement for the Twin Hueys that are there now. The arrival of the new helicopters will also lead to a small increase in total personnel, 60 in total, at Andrews.

The Air Force originally planned to supplant all of its UH-1Ns worldwide with new MH-139 Grey Wolf helicopters, which is a more direct replacement in terms of size and capability. The service is still acquiring MH-139s to supplant UH-1Ns elsewhere, including ones assigned to Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) units that help provide security around Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) silos. We will come back to this later on.

“The HH-60W’s increased speed, range and carrying capacity will better deliver safe operations for U.S. senior leaders, service members, and the communities around the region,” the Air Force said in a press release regarding the 5th Helicopter Squadron’s activation.

The Jolly Green II also has in-flight refueling capability, something that is not found on the UH-1N or MH-139, and could be very valuable for missions around Washington, D.C. The HH-60Ws heading to Andrews are set to receive additional modifications, including to the main cabin seating arrangement, communications suite, and defensive capabilities, as you can read more about here.

Combat Rescue Helicopter Successfully Executes Major Test Milestone: Aerial Refueling

“In the next few years, the 5 HS will train aircrew and maintainers, establish operational and maintenance processes, and receive new aircraft as it prepares to execute the national security mission within the National Capital Region,” the release yesterday added.

National Capital Region (NCR) refers to a larger area that surrounds Washington, D.C., proper. Air Force operations in and around the NCR are primarily managed through a unit called the Air Force District of Washington (AFDW).

The HH-60Ws will be taking over an AFDW mission set from the UH-1Ns that currently includes daily airlift sorties transporting U.S. and foreign VIPs around the nation’s capital. The helicopters will also be in position to swing into action as part of continuity of government plans. In such a scenario, the Jolly Green IIs would be tasked to help rush senior officials and lawmakers to safety to ensure the continued functioning of federal authorities following an attack or a similarly serious contingency. 1st Helicopter Squadron’s role in responding to the terrorist attack on the Pentagon on 9/11 was highlighted during the activation ceremony at Andrews yesterday.

The NCR presents particular challenges for crisis response missions and routine day-to-day flight operations. The airspace around Washington, D.C., is most densely defended and heavily monitored anywhere in the United States, and packed full of military and civilian air traffic every day. Where and when military helicopters can operate over the nation’s capital has been a hot topic of debate since a fatal mid-air collision involving an Army UH-60 Black Hawk and a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet in January 2025. The Black Hawk was conducting a continuity of government training flight at the time. This has been more recently highlighted by an incident involving a Marine One helicopter carrying President Donald Trump earlier this month. A subsequent Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) investigation has highlighted communication issues and factors tied to the construction of a new helipad at the White House.

It is also worth noting here that Marine Helicopter Squadron One (HMX-1), the primary unit responsible for the Marine One presidential helicopter mission, would play a role in any continuity of government scenario in the NCR. Helicopters from the U.S. Park Police, as well as ones belonging to other law enforcement and civilian agencies, would be utilized, too.

Military and police helicopters land at the US Capitol this evening.

As mentioned, there are significant questions about the impacts of basing HH-60Ws at Andrews will have on the rest of the Air Force’s Jolly Green II fleet. This is something TWZ highlighted when the Air Force confirmed it was moving ahead with the AFDW HH-60W plan with the release of its 2027 Fiscal Year budget request earlier this year.

A particular issue is the Air Force’s decision years ago to scale back total purchases of HH-60Ws, from 113 helicopters down to 91. If the service does not order more Jolly Green IIs in the coming years, this will mean that roughly a third of the entire fleet will be assigned to the AFDW mission.

Up close with the HH-60W Combat Rescue Helicopter at Nellis AFB for The War Zone.

The Air Force previously confirmed the plan will involve taking HH-60Ws out of “back up inventory.” In the past, the service has defended this decision as being “more cost effective” than a move to “procure additional MH-139A aircraft” to meet AFDW requirements. Whether or not there were other specific operational considerations that factored into the decision to use Jolly Green IIs to meet these needs instead is unknown. The acquisition plan for the Grey Wolf has also been significantly truncated, with the Air Force now planning to buy just 56 of these helicopters instead of 80.

“The MH-139A Grey Wolf was competitively selected to replace the UH-1N for intercontinental ballistic missile security and National Capital Region missions, including continuity of government and transport of United States government officials and security forces,” members of the House Armed Services Committee wrote in a report accompanying a draft of the annual policy bill, or National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), for the 2027 Fiscal Year, back in May. “The committee remains concerned regarding the justification for transitioning these missions to an alternate rotary-wing platform and seeks additional details on cost and operational implications.”

At that time, the House Armed Services Committee explicitly directed “the Secretary of the Air Force to submit a report to the congressional defense committees not later than December 1, 2026, assessing operational, cost, infrastructure, and readiness impacts of assigning any non-MH-139A rotary-wing aircraft to continuity of government and transport of United States government officials and security forces in the National Capital Region.” The lawmakers stressed that the report had to include “a comparison of procurement cost, cost per flight hour, infrastructure and aircraft modification requirements, and training and manpower impacts” and an assessment of the cost, schedule, and operational disruption associated with required upgrades to Joint Base Andrews facilities for each aircraft type.”

Separate questions have been raised in recent years about the utility of traditional CSAR helicopters in future operations, especially in the context of a high-end fight, such as one between the United States and China in the Pacific. Air Force officials openly talked about exploring alternatives for rescuing aircrew downed deep inside contested environments, but details about those plans remained limited.

At the same time, demand for traditional CSAR capabilities has certainly not gone away entirely. This was underscored by the operation to retrieve the crew of an F-15E Strike Eagle that went down inside Iran in April. HH-60Ws were part of the larger force package sent into Iranian airspace to help recover those aviators.

In the meantime, the Air Force’s UH-1Ns, a type the service first began operating in the early 1970s. are only getting older and harder to sustain, too. Three of the UH-1Ns currently assigned to 1st Helicopter Squadron saw combat during the Vietnam War. Just last week, one of the unit’s Twin Hueys made a precautionary landing in an open field in Maryland “after experiencing unusual mechanical noise” while on a training flight. This is hardly the first time such an incident has occurred.

There is a possibility that Congress could more directly intervene in the Air Force’s move to start flying HH-60Ws around Washington, D.C. With the expectation that UH-1Ns will remain in service at Andrews for another four years, there is time for the service’s own plans to evolve further.

With the activation of 5th Helicopter Squadron, the Air Force has now taken an important step toward an all-new helicopter force in the nation’s capital.

Contact the author: joe@twz.com

Money Saving Expert – MSE – is founded by Martin Lewis

Money Saving Expert (MSE) has urged people to visit Boots before boarding the plane. While talking about easyJet specifically – although it may work for any airline – MSE urge people to “avoid sky-high food prices” and “pack a mile-high picnic instead.” They explain on their easyJet tips blog: “Mid-air picnics are perfectly within the rules. It’s only liquids over 100ml that are banned for security reasons.”

Because of this, MSE, founded by Martin Lewis, writes: “When we checked, an Easyjet meal deal (sandwich, soft drink and snack) cost £9.75. Even at inflated airport prices, a Boots meal deal is around £5.” MSE’s blog was updated on July 27, 2026, easyJet’s prices are subject to change.

Finding that a meal deal at Boots or other supermarkets like Sainsbury’s, Tesco, or Morrisons could be cheaper than what you get on board the plane, it notes that “bringing your own food may mean you win on taste as well as price” – and it doesn’t have to be boring, either.

You can make it part of the holiday by tailoring it to your destination. Think chorizo and olives for Spain, cold pizza for Italy, sausages and sauerkraut for Germany. The list is endless.

Save your pennies by planning ahead, says MSE as part of its pre-holiday tips list. Picking up snacks in advance can work out far cheaper than paying airline prices, or even the cost of food and drink in the shops after security.

30 days

In further helpful advice, the MSE team have said that easyJet passengers can check in earlier than most. And it could help people secure a better seat.

It explains: “Unlike other airlines, Easyjet lets you check in and allocates you a seat 30 days before you fly, free. You’ll have to pay if you want a specific seat, but the earlier you check in, the more likely it is that you get allocated a better seat.

