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For more information about the D-Day anniversary flight from Oregon, visit RememberNormandy2019.com, and for more information about Daks over Normandy, visit DaksoverNormandy.com.

Bob Irvine grew up reading about planes taking the “Blue Spruce” route over the North Atlantic during World War II, and the Vancouver pilot finally got to take his own trip on the path in the last two weeks.

“It’s been in the forefront of my mind forever,” Irvine, 79, said. “To be able to fly this route in a DC-3 has been the culmination of my wishes and dreams for my whole life.”

Irvine was one of 11 people from the Portland metro area aboard a 1937 DC-3 that traveled from Aurora, Ore., to Normandy, France, as part of an event honoring the 75th anniversary of D-Day. He was one of two Clark County residents on the journey, along with Jeff Petersen, 67, of Ridgefield. Irvine was invited as the former owner of the DC-3, and Petersen snagged an invitation because his cousin is one of the pilots making the trip.

The two were on the plane Wednesday as it made a flyover in Normandy as part of Daks over Normandy, an event where Douglas DC-3 planes and C-47 Dakotas from around the world flew over the same beaches Allied troops stormed on June 6, 1944. There were more than 30 planes participating, and a few of them had paratroopers jump out over the beaches, as well, though Irvine’s plane didn’t.

Irvine and Petersen spoke

Article source: https://www.columbian.com/news/2019/jun/05/flying-back-in-time-to-normandy-in-d-days-honor/

About 70% of U.S. airline passengers are wary of traveling on Boeing’s 737 Max once the grounded airliner resumes flights, a new survey shows, but most will never know they’re on it.

The reason: Although airlines disclose the make and model of planes they use, more than 66% of people never check what kind of aircraft they’re boarding, according to data from 1,000 people gathered by the Swiss lender UBS.

The numbers offer fresh insight into how much passenger resistance Boeing and its U.S. airline customers face once the Federal Aviation Administration allows the Max back into service, which UBS predicts may happen in late July.

The best-selling model in Boeing’s history, the Max was sidelined worldwide in March after two crashes that killed more than 340 people. Subsequent investigations found new anti-stall software, known as the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, or MCAS, played a role in both cases, and the FAA is now reviewing a patch designed by the Chicago-based planemaker.

“With the plane now nearly three months grounded and still spurring front-page new stories, it still front and center for the public,” said UBS analyst Myles Walton. Still, only 12% of people worried about the Max said their concerns wouldn’t be allayed if the plane is operated safely on a continuous basis.

“The net result is the survey suggests 8% of the flying public would never fly the 737 Max, but when coupled with booking habits also captured in the survey, the percentage drops to about 3%,” Walton

Article source: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/business/most-us-fliers-afraid-of-boeing-737-max-wont-know-theyre-on-it