Plane Crazy Down Under: Recent Episodes
Steve V & Grant M
The Australian Beechcraft Society is holding their Pilot Proficiency Program for 2026 at Cowra from the 19th to 22nd of March, so if you own, fly or maintain Bonanzas and/or Barons, you're going to want to be there. There will be a comprehensive flying program, detailed maintenance reviews, and two days of presentations from specialists on the Bonanza and Baron, plus other speakers including Airservices, CASA, and Stralis Engineering.
We caught up with representatives from the Australian Beechcraft Society along with two very experienced members of the American Bonanza Society who will be coming to Australia for the event. It's a great chat with something to learn even if you don't fly a Beechcraft.
0:01:07 - We kick off the episode and oh wow, it's 2026 already. How did that happen?
0:04:25 - We chat with Dave Porter and David Young from the Australian Beechcraft Society about their flying experience and how they became part of the Beechcraft world. The conversation includes how Textron Aviation now owns both Cessna and Beechcraft, an overview of the Society, and the importance of aircraft type clubs for operational and maintenance knowledge, plus lobbying with regulators on your behalf. We also touch on the range of Beechcraft types, including the aerobatic Bonanzas and T-34 Mentor, then discuss what to expect from the 2026 Pilot Proficiency Program, the importance of attending, and how to sign up for it.
0:47:32 - We present a promotion for our latest podcast production: A History of the Future, then tell you a little about it.
0:51:20 - We're joined by Bob Ripley & Tom Turner from the American Bonanza Society and, after the inevitable discussion about the weather, we talk about their backgrounds and aviation experience, the number of Bonanzas and Barons still flying, and the benefits the Society provides to members. We also talk about some of the things pilots and maintainers should be aware of with these aircraft and that there are specific items for not only different models, but also specific to serial number ranges. We wrap our chat by learning the specifics of what they're bringing to the Australian event, including a detailed walk-around specific to your aircraft's model and serial number, and what unique aspects they've identified about flying and maintaining these aircraft in Australia.
1:30:26 - We talk briefly about Grant's trip to Singapore and introduce the next segment.
1:32:24 - Grant talks with Jimmy Beeson, Textron's Vice President for Product Development, about identifying opportunities for updates and new developments, working with customers to assess their needs and obtain feedback on new ideas, the latest developments, and the use of Virtual and Augmented Reality when working with customers. The conversation also touches on Textron's recent closure of the Bonanza and Baron production lines, plus what to expect from the new Denali aircraft and when it's going to be in production.
1:43:42 - We wrap up with summary of the Singapore Air Show, catching up with Brian Coleman while there, and then close out the episode.
Links:
- Australian Beechcraft Society: abs.org.au
- ABS PPP 2026: www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAFZSLrpE44
- American Bonanza Society: www.bonanza.org
- Textron Aviation: txtav.com
- Beechcraft: beechcraft.txtav.com
- Cessna: cessna.txtav.com
- A History of the Future: www.australiandefence.com.au/history-of-the-future
- Australian Defence Magazine: www.australiandefence.com.au
- Singapore Air Show: www.singaporeairshow.com
Credits:
- Introduction voice over - Kevin Hillier
- Closing credits - Terry Daniel
Contact us via contact@planecrazydownunder.com
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Blubrry - https://create.blubrry.com/resources/about-blubrry/privacy-policy
Many in Australia will have flown the Embraer E190 as there are a few flying here with Airnorth, Alliance Airlines (as QantasLink) and National Jet, plus the ones Virgin Australia used to operate back prior to COVID. The E190 and E195 include such wonderful features as large, well positioned windows (no bending down to look out horizontally), no middle seats, and good economics for the operators.
The E190 and E195 are already impressive aircraft but Embraer have made them even better with their E2 versions, providing even more comfort and improved economics. It seems only fitting that Virgin Australia, in the form of Virgin Australia Regional Airlines (VARA), are the first to operate the new E2s in Australian skies.
This episode we talk to Embraer to learn more about the E2 and to VARA to learn why they selected it and how they're bringing the new airframe into operations.
0:01:25 - We introduce the episode.
0:03:49 - Raul Villaron, Vice President of Asia Pacific for Embraer Commercial Aviation joins us from Singapore to discuss all things E2. He explains the external differences between the original series and the E2s, the new technologies incorporated in their design, their improved passenger experience, and their operating economics that are allowing them to even replace older turboprops while also opening up routes that otherwise couldn't support a larger aircraft. Raul also provides a comparison of the E2s vs the Airbus A220 models, gives us an overview of the other E2 operators in the Asia/Pacific region, and talks about the support network already in place.