“If you don’t want to take the risk and would prefer to reserve a seat when you book, Easyjet charges “from 99p” for a basic seat on a short flight. We’ve seen it cost up to £39.99 to stretch out in the front row on a longer trip (for a list of costs, see Easyjet’s fees and charges).”

Whether you’re paying for a seat or using the free check-in 30 days before, passengers are urged not to leave it to the last minute. By then, many seats may already be taken, increasing the chances you’ll end up separated from your family, partner or friends.

MSE concludes: “The best bet is to check in online (and secure your seats) as early as possible.”

For a full list of easyJet tips and tricks, visit the MSE blog here.

Fred. Olsen has launched the special offer on selected fly cruises visiting Spain, Greece, Italy, the Canary Islands and more this autumn and winter

Summer holiday season is well under way – and for those returning from abroad already dreaming of their next trip, there’s the option to book a getaway in autumn and winter when there are fewer crowds. For travellers looking to visit multiple destinations without the fuss of several bookings, a cruise is a top option with a number of money-saving deals now on offer.

Fred. Olsen has launched offers on selected fly cruises, offering holidaymakers the chance to skip the sea days and discover their destination sooner with flights from London or Manchester. Whether jet-setters want to soak up the sunshine in the Canary Islands or explore the picturesque coastlines of the Mediterranean, there’s plenty of options for swapping out the chilly UK weather for somewhere warmer.

The popular cruise line, favoured for its smaller ships which mean the fleet can visit ports that bigger cruise liners can’t reach, is offering passengers £150 on board credit per cabin to spend on selected fly cruises this year. This offer ends on September 30 and is in addition to half price flight offers on some trips – terms and conditions can be found here.

READ MORE:

The first cruise to be included in the offer is the Wonders of the Mediterranean holiday, a 21-night exploration of iconic landmarks and lesser-known ports starting from Limassol, Cyprus on November 9. Priced from £3,099 per person, the next stop after Cyprus is Alexandria in Egypt, followed by Marmaris and Istanbul in Turkey, then visits to Greece, Malta, Italy, Spain, Gibraltar, Morocco, and finally Tenerife.

Also in the £150 credit deal is the Mediterranean Icons voyage from £4,299 per person, offering the chance for UK holidaymakers to escape the dreary winter weather for a whole month by setting sail on November 9 for a 31-night adventure. Also beginning in Limassol, this cruise adds an extra 10 nights on to the aforementioned Wonders of the Mediterranean trip, following the stop in Tenerife with visits to Las Palmas and Lanzarote in the Canary Islands, then Funchal, Lisbon and Matosinhos in Portugal.

Book a Fred. Olsen fly cruise

From,£1,329pp

Fred. Olsen

See the deals

Fred. Olsen is offering holidaymakers up to £150 credit per cabin to spend on board selected fly cruises in 2026.

Alternatively, holidaymakers can opt to go Country-Hopping from Greece to Tenerife, and take advantage of half price flights as well as the £150 to spend on board. Beginning in Piraeus, Greece and priced from £1,499 per person, this 11-night cruise sails on November 19 to stop off in Malta, Italy, Spain, Gibraltar and Morocco, before finishing in the Canary Islands at Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

Another winter sun option is the Mediterranean & Canary Islands Warmth trip, which is on offer with a half price flight at the start of the cruise as well as the £150 credit. Also starting in Piraeus, Greece on November 19 before embarking on a 21-night adventure around the Mediterranean via Malta, Italy, Spain, Gibraltar and Morocco, followed by stop-offs across the Canary Islands in Tenerife, Las Palmas and Lanzarote, before finishing in Portugal, this cruise is priced from £2,399 per person.

Rounding off the year is the Canaries Escape with the Fleet Fiesta, which also has a half price flight deal at the start of the cruise on top of the £150 per cabin spend. Priced from £1,329 per person and beginning in Santa Cruz de Tenerife on November 30 before embarking on a 10-night tour of the Canary Islands and Portugal, this holiday is centred around the festivities that come with the reunion of the Fred. Olsen fleet in Las Palmas.

For more last-minute fly cruise deals, TUI’s Marella Cruises is also offering trips with flights included in their price as a budget-friendly family option. Among the cheapest options are the Highlights of the Mediterranean cruise beginning from Majorca and stopping off across Corsica, Italy and Spain, which is on offer for £985 per person, and the Grecian Discovery holiday sailing from Cyprus to mainland Greece, Santorini, Turkey and Crete, now priced from £994 per person.

Meanwhile, Ambassador Cruise Line also has special offers on selected Caribbean fly cruises sailing this year. For those who can’t wait to get away, the earliest departure date is on the Atlantic Horizons and Caribbean Discovery cruise, which is priced from £1,499 per person with the option to get 50% off flight upgrades and free coach transport.

Back at Fred. Olsen, holidaymakers who want to plan ahead for next year can also choose from more than 20 fly cruises scheduled for 2027. The shortest option is the Scenic Greek Island Hopping trip from £1,349pp, while the longest is the Scenic Shores & Ancient Wonders of the Mediterranean from £3,899pp which lasts a whopping 33 nights.

Fred. Olsen has earned a rating of 4.6 out of five stars on Trustpilot based on more than 15,000 reviews. One of the newest reviews reads: “Fantastic suite with extras included. Great, friendly and efficient staff. Many varied activities available. Food was exceptional. Boat size was enough and the atmosphere was lovely and friendly.”

Another passenger fed back recently: “Cabin was spacious with plenty of storage. All the staff were superb and went the extra mile to look after everyone. Food was exceptional everywhere on the ship. It never felt crowded as everyone was doing their own thing all over in the numerous areas to relax. Our first cruise and no doubt we will do it again.”

And a third echoed: “Probably the cleanest ship we’ve ever been on! Staff were excellent with a good variety of food. Definitely will return!”

Regarding fly cruises, some customers felt that the schedule had room for improvement, with one writing: “Sadly the Fred. Olsen pre arranged flight back to the UK was too late in the day. It should have been arranged for early afternoon, which would have allowed us to arrive in Manchester by 6pm rather than 10pm.”

While a different reviewer suggested: “For guests joining the ship at various locations along the way a morning flight would be better, this would enable guests to settle in before evening meal and be refreshed for any excursions they have booked the following day.”

President Trump secretly flew out of last month’s NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, on an alternate military aircraft while the White House made it appear that the president was flying on Air Force One, the Washington Post reported.

The Post said Monday that the operation was prompted by an Iranian assassination threat against Trump. The ruse was carried out as journalists and some White House staff members were led to believe they were on the same plane as the president as he began his journey back to Washington from the annual gathering of leaders of North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries.

The Post cited material reviewed by the newspaper, a U.S. official familiar with the operation and another person with knowledge of the president’s travel. The Associated Press has not independently confirmed the report.

Trump had flown to the summit in a new Qatari-gifted and retrofitted red, white and navy blue jet. But ahead of departing Turkey, he said he would fly partway home on an older-model baby blue Air Force One plane instead.

The president at the time said the new luxury jet was being flown out ahead of his departure from Ankara to give some U.S. troops based in eastern England a chance to check out the new Air Force One.

In Ankara, Trump boarded the old Air Force One jumbo jet in view of television cameras ahead of the plane flying to Royal Air Force Mildenhall in the United Kingdom.

However, according to the Post report, after boarding the legacy Air Force One jet, he was secretly shuttled minutes later to a smaller plane — an Air Force C-32A — via an airport catering truck typically used to load meals and other supplies. Trump flew to Mildenhall on that smaller jet.

The White House did not respond directly to questions about the Post report of the secret operation to whisk Trump out of the country on a third aircraft, or the reported elaborate ruse to make it appear he was on the baby blue Air Force One jet flying to Mildenhall.

“As the President has said recently, there are many enemies of America who have their sights on him, and we use every tool at our disposal to address those threats,” White House communications director Steven Cheung said in a statement.

The U.S. Secret Service declined to comment. The Air Force, which maintains the fleet of executive travel aircraft, referred questions to the White House.

While Trump was in Turkey, the U.S. military conducted a series of large strikes in Iran in retaliation for its attacks on merchant shipping in the region.

The New York Times and CBS News reported last month that intelligence officials had raised concerns about a potential attack on the president or his jet, triggering additional precautions and the decision not to use the newly inaugurated aircraft gifted to Trump by Qatar for the first leg of Trump’s trip home from Ankara.

