Tag Archives: Pilot

Is FAA Planning To Eliminate White Men From Aviation Industry?!

Is the FAA planning to eliminate white men from the aviation industry?! Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : FAA Plans To Eliminate White Men From Aviation Industry!

People are sharing an article (archive) by The People’s Voice (formerly NewsPunch), which claims or suggests that the FAA just admitted its plan is to eliminate white men from the aviation industry, while fast tracking disabled minorities into key roles like pilots and air traffic controllers!

Here is an excerpt from the long, and (intentionally?) rambling article. Feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!

FAA Admits Plan Is To ‘Eliminate White Men’ From Aviation Industry

A leaked Zoom call recording shows Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials admitting that the plan is to completely eliminate white men from the aviation industry while fast tracking disabled minorities into key roles like pilots and air traffic controllers.

The DailyWire’s Matt Walsh obtained the leaked Zoom call from 2022 between senior officials at the FAA’s Flight Program Operations division talking about implementing Diversity Equity and Inclusion measures in the aviation industry.

“The footage begins with FAA acting deputy chief operating officer Angela McCullough saying more workers need to go from ‘ramp to cockpit,’ meaning she wants to see more baggage handlers become airline pilots,” Walsh declared on X.

Infowars.com reports: McCullough then complains that Flight Operations is “white-male dominated” and tells the managers they need to “talk about what the future could look like.”

But the DEI insanity extends far beyond the pilots. According to Walsh, an “industry-wide embrace of overt mental illness afflicts every aspect of aviation.”

And “billions of dollars in critical grant funding” is going to DEI programs and initiatives rather than other important aspects of the industry.

This comes after the FAA announced a diversity push that would include focusing on hiring people with “severe intellectual” and “psychiatric” disabilities.

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https://www.techarp.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/FAA-Diversity-Meeting-360p.mp4?_=1

Truth : FAA Does Not Plan To Eliminate White Men From Aviation Industry!

This is yet another example of fake news created / promoted by The People’s Voice, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : FAA Is A US Federal Government Agency

Let me just start by pointing out that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a US federal government agency. It only has powers over civil aviation in the United States, and its surrounding international waters.

The FAA has no power or authority over civil aviation in the rest of the world.

It is therefore impossible for the FAA to “completely eliminate white men from the aviation industry“, even if it really wanted to do that (which it doesn’t).

Fact #2 : Video Does Not Show FAA Plan To Eliminate White Men

Nothing posted by Matt Walsh, Infowars, or The People’s Voice, show the FAA admitting to any plan to eliminate white men from the aviation industry.

The leaked video only shows what appears to be an FAA internal meeting on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) measures that the aviation industry can adopt to make flight operations more inclusive and representative of the population.

In fact, FAA Acting Deputy Chief Operating Officer Angela McCullough is seen stating talking about potentially developing “partnerships” with university or trade schools to encourage a more diverse flight operations team.

Are there opportunities for any partnerships with universities or trade schools which specialised… we kinda talked about from ramp to cockpit. There are some things we would want to look at.

Unfortunately, the video ended abruptly at that point, which makes me wonder – could the video be missing context about what Angela McCullough was saying in that meeting?

But even without the rest of the video, you can see that Angela never once said that she or the FAA planned to eliminate white men from the aviation industry.

In fact, Matt Walsh himself did not even claim that the FAA plans to eliminate all white men from the aviation industry. So why would anyone make that claim based on his posts???

Fact #3 : There’s Nothing Wrong With Retraining People

It is uncertain what Angela McCullough meant by “from ramp to cockpit”, but it could simply mean offering people working in aviation ramp operations the opportunity to train and become pilots.

There is nothing wrong with retraining people for a different job, if that’s what the industry needs, and if they are interested and capable in the new job.

People can, and do, learn new skills to change jobs and even industries. As long as they are qualified for those new jobs, what exactly is wrong with that?

Only fools would believe that the FAA will ever let baggage handlers become airline pilots without training or passing qualification tests.

Fact #4 : Being Transgender Is Not A Mental Illness

Matt Walsh appears to suggest or claim that being transgender is an “overt mental illness”. That’s just not true.

Being transgender was once considered a psychological problem that can be treated. However, the American Psychiatric Association revised its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders in 2012, to remove being transgender as a mental disorder.

With the release of DSM-5 in 2013, being transgender itself is no longer a mental disorder. Some transgender people are now diagnosed with “gender dysphoria”, if they face emotional stress related to their gender identity.

All psychiatric diagnoses occur within a cultural context. We know there is a whole community of people out there who are not seeking medical attention and live between the two binary categories. We wanted to send the message that the therapist’s job isn’t to pathologize.
– Jack Drescher, a member of the APA subcommittee responsible for the change

Just because someone disagrees with the American Psychiatric Association’s definition, does not mean that the aviation industry is embracing “overt mental illness”.

Recommended : Did Pope Francis Suddenly Become A Fashion Icon?!

Fact #5 : Photo Shows Historic Female Pilots

The People’s Voice article used a photo of two young black female pilots (above). On of the off-chance that it was chosen to convey the perception that unqualified female minority pilots may soon begin putting your lives at risk, let me just say that it couldn’t be further from the truth.

The two female pilots are Captain Tara Wright, and First Officer Mallory Cave. They made made history on 13 May 2018, as the first African-American female flight crew to fly an Alaska Airlines flight from San Francisco to Portland.

Not only are they both fully-qualified pilots, Captain Wright was also the first-ever African-American female pilot to fly for US Airways, before becoming its first African-American female pilot to be promoted to Captain in 2017.

Captain Wright is only the 7th African-American woman to ever become a captain in any major airline, which points to the lack of diversity and representation in the aviation industry.

Fact #6 : The People’s Voice Is Known For Publishing Fake News

The People’s Voice is the current name for NewsPunch, which possibly changed its name because its brand has been so thoroughly discredited after posting numerous shocking but fake stories.

Founded as Your News Wire in 2014, it was rebranded as NewsPunch in November 2018, before becoming The People’s Voice. A 2017 BuzzFeed report identified NewsPunch as the second-largest source of popular fake news on Facebook that year.

Its articles have been regularly debunked as fake news, so you should never share anything from NewsPunch / The People’s Voice. Here are some of its fake stories that I fact checked earlier:

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He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Did 5 Singapore Airlines Pilots Die From COVID-19 Vaccine?!

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Did five SIA pilots die suddenly from COVID-19 vaccine side effects, after Singapore Airlines demanded that they get fully-vaccinated?!

Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : Five Singapore Airlines Pilots Died Suddenly From Vaccine In 7 Months!

People are sharing obituary photos of five SIA pilots, suggesting that they died suddenly from COVID-19 vaccine side effects, after Singapore Airlines demanded that they get fully-vaccinated!

aussie17 : 5th Singapore Airlines Pilot died last week in a span of 7 months.
The airline has apprx 3000 pilots. can someone calculate the odds?

Jack Straw : 5th Singapore Airlines pilot died last week in a span of 7 months

Why do you think all private jet owners and cabal elites these days only employ unvaccinated pilots?

NZ and the MRNA: May 2023 – Dec 2023

5 SINGAPORE AIRLINES PILOTS DIED

All active staff are fully #mrna vaccinated

Pilots are some of the healthiest people working. In order to keep their job they must undergo regular physical examinations.

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No Evidence Any SIA Pilots Died From COVID-19 Vaccine!

It’s now tradition for anti-vaccination activists to immediately blame all sudden deaths or illnesses on the COVID-19 vaccine.

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and propagated by anti-vaccination activists, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : Their Cause Of Death Are Unknown

First, let me just confirm that there were indeed five Singapore Airlines pilots who died between the months of May and December 2023, based on their obituaries:

However, none of their obituaries mentioned their individual cause of death. They also do not appear to have any social media accounts, or families posting about their deaths on social media.

Some netizens have claimed that Captains Wee Leong and Colin Tan died suddenly from cardiac arrest, while Captains Fernando Cid and Sebastian Tan died from cancer. It is unknown if any of those causes of death are accurate.

Until and unless Singapore Airlines, or the families of the five pilots, publicly announce their individual cause of death, anyone who tells you that they died of this or that cause is likely lying to you.

Fact #2 : No Evidence SIA Required Additional Vaccine Doses

In January 2021, Singapore Airlines (SIA) announced that it hopes to become the world’s first airline to vaccinated all of its crew members against COVID-19. SIA set a deadline of September 1, and managed to vaccinate 99% of its active pilots, cabin crew and frontline ground crew by 19 August 2021.

However, there is no evidence that Singapore Airlines demanded that its pilots and cabin crew get additional doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. As of January 2024, the Singapore Ministry of Health only recommends that senior citizens 60 years and older, medically vulnerable people, and residents of aged care facilities receive an updated COVID-19 vaccine dose. Even then, that was a “recommendation”, not a requirement.

It is unlikely for Singapore Airlines to mandate additional COVID-19 vaccine doses, when the Singapore Ministry of Health did not recommend it for healthy young or middle-aged adults.

Until and unless Singapore Airlines, or the families of the four pilots, confirm it, anyone who tells you that the five SIA pilots received additional COVID-19 vaccine doses is likely lying to you.

Fact #3 : Singapore Airlines Had About 3,000 Pilots In 2022

In May 2022 (last year), SIA Chief Executive Goh Choon Phong announced that Singapore Airlines was looking to recruit 2,000 cabin crew as air travel was picking up.

While he declined to say how many pilots SIA employed in 2022, he said that the number of pilots at SIA Group is still similar to pre-COVID-19 numbers, with just “a very small number” who have left. Pre-pandemic, Singapore Airlines had about 3,200 pilots.

While it may shocking to hear that five SIA pilots died in 2023, it is not really shocking when you factor in the death rate in Singapore, which is 5.8 per 1,000 (2021).

Assuming Singapore Airlines only has 3,000 pilots, it should expect 17 of its pilots to die on a given year, or about 1.5 pilots a month. Five pilots dying in 2023 is therefore exceptionally low.

Fact #4 : Pilots Are At Greater Health Risk

Anti-vaccine activists are holding up pilots as healthier and less likely to die than the general population. But that’s not quite true.

Past studies (example | example) and a recent April 2023 narrative review have shown that airline pilots not only die at a younger age than the general population, they are also at greater risk of suffering from cancers like malignant melanoma, cardiovascular diseases, and cataracts.

So is it

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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Did Ukrainian Pilot Defect To Russia With NATO Tech?!

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Did a senior Ukrainian pilot just defect to Russia with his Su-27 fighter loaded with NATO missiles, and electronics?!

Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : Ukrainian Su-27 Pilot Defected To Russia

People are sharing two photos of a Ukrainian Su-27 fighter jet, claiming / suggesting that it was just flown to Russia by a defecting Ukrainian flight commander, fully-loaded with NATO missiles, radar, and electronic warfare equipment.

Spetsnaℤ 007 🇷🇺 : So this appeared in the base today😁

A Ukrainian “flight commander” flew a SU-27 jet over the Russian border and landed in one of our bases.

