Air Canada flight collides with a Port Authority vehicle at New York's LaGuardia Airport

An Air Canada flight collided with a Port Authority vehicle after landing at LaGuardia Airport, according to authorities. According to Associated Press the New York Police Department confirmed the collision but could not immediately offer additional information. A spokesperson for the New York City Fire Department said firefighters responded to reports of a plane that crashed into a vehicle on the runway at 11.38 p.m. Additional information was not immediately available. The Federal Aviation Administration's National Airspace System website reported LaGuardia has closed. Photos and videos showed the jet with severe damage to the front of the aircraft. As they're deflating, it just lifted in the air. Holy... The plane just tilted back. It was on the ground on its own. As they're deflating, it just lifted in the air. Holy... The recent attack by Ukrainian attack drones on the Pugachevka airfield in Russia's Oryol region has exposed a serious problem for Russian military aviation – a pilot shortage. This is the opinion expressed by military and political observer Oleksandr Kovalenko. According to him, the strike destroyed Russian Mi-8 and K-52 helicopters worth a total of over $30 million. The expert notes that Ukrainian forces are increasingly succeeding in striking Russian aircraft directly on the ground. He points out that the Pugachevka airfield, which belongs to the local DOSAF flying club, has a dirt runway, but was used by Russian military transport and combat aircraft. The facility is located approximately 160 kilometres from the Ukrainian border. According to the expert, the Russian military had ample time to respond to the threat. Air defence systems transmit data on the routes of Ukrainian drones in advance. If there had been crews on duty at the airfield, the aircraft could have been scrambled and evaded the attack. However, this did not happen. There were no pilots on duty, the analyst notes. According to the general staff of the Ukrainian armed forces, Russia has lost 435 aircraft and 348 helicopters in four years of full-scale war. However, these figures do not detail the nature of the losses, whether the equipment was destroyed in the air, on the ground, or merely damaged. Monitoring groups analysing confirmed losses estimate the loss at approximately over 180 aircraft and approximately 170 helicopters. Pilot losses are a separate issue. According to open sources, between 80 and 110 combat aircraft pilots and over 150 attack and transport helicopter pilots have been confirmed dead. Thus, the total losses of Russian pilots during the full-scale war could exceed 260, and this does not include accidents and incidents involving Russian aircraft on Russian territory. At the start of the full-scale invasion, Russia had more than 1,300 combat aircraft in relatively combat-ready condition, as well as more than 1,700 helicopters of various types. Every year, Russian military academies graduate approximately 150 pilots, of whom approximately 70 to 100 choose combat specialisation. The main training centre for pilots is the Krasnodar Higher Military Aviation School. However, new graduates don't become experienced pilots right away. Solo flights require at least several years of practice, and a true professional pilot is considered one with approximately 10 years of experience. In addition, one must take into account the retirement of experienced pilots, as well as the fact that many aeroplanes and helicopters have two-person crews. Despite losses, Russian aircraft continue to actively operate against Ukraine, the observer notes. Su-34 frontline bombers regularly launch guided bombs and attack helicopters' fire at Ukrainian defence forces' positions. At the same time, there are not enough aviation crews to fully operate in a shift mode, where one team carries out a combat mission, another prepares equipment, and the third is on duty. As Kovalenko emphasises, the problem is particularly acute in helicopter aviation, where crews often consist of two people. Therefore, intensive operation of the aircraft requires significantly more pilots. Recently, Russian helicopters have increasingly been hit on the ground or involved in accidents. This may be due not only to technical problems, but also to pilot exhaustion. Experts believe Russia will not be able to quickly compensate for the loss of its flight crew, as training new pilots takes years. At the same time, the equipment that is destroyed during airstrikes and will never take to the air will gradually accumulate among the losses of Russian aviation.