The swap had spurred questions about the security of the Qatar-provided aircraft, and Trump said last month after the trip that it would undergo additional upgrades.

Cheung on Monday maintained that the new, Qatari-gifted plane was “a state-of-the-art aircraft that has been fitted with high-level security protocols that ensure the safety of the President and his staff.”

The new Post report on clandestinely putting Trump on a third aircraft and quietly whisking him out of the country adds a fresh layer to just how seriously concerned U.S. security officials were about the threat against Trump during the ongoing war with Iran.

Paul Eckloff, a former special agent with the Secret Service, said such an unusual move could either reflect actionable intelligence or an abundance of caution given volatility in the region with the wars in Iran and Ukraine.

“I would not say unprecedented, but it is an unusual occurrence,” Eckloff told the Associated Press.

The Post reported that to exit that plane without being seen by those uninvolved in the operation, Trump and several aides stepped aboard an airport catering truck, which was elevated planeside using hydraulics and positioned at a door on the opposite side of Air Force One’s entrance.

The small group of reporters who thought they were traveling with Trump were advised to lower their window shades ahead of takeoff.

After arriving at Mildenhall, news photographers captured images of Trump getting off the presidential plane — suggesting he reboarded Air Force One out of sight of the pack of journalists who thought they were traveling with him.

Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal called for a congressional briefing on what happened.

“It is unprecedented and it is surreal,” he said Monday on CNN, calling the incident “downright scary.”

After the brief visit to the base at Mildenhall, Trump boarded the new Air Force One aircraft to fly the rest of the way to Washington.

During a gaggle with reporters aboard the aircraft, Trump was asked directly if there were any credible threats against Air Force One by Iran.

“Well, I have a threat all the time. I’m No. 1 on their list before you,” Trump said. He added to the traveling reporters, “But if I go, you go.”

Associated Press writers Josh Boak, Aamer Madhani and Konstantin Toropin contributed to this report.

He said anyone who will be sitting in a plane for hours should take precautions

Dr Amir Khan has urged all Brits who are about to jet off on their summer holidays to follow his advice. It revolves around how to stay healthy when on a plane, and specifically how to avoid blood clots.

The NHS warns that anyone for travelling for four hours or more – whether that is by air, car, bus, or train – is at risk of blood clots forming. Also known as deep vein thrombosis (DVT), it happens when blood flow slows down, a blood vessel gets hurt, or your blood clots too easily.

The danger comes when a DVT breaks off and becomes lodged in your lungs, causing a blockage. This is known as a pulmonary embolism (PE), and it can be fatal.

But there are things you can do to mitigate the risk, as Dr Khan explained to co-host Cherry Healey on the No Appointment Necessary podcast. He said: “People worry about blood clots on flights, right? So you want to reduce your risk of that happening.

“Every one to two hours you should be getting up or having a little wander up and down the plane, or doing your calf movements where you’re stepping up and down on the seat—you know, while you’re sitting down. The one thing you don’t need, some people go, ‘Oh, I’m going to have some aspirin before I fly because it’ll reduce my (risk of DVT)’.

“There is no evidence it reduces your risk of a blood clot, but there is plenty of evidence it increases your risk of bleeding. So do not take aspirin if it’s not prescribed for you or not recommended to you. Don’t take it as a ‘just in case I get a blood clot’ kind of medication. It doesn’t do that.

“And then, the other big thing, what blood loves is lots of volume and fluid, so drink water. Drink lots of water on that flight.”

DVT and PE explained

According to the NHS, symptoms of DVT (deep vein thrombosis) in the leg include:

• throbbing pain in 1 leg (rarely both legs), usually in the calf or thigh
• swelling in 1 leg (rarely both legs)
• red, blue or darkened skin around the painful area – this may be harder to see on brown or black skin
• swollen veins

Many people associate DVT symptoms showing only in your legs, but they can also happen in your arm depending on where the clot is. “Sometimes the only symptom you may have is pain in your lower tummy. This is a symptom of pelvic vein thrombosis, but this is rare,” it continues.

Anyone with suspected DVT should ask for an urgent GP appointment or ring 111. If you’re pregnant you can also call an early pregnancy unit (if you’re less than 20 weeks) or your maternity unit, if you have the phone number.

You should go to A&E or call 999 if you have DVT symptoms and feel shortness of breath and/or have chest pain. You should not drive yourself.

Symptoms of a pulmonary embolism include:

• difficulty breathing that comes on suddenly
• chest pain that’s worse when you breathe in
• coughing up blood

You should go to A&E or call 999 if:

• you have severe difficulty breathing
• you feel pain in your chest or upper back
• your heart is beating very fast
• someone has passed out

Treatment

Often, people who may have DVT or PE are given an injection of anticoagulant to stop the clot becoming larger and prevent any new clots forming.

If tests confirm you have a pulmonary embolism, you will continue with anticoagulant injections for at least five days. You will also need to take anticoagulant tablets for at least three months. Treatment and recovery is normally successful, provided DVY and PE are spotted and treated early on.

To prevent it, the NHS urges people to wear loose-fitting clothing, sit comfortably with plenty of leg room, and drink lots of water. People should also stand up regularly, move your feet and toes regularly, wear flight socks, and press the balls of your feet down hard against the floor every so often.

Other threats to health

Dr Khan also issued another warning. He said that, due to the large numbers of people flying and the places planes go, there was the risk of lots of harmful bacteria on a plane.

He urged people to take appropriate steps to minimise the risk of catching a bug on a plane. He said: “When people are on planes, A) they might have been travelling from somewhere where bacteria that you’re not used to are, but B) not everybody washes their hands when they go to the toilet, and we know this, and it’s gross.

“And so they’ll be touching all the things that, you know, that little twisty thing for your tray table and all of that stuff. And if you’re touching it and then you’re eating something—which is usually why you put the table down, right?—then you could get the bacteria introduced. So I would say, yes, hand sanitiser, and do have a little alcohol wipe down.”

Aug. 3 (UPI) — After years of delays, the Federal Aviation Administration has certified the Boeing 737 Max 7, the smallest model in that line, to fly passengers.

The FAA delayed the certification for reasons including the redesign of an engine anti-icing system and other safety and manufacturing issues. In addition, there was increased inspection after Max 8 models, which had already been certified, crashed in 2018 and 2019.

“The approval reflects years of sustained work to resolve complex technical issues and complete a thorough review of the airplane’s design and supporting safety analyses,” the FAA said in a statement.

“Throughout the process, the FAA performed or directly reviewed significant work involving flight controls, system safety assessments, human factors, flight-crew alerting and other novel, complex or safety-critical areas, while also requiring testing, design changes, and additional analysis when necessary.”

Airlines will now need to work the planes into schedules, so it may take a while before passengers see them. They had originally expected to have the Max 7 models flying before the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This important certification validates the rigor of our airplane’s design and recognizes the determination and resilience of our 737 MAX development team,” said Stephanie Pope, Boeing Commercial Airplanes president and CEO, in a statement Monday.

Boeing’s stock rose about 8% in Monday afternoon trading following the news.

The company is still waiting on certification of the 737 Max 10 model, the largest in the line, which has also been delayed for years.

In mid-July, the FAA resumed allowing Boeing to issue airworthiness certificates for its 737 Max aircraft and 787 Dreamliners. The manufacturer lost that authority after the Max 8 crashes, which killed more than 300 people. It has since escalated production of those airplanes.

The U.S. Air Force says a prototype jet engine developed under the Next Generation Adaptive Propulsion (NGAP) program could be ready for integration onto an actual aircraft in 2030. The fruits of NGAP have long been expected to power the new F-47 fighter, and potentially other aircraft. The schedule here, however, raises the question of what engine will be used on the F-47, at least to start with, as that jet is expected to fly for the first time in 2028. Depending on how long full development lasts, the first operational F-47s might use different engines than the ones the design is ultimately expected to receive to unlock its full potential.

John Sneden, the Portfolio Acquisition Executive in charge of the Propulsion Directorate at the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC), recently shared new details about the NGAP effort. Sneden provided the update on the next-generation engine program at the Life Cycle Industry Days conference in Dayton, Ohio, which opened yesterday. Dayton is home to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, which is where the AFLCMC is headquartered.