0:32:31 - We introduce the next segment
0:34:00 - Nathan Miller, Executive General Manager of Virgin Australia Regional Airlines in Western Australia steps us through VARA's need to replace its Fokker 100s, their assessment of available aircraft, and selection of the E190-E2. He also steps us through the unique aspects of operating Fly In Fly Out (FIFO) operations to the resources companies in Western Australia while also needing to cover airline operations, and the demands they place on aircraft in the region. We also get an insight to Nathan's love of aviation and his experiences when being on the delivery flight of the first aircraft, VH-E2A (how fitting is that rego? :) ).
0:59:42 - We wrap up the episode and hint at what may be coming next.
Links:
- Maikha's video channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Rheilffordd
- Ben Jones' minature railway locomotive project https://www.facebook.com/buildingminiaturelocomotives
Credits:
- Introduction voice over and closing credits by Terry Daniel: http://yourvoiceover.com.au
- Episode artwork photo supplied by Embraer
- Music tracks are "What You Wanted" and "Event Vibe" from Infraction via #InAudio https://inaudio.org/
Contact us via contact@planecrazydownunder.com
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Blubrry - https://create.blubrry.com/resources/about-blubrry/privacy-policy
It was a baking hot 42 Celsius (108 Fahrenheit) under the scorching Australian sun when the Sport Aircraft Association of Australia held its AusFly 2025 event at Wentworth, New South Wales, during the middle of March. Grant was on the commentary team but Steve couldn't make it due to a scheduling conflict, so Grant recorded a stack of interviews at the event to give those who missed it a chance to catch up with the vendors and people who were there. There was camaraderie and enthusiasm despite the heat with the celebration of flying and the aviation community on display for everyone to enjoy.
The interviews in this episode give a remarkable glimpse into the heart of Australia’s aviation scene, filled with lessons, laughter, and a shared love for the skies:
0:04:33 - Matilda Mendham from the Freedom Formation talks about being the newest lady on the team, how she was introduced to flying, and her experiences so far in obtaining her license and subsequent ratings. She also covers her progression with the team from Smokey to now flying as Number Two on lead's right wing, along with the all important mantra: Fly good, don't suck!
0:11:06 - Josh Larven from OzRunways' Customer Support team talks about new features, working with users, and the insights gained from watching people use the system. He also talks about the importance of developers learning to fly to help them appreciate how the system is used.
0:18:22 - Every team needs a manager and Eddie Sieve holds down that role for the Freedom Formation while also flying as number three in the team's aerobatic element. He talks about how he got into flying, building his first aircraft, and discovering the Vans RV series of kit built aircraft. The discussion also includes how he obtained his aerobatic endorsement plus being with the Freedom Formation since it was just four them and they called themselves the Four Stooges (Grant did commentary for them at a number of their events). Eddie also tells us how the Freedom Formation wound up flying at the Pacific Air Show Gold Coast event in 2023, the fun they had at last year's event (pilot briefings were a favourite), what the team manager actually does, the importance of promoting the SAAA, and the team's sponsors who help make it all possible.
0:35:59 - Paul McVitty from Flyleds talks us about the incredible landing light kits his company provides for home builders, especially those making RV series aircraft. His products are certainly bright, making Grant think he was back on a dance floor, while even air traffic controllers have commented on how far away they can see aircraft using his lights. Paul also explains how his products generate such intense light beams without wasting light, and the special versions designed for tailwheel configurations.
0:47:11 - FLTLT Larissa "Laz" Stephens originally thought that RAAF pilots were really smart, like astronauts, then she met one and immediately applied to join. Laz opens up about her career, her motivations behind pursuing aviation, and her experiences instructing on the PC-21. Larissa reflects on her journey from her first trial flight to now having flown multiple platforms, and what it's like teaching the next generation of pilots. She also talks about the aerobatic aircraft she owns with her husband and how much she enjoys the very different style of civilian flying as well as the military.
0:58:29 - Ever thought about flying the P-51 Mustang? Chris Tulk and Frank Deeth get to do that and they were taking turns operating joy flights in VH-BOB, a Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation variant of the P-51D made in Melbourne back in 1947. The two share their extensive experiences with warbirds, military, airlines and general aviation. Chris recounts his diverse background in aviation, from his career flying military aircraft with the RAAF to the commercial airline sector and the beauty of flying historical planes. Frank reminisces about his early inspiration from his father who flew for the airlines, his passion for constructing home-built aircraft, and the unique opportunities he’s had flying various vintage airplanes, including the iconic Mustang and Spitfire.
1:19:43 - It wouldn't be an airshow episode without chatting to Andrew Temby and Grant managed to grab a few minutes with him as he waited to refill his Extra 300 before flying home.