Can’t wait for the F-16…

Intelligence FRONT : A senior pilot who served as a squadron commander in the Ukrainian Air Force escaped with a Su-27 jet and took refuge in Russia. It is said that the pilot arrived with a large amount of information, documents and some intact western-made missiles, radar and electronic warfare pod on the plane. This is the first time such an incident has occurred, and the fact that the incoming pilot is a high-ranking figure with plenty of documentation, and that the planes are already NATO integrated and carry NATO equipment and missiles, constitutes a historical opportunity for the Russians regarding NATO air equipment and missiles. It was also a chance to obtain extensive information about the situation of the Ukrainian Air Force and air defense forces, as well as NATO activities in the country.

US Civil Defense News :🚨Update: Ukrainian flight captain decided he wanted to live and defected to Russia, flying and landing his fighter jet in Russia. They realize the war is over. They lost. It’s time to move on!!!

No Evidence Ukrainian Su-27 Pilot Defected To Russia!

This appears to be another example of FAKE NEWS / VATNIK PROPAGANDA circulating on X (formerly Twitter), and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : Photos Were Taken At RIAT 1996

First, let me just point out that the claim or suggestion that a Ukrainian Su-27 fighter jet with the tail number 48 just defected to Russia is definitely false.

The two photos of the same Ukrainian Su-27 aircraft with the tail number 48 were not taken recently, or even in Ukraine or Russia.

The photos are of a Ukrainian Su-27S at the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) show, was held at RAF Fairfore in Gloucestershire in the UK. They were taken in July 1996 – more than 27 years ago!

The photo above was taken by Mike Freer, who captioned it as a Ukrainian Su-27S “departing RIAT 96”.

The photo below was taken by Peter Fothergill, who took his photo on 19 July 1996, but only uploaded it to the AirFighters website on 1 September 2020.

Fact #2 : No Evidence Of Pilot Defecting With Su-27

Claims that a senior Ukrainian officer or flight commander defected to Russia with a Su-27 fighter jet loaded with NATO missiles and electronics have been circulating on X (formerly Twitter) since 18 November 2023.

However, none of those who posted the news have actually provided any evidence that such a defection took place.

The defection of a senior Ukrainian pilot would have been major news, especially if he flew a Su-27 fighter jet loaded with NATO missiles and electronics to Russia. Yet, Russian news media have not mentioned such a stunning development.

Fact #3 : Ka-52 Pilot Reported A Pilot Defection

The claims appear to be based on a short report by the Russian state news agency, TASS. On 18 November 2023, TASS reported that a Ukrainian military pilot defected to Russia.

According to Alexey Voyevoda – a Ka-52 helicopter pilot who organised the flight, the pilot is now “consulting with the Federal Security Service”.

MOSCOW, November 18. /TASS/. A military pilot of the Ukrainian armed forces has defected to Russia, a Ka-52 helicopter pilot, who organized the flight, told TASS.

“The Ukrainian military pilot is in Russia, consulting with the Federal Security Service,” Alexey Voyevoda said.

Voyevoda explained that he cannot yet disclose the details of this operation.

You will note that the TASS report never said that it was a senior pilot, or a flight commander. It also never said that the pilot flew to Russia with a Su-27 fighter jet, much less one loaded with NATO missiles or electronics.

Fact #4 : Ka-52 Extraction Is Plausible

The Kamov Ka-52 Alligator (Hokum B) is a two-seater helicopter, seating a pilot and a gunner side-by-side.

While it is not capable of carrying any passengers, it is possible for a Ka-52 pilot like Alexey Voyevoda to fly into Ukraine without a gunner, to extract a defecting Ukrainian pilot.

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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Did Qatar Airways Pilot Die From Vaccine Mid-Flight?!

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Did the pilot of Qatar Airways flight QR579 die suddenly from the COVID-19 vaccine during the flight?!

Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : Qatar Airways Pilot Died From Vaccine Mid-Flight!

Some people are suggesting or claiming that the pilot of Qatar Airways flight QR579 died suddenly mid-flight due to a COVID-19 vaccine injury or SADS!

William Makis MD : BREAKING NEWS: Another PILOT has died inflight!!

Aug.16, 2023 – Quatar Airways QR579 (DEL-DOH) Delhi to Doha, Quatar diverted to Dubai as 51 year old senior pilot collapsed inflight and died!

2nd pilot death & 4th collapse THIS WEEK! #DiedSuddenly #cdnpoli #ableg

Stew Peters : ANOTHER pilot #DiedSuddenly, MID FLIGHT. Qatar Airlines vaxxed all their pilots, evidently.

#PureBloods will rule the world one day soon.

Jack Straw : BREAKING NEWS: Another PILOT has died inflight!!

Aug.16, 2023 – Quatar Airways QR579 (DEL-DOH) Delhi to Doha, Quatar diverted to Dubai as 51 year old senior pilot collapsed inflight and died! 2nd pilot death & 4th collapse THIS WEEK!

No Evidence Qatar Airways Pilot Died From Vaccine Mid-Flight!

It’s now tradition for anti-vaccination activists to blame all sudden deaths or illnesses on the COVID-19 vaccine.

Here are the reasons why this is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and propagated by anti-vaccination activists…

Fact #1 : Qatar Airways Pilot Was Passenger Aboard QR579

First, let me just point out that the pilot who died aboard Qatar Airways flight QR579 was not the senior pilot for that flight. He was aboard the flight as a passenger.

To be clear – Qatar Airways flight QR579 was never in any danger during the tragic incident. It was not one of its two pilots who had a medical emergency and died.

Fact #2 : He Died Onboard Qatar Airways QR579

On August 16, 2023, Qatar Airways flight QR579 took off from Delhi, heading towards Doha. 30 minutes into its flight, the Airbus A350-900 aircraft suddenly turned left and headed for Dubai International Airport (DXB), where it landed 30 minutes later.

Later, it was reported that the aircraft with the registration of A7-ALM diverted to Dubai due to a medical emergency – a senior pilot who was travelling as a passenger, suddenly fell critically ill onboard.

Despite a swift response and medical assistance onboard flight QR579, he could not be saved. He was declared dead on arrive at Dubai International Airport.

Fact #3 : The Pilot Allegedly Died From Cardiac Arrest

The Qatar Airways pilot was a 51 year-old man of Indian origin, who had flown SpiceJet’s inaugural flight in 2005:

The pilot had worked with Alliance Air and spent 17 years in SpiceJet. He had operated SpiceJet’s first flight, Delhi-Ahmedabad, on May 23, 2005. Last year he had joined Qatar Airways where he was flying the Boeing 777.

A colleague who worked with the pilot for several years expressed shock, stating that “He was very fit and his untimely demise has come as a big shock for everyone who knew him“. That quote is being used to claim or suggest that the pilot “must have” died from a COVID-19 vaccine injury of some sort.

There is no evidence that his death has anything to do with COVID-19 vaccines. And certainly, people pushing those claims offered ZERO evidence to back up their “expert opinions”.

Officially, Qatar Airways has not commented on the death of the pilot. But India’s Zee News reported that the pilot was ascertained to have died from cardiac arrest.

While it is likely that the pilot died from sudden cardiac arrest, I would caution that the pilot’s official cause of death remains unknown.

Until and unless his family and/or Qatar Airways or the Dubai authorities reveal his official cause of death, any claim that he died from this or that cause should be taken with a pinch of salt.

Fact #4 : Cardiac Arrest Is Common

While anti-vaccination activists claim that there is a sudden surge of “untimely deaths” from cardiac arrest, it has long been a major cause of death… long before the COVID-19 vaccines were invented.

The United States alone records over half a million cases of sudden cardiac arrest cases every year – an incidence of about 130 per 100,000 individuals per year. Many people have undiagnosed heart conditions that may not produce noticeable symptoms in daily life, but could result in sudden cardiac arrest at any time.

A 2012 study discovered that people in Southern India who died from sudden cardiac arrest were 5-8 years younger compared to people in the western hemisphere.

10% of all deaths in Southern India were caused by sudden cardiac death
almost half were 60 years-old or younger
many were diagnosed with heart disease
over 80% had at least one risk factor for coronary artery disease – hypertension, diabetes, or smoking
they were generally 5-8 years younger than similar cases in the western hemisphere

Fact #5 : Unknown If Qatar Airways Pilot Was Vaccinated

Despite suggestions that the Qatar Airways pilot was fully-vaccinated, there isn’t any actual evidence that he ever received the COVID-19 vaccine. We don’t even know his name, much less his COVID-19 vaccination status!

Qatar Airways also never mandated the COVID-19 vaccine for its pilots or its aircrew. Instead, pilots and aircrew were offered two options – get vaccinated, or undergo a COVID-19 test every few days.

[H]ow did Qatar Airways achieve 100 per cent crew vaccination without threatening dismissal against vaccine-hesitant workers?

Unlike the United States, cabin crew in Qatar weren’t immediately prioritised for the vaccine and supply issues meant that Qatar hasn’t had a surplus of vaccines that are going to waste either.

But when crew did become eligible, they had a simple choice – get vaccinated or have an invasive COVID-19 test every few days to prove your negative status.

That said – the pilot is likely fully-vaccinated. He only joined Qatar Airways in 2022. Previously, he was with SpiceJet. While it is unknown whether SpiceJet has a vaccine mandate for its aircrew, SpiceJet is promoting the fact that its crew members and ground personnel are fully-vaccinated and masked.

Even so, I should point out that COVID-19 vaccine is not mandatory in India, and the pilot may possibly have left SpiceJet over the vaccination mandate (if there’s one). So it is still possible that the pilot was not vaccinated against COVID-19. We simply do not know his vaccination status for sure. Heck, we don’t even know his name!

Until and unless the pilot’s family (or Qatar Airways) reveals his COVID-19 vaccination status, anyone who tells you that the unnamed pilot was vaccinated or otherwise, is likely lying to you. None of us have any evidence of that.

Fact #6 : Vaccine Side Effects Appear Within Hours / Days

Even if the Qatar Airways pilot was fully-vaccinated against COVID-19, he would have received his doses more than a year ago! It is quite impossible for him to suffer from vaccine side effects, because they appear within hours or days, not months later.

Mild side effects like injection site pain, fever, muscle ache, headache, lethargy develop within minutes to hours of the vaccination.

Anaphylaxis develops within minutes, while other severe adverse reactions like myocarditis and VITT develop within days or weeks.

The spike proteins produced by the COVID-19 vaccines also do not stick around for months. If these spike proteins are permanent (as antivaxxers claim), we would have lifelong immunity.

Your own immune system will identify the spike proteins as foreign, and destroy them within a matter of days, although some may last for up to a few weeks. This is part of how vaccines teach your immune system to identify the enemy and destroy it.

Fact #7 : Claims Of COVID-19 Vaccine Injuries Often Proven False

Most claims of sudden deaths / injuries due to the COVID-19 vaccine have been proven false. Here is the latest dozen of other false sudden death claims!

Will these anti-vaccination activists apologise for lying to you? Nope! They will just move on to the next death or tragedy…

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

Don’t forget to protect yourself, and your family, by vaccinating against COVID-19!