The Air Force is “get[ting] ready for potential [NGAP] integration activities in the 2030 timeframe,” Sneden said, according to a report today from Breaking Defense. “What we’re doing right now is we’re building our system today, and we’re getting ready for the future.”

This is in line with the Air Force’s 2027 Fiscal year budget proposal, released earlier this year, which says NGAP’s “Prototype Fabrication & Engine Assessment” phase will run through at least September 2031. The budget documents also show a planned surge in NGAP spending over the next three years or so. The Air Force is asking for nearly $513.7 million for the program in the upcoming fiscal cycle, and then expects to request $905.7 million and $865 million in Fiscal Years 2028 and 2029, respectively. Projected annual funding then drops into the roughly $300 million range in Fiscal Years 2030 and 2031, which is as far out as the currently available outlay extends.

What is reflected in the budget outlay “is really about building engines, testing engines, and then we’ll be rolling through that competitively over the next few years,” Sneden said at the conference in Dayton, according to another report from Air & Space Forces Magazine.

“The Air Force is still evaluating its options,” Sneden added, per Breaking Defense, when asked about what aircraft might fly first with an NGAP engine. The F-47 “could” be one option, but the advanced nature of the technology might “open up” the door to other possibilities, he noted. The F-47 program is highly classified, which also limits what can be said about the jets and their expected capabilities, in general.

When it comes to where NGAP stands now, “initial hardware is procured, their design meets our standards, everything is clean from that end, and both vendors have been able to do that,” Sneden said, per Air & Space Forces Magazine.

The two vendors in question are General Electric and Pratt & Whitney, the latter of which is a subsidiary of Raytheon (now formally called RTX). Both firms announced they had completed assembly readiness reviews of their respective designs, known as the XA102 and XA103, in May. The two companies have already been working for years on their competing prototypes. Last year, they both saw the cost ceilings on their existing NGAP contracts rise to $3.5 billion. Those deals cover work through 2032.

NGAP has also been leveraging work done under an earlier Air Force effort called the Adaptive Engine Transition Program (AETP), which both General Electric and Pratt & Whitney also participated in. In 2023, the service canceled AETP, which was exploring options for a new engine for variants of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). Upgrades for the existing Pratt & Whitney F135 engine, which currently powers all versions of the F-35, are now in the works instead.

More specific details about the XA102 and XA103 continue to be limited, but both are known to be so-called adaptive cycle designs. In very broad terms, jet engines of this kind can perform like a turbofan when optimal and more like a turbojet when needed. This offers benefits in terms of fuel economy and power in the same engine. Being able to conserve fuel while transiting to and from an operating area would help extend range and increase loiter time. This could also help reduce demands on already strained tanker fleets and offer more general cost benefits.

P&W XA103

To provide some additional context, General Electric has said in the past that the XA100 design it developed for AETP was around 25 percent more efficient than the F135. It was also said to offer between 10 and 20 percent more thrust than the Pratt & Whitney engine in certain flight profiles.

GE’s XA100 Adaptive Cycle Engine

This is all seen as especially valuable for traditionally fuel-hungry tactical jets like the F-47. Extended range and loiter time, and reduced need for tankers, would also be of particular utility in any future high-end fight against China across the broad expanses of the Pacific. TWZ touched on all of this in our recent detailed feature on what is currently known (and unknown) about the F-47’s design, which you can find here.

As already mentioned, a big question now is what engines will be used on the F-47, at least to begin with. The Air Force has consistently said that it is targeting a first flight for the F-47 in 2028. Sneden, head of the Propulsion Directorate, has now said that the service is not expecting to have an NGAP engine ready for integration until 2030.

Air & Space Forces Magazine reported that Air Force Col. Timothy Helfrich, the Portfolio Acquisition Executive for Fighters and Advanced Aircraft, declined to speak to F-47 propulsion plans when asked separately at the conference in Dayton.

It is not entirely uncommon for new aircraft prototypes to use a different engine from the one planned for production examples. As one example, Lockheed’s Cold War-era F-104 Starfighter was developed around the General Electric J79 turbojet, but that engine was not ready for the start of flight testing. So early XF-104 prototypes used older and less powerful Wright J65 turbojets instead.

In some cases, the initial production batches of aircraft have even entered operational service with different engines than were originally expected due to various factors. Spiral developments can include new engines regardless of what the original might have been, too. For instance, Northrop Grumman originally planned to use Pratt & Whitney F401 turbofans on the F-14 Tomcat, but that engine program was cancelled. Pratt & Whitney TF30 turbofans were used instead on early F-14As. However, problems and limitations surrounding those engines led to General Electric F110 turbofans being integrated onto later examples of the Tomcat.

Similar spiral engine developments for combat aircraft have been seen outside the United States, too, including with China’s J-20 and Russia’s Su-57.

For the F-47, there are certainly existing in-production designs with relevant performance, such as the F135 and F100 from Pratt & Whitney, and the General Electric F110, which are used on various tactical jets today. Another possibility might be to use an otherwise available design like Pratt & Whitney’s F119 (currently only found on the F-22 Raptor), at least for initial flight testing. The F135 is based on the F119, but the latter is optimized for higher performance, including operations at higher altitudes and cruising at supersonic speeds (supercruise). The F119 is also out of production, at least as far as we know.

Pratt & Whitney F135 Overview

At the same time, the F-47 is a highly optimized and integrated platform with range and performance targets being key aspects of the design. The jet will likely have to be capable of supercruise and be able to fly at very high altitudes, pointing to a need for an F119-like or similar design.

The physical trade space on the F-47 allotted for any engine, as well as the fuel system, and any other associated components, will be largely static. There will be cooling and accessory power demands to factor in. There is then the matter of the jet’s intakes to consider, which is a critical aspect to consider for safe and reliable engine function. They also have to be optimized for the chosen engine and its airflow demands throughout the expected flight envelope. Furthermore, historically, stealthy inlets have been especially complicated to design in a way that blends seamlessly with the rest of the planform while still providing sufficient airflow.

Planning for a redesign of the F-47’s airframe down the line to accommodate an NGAP engine might well be a non-starter. The cost and complexity of integrating an AETP engine into the F-35, which might not have been feasible at all for the F-35B variant with its unique design constraints, directly factored into the cancellation of that program.

Again, this all depends on the F-47’s core design and to what degree the ability to accommodate new engines down the line has already been baked in.

It is worth noting here that some existing type or types of engine have already been powering the flying demonstrators that helped give birth to the F-47. New engine types that have yet to be disclosed might have been used on those aircraft, though it seems less likely to have two similar programs unless there were very special requirements that we do not yet know about. Regardless, how reflective any of those designs might be of the expected production configuration of the F-47 is unclear.

The initial batch of production F-47s could enter operational service with a different engine than what is expected to be integrated onto future versions, if this is not already the plan. The Air Force has said it is hoping to start fielding these jets in the early 2030s. There have also been reports that the service might not reach a real operational capability with the type until the middle of the next decade.

As an aside, having multiple true alternative engine options for a single aircraft can also help guard against disruptions in the supply of one particular type across the life of the program. The decision to axe procurement of the General Electric/Rolls-Royce F136 as an alternative for the F-35 family, ostensibly as a cost-cutting measure, was notably controversial at the time. It has since come to be seen as somewhat short-sighted given issues with F135 production.

The F-47 is not the only potential application for NGAP engines or technology derived from them, either. In particular, whatever sixth-generation fighter design the U.S. Navy ultimately selects as the winner of its F/A-XX competition would also benefit from next-generation adaptive cycle propulsion. The Air Force also talked in the past about advances from the preceding AETP effort filtering down to its F-15, F-16, and F-22 fleets, as well as the F-35.

“We built NGAP as essentially an agnostic system,” Sneden said in Dayton, according to Air & Space Forces Magazine. “It was, build the system first, open up options for the future, and then when those options come to the forefront, we’ll be able to take advantage of it. You have to lean into propulsion technology first.”

“Not everything has to have an adaptive fan,” he added per that same outlet. “So we can actually take that backwards as well and incorporate it in some of our legacy platforms. So there is a great utilization for this type of tech.”

The Air Force is clearly very committed to NGAP, as underscored by the planning and budgeting around the program in the coming years. From what the service has disclosed to date, the work done already has been very fruitful and is now on track to result in at least one design being ready for flight testing in the next four years.