Links:
- Sport Aircraft Association of Australia: saaa.asn.au
- AusFly: ausfly.com.au
- Freedom Formation: www.freedomformation.com.au
- OzRunways: www.ozrunways.com
- Pacific Airshows Gold Coast: pacificairshowaus.com
- FlyLeds: flyleds.com
- Royal Australian Air Force: www.airforce.gov.au
- Mustang Joyflights in VH-BOB: mustangjoyflights.com.au
Credits:
- Introduction voice over and closing credits by Terry Daniel: http://yourvoiceover.com.au
- Post-production: Chris Visscher
- Episode artwork photos were taken by Grant
Contact us via contact@planecrazydownunder.com
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Blubrry - https://create.blubrry.com/resources/about-blubrry/privacy-policy
It's our first episode for 2025 so we're allowed to say Happy New Year, right? Even though it's February, right? We may be Australia's longest running aviation podcast but we're taking a very long time to get to episode 200 :)
This episode we follow our dreams into the stratosphere and beyond, featuring a great chat with the Monash High Powered Rocketry team from Monash University. These amazing students are building and fuelling rockets that get up well above the cruising altitudes of airliners and even most corporate jets. We also get even higher beyond 100,000 feet with High Altitude Balloons. It's heady, rarified stuff in this one, so strap in and get ready to go sky high as the episode starts with Steve & Grant catching you up on what's new in their worlds before it unfolds as:
0:06:05 - We chat with Megan Robinson, Oliver Lancaster and Redmond Henry from the Monash HPR team about the program, their rockets, recent results, future directions and even a hint of more content to come during 2025. These folks are amazing and its no wonder that many of the HPR alumni wind up working with Rocket Lab, Gilmour Space, Space X and other legendary aerospace companies. Thanks to Rachelle Patturajan from the team for helping to coordinate everyone's schedules.
0:26:53 - We play some promos for other shows and organisations that we like and want to help spread the word about.
0:29:01 - When Grant flies a hot air balloon, he thinks 10,000' is sky high, but Robert Brand and the team from Flight Design go well over ten times higher than that. We chat with Robert about High Altitude Balloons in general, the company's experiences to date working with the Australian Defence Force and local universities, plus some of the payloads they're working with and how these balloons could be used to provide services like a satellite at greatly reduced time and cost.
1:01:28 - Steve and Grant wrap up the show with a reminder that you can drop us a line via contact@planecrazydownunder.com to say Hi, tell us about your latest adventures, or even suggest a potential guest we should chat with. We also shout out to:
- The number of aviation podcasts that have sprung up while we were taking time off the airwaves.
- Stefan Drury's challenges in getting back flying again (if you're not following Stefan's YouTube channel, you should be!)
- Steve's Clear Signal radio show.
- Grant's work with Australian Defence Magazine including hosting their podcast and even writing articles.
Links:
- Monash HPR: www.monashhpr.com
- Flight Design: flightdesign.com.au
- Stefan Drury on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@StefanDrury
- Steve's Clear Signal: www.clearsignal.com.au
- Australian Defence Magazine: www.australiandefence.com.au
- Dave Homewood's Wings Over New Zealand show: cambridgeairforce.org.nz/WONZ_Show.html
- The Journey is the Reward show: thejourneyisthereward.org
Credits:
- Introduction voice over and closing credits by Terry Daniel: http://yourvoiceover.com.au
- Episode artwork photos thanks to Monash HPR and Flight Design
Contact us via contact@planecrazydownunder.com
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Blubrry - https://create.blubrry.com/resources/about-blubrry/privacy-policy
We've been a little busy lately and it's been a while since our last episode, so to make up for it we've released this rather chunky episode of aviation goodness covering the Pacific Airshow Gold Coast 2024 event. It's just like the old days when our episodes were long and the pause button was your friend...
The episode unfolds as per the details below. Enjoy!
0:01:11 - Steve & Grant chat about what's been happening, why it's taken so long to get this episode produced, Steve's new radio show (yes, radio!) called The Clear Signal, our fun at the Pacific Airshow Gold Coast with Brian Coleman (from the Journey is the Reward show and the Airplane Geeks) who joined us from California, despite immigration's best efforts, and what to expect from the interviews we collected. Oh yes, did we mention the beers?
0:06:15 - Jeff Boerboon updates us about what's been happening since last year, the Yak-110's appearance at Shellharbour, and how air shows can inspire the next generation of pilots.
0:12:17 - Air Commodore Micka Gray talks to Grant about his career since Pitch Black 2014 when he was last on the show, the RAAF's approach to air shows (both their own as well others they display at), and the benefits RAAF receives from their displays at last year's Gold Coast show in particular as well as their other appearances in general.
0:19:05 - Gary Cooper, a former RAAF pilot who has been awarded the USAF's Air Force Cross twice, and the Australian Defence Force's ground combat medal, talks to us on Vietnam Veterans' Day about his career and the situations he was in that lead to those three medals. From flying Norsemans and Junkers 52s in Papua New Guinea to joining the RAAF, the multitude of aircraft he flew and then becoming a Forward Air Controller until he left the RAAF after Vietnam and returned to flying with various airlines around the world. Gary's story is amazing and it was an honour and privilege to talk with him.