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Name : Adrian Wong
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Who Captured This Amazing Rainbow Photo At 30,000 Feet?!

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Was this viral photo of an amazing full circle rainbow captured by a pilot flying at 30,000 feet?!

Take a look at the photo, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : This Rare Rainbow Was Captured By Pilot At 30,000 Feet!

People are sharing what they claim is a rare rainbow captured by Lloyd J Ferraro, a pilot flying over the Pacific Ocean at at an altitude of 30,000 feet.

Rainbow at 30,000 Feet: Pilot’s Photo Captures Rare and Breathtaking Sight

A rare sight was captured from the cockpit of a commercial airplane as pilot Lloyd J Ferraro took a stunning photograph of a complete rainbow from an altitude of 30,000 feet. The breathtaking image shows the colors of the rainbow in their full spectrum, arching gracefully across the sky.

Rainbows have long been a source of fascination for people around the world, with their vivid colors and seemingly magical appearance. While rainbows can be seen from the ground after a storm, it is much rarer to witness a complete rainbow from the vantage point of an airplane.

According to Ferraro, he was flying over the Pacific Ocean when he spotted the rainbow and decided to capture the moment on camera. The resulting photograph has since gone viral, captivating people around the world with its beauty and rarity.

The image not only showcases the beauty of nature but also highlights the incredible capabilities of modern technology. Ferraro was able to capture the stunning photograph using a smartphone camera, demonstrating how accessible and advanced our technology has become.

This incredible photo serves as a reminder of the beauty and wonder that surrounds us in our everyday lives. It is a testament to the power of nature and the marvels of modern technology, and it has inspired people around the world to appreciate the small moments of beauty that exist in the world around us.

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Truth : Rare Rainbow Was Not Captured By Pilot At 30,000 Feet!

This is yet another example of FAKE PHOTOS circulating on WhatsApp and social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : Photo Was Not Taken By Lloyd J Ferraro

Lead Stories spoke to the pilot, Lloyd J Ferraro, on March 1, 2023. He has seen circular rainbows while flying, but he did not take that viral photo.

Ferraro shared that both he and his colleague copied and shared the rainbow image on social media, but he did not take the photo himself.

Fact #2 : Circular Rainbows Are Not Particularly Rare

Lloyd J Ferraro said that full-circle rainbows are not as rare as people think, and people do not need to be in an airplane to see one – a full circle rainbow can be observed from any high vantage point, like a mountain top.

In fact, NASA featured this full circle rainbow photo as its Astronomy Picture of the Day on December 27, 2022. That amazing photo of a full circle rainbow was taken using a drone by Swiss photographer Lukas Moesch over the Lofoten islands of Norway.

NASA also explained why full circle rainbows are more commonly seen from the air, instead of the ground.

Have you ever seen an entire rainbow? From the ground, typically, only the top portion of a rainbow is visible because directions toward the ground have fewer raindrops. From the air, though, the entire 360-degree circle of a rainbow is more commonly visible.

Pictured here, a full-circle rainbow was captured over the Lofoten Islands of Norway in September by a drone passing through a rain shower.

An observer-dependent phenomenon primarily caused by the internal reflection of sunlight by raindrops, the rainbow has a full diameter of 84 degrees. The Sun is in the exact opposite direction from the rainbow’s center. As a bonus, a second rainbow that was more faint and color-reversed was visible outside the first.

Fact #3 : Rainbow Photo Originated In Xiaohongshu

Lloyd J Ferraro could not have been the creator of the photo, because the viral photo of the rare circular rainbow circulated much earlier.

It appeared to have been posted in the Facebook group, Beautiful Nature, as part of a 5-photo collection of rainbows on February 6, 2023. After that, it went viral with many people sharing it on Facebook and Twitter.

But a closer examination of these photos will show a digital watermark at their lower right corners. These photos were created by someone with the user ID of 5463530014 on the Chinese social shopping platform Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book).

Fact #4 : Professor Labelled Rainbow Photo As Fake

Lead Stories asked Roland Stull, a professor of Atmospheric Science at the University of British Columbia to analyse the photo. He labelled it as a fake rainbow photo, and explained why:

It is fake. Rainbows form a circle centered around the shadow of the photographer or the camera; namely, looking away from the sun.

In the photo you attached, based on the sides of the clouds that are illuminated by the sun, the rainbow incorrectly appears to be in the direction of the sun, not opposite to the sun. Also, the rainbow circle itself appears to be incorrectly touching the location in the sky where the sun is (even though it is hidden behind a cloud), instead of the circle being centered on a shadow opposite to the sun (i.e., centered around the “anti-solar” point).

Fact #5 : Rainbow Photo Most Likely Generated By AI

It is not possible to know if the fake rainbow photo was digitally drawn by an artist, or created by AI image generators.

However, due to the numerous examples of similar rainbow photos with the same tone and colour palette, they were all likely generated by text-to-image generators like Midjourney, DALL-E or Stable Diffusion.

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

Don’t forget to protect yourself, and your family, by vaccinating against COVID-19!

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Did four SIA pilots die suddenly from vaccine in May?!

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Did four SIA pilots die suddenly from COVID-19 vaccine side effects, after Singapore Airlines demanded they get the fourth dose?!

Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : Four SIA Pilots Died Suddenly From Vaccine In May!

People are sharing obituary photos of four SIA pilots, claiming that they died suddenly from COVID-19 vaccine side effects in May 2023, after Singapore Airlines demanded that they get the fourth dose!

4 SIA captains died within a week after the airline demanded they take the FOURTH jab. Criminal…. 😱😓🫣💉
This is very serious considering 4 pilots passed away and they looked young and healthy. Chances are that they vaccineted at almost the same time.
This is very serious without the slightest doubt. Considering the spike in overall death in Singapore in the month of May 2023!
Ong Ye Kung and Iswaran care to shed some light???
The public want to know the reasons…. 4th jab at the same time as demanded by SIA?
Don’t just be obvious. Period…

1️⃣ Are You Aware?
4 SIA pilots departed, within two weeks.
1. Capt. Wee Loong (sudden) — 11 May ’23
2. Capt. Fernando Cid (Cancer) — 24 May ’23
3. Capt. Colin Tan Joo Huat (sudden) — 25 May ’23
4. Capt. Sebastian Tan (Cancer) — 26 May ’23
Condolences to loved ones. May their souls rest in peace. 😔
We are facing unprecedented times. How many more will have to suffer before we are “united and cohesive” to ask questions, speak up, and demand accountability?
2️⃣ From the archives (Jan ’21):
SIA can be *world’s first vaccinated international airline: Ong Ye Kung*
🤡 Minister of *Transport* OYK: “Those who come through Singapore will know that the city-state is safe and its people are united and cohesive.”
🍭SIA Chief: “Vaccinations…game-changer in facilitating the opening of borders once again”.
https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/…/sia-can-be-worlds…
Besides the staff and crew, how many of us were coerced into taking untested, experimental jabs to travel – for work or leisure? 😔
📲 Do a small part. Help share. #OurLivesMatter

Many warned that this would continue to happen, exponentially. Honestly, I can’t keep up. So many aggressive cancers, #suddencardiacarrest #diedsuddenlynews
NO #coincidence
1. Capt. Wee Loong (sudden) — 11 May 2023
2. Capt. Fernando Cid (cancer) — 24 May 2023
3. Capt. Colin Tan Joo Huat (sudden) — 25 May 2023
4. Capt. Sebastian Tan (cancer) — 26 May 2023

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No Evidence SIA Pilots Died From Vaccine In May!

It’s now tradition for anti-vaccination activists to immediately blame all sudden deaths or illnesses on the COVID-19 vaccine.

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and propagated by anti-vaccination activists, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : Their Cause Of Death Are Unknown

First, let me just confirm that there are indeed at least four SIA pilots who died in the month of May 2023, based on their obituaries:

However, none of their obituaries mentioned their individual cause of death. They also do not appear to have any social media accounts, or families posting about their deaths on social media.

Random netizens are claiming that Captains Wee Leong and Colin Tan died suddenly from cardiac arrest, while Captains Fernando Cid and Sebastian Tan died from cancer. It is unknown if any of those causes of death are accurate.

Until and unless Singapore Airlines, or the families of the four pilots, publicly announce their individual cause of death, anyone who tells you that the four SIA pilots died of this or that cause is likely lying to you.

Fact #2 : No Evidence SIA Requires 4th COVID-19 Vaccine Dose

In January 2021, Singapore Airlines (SIA) announced that it hopes to become the world’s first airline to vaccinated all of its crew members against COVID-19.

SIA set a deadline of September 1, and managed to vaccinate 99% of its active pilots, cabin crew and frontline ground crew by 19 August 2021.

However, there is no evidence that Singapore Airlines recently demanded that its pilots and cabin crew get the fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose, which would be their second booster dose.

As of 31 May 2023, the Singapore Ministry of Health only recommends that senior citizens and medically vulnerable people receive the fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose. Even then, it is a “recommendation”, not a requirement.

It is unlikely for Singapore Airlines to mandate a fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose, when the Singapore Ministry of Health does not recommend it for healthy young or middle-aged adults.

Until and unless Singapore Airlines, or the families of the four pilots, confirm it, anyone who tells you that the four SIA pilots received the fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose is likely lying to you.

Fact #3 : SIA Had Approximately 3,000 Pilots In 2022

In May 2022 (last year), SIA Chief Executive Goh Choon Phong announced that Singapore Airlines was looking to recruit 2,000 cabin crew as air travel was picking up.

While it may shocking to hear that four SIA pilots died in the same month, it is not really shocking when you factor in the death rate in Singapore, which is 5.8 per 1,000 (2021).

Assuming Singapore Airlines only has 3,000 pilots, it should expect 17 of its pilots to die on a given year, or about 1.5 pilots a month. In addition to these four pilots, a fifth pilot died in December. So five SIA pilots dying in 2023 is exceptionally low.

Fact #4 : COVID-19 Vaccines Do Not Cause Cancer

There is no such thing as “turbo cancer”, and there is no evidence that any COVID-19 vaccine can cause cause, or make cancer go “turbo”.

Even if, hypothetically, COVID-19 vaccines are carcinogenic (which is not the case), it will take many years before vaccinated people can conceivably develop cancer of any kind.

It is simply not possible for anyone to develop cancer right after getting the COVID-19 vaccine. Needless to say – no COVID-19 vaccine has been found to cause cancer of any kind.

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong getting his COVID-19 vaccination

Fact #5 : COVID-19 Vaccines Do Not Cause Cardiac Arrest

As of March 2023, over 13 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered globally, and their safety and efficacy have been closely monitored in the last 2.5 years. While mRNA vaccines have been shown to cause myocarditis in some children and young adults, none of the vaccines have been shown to cause cardiac arrest.

The truth is – sudden cardiac arrest is relatively common in young healthy adults, even athletes. The United States alone records over half a million cases of sudden cardiac arrest cases every year – an incidence of about 130 per 100,000 individuals per year.