At the same time, the Air Force seems confident that an NGAP engine will not be available for integration before the F-47 is expected to make its maiden flight. There is also immense pressure to get the F-47 into service on an accelerated timetable, and for Boeing then to meet key milestones.

If the schedules hold for the two programs, this means that another propulsion option will have to be used on the F-47 at the start, no matter what happens with either program further down the line.

Contact the author: joe@twz.com

THE UK’s aviation watchdog has issued a new travel warning as thousands of families will jet off on their summer holidays this week.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has updated its travel warnings about common packing items that could delay your travels – or even see them cancelled.

The CAA has warned that incidents involving lithium batteries are on the rise – so it’s important to pack certain gadgets correctly.

It’s well-known now that items like vapes and power banks have to go in hand luggage, but lots of other ones fall under the same category.

The CAA has named another eight items that you may not have realised are powered by lithium batteries.

These are:

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• Bluetooth speakers
• Electric fans
• Fitness and smartwatches
• Digital cameras
• Wireless headphones
• Tablets
• E-readers
• Laptops

All of these items should be taken onboard as hand luggage.

This is so that if an incident occurs – like a power bank overheating – the cabin crew can react quickly.

The CAA said that on average, passengers carry four lithium battery devices each which works out as four million gadgets taking to the skies every day.

If any are packed incorrectly, it increases the likelihood of delays and or cancellations to flights.

For example back in May, an easyJet flight was forced to divert when a passenger informed crew during the flight that the portable charger was in the hold of the aircraft.

The flight had been heading to London Luton from Hurghada in Egypt but had to land in Rome as a ‘precaution’.

In another case, a Hong Kong Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing after a fire broke out in one of the overhead bins.

Passengers suspected a power bank was behind the cause of the blaze, according to local media.

Giuseppe Capanna, product safety engineer at Electrical Safety First, had some further advice: “Before you head to the airport, give your devices a quick once-over. If a battery is bulging, swelling, changing shape, overheating or showing any other signs of damage, don’t take the risk.

“Instead, safely dispose of it as soon as possible at a local recycling centre with dedicated facilities for electronics and batteries and never put it in your general waste.

“Battery safety starts before you even step foot on an aircraft, starting with where you shop.

“When shopping for your summer getaway, the best way to protect yourself and those around you is to stick to a reputable high street retailer you know and trust to ensure your power bank or any other lithium-ion battery product you’re taking away with you is safe.”

Airlines have been cracking down on the use of power banks onboard this year, after one caught fire on an Air Busan flight in South Korea.

While passengers managed to evacuate, the plane was decommissioned due to the damage

Check out ALL the new rules you need to know before travelling this summer – including power banks.

An airport has revealed an easy trick for a shorter wait at airport security

Holidaymakers can cut down the time they spend waiting at airport security using a little-known trick. The travel hack was shared by Manchester Airport, and it could be perfect for families ahead of the busy summer holidays.

According to Manchester Airport, there’s an easy way to reduce your queue time if you’re allowed to choose which lane to wait in. Posting tips for passengers online, the travel hub shared an ‘Ultimate Airport Guide’ on its website. There are various tips, covering everything from the best shoes to wear and how to decorate suitcases for maximum visibility.

In the ‘at the airport’ section of the guide, there’s a hack that could help passengers fly through security using ‘reverse psychology.’ Manchester Airport said: “If given the choice of security lanes, pick the left. Most passengers are right handed and will subconsciously prefer the right, making the left a little quieter.”

The airport added that customers can also pay to upgrade to FastTrack for a faster experience. “For just a few pounds, you can purchase FastTrack tickets to use the priority lane and avoid the queues before Security on your way out and Passport Control on your way in.” Many airports offer a similar experience, allowing passengers to pay to use FastTrack.

Elsewhere, London Stansted Airport offers the same security advice for passengers. The airport retierates: “If given the choice of security lanes, pick the left.”

The tip could be especially helpful when many passengers are travelling at the same time, such as during the school summer holidays. However, it’s worth noting that passengers don’t always get to choose their lane.

Nonetheless, they can help speed up the process by avoiding accessories that are difficult to remove. This makes the process faster for everyone.

Offering advice online, London Stansted Airport said: “To prepare your outfit for security, wear shoes that you can take off and put on easily. Avoid fiddley belts or fastenings in your clothes and excess jewellery. Try and keep your pockets empty of non-essentials.”

Despite this, passengers might still want to pack a few layers for later in their journey. The airport recommends packing items such as jumpers, which are easy to take on and off when the temperature changes.

The travel advice said: “Temperatures aboard flights can vary so wearing a few removable layers is advised. An extra jumper can always be used as a pillow if nothing else.”

NASA-affiliated aircraft, including F-5 Tiger IIs jets, will kick off roughly seven hours of flyovers above Washington, D.C., to mark the Fourth of July. Today, NASA also officially unveiled an F-15D Eagle and an F/A-18B Hornet jet wearing new star-spangled paint schemes as part of larger celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of the United States. The aerial showcase over the nation’s capital tomorrow will also see wave after wave of fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters from across the U.S. military, as well as foreign air forces. It is set to be an unprecedented aerial review, unlike anything seen in recent decades.

A full flyover schedule is available on the website of the Freedom 250 organization, the primary organizer of various 250th anniversary celebrations. A more truncated flyover program has already come and gone today. The full aerial review is set to start tomorrow at 1:14 PM ET with a “NASA F-5 Flyover,” followed immediately by a “NASA Fleet Review.”

The NASA “Freedom 250” F-5 team consists of four privately owned aircraft, including one that belongs to its current administrator, Jared Isaacman. They have already been taking part in various airshows and other events since April. Three of the F-5s, wearing their special 250th anniversary schemes, touched down at Andrews Air Force Base just outside of Washington, D.C., on June 30.

As noted, NASA has also now unveiled the F-15D and F/A-18B with their special 250th anniversary liveries, as seen at the top of this story and below. Those jets could be part of the larger NASA Fleet Review.

Spotters in Spokane, Washington, had first caught sight of these jets yesterday. Based on the assignment of its civilian N-number registration code in May of this year, the F-15D appears to be one of two ex-Oregon Air National Guard jets that NASA acquired in January.

What other NASA aircraft might make an appearance is unclear. Last week, NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, did share pictures of T-38, WB-57F, and Gulfstream V aircraft with Freedom 250 emblems painted on their fuselages, but it is unknown whether they will be part of the Fourth of July event.

NASA’s fleets do include a broad selection of other aircraft, including other Gulfstream business jet models and a variant of the U-2 spy plane called the ER-2. Earlier this year, NASA also took delivery of a new Boeing 777. Whether any of its experimental X-planes, such as the highly unusual-looking X-59 Quiet Supersonic Technology test aircraft that may help pave the way for a new era of commercial supersonic flight, might join the flyovers remains to be seen.

U.S. Coast Guard helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft will follow the NASA flyovers, per the Freedom 250 website, but no specific aircraft types are mentioned. Today, the Coast Guard operates a mix of MH-65 Dolphin and MH-60T helicopters, as well as HC-130J, C-27J, HC-144, C-37, and now C-39 fixed-wing aircraft. C-39 is the designation given to new Gulfstream 700 VIP jets, the first of which was delivered in January. The Coast Guard is in the process of acquiring a second one of these aircraft, which will supplement, if not eventually supplant, its C-37s, which are based on older Gulfstream types, as you can read more about here.

The U.S. Army’s Golden Knights and the U.S. Navy’s Leap Frogs, both of which are parachute demonstration teams, are set to follow the Coast Guard portion of the aerial review. Whether they will jump from different aircraft or the same one, and what type of aircraft will be utilized, are unknown. The Army has aircraft dedicated to supporting the Golden Knights, including Dash-8-based C-147As and UV-18C Twin Otters.

2026 B-Roll Package

Leap Frogs 2021

The parachute demonstrations are to be followed by a review of Army helicopters, which could include a mixture of AH-64 Apache, UH-60 Black Hawk, CH-47 Chinook, and UH-72 Lakota types. Special Operations MH-60Ms, MH-47Gs, and AH/MH-6 Little Birds from the famed 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, the “Nightstalkers,” might also take part. The Army also has several VH-60 Black Hawks specially configured for VIP transport missions, known as “gold tops” because of their distinctive black-and-gold paint jobs, based in the broader Washington, D.C. area, that could be included in the flovers.