0:31:37 - Steve introduces the next block of interviews.
0:32:16 - We talk with Craig Hobart, the President of the Southport Flying Club, about the history of the club and the airport, the club's structure, the types of operations conducted at the airport (including medivac and rescue services), its importance to the area, and its involvement with the Pacific Airshows Gold Coast event. He also gives us a look at what the future holds for the airport and the club.
0:47:20 - Steve catches up with Mark Newton and Angela Garvey from the Freedom Formation Display Team about their displays at this year's and last year's air show, the changes that have happened since last year, Angela's career and how she joined the team, women in aviation, the team's sponsors & supporters, and how the team trains and conducts their display.
1:04:54 - Grant introduces the final block of interviews.
1:05:51 - Mandy Henschel from the Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter Service returns to the show and gives us an update on the amazing developments in their community service and taking on the Police Air contract.
1:10:30 - Scott Andrews is one of the rescue crew members in the back of the Westpac helicopter who talks to us about his career, the efforts involved in becoming a crew member, the training they undertake, and what it's like to be on the end of the hoist when performing a rescue.
1:17:21 - Kurt and Matt from SydSquad, who provide a livestream of aircraft movements at Sydney's Kingsford Smith international airport (YSSY). The guys talk about their show, how it came to be, spotting at Sydney, their audience engagement, and their fund raising for the Little Wings charity.
1:21:34 - Steve & Grant wrap up the episode chatting about SydSquad, the amazing Gary Cooper and how he and the other Vietnam veterans were poorly treated by the government, and what to expect from our next show, some of which we've already recorded.
Links:
- Pacific Airshow Gold Coast: https://pacificairshowaus.com
- Steve's new radio show called The Clear Signal: https://www.clearsignal.com.au
- The Journey is the Reward show: https://thejourneyisthereward.org
- The Airplane Geeks show: https://www.airplanegeeks.com
- Southport Flying Club: https://southportflyingclub.com.au
- Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter Service: https://lifesaver.org.au
- SydSquad: https://www.sydsquad.com.au
- Little Wings Charity: https://www.littlewings.org.au
Credits:
- Introduction voice over by Kevin Hillier: http://howdypartnersmedia.com.au
- Closing credits by Terry Daniel: http://yourvoiceover.com.au
- Episode artwork photos by Steve Visscher
Contact us via contact@planecrazydownunder.com
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Blubrry - https://create.blubrry.com/resources/about-blubrry/privacy-policy
We're on the Gold Coast and getting ready for the Pacific Airshow once again. This year's line-up is bigger and even more packed with amazing aircraft, including a T-33 Shooting Star which is the first of it's kind to ever fly in Australia. Its pilot is Greg "Wired" Colyer from Ace Maker Airshows and we caught up with him before he came out to Australia. This episode also includes the third & final part of the Steve Padgett interview we recorded back in 2019.
4:56 - We talk to Greg "Wired" Colyer about getting the T-33 out to Australia, originally for the 2022 show but, thanks to some government requirements, it didn't get shipped until after that show finished. Greg then steps us through the development of the T-33 from the P-80, its use in the Korean War and how it became the main jet trainer for the USA.
We then step through Greg's career, from learning to fly while in the US Army through to becoming an air traffic controller and getting into flying jets. Eventually, he was introduced to the T-33 and fell in love with the aircraft, buying one to fly then displaying it at airshows. The discussion also covers setting up his Ace Maker Airshows business, where his "Wired" callsign comes from, and what its like to fly the T-33 in displays. We even touch on his love of motorcycles before wrapping up by discussing the display he'll perform at the Gold Coast and his plans for visiting while he's down under.
34:31 - We run the final part of our Steve Padgett interview from 2019, which talks about buying Flight West with its two Fokker 100s when it went under following the Ansett collapse, renaming it to Alliance Airlines, and building it up from there. He tells us the amazing story of how he got his next seven Fokker 100s, his methods for establishing solid aviation businesses, and the special livery they painted on two of their aircraft to commemorate Sir Charles Kingsford Smith's flight to Australia and the Smith brothers who flew a Vickers Vimy from the UK to Australia in 1919.
We then move on to Steve's businesses conducting flight training for airlines, the Royal Flying Doctor Service, the RAAF, the Royal Malaysian Police, and many other operators of King Airs and Citation Mustangs. We then discuss his involvement with the Air Training Corps that became the Air Force Cadets, and the Australian Aviation Hall of Fame. We wrap up by mentioning his recent Order of Australia Medal, his continuing work and love of meeting people, plus how he still picks up a broom to help clean out the hangar, just like he used to when he first started.