Many people have undiagnosed heart conditions that may not produce noticeable symptoms in daily life, but could result in sudden cardiac arrest at any time. The risk of developing sudden cardiac arrest also increases during stressful or strenuous activities, which is why many countries mandate the provision of Automated External Defibrillator (AED) devices in public facilities like malls, sporting centres, gyms, schools, parks, etc.

Singapore has installed AEDs in public places for many years now, because people have been suffering sudden cardiac arrests long before the COVID-19 vaccines were invented. This was what the Minister for Home Affairs K. Shanmugan wrote in July 2019:

Many buildings in Singapore are already equipped with AEDs such as schools, community centres, sports stadiums, bus interchanges, MRT stations, Singapore Armed Forces camps and Home Team facilities. Several commercial and office buildings have also installed AEDs.

Under the Save-A-Life (“SAL”) initiative, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) has installed AEDs at the lift lobbies of HDB blocks in all 89 constituencies, with one AED for every two HDB blocks. SCDF is looking to expand its SAL initiative beyond HDB estates to condominiums.

The SCDF is also working with the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Singapore Heart Foundation (“SHF”) to encourage more public and private establishments to install AEDs and register their publicly-accessible AEDs with the SHF, in order to build a national registry of publicly-accessible AEDs.

In short, COVID-19 vaccines do NOT cause cardiac arrests, no matter what anti-vaccination activists may claim. But COVID-19 vaccines also cannot prevent people from getting cardiac arrests, or dying from them.

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

Don’t forget to protect yourself, and your family, by vaccinating against COVID-19!

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Did Harrison Ford Just Die In Hospital / Plane Crash?!

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Did Hollywood legend Harrison Ford just die suddenly in the hospital, or in a plane crash?!

Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : Harrison Ford Died Suddenly In Hospital / Plane Crash!

People are sharing TikTok and YouTube videos which claim that Hollywood legend Harrison Ford just died suddenly in a hospital, or in a plane crash!

Harrison Ford dead at 80. Plane crash

Hollywood reported on the sudden death of actor Harrison Ford at the age of 80, Sad details…

5 minutes ago / With a heavy heart we announce that Harrison Ford has passed away at the age of 80

Harrison Ford’s funeral took place live, fans burst into tears

Funeral will be in 3 days / Actor Harrison Ford / Goodbye Harrison Ford

7 Minutes Ago / Hollywood Sends Condolences To His Family (Harrison Ford) / Goodbye Harrison Ford

Funeral Will Be In 2 Days / Lagendry Actor Harrison Ford / Goodbye Harrison Ford

Harrison Ford’s final moments in the hospital, he died in the arms of his loved ones.

5 minutes ago/ R.I.P Harrison Ford Died in the hospital emergency / Goodbye legendary Harrison Ford.

80 year-old Harrison Ford Passed Away Expected Soon Extremely Unlikely To Survive Doctors Given Up

Truth : Harrison Ford Did NOT Die In Hospital / Plane Crash!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and propagated by people to generate income from page / video views and advertising, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : No Legitimate Media Outlet Reported His Death

These social media posts, as well as YouTube and TikTok videos have been circulating for months now, but people don’t seem to notice that no legitimate media has reported on Harrison Ford’s sudden death!

Harrison Ford is a Hollywood legend and a mega celebrity. His death would have been covered extensively by the media across the globe, and his legion of fans would have mourned his death on social media.

Yet, no legitimate media outlet has reported that Harrison Ford died recently from any cause, never mind a tragic plane crash. Why should you believe no-name websites, or random YouTube / TikTok videos?

Fact #2 : Harrison Ford Is Still Alive + Well!

Harrison Ford (born July 13, 1942) is still very much alive and well, as of April 2023, when he spoke to Total Film magazine for its April 27 issue.

In that interview, Harrison Ford confirmed that he won’t be playing Indiana Jones again, after Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is released.

This is the final film in the series, and this is the last time I’ll play the character. I anticipate that it will be the last time that he appears in a film.

That interview comes many days to weeks after those social media posts, YouTube and Facebook videos claimed that he died suddenly in a hospital or a tragic plane crash!

Fact #3 : This Plane Crash Photo Was From 2015

Harrison Ford has been flying for a long time. He learned to fly after leaving university, but could not afford to pursue it.

Only after he was financially stable in his 50s, did he renew his training to “see if I could learn something new”. He has since been involved in several crashes and near misses, but walked away in every instance.

In 1999, he was learning to fly a helicopter when he had to crash land it in a dry river bed in California. Ford and his instructor walked away unhurt, but the helicopter was badly damaged.

The photo below which some videos are using is from 2015, when Harrison Ford brought down his plane in a Los Angeles golf course, after suffering an engine failure shortly after taking off. He suffered a broken arm and some head injuries.

In 2017, Harrison Ford mistakenly landed his plane on a taxiway, narrowly missing an airliner carrying more than 100 people. In 2020, he mistakenly crossed the end of a runway while another aircraft was taking off from the other end.

Harrison Ford put his flying skills to good use, when he rescued a 13 year-old Boy Scout who went missing in the Yellowstone National Park in 2001. Ford spotted Cody Clawson in his helicopter, and landed to pick him up.

I was like, “Oh my God, Han Solo just rescued me. How could is that?

Just to be clear, Harrison Ford did not die in a plane crash, as of April 2023.

Fact #4 : This Photo Was From Geoff Nugent’s Funeral

This photo is not of Harrison Ford’s funeral, but shows the funeral of Liverpool musician Geoff Nugent from the band, The Undertakers who died in October 2014.

The photo was taken on 24 October 2014, at St. Chad’s Church, in Kirkby, Merseyside in England.

As you can see, the fake news creator added a photo of Harrison Ford to the photo, which is not visible in the real photo.

Fact #5 : This Photo Was From Archie Battersbee’s Funeral

This photo is not of Harrison Ford’s funeral, but shows the funeral of Archie Battersbee – a 12 year-old boy who suffered catastrophic brain damage in Essex, England.

His funeral was held at the St. Mary’s Church in Southend on Tuesday, 13 September 2022.

Fact #6 : Harrison Ford Death Hoax Is Driven By Fake Fact Check Too

This Harrison Ford death hoax is, ironically, just another fake fact check article by MediaMass Project, which keeps “updating” the dates in their fake fact check article:

News of actor Harrison Ford’s death spread quickly earlier this week causing concern among fans across the world. However the April 2023 report has now been confirmed as a complete hoax and just the latest in a string of fake celebrity death reports. Thankfully, the actor best known for his roles in Indiana Jones or Star Wars is alive and well.

Rumors of the actor’s alleged demise gained traction on Monday after a ‘R.I.P. Harrison Ford’ Facebook page attracted nearly one million of ‘likes’. Those who read the ‘About’ page were given a believable account of the American actor’s passing:

“At about 11 a.m. ET on Monday (April 24, 2023), our beloved actor Harrison Ford passed away. Harrison Ford was born on July 13, 1942 in Chicago. He will be missed but not forgotten. Please show your sympathy and condolences by commenting on and liking this page.”

Hundreds of fans immediately started writing their messages of condolence on the Facebook page, expressing their sadness that the talented 80-year-old actor was dead. And as usual, Twittersphere was frenzied over the death hoax.

Where as some trusting fans believed the post, others were immediately skeptical of the report, perhaps learning their lesson from the huge amount of fake death reports emerging about celebrities over recent months. Some pointed out that the news had not been carried on any major American network, indicating that it was a fake report, as the death of an actor of Harrison Ford’s stature would be major news across networks.

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Their claim of a viral R.I.P. Harrison Ford Facebook page is false. There is no such Facebook page. It is their standard fake fact check spiel for fake celebrity deaths.

The statement from Harrison Ford’s unnamed rep confirming that he is not dead is exactly the same as statements from other celebrities whose reps MediaMass claimed were victims of death hoaxes, like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Celine Dion, Justin Bieber, Simon Cowell, Sylvester Stallone, Tom Hanks, Dolly Parton, Lucy Liu, and Melanie Laurent.

Hidden in the description page for the MediaMass Project is a disclaimer that they are a “satire” website. That’s the usual “cover” for websites peddling fake news.

Regardless of their reasons, anything posted by MediaMass.net must be considered as fake news, until proven otherwise.

Fact #7 : This Is Just Fake Celebrity News

This is yet another example of fake celebrity news created to generate page views and money through advertising, just like these examples:

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He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Winnie the Pooh patch : TW’s middle finger to Xi Jinping!

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The Taiwanese-designed Winnie the Pooh patch is flying off shelves, as people start wearing it as a middle finger to Chinese President Xi Jin Ping!

Winnie the Pooh Aviation Suit Patch Goes Viral!

Aviation suit patches designed by Taiwanese artist, Alec Hsu, have gone viral, after the Taiwanese military news agency published a photo of a Taiwanese pilot wearing the patch on his suit.

That particular aviation suit patch shows Winnie the Pooh – a reference to Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), getting socked in the face by an angry Formosan black bear!

The poor bear is often used to mock Chinese President Xi Jinping. So often that Chinese censors not only actively target all mention or postings of the lovable bear, China even banned the release of 2018 Christopher Robin movie, and the 2023 slasher movie Winnie-the-Pooh : Blood and Honey!

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) may not like it, but the Taiwanese are really loving it, with a surge in demand for the patches.

Winnie the Pooh patch is a middle finger to Xi Jinping!

Alec Hau Fu-yu (徐福佑) designed and started selling the patches last year at his Taoyuan shop, Wings Fan Journal. But they didn’t go viral until one appeared on the suit of the Taiwanese pilot who was inspecting his fighter jet.

Hsu, who served in the Air Force during his mandatory military service, said that he created the badges of his own accord, and that they have nothing to do with Taiwan’s military.

I wanted to boost the morale of our troops through designing this patch.

After his badges went viral, he ordered more of them to be made to meet the increased demand. He noted that sewing such patches onto military jackets is a long-standing practice to commemorate different missions or tasks.

There appears to be at least two versions of the Winnie the Pooh patch, with a red or a blue background.

Both red and blue versions depict an angry Formosan black bear holding a Republic of China flag in its left hand, while punching Winnie the Pooh, who is dressed in its signature red shirt while holding onto a honey pot with the 5 stars from the Chinese flag engraved on it.

Both versions also have the slogan, Scramble! – referring to the act of quickly sending military aircraft to intercept hostile aircraft. In recent years, Taiwanese pilots have had to often scramble to intercept Chinese aircraft entering Taiwan’s Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ).

The red version has the slogan, WE ARE OPEN 24/7; while the blue version has the slogan, FIGHT FOR FREEDOM.

These patches went viral during a time of great tension between China and Taiwan, after Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen returned to Taipei after meeting US House of Representative Speaker Kevin McCarthy. China reacted by launching 3 days of military exercises called Joint Sword a day later, simulating attacks and a blockade of Taiwan

The “scramble” for these uniquely Taiwanese badges goes to show just what the Taiwanese people think of how China has behaved. These patches are a symbol of their defiance and resistance to Chinese aggression.

Buying and wearing these patches is perhaps their way to show their middle finger to Chinese President Xi Jinping, while not targeting China the country itself.