Waves of U.S. Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy aircraft – in that order – will come after the Army helicopters pass by.

The Air Force’s three waves are broken down into “heavies,” aircraft from Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), and fighters. We know from the schedule that a “Tri-Bomber Formation” made up of a B-2, B-1, and B-52 will come later in the day, but the “heavies” mentioned here also sound likely to include a mix of cargo aircraft and aerial refueling tankers. Executive transport types might also make an appearance at this point in the festivities. The new VC-25B “Bridge” aircraft, which made its maiden flight in the Air Force One role this week in taking President Donald Trump on a trip to North Dakota, is explicitly set to be part of the larger aerial review.

The main components of AFSOC’s fleets today are AC-130J Ghostrider gunships, MC-130J Commando II special operations tanker transports, CV-22 Osprey tiltrotors, and new OA-1K Skyraider II light attack planes. We may well see examples of all of the Air Force’s current tactical jet fleets – F-22 Raptors, F-35A Joint Strike Fighters, F-15E Strike Eagles, F-15EX Eagle IIs, F-16C/D Vipers, and A-10 Warthogs – in the “fighter” wave.

An “Executive Rotary Wing Airlift” flyover will come in between the Air Force and Marine Corps waves. The Marines are the most prominent operators of aircraft in this category, being responsible for the VH-92, VH-60, and VH-3 presidential helicopters, also commonly known as Marine Ones, as well as a fleet of MV-22 Ospreys used for executive airlift missions. The Army’s aforementioned “gold top” Black Hawks, as well as the Air Force’s UH-1N Twin Hueys based at Andrews Air Force Base, are in this “executive” category, as well.

The waves of other Marine and then Navy rotary wing and fixed-wing aircraft will follow. As with the Air Force waves, it seems likely that we will see a broad swath of types that these services currently fly. On the fixed wing side, this could include F-35B and C Joint Strike Fighters, F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, EA-18G Growlers, F/A-18C/D Legacy Hornets, and KC-130J Hercules tanker-transports. On the rotary-wing front, there are MV-22 and CMV-22 Osprey tiltrotors, as well as its AH-1Z Viper, UH-1Y Venom, CH-53E Super Stallion, CH-53K King Stallion, and MH-60R/S Seahawk helicopters.

It should be noted here that there are heavy restrictions on how and when uncrewed aircraft, even ones belonging to the U.S. military, can fly within the U.S. national airspace. This makes it very unlikely that drones from any of the services will be part of the aerial procession.

Flights by the Navy’s Blue Angels and its separate Super Hornet demonstration team, as well as the Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey demonstration team, are next in the program. The Blue Angels have various signature maneuvers, some of which they might be able to incorporate into their flyover.

Blue Angels Air Show 2026

Per the Freedom 250 website, the Navy and Marine Corps demonstration teams will be followed by another review of Air Force fighters, then the Tri-Bomber formation mentioned before. The Navy’s F-35C demonstration team will go next, and then the Air Force’s Thunderbirds.

Like the Blue Angels, the Thunderbirds have several signature maneuvers, and a “Delta Break” (more commonly referred to as a “Delta Burst”) is explicitly on the schedule. This entails the Thunderbirds’ F-16s flying in a delta formation before breaking outward, giving the appearance of a starburst in the sky. Smoke trails from the jets during the maneuver, adding to the effect, as seen in the video below.

USAF Thunderbirds “Delta Burst”

An “Air Force One Flyover” is sandwiched between the Thunderbirds’ initial flyby and the Delta Burst per the schedule on the Freedom 250 website. Whether this will feature anything besides the new VC-25B “Bridge” aircraft remains to be seen. That plane is set to lead a “HUGE 1” flyover, the composition of which is unclear.

A “U.S. Stealth Airpower Flyover,” which would include the B-2, F-22, and F-35, comes next in the program. The F-22 Raptor demonstration team has its own specific slot in the schedule, capped off with a flyby in afterburner. The sun will still be setting at 7:53 PM ET when it is set to occur, but the visual should still be impressive. There will also be a B-1 bomber flyover with the afterburners at 8:07 PM ET.

The entire aerial review program ends with another “HUGE 1” flyover, a “Twilight Jump” by the Golden Knights, and then finally a “Night Pass” by the B-1 in afterburner at 10:36 PM ET, by which time the sun will have fully set for the day. A B-1 made a similar flight over Washington, D.C., as part of the UFC America 250 event at the White House back on June 14.

The roar of a B-1B Lancer assigned to the 7th Bomb Wing, Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, over Washington, D.C., tonight. 🇺🇸

As America approaches its #Freedom250 anniversary, military flyovers remain a powerful tradition—honoring the past, celebrating the present and inspiring… pic.twitter.com/dyBPAA5A7y

— U.S. Air Force (@usairforce) June 15, 2026

There has been and continues to be much speculation about potential surprise appearances during the hours-long procession of U.S. military aircraft. The Air Force insists that the new B-21 Raider will not make an appearance. We also asked about whether a drone commonly and unofficially known as the “RQ-180,” or any of the demonstrators used in the Next Generation Air Domain (NGAD) program that birthed the F-47 sixth-generation fighter, might take part. We were flatly told no in response.

There is also set to be at least some degree of participation by foreign air forces, none of which is explicitly mentioned in the schedule on the Freedom 250 website.

“The national aerobatic display team of the United Arab Emirates, ‘Al Fursan,’ has arrived in the United States of America to take part in the celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of the independence of the United States of America,” the UAE’s Ministry of Defense notably wrote in an official post on X this morning, per a machine translation of the original Arabic. “The team will join the official air show on July 4th, flying side by side with the Blue Angels team and squadrons of the U.S. Air Force, in an extraordinary scene that embodies the depth of bilateral relations between the United Arab Emirates and the United States of America, while reflecting the shared values and enduring partnership that unite the two nations.”

This is especially notable given that the Al Fursan team currently flies Chinese Hongdu L-15 jet trainers, as seen in the video below. This looks to be the debut appearance of any Chinese-made military aircraft in the United States.

وصول فريق الاستعراضات الجوية “فرسان الإمارات” إلى الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية للمشاركة في احتفالات ذكرى الاستقلال الـ250

وصول فريق الاستعراضات الجوية الوطني لدولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة “فرسان الإمارات” إلى الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية، للمشاركة في احتفالات الذكرى الـ250… pic.twitter.com/x0o3YQcdVH

— وزارة الدفاع |MOD UAE (@modgovae) July 3, 2026

The French Patrouille de France aerobatic team, which flies Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jets, has already flown over Washington, D.C., and New York City in the past two weeks as part of larger celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of the United States. The French have dubbed this the “Liberté 250” tour, which they say also celebrates their historic relationship with the United States since its founding.

Arlington. Mount Vernon. Washington.

Aujourd’hui, la mission #Liberté250 a rendu hommage à quelques-uns des lieux les plus emblématiques de la mémoire américaine.

Un parcours symbolique pour célébrer près de 250 ans d’amitié entre la France et les États-Unis. 🇫🇷🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/TKsVI7waqE

— Armée de l’Air et de l’Espace (@Armee_de_lair) June 22, 2026

As mentioned, tomorrow’s flyovers look set to be completely unlike anything seen in years. It will be a far larger gathering of aircraft than what was present at the parade marking the 250th Birthday of the U.S. Army last year. It will dwarf even what was put together to mark the Centennial of Naval Aviation in 2011.

Just from what’s on the public schedule, Washington, D.C., is set to see an unprecedented aerial extravaganza to mark this year’s Fourth of July.

Special thanks to Tom Riley for sharing his picture of the NASA F/A-18B and F-15D in Spokane with us.

Contact the author: joe@twz.com

DETROIT — Jerry Esters proudly displays the American flag each day on his Detroit home. A few miles away, Yvonne Pistochini says there is no scenario under which she would allow the Stars and Stripes to cast its shadow where she lives.

Both are Black.

For Esters, the flag represents the opportunities that allowed the great-great-grandson of slaves to find success and flourish. Pistochini, 79, simply says the America identified by the flag is not the same country she saw growing up.