1:04:46 - We wrap up the episode and remind everyone to get in touch if you'll be at the Pacific Airshow Gold Coast as it'd be great to catch up and say HI.
Links:
- Pacific Airshow Gold Coast: pacificairshowaus.com
- Greg "Wired" Colyer's Ace Maker Airshows: acemakeraviation.com
- Steve Padgett's Bio: flightoptionscharter.com.au/about/steve-padgett-oam-biography
- Alliance Airlines: www.allianceairlines.com.au
- Australian Aviation Hall of Fame: www.aahof.com.au
Credits:
- Episode artwork photos from Aarron Deliu
- Voiceovers by Terry Daniel from Your Voice Over: yourvoiceover.com.au
Contact us via contact@planecrazydownunder.com
With the Pacific Airshow returning to the Gold Coast in August, Steve and Grant caught up with Aarron Deliu, an Australian aerobatics pilot who is now based in Florida and performing at airshows and events in the USA, Europe and South Africa. Aarron put on a spectacular display at last year's show on the Gold Coast and will be performing again at this year's show.
- 03:45 - We start our chat with Aarron talking about performing at airshows in Europe before moving on to how he discovered the world of aviation and the efforts he went through learning to fly and getting his aerobatic rating. We then talk about progressing his aerobatic experience leading to his acceptance into the Red Bull Air Race just before it closed. DOH! We also discuss the likelihood of a replacement air race happening, and the events currently happening including Air Race X and Sky Grand Prix. The conversation then moves on to what Aarron is doing in the USA, why he moved over there, and what the airshow scene and aviation in general are like over there. We also talk about the aircraft he has in his hangar before talking about the aircraft he'll be flying at the Gold Coast this year and the routine he'll fly. We wrap up with a discussion about the Pacific Airshow events at Huntington Beach and the Gold Coast and why they're so unique compared to other events.
- 33:54 - Steve & Grant chat about the airshow scene, catching up at the Gold Coast, and their hopes for the air race scene.
- 36:25 - Mick, formerly of the Franga Line, emailed us about watching a wave of aircraft heading North on a radar app, after which the guys discuss using Flight Radar 24 and ADSB Exchange.
- 39:37 - The guys talk about the Australian Defence Magazine podcast that Grant hosts plus Steve's new radio show he's making called The Clear Signal which is appearing on radio stations around the country. It may, one day, appear as a podcast for those who can't tune into the radio stations it's appearing on.
- 43:10 - Grant was recently on the Stuck Mic AvCast show with Carl Valeri which you can listen to as a podcast OR watch on their YouTube channel.
Links:
- Aarron's website: aarron.aero
- Red Bull Air Race on Wikipedia
- Air Race X 2024 is underway
- Sky Grand Prix: skygrandprix.com
- Pacific Airshow Gold Coast: pacificairshowaus.com
- If you've not already, check out Flight Radar 24 and ADSB Exchange
- The Australian Defence Magazine podcast is well worth a listen (not that we're biased :) )
- Grant's episode with the Stuck Mic Avcast on their website
- Steve's new radio show: the Clear Signal
Credits:
- Episode artwork photos from Aarron Deliu
- Voiceovers by Terry Daniel from Your Voice Over: yourvoiceover.com.au
Contact us via contact@planecrazydownunder.com
The Peninsula Aero Club at Tyabb Airport near Melbourne puts on an epic air show every two years, although everyone's really been looking forward to this year's event as the last one was in 2020 thanks to COVID. The waiting was certainly worth it, as the Tyabb Airshow 2024 was another cracker with plenty of warbirds, aerobatic displays, a car vs aircraft race, and handling displays from many other aircraft.
Naturally, Steve and Grant were at the show once again and recording interviews with some of the people there. It was almost 40 degrees Celsius (about 100 Fahrenheit) but the show went on, the huge crowd enjoyed it, and Steve hung in there despite the sunscreen running off his forehead & into his left eye. DOH!
We start with our own recollections of the day, and then get stuck into the interviews, which include:
- 5:01 - Stephen Braim, president of the Peninsula Aero Club, joins us after the event to talk about the turn out, the importance of Tyabb airport, the charities the event supports, and the planning that goes into making the event a reality. Stephen also acknowledges the sponsors who help to make the event happen, how Paul Bennet and his team helped with the flying display and CASA approvals, the pilots who supply the aircraft, plus the army of volunteers without whom events like this couldn't happen. We wrap up the chat by talking about the club, its members and the other community events they run, such as the annual Toy Run that's supported by the antique aircraft association and a local car club (and has been known to include Grant's RX-7 in the line-up).
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19:51 - Peta Denham Harvey is the Victorian State President of the Australian Women Pilots' Association and she gives us an overview of the AWPA, the benefits of being a member, the importance of having a support network, and the challenges women encounter in aviation even today. We also discuss the importance of bringing young women into aviation and the AWPA.
