Yair Haidu, the sommelier for El Al, has a challenge not faced by others with a similar job: choose world-class wines that also must be Kosher to cater to the airline’s majority Jewish passenger base. Haidu has a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy from Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and took a summer course at the world-renowned University of California-Davis’ Department of Viticu...
More reliable than underwater cables, easily expandable, and capable of almost limitless communication – that’s the promise of a new nano satellite-based network being developed by Israeli satellite startup SkyFi. “Not only will we be able to develop a worldwide Internet, we will be able to enable any type of communication between two points – telephone, digital, and eve...
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) intends to become more involved in the civil market, as it looks to boost profitability. Attempts to lay-off around 1,500 workers have so far failed because of strong union and political opposition, leaving the company seeking another solution to alleviate its poor financial performance. While IAI is considered a defence aerospace company, its new strategy i...
Four Israel Air Force fighter jets almost collided with a Cracow bound Ryanair passenger plane over central Israel Tuesday, Channel 2 reported. The Ryanair pilot's last minute reaction averted the collision, according to the report. The Ryanair flight took took off from Ovda Airport north of the southern resort city of Eilat and was at an altitude of 27,000 feet when it encou...
She was asked to move seats. An elderly woman is suing the Israeli airline El Al for gender discrimination. Renee Rabinowitz was asked to give up her seat on an El Al flight home to Israel at the request of an ultra-Orthodox man, who did not want to sit next to her. She’s being represented by the Israel Religious Action Center, a liberal Israeli group that has previously fought against...
Israel Aerospace Industries has taken the quadcopter to its logical conclusion: They built a man-hunting flying suicide drone. The ROTEM-L unmanned aerial vehicle is designed to hunt down targets in urban environments and execute a suicide attack, blowing them up with hand grenades. ROTEM-L weighs 9 pounds, carries infrared cameras, and has a flying time of 30 minutes. An op...
737 jet with 150 passengers on board was being pulled to its take-off runway when plane hit airport fence. Some 150 passengers were stranded in Amsterdam for the weekend after an El Al plane hit a fence at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, one of Europe’s largest airports, while it was being pulled to the runway by an airport tow truck. No one was hurt in the incident, but the 737’s wi...
It looks a cross between a helicopter and a hovercraft and can take off and land vertically: AirMule is a giant drone that can pick up and drop off supplies or people. Built by Israeli firm Urban Aeronautics, It is meant to be used in areas too dangerous for other aircraft. Rafi Yoeli, chief executive officer of Urban Aeronautics, explains how it works: “It can operate inside villag...
El Al flight attendants, understanding that the safety and security of their passengers come first, provide a vital role in enhancing the flying experience. El Al pilots, whose skills have been honed by years of serving in the IAF, comprise nearly an all-boys club known throughout the world as including the finest pilots in the entire profession. Cool and calm under all circumstances, with t...
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Korean composite manufacturer Hankuk Carbon will form a joint venture to new vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned air vehicles. Under the terms of the memorandum of agreement, the JV will see the companies develop, manufacture, and sell VTOL UAVs, starting with a system with a 200-300kg maximum take-off weight. It will be developed according to...
Israel’s Channel 2 news reported that a passenger who was traveling from Eilat to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport today attempted to open the door of the aircraft while it was in the air. According to the news reports, the flight crew stated that the passenger had mistakenly believed that the exit row door was actually the entrance to the bathroom! According to a passenger o...
Israel's Flying Production has unveiled an upgraded version of its Da Vinci vertical take-off and landing unmanned air vehicle. Dubbed the "Gen B", the development features a Controp electro-optical/infrared sensor and a micro data link. "The result is a game-changer – we have the only true multi-rotor system that can conduct a real mission in long ranges of 5...
