This past week was an eventful one for Flightradar24 and the aviation world. From great strides in our coverage to a host a special flights, here are some of the notable aviation events from the past week.

Flightradar24 Sets Sail

Having previously tested space-based ADS-B reception, we turned our attention to the ocean this week and began an ADS-B reception test using an autonomous boat. We’ll have much more to share about this project soon in an upcoming blog post.

American Airlines Retires 20 MD-80s

In one of the largest single-day aircraft retirements in airline history, which we dubbed the #Super80SendOff, American Airlines sent 20 MD-80 series aircraft to the desert in Roswell, New Mexico on Tuesday. Aircraft departed from all over the United States and from 11:20 to 12:45 local time, an MD-80 landed in Roswell every 5 minutes.

KLM and the Tyrannosaurus rex

Also on Tuesday, a KLM 747 carried a special passenger from Chicago to Amsterdam, as the airline brought the T. rex ‘Trix’ for display at the Naturalis Biodiversity Centre in Leiden.

Olympians Return Home

With the conclusion of the Olympics, many national teams returned home aboard special charter flights. Some airlines decorated their aircraft to celebrate carrying the Olympians home. These aircraft should remain painted in special liveries for some time, so use our Special Sport Liveries list to track them.

Photo Credits: KLM, Qantas, Lufthansa, British Airways, courtesy British Airways

New Single-Day Tracking Record

On Friday, 26 August, we set a new single-day record tracking 180,458 flights! As we continue to grow our coverage area we hope to set new records. You can see where we’re adding new receivers on a monthly basis on our blog. If you like to help add coverage, you can apply to host one of our receivers or build your own. Either way you’ll receive a free Business subscription to Flightradar24.

Southwest Engine Issue

On Saturday, 27 August, Southwest Airlines flight 3472 from New Orleans to Orlando experienced a significant issue with one of its engines, necessitating a landing in Pensacola. The flight was operated by N766SW, a Boeing 737-700, powered by 2 CFM-56 engines. The aircraft was delivered from Boeing to Southwest in 2000. The flight landed safely and none of the passengers and crew were injured.

The extent of the damage to #WN3472‘s CFM engine is just extraordinary. https://t.co/b4FRjb05ZH (v Jeremy Martin) pic.twitter.com/9vIsf1ube2

— Jon Ostrower (@jonostrower) August 27, 2016