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27:04 - One of the displays at the air show was the Sport Aircraft Association of Australia's stand which featured an RV-12 that had been built by children from schools around Australia. Elaine Bradley from the SAAA tells us about their Youth Build and Fly program which has children from schools in Victoria, Western Australia and Queensland building aircraft components with mentoring from SAAA members. Elaine talks about the sponsors who have helped make this program a reality and the impact it's had on many of the students who helped build the aircraft.
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33:25 - We chat with Mick Poole who, in addition to working with CASA, also flies a variety of aircraft including antiques and warbirds. As one of the pilots who flies with the Temora Aviation Museum, he talks about his experiences becoming a RAAF reservist pilot with 100 SQN following the transition of TAM's aircraft into the RAAF's heritage squadron. He also talks about the museum and their Warbirds Down Under event that's coming up in October, his favourite aircraft, and his reunion with Paul Bennet's recently purchased Hawker Sea Fury.
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38:57 - Andrew Temby returns to the show for the third or fourth time, chatting with us about his recently purchased Extra 300 and the impacts of the heat and wind at the show. We also discuss staying in shape when you reach 60, staying sane while restoring Grant's RX-7, and his adventures getting the Extra imported to Australia.
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50:02 - Our postie comes past on his Jetsons bike to deliver a message from Veggie who caught Grant's deliberate mistakes in the previous episode about RPAS vs RNP and departing under instrument conditions when it was CAVOK weather. OK, yes, DOH! Mea culpa from Grant, OK?
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53:09 - We talk about the Aldinga Airshow that's happening in South Australia on Sunday 7th April and that Grant's going to be on the commentary team.
Links:
- Aldinga Airshow: www.aldingaairshow.com.au
- Australian Women Pilots' Association: awpa.org.au
- Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA): www.casa.gov.au
- Paul Bennet Airshows: paulbennetairshows.com.au
- Peninsula Aero Club: pac.asn.au
- Ryan Imeson Photography: www.facebook.com/ryanimesonphotography
- Sport Aircraft Association of Australia: awpa.org.au
- Temora Aviation Museum: aviationmuseum.com.au
- Tyabb Airshow: pac.asn.au/airshow & tyabbairshow.com
- Warbirds Down Under airshow: warbirdsdownunderairshow.com.au
Credits:
- Episode artwork photo: Ryan Imeson
- Title music is You Name It by Brian Simpson
- Voiceovers by Terry Daniel from Your Voice Over
Setting up and running the air display component of an airshow takes a lot of effort, awareness of pilot and aircraft capabilities, an understanding of what makes a display interesting to the public, and the ability to deal with variables such as weather and aircraft availability. To find out more about this topic, we caught up with Chris "Tibbsy" Tibbetts, the Aussie Airboss. Grant also crossed over to the other side of the air display and spoke to a couple of warbird display pilots, one of whom also owns the excellent Drome Cafe and Tocumwal Aviation Museum at Tocumwal airport in southern New South Wales.
This episode contains:
- 03:20 - Our chat with Tibbsy starts off with an overview of the Airboss role, plus how he goes about dealing with pilots, organisers, and weather. We then move on to how Tibbsy got involved in aviation, became a pilot, the flying he was doing, and then starting to do airshows with Paul Bennet Airshows. In addition to ferrying aircraft to & from events, he also wound up working the radios and coordinating the air display, a role often referred to as the Ringmaster here in Australia.
- From here we move on to discussing certifications required to be an Airboss, how you build up experience, the International Council of Air Shows (ICAS), and his experiences working with the team from Pacific Airshows during their Gold Coast event. Tibbsy also tells us about attending the Airboss Academy at the Miramar Airshow and then the Pacific Airshows event at Huntington Beach.
- We also discuss safety at airshows, the similarities & differences between Australia & the USA in their approach to producing airshows, and attending the big ICAS convention in Las Vegas back in December.
- We wrap up our chat with Tibbsy by talking about his beautiful Beech 18 twin engine tail dragger named Miss Maple that he and his wife own.
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27:10 - Grant talks about his flight up to Tocumwal with Evan Schoo in a Cirrus, leaving early to be sure to meet up with Alan Arthur as well as Matt Henderson, the owner & operator of the Drome Cafe.
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29:44 - While at Tocumwal, Grant recorded a chat with Alan Arthur from Arthur Aero. We started with a discussion about his P-40 then moved on to his Beech Staggerwing restoration that's underway at Wanaka in New Zealand. Alan also talks about the Sukhoi 29 aerobatic aircraft he has a share in, the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter they're restoring to static condition and the three former RAAF PC-9s they've got running, two of which are now on the market.