For its part, the Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF) say that it does not “particularly encourage” its members to wear the patch as it is not part of their uniform, but it “will maintain an open attitude” to anything that raises morale.

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Did FedEx + Southwest Jets Almost Collide In Video?!

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Did a FedEx cargo plane and a Southwest Airlines jet almost collide in a viral video?!

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : Video Shows FedEx + Southwest Jets Almost Colliding!

People are sharing a video clip that claims to show a FedEx cargo plane and a Southwest Airlines jet almost colliding!

This is video from the FedEx – Southwest runway incident from last week.

If this doesn’t make you tense up and cringe nothing will. The people on that SouthWest flight have no clue how close to death they came.

Insane.

Real incident at Austin Feb 4, 2023.
Fedex 😱 Southwest Airlines. Near Miss!

Truth : FedEx + Southwest Jet Near Collision Video Is From Game!

This is yet another example of MISINFORMATION circulating on WhatsApp, and social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.

Fact #1 : FedEx + Southwest Jets Did Almost Collide

First, let me confirm that a FedEx cargo plane and a Southwest Airlines jet did almost collide on Saturday, February 4, 2023.

In that incident, air traffic controllers at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport cleared an arriving FedEx Boeing 767 cargo plane to lane, while simultaneously clearing a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 to take off using the same runway!

Air traffic controllers first cleared the Southwest Airlines jet to take-off from runway 18 Left, when the FedEx jet was 3.2 nautical miles (6 km) away.

When the FedEx jet was 2.19 nautical miles (4 km) from the airport, controllers told the FedEx crew to land on the same 18 Left runway.

The FedEx crew later realised that they were about to overfly the Southwest plane, and quickly aborted their landing while telling the Southwest crew to abort their takeoff.

According to Jennifer Homendy, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the two planes almost collided, with a separation of “less than 100 feet (30 metres)”.

I’m very proud of the FedEx flight crew and that pilot. They saved, in my view, 128 people from a potential catastrophe. It was very close, and we believe less than 100 feet.

The near catastrophe apparently happened because the Austin airport is not equipped with Airport Surface Detection Equipment (ASDE). Air traffic controller could see the FedEx jet on radar, but could not see the Southwest Airlines jet taxiing on the ground.

The ASDE system was important in preventing a runway collision in January 2023, between taxiing and departing aircraft at New York’s John F. Kennedy airport.

BREAKING: FedEx cargo plane narrowly misses crashing into Southwest Airlines plane taxiing on runway at Austin International Airport, Texas pic.twitter.com/2KF0ifokRF

— Intel Point Alert (@IntelPointAlert) February 5, 2023

Fact #2 : That Video Was From A Video Game

While the incident was real, the video isn’t real. The video was created using the 2020 computer game, Microsoft Flight Simulator by Monster21 who posted it on YouTube and TikTok.

On his YouTube channel, Monster21 explicitly pointed out that the video was created on Microsoft Flight Simulator, with the title, “Real incident at Austin on Microsoft Flight Simulator“.

On TikTok though, he posted it with a shorter title of “Real incident at Austin Feb 4th 2023“, but did include a #microsoftflightsimulator2020 hashtag.

Unfortunately, it is being shared as if the video is genuine, just like these other videos created by computer games:

Fact #3 : Video Does Not Accurately Simulate The Event

While the video creator was simulating the close call between the FedEx and Southwest jets based on flight data, it isn’t an accurate depiction.

The video showed that it was a bright and clear day. That’s not accurate because the incident happened at around 6:50 AM. Dawn only broke at 6:55 AM in Austin, Texas on February 4, 2023.

There was also fog at the airport that day. So it would have been rather dark and foggy at the same time, with poor visibility.

That would explain why the FedEx crew did not spot the spot the Southwest jet lining up on the runway much earlier.

https://www.techarp.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/FedEx-Southwest-planes-close-call-fake-video.mp4?_=2

Fact #4 : Audio Was Genuine, But Edited

While the video is not real and is just a simulation, the audio recording is genuine albeit edited.

The air traffic control audio recording was made available through Live ATC of Austin-Bergstrom Airport’s traffic control, and began at around 6:47 AM.

The full audio recording lasts just over 6 minutes, but was edited to just over 2 minutes by Haemaker to remove dead spots. As he noted – “It did NOT happen this fast“.

The video used the shorter, edited Haemaker audio recording, so it sounds more dramatic than what really happened in real life. Here is how USA Today explains the audio recording:

The FedEx pilot asks the tower if the plane is confirmed to land, to which the controller responds yes and lets the pilot know about the Southwest flight taking off.

About 30 seconds later, the controller asks the Southwest flight to confirm if it is “on the roll.” To which the pilot immediately responds, “Rolling now.”

After about 20 seconds of silence, the tower says, “Southwest abort. FedEx is on the go.”

There’s no response, and nearly nine seconds later, the tower tells the Southwest flight to turn right when able. Southwest immediately responds by saying, “Negative.”

The tower comes back about 17 seconds later and tells the FedEx pilot to climb and maintain 3,000 feet and turn left, which the pilot confirms upon receiving the instruction.

Near the end of the recording, after the FedEx plane has landed and said it cleared the runway, the tower apologizes to the pilot and thanks them for their professionalism.

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He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Did US Paint Chinese Balloon Kill On F-22 Fighter Jet?!

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Did the US Air Force paint a balloon kill on the F-22 fighter jet that shot down the Chinese spy balloon?!

Take a look at the viral photo, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : US Painted Chinese Balloon Kill On F-22 Fighter Jet!

Pro-CCP netizens are either mocking or criticising the US Air Force for painting a balloon kill on the F-22 fighter jet that shot down the Chinese spy balloon!

美军F-22战斗机创造了当今最高高度空中击杀记录：6万5千英尺。
据说回来后还给飞机纹了个图案纪念战功，你们说气人不？

The U.S. F-22 fighter jet has created the current record for the highest altitude air kill: 65,000 feet. It is said that after returning, he even tattooed a pattern on the plane to commemorate the military exploits. Don’t you think it is annoying?

Well here it is the #Balloon decal 😁

五毛：高射炮打蚊子‼️

北京时间2月5日03:39，从美国弗吉尼亚州兰利空军基地起飞的一架F-22战斗机，在近18000米（58000英尺）高度发射的一枚价值约40万美元的AIM-9X“响尾蛇”红外制导空空导弹，击落了一个在20000米左右（65000英尺）高度飞行的价值数百美元的中共高空气球，气球残骸随后坠落于南卡罗来纳州近海海域。

Fifty cents: anti-aircraft weapon hit mosquitoes‼ ️

At 03:39 on February 5, Beijing time, an F-22 fighter jet that took off from Langley Air Force Base in Virginia, USA, launched an AIM-9X worth about 400,000 US dollars at an altitude of nearly 18,000 meters (58,000 feet). The “Sidewinder” infrared-guided air-to-air missile shot down a CCP high-altitude balloon worth hundreds of dollars flying at an altitude of about 20,000 meters (65,000 feet), and the balloon wreckage then fell in the waters off the coast of South Carolina.

Truth : US Did Not Paint Chinese Balloon Kill On F-22 Fighter Jet!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and propagated by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), and pro-CCP netizens, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : It Was First Official F-22 Air-to-Air Kill

First, we need to acknowledge that the shooting down of the Chinese spy balloon was officially the first air-to-air kill for the F-22 Raptor fighter jet.

Although the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor entered US Air Force service in December 2005, it has not engaged in any air-to-air combat. Its combat sorties had so far consisted of very limited bombing missions in the Middle East.

So shooting down the Chinese spy balloon was the first time the F-22 was “blooded” in air combat, albeit against an easy target that could not manoeuvre to evade, or fire back.

I mention this point because it is entirely possible and legitimate for the pilot to paint a balloon kill on his F-22 fighter jet.

Fact #2 : Viral Photo Was Edited From 2020 Photo

While it is possible that the F-22 fighter jet that shot down the Chinese spy balloon may sport a kill marking of some sort, there was no official release of any photo of such a kill marking or decal.

What I can confirm is that the viral photo was edited, by painting a white balloon onto a photo originally posted by the Edwards Air Force Base on April 3, 2020.

Here is a photo comparison I created, showing the Edwards Air Force Base Facebook post, and the fake viral photo.

Fact #3 : FRANK01 Flew From Langley Air Force Base

The viral photo shows an F-22 Raptor flown by Major Brandon Burfeind from the 411th Flight Test Squadron, based out of Edwards Air Force Base in California. His F-22 fighter jet has a fuselage number 007, and the airframe number 91-4007.

The F-22 Raptor that shot down the Chinese spy balloon was flown by an unnamed pilot using the callsign FRANK01, from the Langley Air Force Base in Virginia.

While we do not know the name or rank of the FRANK01 pilot yet, his F-22 fighter jet is definitely not the same as the one shown in the viral photo, as he is based on a different USAF base in a different state.

Interesting note : The FRANK01 callsign is an apparent homage to World War I Medal of Honor recipient First Lieutenant Frank Luke Jr., who is known as the “Arizona Balloon Buster” for shooting down 14 German balloons, as well as four planes.

Fact #4 : This Is Just Chinese Propaganda

This appears to be yet another example of Chinese propaganda created by the infamous Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), or pro-CCP netizens.

All of the wumao articles and videos that I looked at so far have proven to be false… at every instance. So please watch out for such false claims.

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Did Klaus Schwab Ban Vaccinated Pilots @ WEF 2023?!

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Did WEF founder Klaus Schwab ban vaccinated pilots from transporting World Economic Forum members in and out of Davos 2023?!

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : Klaus Schwab Banned Vaccinated Pilots From WEF 2023!

Various websites and social media users are claiming that WEF founder Klaus Schwab banned vaccinated pilots from transporting World Economic Forum members in and out of Davos 2023!

Here is one example, which is rather long, so feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!

WEF Hires Unvaccinated Pilots To Fly Them Into Davos: “Safety of Our Members Is No. 1 Priority”

Klaus Schwab has banned vaccinated pilots from transporting World Economic Forum members in and out of Davos due to the safety risk they pose.

According to reports, WEF members are being transport solely by unvaccinated pilots to the 2023 conference in Davos, Switzerland.

According to pilot Alan Dana, Davos elites have expressed interest in hiring unvaccinated pilots to fly their business trips.

“He’s getting calls now from wealthy businessmen and companies to fly their executives around on business jets with unvaccinated crew,” Dana said on “Maria Zeee Uncensored” this week.

Infowars.com reports: “They get the luxury of being able to choose, because there are still a large amount of crew available in the United States who are not vaccinated because the companies they work for didn’t mandate it.”

“These wealthy businessmen are requiring unvaccinated crew on their business trips,” Dana added. “Passengers on an airline who bought a ticket don’t have that luxury.”

Two years later, emerging data and increase documented incidents of individuals who “died suddenly” after receiving the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine appear to be making the elite second-guess who flies them around the world.

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Truth : Klaus Schwab Did Not Ban Vaccinated Pilots From WEF 2023!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and/or propagated by anti-vaccination activists, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : No Evidence Vaccinated Pilots Pose Any Safety Risk

This fake news appears to be based around prior claims that vaccinated airline pilots have a high risk of dying suddenly.