Americans’ views of “Old Glory” are divided by politics, age and race, according to a new survey conducted by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research ahead of the nation’s 250th birthday celebration.

Republicans and older, white adults are especially likely to say they fly the American flag, while younger Democrats and Black adults are more likely to say they don’t fly it. Views of the flag — and whether it’s a unifying or divisive symbol — track with other deep divisions among Americans, who see their country’s history and accomplishments very differently.

“A lot of Black Americans see the flag as a symbol of both inclusion and exclusion,” said Matthew Delmont, professor of American history at Dartmouth College. “Black Americans, more so than white Americans, also understand the flag can be used to justify a version of patriotism that is rooted in exclusion, with the flag being used to say ‘you don’t belong here.’”

The survey of 2,596 adults was conducted April 16-20. It suggests that older white Americans, especially Republicans, are more likely to see the flag as unifying.

About half of U.S. adults said they display the flag at home throughout most of the year, or during holidays. About 7 in 10 Republicans and about 6 in 10 Americans ages 60 and older fly the flag at least during holidays.

About 6 in 10 Democrats and independents, on the other hand, say they “never” fly the U.S. flag. That includes the vast majority, 75%, of Democrats under 45.

Opportunities worth fighting for

Esters, a 64-year-old retired clay sculptor for a Detroit automaker, flies three American flags at his Sherwood Forest home on the city’s west side.

“When these homes were built, Black men like me, my mother and my family … we couldn’t even buy these homes,” he said. “To me, that’s one reason I fly the flag. We went through a lot to be able to own nice homes, and this is what we fought for.”

The other reason is Moriah Martin, Esters’ great-great-grandmother, who was born into slavery.

“I’m kind of living out her dreams — what I did for a living, having a business, having a nice home,” he said. “I think that’s the American way, but we got to fight for it and we, as Blacks, fought for it.”

He’s in the minority among Black adults, according to the survey, which found that only about 3 in 10 Black adults say they ever display the American flag, compared with about half of white and Hispanic adults.

Pistochini says current divisions over political leanings and perspectives, and inequality of opportunities for the poor and people of color are not what she believes the flag should stand for. People confuse flying it with being patriotic, she added.

“Just because you fly a flag doesn’t make you a patriot,” Pistochini said. “If there was patriotism, we would not have all this. We can’t look at (what’s going on) and say this is America.”

For country and freedom

Ben Gaskins, chair of political science at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon, says the flag is an important symbol of patriotism for many Americans.

“It is those who are older people, who are white and people who are more conservative,” Gaskins said. “They take it as more central to their identity.”

Nancy Hansen, a 73-year-old retired Customs and Border Protection clerk in Culvertson, Montana, believes “you have to be for the country, no matter what” and that the flag means “freedom.”

“Freedom to live where we want to live, travel where we want to travel, raise our kids where we want to raise our kids,” said Hansen, who is white and identifies as Republican.

Each year around July 4, the American Legion posts flags outside businesses and homes in Culvertson, including Hansen’s home.

Linda and Greg Cunningham also equate the flag with freedom.

The white, conservative Pontiac, Michigan, couple are going all out this summer. The exterior of their home northwest of Detroit is awash in red, white and blue. The flag sits atop a flagpole just feet from their door.

“It’s no political thing, at all,” said Linda Cunningham, 63. “It’s our freedom. I love the American flag. I love the whole concept of it. I love America. I know there’s so much going on in the world, right now, and I know everyone has their own views, and I’m just sad that politics have to be brought into the flag.”

Flag as a ‘painful reminder’

Of those who took the survey, 47% see the flag as a “more unifying” symbol. About 16% call it a “more divisive” icon, while 36% say it’s neither divisive nor unifying.

Only 22% of Black adults see the flag as a unifying symbol, compared with 55% of white adults and 42% of Hispanic adults.

“It’s a painful symbol. It’s a reminder of what we could be and how it’s failed to live up to that for Black people, for Indigenous people and people of color,” said Allison Wiltz, a Black author and founder of Writers and Editors of Color.

Paul Walthour, 71, occasionally flies the flag outside his Minneapolis-area home on special occasions and some holidays. Walthour says that when he’s away from home and at his cabin, the flag goes up each morning and is taken down at the end of the day.

“This is antiquated, perhaps,” said Walthour, who is white and a retired advertising agency creative director. “I feel it’s a symbol that you’re proud to be an American.”

“Unfortunately, I kind of think it’s kind of a symbol of dividing more than uniting,” added Walthour, who identifies as a Democrat. “The people who fly it on the far right have one kind of feeling about it, and the people who fly it on the left have a different kind of feeling about it.”

The AP-NORC poll of 2,596 adults was conducted April 16-20 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 2.6 percentage points.

Williams, Sanders and Parwani write for the Associated Press. Sanders and Parwani reported from Washington.

As holiday prices go up, it’s always helpful to take on any advice you can to make it that little bit cheaper and as it turns out, that includes which day of the week you fly

Ahead of your last-minute summer trips or 2027 getaways, it’s best to be smart about your bookings, and a travel expert is here to tell you exactly why.

Flights are one of the most expensive aspects of any holiday, especially if you’re traveling further afield. If you’re not following these simple steps, you could be doing it all wrong.

To help holidaymakers navigate their bookings abroad with confidence, travel expert and head of aviation at Loveholidays, Gavin Brewer, has shared his expert advice for a stress-free getaway.

With three decades of experience in the aviation industry, he offers practical advice on securing cheap, last-minute deals and ensuring your trip is protected.

Something many people overlook when booking a holiday is the day they fly. While they often make sure to consider key dates, outside of school holidays for cheaper packages or outside of peak summer times altogether, they don’t stop to think about the difference flying on a Monday could have to flying on a Sunday, for example.

As it turns out, that difference could be quite a lot, especially if you’re booking for a family, where all those saved pounds soon add up.

Gavin suggests being super strategic with your departure date to ensure you’re saving money and getting the best flights for the best price. He explains that the start of the week is always the cheapest to depart, according to recent analysis of flights, meaning Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays are the best days to begin your holiday.

“If you’re on a budget, be flexible with your departure date and look at holidays departing on either a Sunday, Monday or Tuesday. Our research shows you could save up to £24 per person on the flight element of your package holiday, and every little bit helps,” he said.

To ensure you have the safest, stress-free holiday, the expert advises booking your travel insurance at the same moment in time you book your holiday and avoiding putting it off. This means it protects you from the moment the trip is secured, making it “one of the smartest moves you can make”.

Getting to grips with your cover is just as important as picking your destination, because when the unexpected happens, the right policy can be the difference between spending big bucks and flying away without a care in the world.

If you want a little extra protection, package holidays are ideal. In the UK you get built-in protections you don’t get when booking separately. In the event of any disruption ahead of your travels, such as a cancelled flight with no suitable alternative, as a traveller you are fully protected, thanks to a set of consumer laws called the Package Travel Regulations. As a result of this, you are entitled to a full refund on your package holiday.

WHILE the UK does have waterparks, some in Europe are just bigger and better – and one of them is cheaper to fly to than a Domino’s pizza.

Rulantica waterpark in Rust, Germany, can be found at Europa-Park Resort and is spread across 32,600sqm.

The waterpark is both indoor and outdoor, with over 50 attractions across 10 themed areas.

And there’s even a new pool at the attraction called Svømmepøl.

The Nordic-inspired pool has spraying geysers, a grotto and even a swim-up bar in the middle of the water.

Pine trees and giant rocks then surround the pool and there is also direct access from the main attraction.

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Major attractions at the park include Vikingløp which is Europe’s largest speed slide, where up to eight people can race in parallel mat slides.

As for other areas across the water park, there is Lumafals with a huge pool with waves as well as a shop selling swimming gear.

There’s Rangnakor, which is a ‘city on stilts’, with big slides as well as sofa areas for relaxing.

Kids who love adventure and pirates shouldn’t miss Skip Strand, where there is a huge pirate ship hovering above the water to explore.

The ship even has three slides off of it and into the water.

Families can head on Snorri’s Saga too, where each visitor sits in a rubber ring and bobs on a river that travels through caves and past shipwrecks.

Ideal for smaller children, there is the Trølldal area – a water playground ideal for those just learning to play in the water.

