Also: Blended-Wing Aircraft, Free Pilot’s Guide To Airspace, F16 Pilots Earn DFC, Mardi Gras TFR A lack of coordination between the Defense Department and the FAA over the military’s use of a high-energy, counter-drone laser led to the FAA shutting down the El Paso airspace. Military activity and the use of the counter-drone laser raised immediate concerns by the FAA for civilian traffic arriving and departing El Paso International Airport. Fort Bliss and its airfield, Biggs Army Airfield, sit just north of the commercial airport, which serves about 100 flights each day. A Wizz Air flight headed to Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion Airport was intercepted by Israeli Air Force fighter jets after a concerning WiFi hotspot name was discovered by the cabin crew. While a full security response was triggered, the event turned out to be nothing more than a kid’s ill-conceived prank. While announcing a new audit of the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City, the DoT IG gave some behind-the-scenes numbers that show how the controller shortage got as bad as it is today: a trainee failure rate of more than 30% in 2024. This has left current controllers working overtime and six-day workweeks to keep the system moving amid growing travel demand. All this — and MORE in today’s episode of Airborne-Unlimited!!!