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37:53 - Grant also recorded a chat with Matt Henderson who gives us a very quick overview of what makes Tocumwal aerodrome so important, the Tocumwal Aviation Museum he's established, and of course, the Drome Cafe. The Tocumwal aerodrome was the RAAF's biggest airbase in its entire history, operating B-24s, Bostons, Mosquitos, Beaufighters, Tiger Moths, Kittyhawks, Mustangs and Spitfires during WW2, then after WW2 it became the boneyard where aircraft were decommissioned and scrapped.
- Matt talks about the aircraft in the museum, including his CA-25 Winjeel and Cessna O-1 Bird Dog, plus the Ceres cropduster and an Aermacchi MB-326 that was recently donated by the RAAF. Matt also notes that he'd love to get another CT-4 Air Trainer (aka "Parrot") as he misses his old one.
- We also talk about other aircraft Matt would love to have in his hangar and then move on to the aircraft he displays at air shows, including the CAC Wirraway and TBM Avenger. This leads on to a discussion about owning warbirds, the discipline & attitude required, being invited by owners to fly them, and whether it will even be possible to fly them in 20 to 30 years if Avgas goes away.
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You can hear Dave Homewood (of Wings Over New Zealand) and Grant talking in depth with Matt about the Tocumwal aerodrome's history, the museum and the cafe on a recent episode of Matt Jolly's Warbird Radio.
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56:19 - We wrap up with some listener mail (our postie's upgraded his wheels) and a shout-out to Stefan Drury who produces great aviation YouTube videos and is going through a rather intense medical issue.
- We also note that we're very sadly missing the Airshows Downunder Shellharbour event but will be at the Tyabb airshow, plus that Grant's out there doing Soldier On's March On fundraiser
Links to check out:
- Aussie Airboss on Facebook and Instagram.
- Alan Arthur's Arthur Aero
- Tocumwal Aviation Museum
- The Drome Cafe
- Dave Homewood's Wings Over New Zealand show
- Warbird Rado's episode with Dave & Grant interview Matt
- Stefan Drury's YouTube Channel (highly recommended)
- Airshows Downunder Shellharbour event
- Tyabb Airshow
- Grant is fundraising for Soldier On via their March On event
We'd also like to help spread the word about some great organisations and people we think are worth supporting, including:
- Australian Defence Force Careers
- Angel Flight
- Dave Homewood's Wings Over New Zealand show
Credits:
- Cover image photo by Grant McHerron, Southern Skies Media
- Title music is You Name It by Brian Simpson
- Thanks also to Terry Daniel for our intro & outro voice overs.
It's big news down under as Bas Scheffers, CEO of OzRunways, joins us to announce that Boeing have purchased the company. It's a massive validation of the efforts put in by the OzRunways team over the past 10+ years and provides the opportunity for the OzRunways, ForeFlight and Jeppesen teams to work close together to help improve their respective products.
In this exclusive interview, Bas talks about the history of OzRunways' interactions with ForeFlight, confirms for us that OzRunways will continue and not be subsumed into ForeFlight, and answer's the question of whether VH-EFB could be transferred to a new aircraft,
We've known Bas for many years and have worked and socialised with him, Rowan and the OzRunways team since they started. It's a fantastic step forward for the product and the company, so we're looking forward to seeing how this progresses over the coming years.
Welcome to our first episode for 2024 with this episode featuring a great set of interviews to kick off the new year. From Grant recording chats with Jerry & Jan Chisum in their incredible hangar home over in New Zealand to the next part in the Steve Padgett story, this episode covers flying from the UK to NZ in a Gipsy Moth back in 1934, bush flying 737s in Alaska, setting up Sunshine Express Airlines, and so much more.
If you're wondering where Bridge Pa is, it's just outside Hastings which is near Napier on the East Coast of New Zealand's North Island. The easiest way to find it is to use Google Maps and look for Hastings Aerodrome at Bridge Pa (or click that link :) ).
The episode unfolds as:
06:16 - Grant chats with Jerry Chishum about learning to fly with his father while growing up in Alaska, how eventually his father got into helicopters while he went on to larger aircraft. This lead to him flying civilian Hercules aircraft from Fairbanks, then proceeding on to 737-200s with gravel kits on some less than brilliant runways that were frequently covered in snow, ice and slush. Bush flying a 737... who knew?
Jerry also flew the MD-11 and compares flying that to flying the Hercules (like a big Super Cub) and the 737. Suffice to say, he wasn't a fan of the MD-11.
Jerry steps us through the history of the Gipsy Moth aircraft, his visits to New Zealand, how he met Jan, and flying WW1 replicas such as the Fokker Triplane, Fokker D.VII and the S.E.5.