If you want to relax a bit, then head to the Skog Lagune area, where there are trees and pools with gentle bubbles.

In this area you can also grab a drink from the Skogbar, which sits in the middle of the water.

One recent visitor said: “Exceeded all expectations! Rulantica is beautiful, clean, and incredibly well-run.

“Both the indoor and outdoor zones are phenomenal, and every single pool and slide is heated.

“A flawless, stress-free family day out. We’ll absolutely be returning!”

You can also stay at a hotel right by the waterpark, at the four-star Krønasår Hotel.

The hotel is themed like a history museum with rooms costing from €88.50 (£76.75) per person, per night.

A ticket to the waterpark costs from £32.93 per child and £35.53 per adult.

The best way to get to the waterpark is by flying to Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden Airport.

This takes about an hour and a half and costs less than a Domino’s pizza at £13 each way in July.

THERE are some destinations around the world that are so beautiful, they don’t look real.

The pretty fishing village of Cudillero in Spain is one of those, having even been called ‘staged’ it’s so perfect.

The village is in the north of the country looking out directly over the Bay of Biscay and sits in a horseshoe shape at the bottom of the Cantabrian Mountains.

It’s known for its brightly-coloured stacked houses at the front of the harbour that have led visitors to describe it as ‘charming’ and even ‘staged’.

One even called it “the most beautiful village in Spain” and like “stepping back in time”.

The village dates back to the 13th century and is well known for its fishing, which it continues with today.

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You’ll even see the traditional methods being used like hanging fish out to dry in the streets.

But thanks to this, there are plenty of seafood restaurants to explore like Casa Julio and Sidrería El Remo which have been recommended by visitors.

Not only is fish popular here, but it’s also known to serve the region’s speciality cider which is a little different to what you’ll find in the UK as it isn’t bubbly.

Lots of restaurants will serve local cider and pour it traditionally as well.

They use a technique called ‘escansiado’ which translates to ‘throwing’.

The drink is poured from a height, often above the waiter’s head into a glass held near their waist.

Thanks to its surrounding hills and mountains, a popular activity to do in Cudillero is hike to one of its viewing points.

One of the most popular is Mirador de la Garita where hikers can see over across the village to the lighthouse.

Many say it’s a ‘must-do’ whilst in Cudillero, not to mention it’s the perfect spot for photos.

Being a harbour town, Cudillero doesn’t have beaches of its own, but there are some nearby.

Playa de Aguilar is a 10-minute drive away and is a long-stretch of golden sand, but don’t expect the sea to be too warm as its in the north of the country.

It’s described as a family beach as it’s got fine sand as well as lifeguards during peak summer periods.

If you’re visiting on June 29 then you will get caught up in Cudillero’s annual festival where there are fanfares, street parades and bands.

It celebrates the village’s maritime history and it’s completely free to go down and see the live events.

A visit doesn’t have to cost a lot either, Sun Travel found a one-night stay in July at Pensión El Pozo from £30pp.

The room has a private bathroom with mountain views and there’s even a picnic area.

To get to Cudillero from the UK, the quickest way would be to fly directly to Santander.

Flights depart from London Stansted, Manchester, Birmingham and Edinburgh – which you can do for as little as £16 each way.

Then drive just over two hours along the coast to Cudillero.

Passengers wanting to fly with easyJet could get some pretty cheap deals

Booking flights can be expensive, with many people clicking on random days of the week to find the best deal. But did you know two days of the week are likely to be better than the rest?

Travel experts at easyJet say that while the ‘cheapest day to fly’ often depends on factors like destination and flight availability, there are two days of the week you really want to look out for. The airline says: “The cheapest day of the week to fly can vary depending on the destination, flights available, and time of year.

“However, we’d recommend being flexible with your dates and considering flying outside of peak weekend flight times. By booking to fly on Wednesday or Thursday rather than Friday, you can find bargain flights (and get more time at your destination!).”

What is the cheapest month to fly in?

The low-cost airline also noted that the start and end of the year are key periods to look for if you want a trip that won’t break the bank. It adds: “The cheapest month to fly often depends on the destination and the type of trip you’re planning.

“For traditional warm-weather destinations in Spain or Italy, you can often find the cheapest plane tickets in the winter months of January and February. If you’re booking a trip to the mountains or traditional winter destinations like Finland, you’ll often find cheaper flights in November or March.”

As one of the world’s largest airlines, it operates a fleet of 355 aircraft, connecting 164 airports in 38 countries through 1,207 routes. While booking flights during these specific days and months is not a guarantee of the best deal, it urges people to use its Low Fare Finder when searching for the cheapest flight dates to secure the best deals.

Mum blocked from easyJet flight and left £700 out of pocket

In other easyJet news, a mother was prevented from boarding an easyJet flight with her family and lost £700 after being caught out by a crucial passport rule.

Bolaji Omisade was looking forward to a family trip to Greece and arrived at London Gatwick Airport with her husband and three sons. However, after checking in at the airport, easyJet staff informed her that she was not permitted to board the flight.

Confused by the situation, she was informed at check-in that, although her passport had not yet expired, it was no longer valid for travel due to passport regulations. You can read the full story here to make sure that you don’t fall foul of the same rule.

TRAVELLERS heading to Barcelona are missing out on one of Spain’s top hidden gems that is just two hours from the city.

Think clear waters and whitewashed houses and you could easily be forgiven for believing you were on a remote Greek island, when actually you are in the Spanish fishing town of Cadaques.

And what’s even better is that if you head there this week or next, temperatures will reach up to 27C.

Recently named one of the “best hidden coastal towns” in Europe by British Airways, Cadaques sits on the Cap de Creus peninsula on the Costa Brava and boasts a rocky coastline with hidden beaches and fewer crowds.

In the town centre, visitors can explore narrow, cobblestone alleyways that once inspired several artists including Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse and Salvador Dali.

In fact, visitors can even head to the Salvador Dali House-Museum, which was home to the surrealist artist for 40 years.

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Inside, you’ll see the rooms where the Dalí family lived as well as Dalí’s studio, which has been preserved just as the artist left it with artist tools and unfinished canvases.

Outside, visitors can explore the gardens and courtyards, which feature olive groves and spot a number of giant white eggs.

If you do wish to visit, make sure to book in advance, as reservation slots fill up quickly.

Back in the historic quarter of the town, you’ll also find the Church of Santa Maria, which has a baroque altar inside.

Make sure to look out for Casa Serinyana too, which is also known as The Blue House.

The Art Nouveau home was built at the beginning of the 20th century for the wealthy Serinyana family, who were traders in the town.

Heading down towards the sea, you can visit two small rocky beaches – Platja Gran and Platja Port d’Alguer – both have crystal clear waters ideal for a swim.

The Natural Park of Cap de Creus, which is huge, completely surrounds the town.

It is a great area to go hiking, especially to the highest point Sant Salvador Peak, which is 670 metres above sea level.

The park includes both land and sea areas around Cadaques, but make sure to check access restrictions before your visit as during the summer months parts of the park are closed to cars.

If you don’t like hiking, the parts of the park that include the coastline and make for great spots for snorkelling.

According to Instagram user @liafische Cadaques “feels like a place where time stands still”.

Another Instagram user said: “It truly felt like I was transported to an Aegean island”.

When it comes to somewhere to stay, you could opt for Villa Salvador, which is an adult-only hotel between Pere Fet Beach and Ros Beach.

The accommodation has a mix of villas with sea views, rooms and suites, and there’s also an outdoor salt pool.

It costs from £269 per night for two people.

Alternatively, you could stay at Hotel Calina in either a room or studio from £114 per night with access to sprawling gardens, a huge pool and a children’s pool.

To get to Cadaques, you could fly to either Girona, which is about an hour and 20 minutes away, or Barcelona.

You could fly to Girona in June from £15 or to Barcelona in June for £13.

To get to the town, there is only one way into and out of Cadaques along a narrow, winding nine-mile road that heads through the mountains.

Alternatively, you can hop on a shuttle bus called the Sarfa Bus from Figueres Bus Station, which sits outside the park and heads directly to the town, taking about an hour and 20 minutes.

Iranian state TV broadcast scenes of celebration in Tehran as missiles flew overhead en route to Israel. Iran says the launch was retaliation for Israel’s earlier attack in Beirut, and other US-Israeli ceasefire breaches.