It may also be fuelled by the recent baseless allegations that the FAA loosened rules on pilot EKGs because so many of them had heart problems from the COVID-19 vaccines.

In any case, there is no evidence that vaccinated pilots pose any safety risk to their passengers, whether WEF 2023 attendees flying on private jets, or regular passengers on commercial airlines.

Fact #2 : Claim Was Based On Second-Hand Information

While the article claims that there are multiple “reports”, the only source for this claim is an interview with former Jetstar pilot Alan Dana on Maria Zeee Uncensored.

Even so, Alan Dana was relaying second-hand information from someone else – Josh Yoder – the head of US Freedom Flyers – which Infowars peg as “an anti-vaccine mandate group of pilots”.

He’s getting calls now from wealthy businessmen and companies to fly their executives around on business jets with unvaccinated crew.

They get the luxury of being able to choose, because there are still a large amount of crew available in the United States who are not vaccinated because the companies they work for didn’t mandate it.

These wealthy businessmen are requiring unvaccinated crew on their business trips. Passengers on an airline who bought a ticket don’t have that luxury.

Fact #3 : No Evidence Of Vaccinated Pilot Ban At Davos 2023

There is no evidence that Klaus Schwab banned vaccinated pilots from transporting World Economic Forum members in and out of Davos for WEF 2023.

Schwab is merely the founder and chairman of the World Economic Forum, and has no power over air travel policies in Switzerland. It would impossible for him to institute any ban on vaccinated pilot, even if he was so inclined.

And consider this for a moment – how would these ultra-rich WEF attendees prove that their pilots are unvaccinated? Is there an unvaccinated certificate?

Fact #4 : No Evidence WEF Hired Pilots

There is no evidence that the World Economic Forum hired pilots to transport attendees to its 2023 annual meeting.

The World Economic Forum organisation only organises the annual meeting, but does not handle the transportation or accommodation for attendees.

Fact #5 : Most WEF Attendees Do Not Fly By Private Jet

On average, about 3,000 people attend each World Economic Forum annual meeting. While many of the ultra-rich fly by private jet to Davos for World Economic Forum 2023, they are relatively few – less than 150 private jets for the first 3 days.

Most WEF attendees likely flew by commercial airlines to Zurich Airport, or if they are Europeans – took the train as recommended by WEF 2023 organisers. I mention this only because most airlines require their pilots to be fully-vaccinated.

Therefore, it would be rather pointless for Klaus Schwab to ban vaccinated pilots for private jets, when most attendees are being flown into Switzerland by vaccinated pilots on commercial airlines.

Fact #6 : Josh Yoder Refuted Viral Claim!

Ironically, Josh Yoder himself – the original source – refuted the claim in a tweet on January 15, 2023! He also called for people to unfollow people making such claims!

He stated that he only said that wealthy businessmen reached out to him to look for unvaccinated pilot. He never said that it was WEF or Davos who reached out to him.

He also notably did not say that the unvaccinated were being hired to ferry those rich people to Davos for World Economic Forum 2023.

Click bait journalism is a scourge. I never said that the WEF/Davos has reached out looking for unvaccinated pilots. What I did say was that wealthy businessmen have reached out to me for that purpose. Unfollow anyone spreading this garbage.@USFreedomFlyers @TuckerCarlson

Fact #7 : No Evidence Businessmen Are Looking For Unvaccinated Pilots

Even that less dramatic claim by Josh Yoder is impossible to verify. There is no other source for his claim. Neither has other private jet pilots or companies publicly made similar claims.

It doesn’t help that Yoder himself is known for promoting conspiracy theories about COVID-19 and the vaccines.

I should point out that if these ultra-rich individuals are so concerned about COVID-19 vaccines, they would have long sought out unvaccinated pilots to fly their private jets, or engaged private jet companies with unvaccinated pilots.

They wouldn’t be hiring pilots just to fly to the World Economic Forum. There is no specific reason why there is additional risk flying to the WEF, as opposed to any other flight they would normally take.

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He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Did FAA Admit Pilot EKGs Not Normal After Vaccines?!

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Did the FAA admit that pilot EKGs are no longer normal, because the COVID-19 vaccines have damaged their hearts?!

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : FAA Admitted Pilot EKGs Are Abnormal From COVID-19 Vaccines!

An article by Steve Kirsch has gone viral, claiming that the FAA admitted that pilot EKGs are no longer normal, because the COVID-19 vaccines have damaged the hearts of many pilots?!

Here is an excerpt, which itself is really long, so feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!

In the October 2022 version of the FAA Guide for Aviation Medical Examiners, the FAA quietly widened the EKG parameters beyond the normal range (from a PR max of .2 to unlimited). And they didn’t widen the range by a little. They widened it by a lot. It was done after the vaccine rollout.

This is extraordinary. They did it hoping nobody would notice. It worked for a while. Nobody caught it.

But you can’t hide these things for long.

This is a tacit admission from the US government that the COVID vaccine has damaged the hearts of our pilots. Not just a few pilots. A lot of pilots and a lot of damage.

The cardiac harm of course is not limited to pilots.

My best guess right now is that over 50M Americans sustained some amount of heart damage from the shot.

That’s a lot of people who will be very upset when they realize the vaccine they took to reduce their chance of dying from COVID actually worked in reverse making it:

More likely that people will get COVID
Be hospitalized from COVID and other diseases
Die from COVID (and other diseases)
You also have an excellent chance of getting a lifetime of heart damage for no extra charge.

But don’t worry; you can’t sue them. They fixed the law so none of them aren’t liable (the doctors, the drug companies, the government). After all, you took the vaccine of your own free will. It’s not like you were forced (or coerced) to take it or anything like that! And there were plenty of people warning you not to take the shots (even though they censored most of them).

In this article, I will explain the evidence and thinking behind all my claims.

As I learn more, I will refine the estimate.

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Truth : FAA Did Not Admit Pilot EKGs Are Abnormal From Vaccines!

This is yet another example of MISINFORMATION created and/or propagated by anti-vaccination activists, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : EKG = ECG

First, let me quickly clarify that EKG and ECG refer to the same test – electrocardiogram.

EKG is the abbreviation original German spelling (elektrokardiogramm), while ECG is the abbreviation for the English spelling.

Fact #2 : FAA Split 1st Degree AV Block Into Two Categories

On October 26, 2022, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) amended its medical policy on Heart Arrhythmias, specifically First-Degree Atrioventricular Block (1st Degree AV Block).

Previously, pilots with first-degree AV block were required to undergo tests and submit documentation to prove that they had “no evidence of structural function or coronary heart disease” to be certified to fly.

The FAA’s amended medical policy now splits pilots with first-degree AV block into two groups:

PR interval of less than 300 ms : certified for flight if no symptoms or Approved Medical Examiner (AME) concerns
PR interval of 300 ms or more : pilots must submit a current Holter and cardiac evaluation to the FAA for review

The claim that the FAA expanded the limit from 0.2 (seconds?) to unlimited is nonsense. There is a hard limit of 300 milliseconds (0.3 seconds) – from that point, the pilot must submit documentation for FAA’s evaluation.

Fact #3 : PR Interval Of Less Than 300 ms Usually Benign

The ECG of a person with a normal heart would generally have a PR interval of between 120 and 200 milliseconds. Anything above that usually indicates an AV block.

However, first-degree AV block is a misnomer – it only delays the electrical signal, it does not block it. Therefore, first-degree AV block often do not present with any noticeable symptoms.

On top of that, no treatment is indicated for people with first-degree AV block if their PR interval is less than 300 milliseconds, because it rarely causes any symptoms.

In an otherwise healthy heart, this is usually a benign condition and rarely causes any symptoms. In general, it does not require specific treatment besides a complete evaluation by a physician.

– Dr. Roland Assi, cardiac surgeon and assistant professor at Yale University

It is not uncommon for people to have such delays. If the [AV] block is less than 300 milliseconds, there is no indication for further therapy nor increased risk or impairment of bodily function

– Dr. Eric Adler, cardiologist and professor of medicine at University of California, San Diego.

Fact #4 : Long PR Interval Not A Vaccine Side Effect

I should point out that longer PR interval is not a COVID-19 vaccine side effect. In fact, a PR interval of less than 300 milliseconds is considered normal in many healthy people, with a PR interval of less than 400 milliseconds normal in healthy athletes.

For reference, in healthy athletes a PR interval <400 msec is considered normal. So, the 300 msec cutoff may be considered conservative in many healthy people.

– Dr. Richard Kovacs, chief medical officer at the America College of Cardiology.

Fact #5 : Change Was Not Made Because Of Vaccine

The FAA has spoken out about the claim, stating that the decision to adjust their policy for first-degree AV block was based on current science and data, and not because pilots were developing heart problems from COVID-19 vaccinations.

When making changes to medical requirements and guidance, the FAA follows standard processes based on data and science.

Our cardiology consultants provided information that anything under 300ms requires no additional testing and is not a risk for sudden or subtle incapacitation.

Fact #6 : FAA Considered Long PR Interval Normal Before COVID-19 Vaccines

The FAA had earlier released a document that said that a first-degree AV block with PR interval between 0.21 and 0.29 seconds is considered normal.

That document was published on 3 July 2019 – more than 5 months before the first COVID-19 outbreak in China, and more than 17 months before the first COVID-19 vaccine was approved!

Fact #6 : American College of Cardiology Approves Of New FAA Guidelines

Dr. Richard Kovacs, chief medical officer at the America College of Cardiology (ACC), said that the updated FAA criteria for widening ECG parameters for first-degree AV block is consistent with ACC guidelines.

The FAA’s updated criteria for widening the ECG parameters regarding AV Block are reasonable and consistent with ACC guideline recommendations.

Fact #7 : FAA Refutes Claims Of Complications From COVID-19 Vaccines

The FAA’s federal air surgeon has also determined that the Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, and Novavax COVIC-19 vaccines are safe for its pilots and air traffic controllers.

The FAA also refuted claims that COVID-19 vaccines have caused accidents or incapacitation of pilots:

The FAA has no evidence of aircraft accidents or incapacitations caused by pilots suffering medical complications associated with COVID-19 vaccine.

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

Don’t forget to protect yourself, and your family, by vaccinating against COVID-19!

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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Did Chip Tayag Crash Helicopter From Vaccine SADS?!

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Did WBTV pilot Chip Tayag crash his helicopter, just four hours after his 4th COVID-19 vaccination?!

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the FACTS really are!

Claim : Chip Tayag Crashed Helicopter From Vaccine SADS!

On 23 November 2022, Michael Baxter (real name : Michael Tuffin) wrote an article claiming that WBTV pilot Chip Tayag crashed his helicopter and killed himself and meteorologist Jason Myers, after receiving his fourth COVID-19 vaccination just four hours earlier!

It is long and rambling, so please feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!

A recently boosted pilot for WBTV, a CNN affiliate, died Tuesday afternoon when the helicopter he was piloting spiraled out of control and crashed in a field near Interstate 77, in Charlotte, North Carolina. Passenger Jason Myers, a meteorologist, also perished in the wreck.

