Avgeekery.com invites you to close out your week and spend some TGIF time getting caught up on some stories of interest that you might have missed over the last few days.
![Astronaut Scott Kelly. Credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz](https://avgeekery.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Scott_J._Kelly.jpg)
MOST IN SPACE: When Scott Kelly returns to Earth next week, he will come back holding the record for most days in space by a U.S. astronaut. He will have spent nearly a year in the International Space Station. Kelly has been in space four times but this mission has produced some interesting facts and figures.
EMBRAER ROLLOUT: Embraer’s dominance in small to mid-size commercial aircraft received another boost when the Brazilian company rolled out the E190-E2, the first E2 jet. The aircraft is scheduled to make its maiden flight in the second half of this year and be in service in 2018.
EMERGENCY, EMERGENCY: DFW Airport, one of the nation’s busiest, had to handle two emergency landings in a 12-hour period this week.
UNION NEWS (NOT DUES): American Airlines pilots formed their own union over 50 years ago but a former union executive thinks that it’s time for the AA pilots to increase their clout by rejoining the larger Air Line Pilots Association.
WHY AIRFARES ARE HIGH: A writer who knows the airlines and travel industry explains why airfares are high even though commercial carriers are raking in profits and benefiting from lower fuel prices.
HARTSFIELD SEMANTICS: Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International is not a favorite among air travelers. Perhaps that’s because it’s the busiest – more flights equal more delays equal more people equal long lines. The airport’s claim as the world’s “busiest” has now been changed to “most-traveled.” That’s probably not gonna reduce the wait time at Starbucks, though.
NEW TERMINAL IN DUBAI: Concourse D opened at Dubai International Airport this week. It cost $1.2 billion and will increase capacity from 75 million to 90 million passengers per year. (By the way, Atlanta, Dubai claims it has the world’s busiest airport.)
DON’T FENCE ME IN: A few weeks ago Avgeekery.com wrote about tips for drone owners. At the recent Singapore Airshow there was talk of installing GPS chips in drones and then using electronic “fences” to prevent drones from flying where they shouldn’t.
RIP: Capt. Eric “Winkle” Brown, who was England’s version of Chuck Yeager, died this week at the age of 97. He was the most decorated pilot in the Royal Navy and held three world records including flying 487 different types of aircraft.
TEEN DIES OF INJURIES: A 16-year-old who was among the passengers in the helicopter crash in Hawaii has died. The copter crashed in the water near Pearl Harbor and the accident was captured on video.