Welcome to the Black Box Aviation Podcast, where Tom and Mike break down the latest in aviation news, airline industry updates, pilot stories, air travel trends, and real-world flying experiences.

This episode is packed with surprises, industry drama, and jaw-dropping aviation stories — including a live FedEx delivery surprise that shows up during the recording!

✈️ What we cover in this episode:

• A surprise gift delivered by FedEx LIVE during the show
• Flying with dogs on seats — a real JetBlue passenger story
• MD-11 cargo aircraft lawsuits and the growing safety concerns
• FAA grounding of MD-11 jets and what it means for cargo airlines
• NTSB investigations and maintenance controversy
• The recent U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds F-16 crash and pilot ejection
• Thoughts on the Netflix aviation documentary “Air Force Elite: Thunderbirds”
• Global Airlines and the push to revive the “Golden Age of Air Travel”
• Deep dive on the Airbus A380 — the world’s largest passenger aircraft
• Delta Air Lines revenue losses tied to government shutdown impacts
• Honest pilot talk about career progression, the Boeing 777, and real-world airline life

Plus, shout-outs to new listeners and swim meet teammates helping grow the show!

⭐ Smash that 5-Star Review on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon to help us grow
📩 Email: theblackbox01@yahoo.com
📱 Instagram / X: @the_black_box01
📞 Hotline: (203) 699-6792 (leave your message!)

aviation podcast, airline news, pilot stories, FedEx delivery, MD11 grounding, cargo plane crash, Thunderbirds crash, air travel news, Airbus A380, aviation documentary, flight crew stories, aviation safety, FAA NTSB, airline industry updates, airline careers, cockpit stories, aviation YouTube podcast

Buckle up — this week in aviation has been absolute turbulence.
From major software recalls to a global cargo fleet grounding, winter runway scares, and wild stories from the road, Aviation Chaos Week breaks down everything shaking the industry.

✈️ This Episode Covers:
🔹 Airbus A320 global software recall impacting airlines worldwide — what caused it, who’s hit hardest, and how long disruptions may last
🔹 UPS MD-11 inspection crisis — why the fleet grounding now appears to be months, not weeks, and how cargo operations will be affected
🔹 Delta Connection runway slide-off in Des Moines — how fast winter weather can snowball into an incident
🔹 Stories From the Road — Bananas at Big Y 🤦‍♂️
🔹 Stories From Home — The Garbage Man episode
🔹 How airplanes get their names — from Pan Am Clippers to FedEx’s Purple Eagle aircraft honoring St. Jude patients

We look behind the headlines and share the pilot perspective — what’s real, what’s assumed, and what passengers never hear about.

🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon Music!
📩 Contact the show: theblackbox01@yahoo.com
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#AviationNews #AirbusRecall #PilotPodcast #AviationPodcast #BlackBoxAviation #AviationChaos #AirlineIndustry #UPSMD11 #WinterOperations

It's Thanksgiving — aviation style. 🦃✈️
On this episode of the Black Box Aviation Podcast, Tom & Mike dive into the emotional, hilarious, and downright chaotic reality of spending the holidays as a pilot.

We cover:
🍽 Childhood Thanksgiving traditions (and the family chaos that came with them)
🌨 New England vs Florida — the wildest Thanksgiving weather events ever recorded
⚠️ The Portland Gale tragedy: the 1898 storm that reshaped New England history
🚢 The grounded Venezuelan freighter and Palm Beach flooding of 1984
🛄 Life on the road during Thanksgiving — loneliness, travel disasters, and unexpected moments of joy
💰 The rookie pilot who thought his $100 steak dinner was company-paid… until payday
🦃 Spotting wild turkeys on layovers and finding makeshift holiday meals across the world
🌴 Thanksgiving in Hawaii — sushi, coconut water, and Chinese food instead of turkey

This episode blends aviation, weather history, travel, comedy, and real pilot life — perfect for anyone who’s flown over the holidays or wondered what it’s really like behind the cockpit door.

✉️ theblackbox01@yahoo.com
📱 Instagram / X: @the_black_box01
📞 Hotline: (203) 699-6792 — leave your name & a message!

🎧 Also on Apple & Amazon — and don’t forget to smash the 5-star rating and leave a review! It helps the show reach more aviation fans.

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