Although the National Transportation Safety Board has yet to release a preliminary accident report, two sources at WBTV told Real Raw News that pilot Chip Tayag had received a fourth Covid-19 vaccination four hours ahead of the fateful flight. They would only comment under condition of anonymity because, they said, WBTV legal issued a directive to all employees—avoid mentioning vaccines when discussing the crash, or don’t discuss it at all, on or off air.

Many employees at WBTV’s Charlotte Studio knew that Tayag was freshly vaxxed because he openly bragged about his vaccine status and beseeched coworkers to stay current on their vaccine regimens.

“Chip loved his vaccines,” one source said. “If he heard someone wasn’t up on their boosters, he’d say something. That morning he was at the studio to grab Jason. Chip was smiling and pointing to little band aid on his arm and telling folks he got another shot per CDC recommendations. He was fine then, looked healthy and was cracking jokes.

A second source affirmed the story, adding that Tayag was a skilled and competent pilot with 20 years of flight experience and thousands of hours of flight time on the station’s Robinson R44 chopper, the world’s best-selling general aviation helicopter since 1999. Built by Robinson Helicopter Company, the R44 has an excellent safety record; pilots say it’s reliable, dependable, quick, and easy to maintain.

RRN has been unable to get the maintenance records of WBTV’s R-44.

“We’ll wait and hear what NTSB has to say, but I’m having a hard time believing Chip lost control of the bird. He was too good for that. I hate to think the vaccine did him in; I got a couple of shots myself,” a source said.

Real Raw News is not ascribing WBTV’s fatalities to the clot shot, as substantive evidence is needed. However, there is an undeniable correlation between the vaccines and pilots falling ill or dropping dead midflight.

Real Raw News began reporting on these phenomena in September 2021, when USAF pilots started resigning en masse in protest of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s vaccination mandate, and after their vaccinated brethren began plunging from clear blue skies in what the DoD called “training accidents.” On October 15, 2021, the vaxxed pilot in the number 1 seat on an American Airlines A320 suffered a heart attack due to acute myocarditis. The copilot’s reflexes stopped the airframe from falling out of the sky.

Now, the regime’s HHS wants to reimpose mask and vaccination mandates, which could endanger the lives of even more naïve sheeple. Yesterday the regime used a prop to scare people into getting tested and boosted before the Thanksgiving travel rush. A facsimile of the late Dr. Anthony Fauci, also known as Doctor Death, appeared alongside administration Spokesdemon Karine Jean-Pierre in a replica of the White House Briefing Room before a press pool that has long abetted the regime’s charade. One reporter, though, flipped the script and challenged the fake Fauci on the origins of the virus. The body double or projection was apparently coached to answer only softball questions, prompting Jean-Pierre to erupt in a maniacal tirade and end the briefing prematurely.

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Truth : Chip Tayag Did NOT Crash Helicopter From Vaccine SADS!

The truth is – this is just another FAKE STORY created by Real Raw News, just to generate page views and money.

Everything that Real Raw News posts must be regarded as FAKE NEWS, until proven otherwise.

Fact #1 : Real Raw News Is A Fake News Website

Real Raw News is a FAKE NEWS website that capitalises on making shocking but fake stories to generate page views and money.

To protect himself from legal repercussions, the owner and writer, Michael Baxter (real name – Michael Tuffin), claims that his articles are “humour, parody, and satire“.

This disclaimer, which is not clearly mentioned in his articles, lets him keep creating fake news that will go viral, and generate him money.

His articles have been regularly debunked as fake news, so you should NEVER share anything from his website. Here are some of his fake stories that I personally debunked earlier:

Fact #2 : No Legitimate Report Of COVID-19 Vaccination Before Flight

Only Real Raw News has published anything about Chip Tayag receiving his 4th COVID-19 vaccination just four hours before crashing his helicopter.

If it’s true that Chip Tayag got his 4th vaccine dose just before a flight that ended in a crash, it would have been picked up by at least one or two other blogs, if not the mainstream media.

Yet, no one else could corroborate the claim? How likely is it for a one-man operation like Real Raw News to have a scoop on this “story” and the many other stories that turned out to be false?

A March 2018 screenshot of Michael Tuffin, who goes by the pseudonym Michael Baxter

Fact #3 : Unknown If Chip Tayag Was Vaccinated

It is currently unknown if Chip Tayag was vaccinated against COVID-19, so it would be wrong for anyone to claim that he died from COVID-19 vaccine side effects, or had a 4th vaccine dose before he died!

For all we know – he may not even be vaccinated! The COVID-19 vaccine is not mandatory in the United States, despite what anti-vaccination activists may claim.

For example, anti-vaccination activists claimed that Kaden Clymer was almost crippled by a 6-foot long vaccine-induced blood clot, but the high school athlete was never vaccinated against COVID-19!

Fact #4 : WBTV Helicopter Took Off At 11:19 AM

The WBTV helicopter – a Robinson R44, crashed at around 12:20 PM local time, next to the Interstate 77 South highway.

But it took off 38 minutes earlier from the WBTV headquarters in uptown Charlotte at 11:19 AM, according to flight records from RadarBox.

In other words – it is really impossible for Chip Tayag to get his 4th dose of the COVID-19 vaccine four hours before that flight. Which vaccination centre opens at 7 AM?

Fact #5 : WBTV Helicopter Appeared To Be Malfunctioning

Despite suggestions that Chip Tayag may have died or collapsed from his 4th COVID-19 vaccination, eyewitness accounts stated that the helicopter appeared to be in trouble.

David Bristol, who is a trainee pilot, watched the WBTV Sky 3 helicopter that Chip Tayag was piloting, make slow circles for a while, when he noticed two odd things:

the sound Sky 3 made seemed to change
he then saw Sky 3 make two odd, hard turns to the left, before suddenly disappearing behind the trees.

Another eyewitness concurred that the helicopter appeared to be in trouble, and the pilot made an aggressive move to prevent crashing onto the highway.

I think that he absolutely knew that he was gonna have to put that down,” the man said. “He did his best to put it down … Whoever the pilot was, did their best to put that thing down where it wasn’t going to injure a lot of people, and in that respect, they did a fabulous job.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings confirmed that the pilot was in control, and managed to avoid hitting the busy highway.

It seems the pilot that was operating the aircraft made some diversionary moves to avoid hitting traffic … To me it looks like a heroic incident where the pilot tried to avoid injuring anyone else and putting anyone else in danger,” Jennings said. “If that is truly the case then that pilot is a hero, in my eyes, to make sure the safety and security of those driving on the road was not in jeopardy.

From all eyewitness accounts, Chip Tayag did not just collapse after getting his fourth dose of the vaccine. He was in control, and managed to crash the helicopter away from a busy highway.

https://youtu.be/AQAG-bBfnuo

Fact #6 : USAF Pilots Did Not Resign Over Vaccine Mandate

It is ludicrous for Real Raw News to repeat their long-debunked claim that USAF pilots resigning over the COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin never sent any text message demanding that all Armed Forces members to immediately get the COVID-19 vaccine.

In any case, no F-22 pilot or B-52 crew member ever quit over the COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

Everything that Real Raw News posts should be regarded as FAKE NEWS.

Now that you know the facts, please SHARE THIS FACT CHECK out!

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He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Did Four Taiwan F-16 Fighters Just Defect To China?!

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Did four ROCAF F-16 fighter jets from Taiwan just defect to China?!

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : Four F-16 Fighter Jets From Taiwan Just Defected To China!

Many people are sharing a post on WhatsApp and social media, which claims that four F-16 fighter jets from Taiwan just defected to China.

It’s really long, so feel free to skip to the next section for the facts…

👍IMPORTANT NEWS🇸🇬 :- is reported that at 4:35 in the morning, four F16 fighter jets of a certain air force in Taiwan suddenly flew towards the center line of the strait during routine training and lost contact with the ground.

The Taiwan Air Force sent two fighter jets to intercept it, and the two sides exchanged fire in the air. The four F16 fighter jets that defected have now landed at a military base in Fujian.

There was an air battle over the Taiwan Strait. Four Taiwan F16 fighter jets jointly defected and engaged in an air battle with two interceptor fighters. The interceptors were shot down, and the life and death of the pilots were unknown.

The four F16 fighter jets and their crews that have landed safely at a military base in Fujian have been secretly protected by the military.

At present, both the mainland and Taiwan have remained silent on the incident. The United States called Taiwan’s leaders to express concern about the incident.

The four planes were stationed at Taoyuan Airport – the 16th Air Wing. The captain of the pilot is Major Han Rongming, and the plane number is TY160531.

According to eyewitnesses, one plane was slightly injured when it landed; the four planes landed successfully under the cover of eight SU-27 fighter jets from the mainland!

According to reliable information (from a well-informed source within the Air Force), the four F-16s that defected from the Taiwan Air Force the day before yesterday were transferred from Fuzhou Airport to Wuhu Air Force Base in Anhui under the “protection” of eight Su-27s.

The four F-16 pilots were warmly welcomed by the leadership led by the base commander. The four F-16s and their pilots have all been transferred to reliable locations.

According to rumors, the four pilots may go to Beijing next week to meet with senior Chinese military leaders. In response to this, the Chinese spokesperson said in response to questions from Chinese and foreign reporters that there has been no notification from relevant departments.

The Taiwan authorities have also remained tight-lipped about this. The U.S. Pentagon was extremely angry about this, because one of the RF-16s involved a lot of important electronic intelligence and important equipment, and Japan was also very surprised and said that it would upgrade the related equipment of the Self-Defense Force’s f-16 (transfer). 👍🇸🇬

重要新闻，凌晨4：35分，台某空军四架F16战机在例行训练中，突然朝海峡中线飞去并与地面失联。台空军即派两架战机拦截，双方在空中发生交火。叛逃的四架F16战机，现已降落在福建某军事基地。
台海上空发生空战，台四架F16战机联合叛逃并与两架拦截战机发生空战，拦截机被击落，飞行员生死不明。已安全降落在福建某军事基地的四架F16战机及机组人员均被军方秘密保护。目前，大陆、台湾都对此事件保持沉默，美国电致台湾领导人，表示对此事感到忧虑。这四架飞机是驻扎在桃源机场――第16航空联队的飞机。
带队长机驾驶员为韩容铭（音）少校，飞机编号――TY160531。
据目击者称有一架飞机降落时，机尾擦地受轻伤；四架飞机在大陆八架SU-27战机的掩护下成功降落！

根据可靠消息（来自一空军内部消息灵通人士），前日台湾空军叛逃的四架F-16在八架苏-27的“保护”下，已于昨天从福州机场转移到安徽芜湖空军基地。四位F-16飞行员受到基地司令为首的领导热烈欢迎。
这四架F-16和飞行员均已转移到可靠地方，据传，此四位飞行员可能于下周到北京进见中共军方高层领导。
对此，中国新闻发言人在答中外记者问时表示目前没有得到有关部门的通告。
台湾当局对此也三缄其口。美国五角大楼对此事极为愤怒，因为其中一架RF-16 涉及到许多重要电子情报和重要设备，日本也感到十分吃惊，表示要提升自卫队的f-16的相关设备🌹👍🇸🇬

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Truth : No F-16 Fighter Jets From Taiwan Ever Defected To China!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), and shared by pro-CCP netizens, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : This Fake Story First Circulated In 2003

This fake story isn’t new. It first went viral in June 2003, when a mainland Chinese military publication called The Extensive Military Report, published a report claiming that four Taiwanese F-16 fighter jets defected to China.

