Plane

We commemorate the surprise attack by the Japanese on the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on Dec. 7, 1941. The attack forced the United States entry into World War II. Americans, who grew up during the difficult times of the Great Depression and then fought in World War II, and those at home whose productivity and contributions to the war effort, are often called "The Greatest Generation. " This term was actually coined by journalist Tom Brokaw for the title of his book published in 1998.

The Orioles team charter heading to Tampa Bay on Sunday night was forced to make an emergency landing in Jacksonville because of smoke coming out of the oven in the kitchen area of the plane, an industry source said. The landing was a precautionary move. The plane was inspected and the Orioles were slated to reboard to get back in the air shortly after a brief delay en route to St. Petersburg/Clearwater International Airport. When the Orioles landed in St. Petersburg around 11 p.m. Sunday, the team issued the following statement about the incident: "Due to a minor incident in the galley, the Orioles charter made an unscheduled landing in Jacksonville, Fla. en route to St. Petersburg tonight.

Recently reunited band Planes Mistaken for Stars played Red Palace in Washignton on Saturday night. Intern Jake Fewster had this report: For some, the idea of a reunion show conjures up images of a geriatric, arena rock band way past their prime. This was not at all the case on Saturday night when Planes Mistaken For Stars took the stage at the Red Palace in Washington D.C. Far from geriatric and even further from arena rock, Planes performed a masterful set that left my ears ringing, in the best way possible, late into Sunday night.

When Ravens safety Bernard Pollard got to the NFL, he noticed the veterans playing a card game in their downtime. And then he saw the sums of money being wagered. "I've seen people dropping $70,000 or $80,000," he said Monday after practice. Pollard hopes Bourre, an app released Friday that he conceived and paid for, will introduce fans to the game without their having to risk any real cash. Available for download on Apple products — iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch — for $1.99, Bourre represents the culmination of a long-ago dream hatched during hours spent playing video games with a teammate in Texas.

A pilot working for an Eastern Shore company that flies advertising banners over Ocean City beaches each summer was killed Thursday after his plane crashed on a golf course in Worcester County, according to Maryland State Police. The pilot, identified by police as Garett Colona, 23, of the 5000 block of Sharptown Road in Rhodesdale, was a "super guy" beloved by all the company's other pilots, said Bob Bunting, owner of plane operator Ocean Aerial Ads Thursday afternoon. "This was one of the nicest individuals I've ever known in my life," Bunting said.

Record-breaking heat fueled severe storms that swept across parts of Maryland on Wednesday. Though not an official record-keeping location, Maryland Science Center reached 107 degrees, tying the hottest mark ever recorded in Baltimore, on July 10, 1936. At that time, weather records were kept at the U.S. Custom House downtown, but the point of record for Baltimore moved in 1950 to what is now Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. BWI, meanwhile, reached a high of 104, breaking the previous official record for July 18, set in 1887 at 102. That had been Baltimore's longest-standing high-temperature record for July.

A friend of mine who used to work for another airline likes to make snide comments when I say something about flying Southwest, referring to their seating policy as "cattle call. " But after flying without the kids this past weekend -- and preparing to fly with them in a few weeks -- I made some observations (purely unscientific, of course) and decided that I much prefer flying with open seating when I've got the kids. Here's my psychoanalysis of the situation. As a parent flying with kids, I feel it's my responsibility to get checked in as soon as possible, so I can get us on the plane as quickly as possible so that our fellow passengers can decide for themselves whether they want to sit by us. (Since Southwest does family boarding after the A group, I endeavor to be as early in the A group as possible.)

Baltimore will launch its commemoration of the War of 1812 by land, sea and air this week, starting with parachute jumps into Camden Yards and a parade of tall ships into the harbor. The history-filled week features music, fireworks and an air show over Fort McHenry. The festivities kick off Wednesday with the arrival of 18 tall ships boasting sails on masts several stories high and dozens of Navy vessels. Visitors - as many as 1 million are expected, according to organizers - can catch glimpses of the ships in full sail entering the port and then tour and mingle with the crews.

Joseph "Jerry" Hankoff, a retired insurance agency owner and a decorated World War II bombardier-navigator, died April 24 of complications from dementia at the Edgewater Pointe Estates nursing facility in Boca Raton, Fla. He was 91 and had lived in Pikesville. Born in Baltimore and raised on Linden Avenue, he was a 1938 City College graduate. He attended the University of Baltimore and studied law and accounting. He enlisted in the Army Air Forces in 1943 and trained as a navigator-bombardier.

Longer and more comfortable, and able to make flights to the Caribbean, Mexico and Hawaii, the first of Southwest Airlines' new Boeing 737-800 jets is set to arrive in Baltimore next week. The new cabins are the company's first redesign in a decade, with seating tested by people with 20 different body types — from the very short to the very tall. Robert Jordan, the airline's chief commercial officer, said the jets herald "the Southwest of the future. " Southwest will take delivery of 33 of the 800-series planes, which cost about $84.4 million each, this year and 41 next year.