The article said that four Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF) F-16 Block 20 fighter jets from the 401st Fighter Wing based at the Taoyuan Air Base defected to an airbase in the Fujian province, under a heavy escort of eight Chinese Su-27 fighter jets.

Allegedly, the four F-16 fighter jets “escaped” during a routine exercise flight at 4 PM on May 27, 2003. Two “loyal” F-16 fighter jets gave chase, and one was shot down by the defecting planes while the second managed to return to base.

Fact #2 : Both Taiwan + China Labelled The Story As False

When the story broke in June 2003, both the Taiwanese and Chinese governments labelled the story as false.

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) called the article “a ridiculous rumour”, while the China’s foreign ministry denied the rumour at a press conference.

Taiwanese spokesperson Huang Suey-sheng pointed out that even the Chinese authorities rebutted the claims.

Fact #3 : ROCAF F-16 Tail Numbers Do Not Exist

The original fake story specifically mentioned that one of the defecting F-16 fighter jets had a tail number of 160531.

The modified fake story that is currently circulating on WhatsApp and social media in 2022 said that the aircraft had a tail number of TY160531.

They are both false. No ROCAF aircraft has either tail number.

ROCAF F-16 fighter jets have a four-digit tail number, without any TY prefix.

Fact #4 : ROCAF F-16 Fighters Are Not Based In Taoyuan

Both the original and the updated fake stories falsely claim that the defecting F-16 fighter jets were stationed at the Taoyuan Air Base.

Taiwan’s F-16 fighter jets are based at the Chiayi Air Base in Chiayi, and the Chiashan Air Force Base in Hualien.

Fact #5 : Taoyuan Air Base No Longer Exists!

Taoyuan Air Base no longer exists! In 2007, it was turned over to the Republic of China Navy, and renamed to Taoyuan Naval Base.

Fact #6 : Taiwan Only Has Five Fighter Wings

The original fake story claimed that the defecting F-16 fighters came from the 401st Fighter Wing, while the updated fake story claimed they came from the 16th Air Wing.

Neither the 401st Fighter Wing nor the 16th Air Wing exist in the Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF).

There was a 401st Tactical Combined Wing operating out of Taoyuan Air Base, and it had a 16th Tactical Fighter Squadron. But it only operated F-104 fighter jets from the 1960s until the early 1990s.

Currently, Taiwan has five fighter wings, of which only the 4th Tactical Fighter Wing and the 5th Tactical Fighter Wing are equipped with F-16 fighter jets.

Fact #7 : This Is Just Chinese Propaganda

This is just another example of Chinese propaganda created by the infamous Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛).

All of the wumao articles and videos that I looked at so far have proven to be false… at every instance. So please watch out for such false claims.

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US Mil Contractor Admits Selling Aviation Secrets To China!

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A US military contractor just pleaded guilty to selling classified aviation secrets to China!

US Mil Contractor Admits Selling Aviation Secrets To China!

On 23 June 2022, Shapour Moinian, 67, of San Diego, pleaded guilty to selling classified aviation secrets to “representatives of the Chinese government”.

Moinan admitted that he knew that those individuals were employed by, or directed by, t he government of the People’s Republic of China.

He also admitted making false statements to cover that up, by lying on his government background questionnaires in July 2017 and March 2020 that he did not have any close or continuing contacts with foreign nations, and that no foreign national had offered him a job.

He now faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, and a fine of up to $250,000 for action as an agent of a foreign government, and up to 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for making false statements.

His sentencing is scheduled for August 29, where federal prosecutors have agreed to recommend a sentence of no more than 20 months, as part of his plea agreement.

As Special Agent in Charge Stacey Moy of the FBI’s San Diego Field Office explains :

The defendant admitted to being an unregistered agent of a foreign power, lying on his background check paperwork to obtain his security clearance, knowingly providing proprietary information to people controlled by the Chinese government, and willingly receiving payments from them. This is another example of how the Chinese government enhances its defense capabilities through the illicit exploitation of U.S. technology.

When someone holds a security clearance, they know what information should be reported to security officials. In this case, the defendant betrayed his sacred oath, knew his actions were wrong, and subsequently lied about it. The FBI and our partners on the Counterintelligence Task Force will pursue anyone who abuses their placement and access to obtain proprietary information on behalf of a foreign government. I specifically want to thank the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) for their continued partnership on this case.

How This Military Contractor Sold Aviation Secrets To China!

Moinan was a former US Army helicopter pilot who served in the United States, Germany and South Korea from 1977 to 2000. After leaving the US Army, he worked for various “cleared” defence contractors in the United States.

The term “cleared” indicates that the contractor has been vetted and cleared to work on projects involving classified information.

While working for a cleared defence contractor on various aviation projects involving the US military and intelligence agencies, Moinan was contacted by an individual in China, who claimed to be working for a technical recruiting company.

This Chinese individual offered Moinan the opportunity to consult for the aviation industry in China. In March 2017, Moinan travelled to Hong Kong to meet with this recruiter.

At that meeting, he agreed to provide information and materials related to multiple types of aircraft designed and/or manufactured in the United States, in exchange for money. Moinan accepted between $7,000 to $10,000 during that meeting.

On returning to the United States, Shapour Moinan began gathering aviation-related materials for the Chinese government.

In one instance, he copied classified materials obtained from a cleared defence contractor into a thumb drive, which he handed over to Chinese government officials during a stopover in the Shanghai airport in September 2017.

Moinan arranged for payment for this transfer to be paid through his stepdaughter’s South Korean bank account. He told her that these funds were payments for his overseas consulting work, and instructed her to transfer the funds to him in multiple transactions – to avoid scrutiny.

Moinan also accepted a mobile phone, and other equipment from these Chinese government officials to securely communicate with them, and to aid in the electronic transfer of classified materials and information.

At the end of March 2018, Moinan travelled to Bali to meet with the same individuals again. After that meeting, his step daughter received thousands of dollars in her South Korean bank account, which she wired to him in multiple transactions.

Later in 2018, Moinan went to work for another cleared defence contractor, and in August 2019, he travelled with his wife to Hong Kong to meet with the same Chinese government officials.

This time, he received $22,000 in cash for his services, which Moinan and his wife smuggled into the United States that trip.

It is currently unknown how the US government discovered Moines’s activities, but he was investigated by the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division and the Naval Criminal Investigation Service (NCIS).

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Chinese J-16 Fired Flares + Chaff At Australian P-8!

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A Chinese J-16 fighter jet not only buzzed an Australian P-8 recon plane, it fired flares and chaff that entered one of its engines!

Chinese J-16 Fighter Fired Flares, Chaff At Australian Plane!

On 5 June 2022, Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles announced that a Chinese J-16 fighter jet put the crew of an Australian P-8 reconnaissance plane at risk during a recent mid-air intercept on 26 May.

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) P-8 Poseidon was in the South China Sea conducting “routine maritime surveillance” activities in international waters when it was intercepted by a Chinese Shenyang J-16 fighter.

This time though, the J-16 pilot recklessly cut across the Australian recon plane’s flight path at close proximity, and fired flares and chaff.

Some of the chaff – usually aluminium foil or aluminium-coated glass fibres – were ingested by one of the Australian P-8 aircraft’s engines, potentially damaging it.

This was apparently done to forcibly end the recon aircraft’s patrol. Any potential damage to one of the engines would force the crew to return to base, even though the Boeing P-8 Poseidon can operate on a single engine.

What occurred was that the J-16 aircraft flew very close to the side of the P-8 maritime surveillance aircraft. In flying close to the side, it released flares.

The J-16 then accelerated and cut across the nose of the P-8, settling in front of the P-8 at a very close distance.

At that moment it then released a bundle of chaff, which contains small pieces of aluminum, some of which were ingested into the engine of the P-8 aircraft. Quite obviously, this is very dangerous.

The Australian Defense Ministry described the incident as “a dangerous maneuver which posed a safety threat to the P-8 aircraft and its crew”.

Chinese Justified J-16 Firing Flares, Chaff At Australian P-8…

In a statement released on 7 June 2022, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Tan Kefei justified the J-16’s dangerous intercept by accusing the Australian P-8 aircraft of “approaching Chinese airspace” close to the Paracel Islands.

The Paracel Islands, which the Chinese call “Xisha Islands”, is a disputed archipelago in the South China Sea claimed by China, Vietnam and Taiwan.

While the Vietnamese were in control of the Paracel Islands since 1947, they were taken over by China after the Battle of the Paracel Islands in January 1974.

He also claimed that the Chinese pilot behaved in a “professional, safe, reasonable and lawful way“.

On May 26, an Australian P-8 anti-submarine patrol aircraft conducted close reconnaissance in the neighboring airspace of China’s Xisha Islands and approached the airspace continuously despite repeated warnings from the Chinese side.

The People’s Liberation Army’s Southern Theater Command mobilized naval and air forces to identify the craft and warned it off.

The Chinese military responded in a professional, safe, reasonable and lawful way.

Militaries from other countries should take note of what the Chinese government considers as “professional, safe, reasonable and lawful” conduct, and return the favour.

Perhaps once a Chinese jet or two have ingested chaff into their engines, they will reconsider such “professional, safe, reasonable and lawful” intercepts.

This was also the second time in the same week Chinese aircraft have aggressively intercepted reconnaissance aircraft from other countries.

Just a day earlier, the Canadian government revealed that Chinese fighters repeatedly “buzzed” Canadian CP-140 Aurora maritime patrol aircraft that were monitoring North Korea to enforce United Nations sanctions under Operation NEON.

The Chinese fighters flew so close, their pilots were “very clearly visible”, and the Canadian aircrews had to change course to avoid collisions. Canadian Armed Forces media relations chief Dan Le Bouthillie said :

In these interactions, PLAAF (People’s Liberation Army Air Force) aircraft did not adhere to international air safety norm.

These interactions are unprofessional and/or put the safety of our RCAF (Royal Canadian Air Force) personnel at risk.

The Chinese naturally claimed that their national security was endangered by the Canadian aircraft’s monitoring of a completely different country… Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Wu Qian said :

Recently, under the pretext of enforcing UN Security Council resolutions, Canadian warplanes have intensified close-in reconnaissance of China and acted provocatively, endangering Chinese national security and the safety of frontline personnel from both sides.

China urges Canada to face up to the seriousness of the situation, strictly control its frontline troops, and stop taking any risky and provocative actions; otherwise, Canada will have to take all responsibilities for any serious consequences from such actions.

In short, it’s never China’s fault, and everyone is always provoking them. Tut tut….

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