31:52 - We then bring Jan onto the show, introducing her by her maiden name of Jan White. She tells us how she learnt to fly, getting into tail draggers like the Piper Cub, and then transitioning to flying Tiger Moths. Jan also talks about flying in the UK before returning to New Zealand, where she flew the Tiger Moth in competitions, eventually meeting Jerry at one.
Jan also talks about her father buying a 1929 Gipsy Moth when he was living in the UK in the early 1930s, then how he flew it to Sydney, Australia in 1934. She discusses his trip, the adventures he had, and that the most difficult flights were getting from Darwin to Sydney. Jan also talks about the memorabilia her father kept that she now has, including his maps, a letter from Nancy Bird Walton, and even the receipt from buying the aircraft.
52:04 - Our second part of our interview with Steve Padgett OAM covers purchasing Red Baron at Noosa Airport, which had a Grumman AgCat biplane for tourist flights, and setting up Sunshine Express Airlines, initially with Bandierante aircraft, to fly passengers on routes to and from the Sunshine Coast. Steve talks about dealing with the Civil Aviation Authority of the time and how the process was a lot different back in the 1990s with much less red tape.
Sunshine Express also flew Fairchild Metros and worked closely with Ansett Airlines, flying passengers for them until that airline went into liquidation, owing Steve's company a large amount of money. Fortunately, Steve got a call from Qantas who wanted to work with them, although Qantas were able to dictate much tighter terms.
Steve also talks about helping to set up Bangkok Airways in Thailand and his experience acquiring & operating Austin Aero in Texas. He wraps up this part of the interview by giving us a comparison between the aviation environment in the USA versus here in Australia.
The next part of this interview will include Steve starting, along with Don Kendell and Max Hazelton, the organisation that became the Regional Aviation Association of Australia (RAAA). It will also cover Alliance Airlines and his work with the RAAF Cadets.
1:13:43 - We wrap up the episode.
You can hear more of Jan & Jerry's stories on a recent episode of the Warbird Radio Down Under series by Grant with Dave Homewood in New Zealand. It's one of the segments on the Warbird Radio show, a great podcast run by Matt Jolley in the USA. So if you're listening to us, you should give his show a go too.
We'd also like to help spread the word about some great organisations and people we think are worth supporting, including:
- Australian Independent Radio News (aka AIR News)
- Australian Defence Force Careers
- Angel Flight
Thanks also to Terry Daniel for our intro & outro voice overs.
Steve's back in the studio after his heart attack and subsequent surgery. As you'd expect, it was a major experience for him and he's very appreciative of the support he's received from our audience. He's now a member of the zipper club, has been cleared to drive cars again, and is working towards his Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR) medical so he can drive trains once again. You can read more about Steve's unexpected journey on his Proceed Aspect site, but for now, he's back and we're producing episodes once again. This one unfolds with:
- 6:01 - We catch up with Marjorie Pagani, CEO of Angel Flight, who gives us a quick history of Angel Flight, and how the organisation is funded. She also updates us on their efforts to fly doctors, nurses, interns and locums into rural and regional areas that would otherwise take days to drive to. We discuss their criteria for pilots and opportunities for volunteering in other roles, then we chat about Marjorie's background, her flying, and how she became involved with Angel Flight. We wrap up by looking at their relationship with CASA, the types of aircraft being used for their flights, and a reminder of how you can help keep Angel Flight going. You can learn more about Angel Flight through the FAQ on their website.
- 29:43 - Back in 2019, we interviewed Steve Padgett OAM for the Airwaves by Aviation Trader show that we were producing for the previous owners of Aviation Trader. The new owners of Aviation Trader have very generously agreed to let us run that interview on PCDU and here's the first part of the three part chat we recorded back then. We hope you find it as interesting and inspiring as we do.
Steve's career in aviation started in the 1960s during the heyday of Australian aviation, but it all began as Canterbury Boys High School where he joined the Air Training Corps and discovered he had a passion for flying. This led to a scholarship with the RAAF that allowed him to obtain his private pilot certificate. From there, he worked as a driver in airfeight and swept hangar floors to fund his commercial and instructor ratings, before eventually getting into marketing and working for Hawker de Havilland selling aircraft. This allowed him to work with people such as Sir Joh Bjelke-Peterson (premier of QLD) and his regular pilot, Beryl Young, along with WW2 fighter pilots such as Brian "Blackjack" Walker. Eventually in 1979, he started his own company, partnering with Bib Stilwell selling Learjets and the Embraer Bandierante and Brasilia, before creating Aeromil Pacific in Queensland.
We wrap up this first part with a hint from Steve about starting, along with Don Kendell and Max Hazelton, the organisation that became the Regional Aviation Association of Australia (RAAA). As to Alliance Airlines and his work with the RAAF Cadets, well, they will also be covered in a later episode.
It's been a while between episodes but Steve's been in hospital for a major operation plus Grant's been travelling for airshows and also getting current in hot air balloons once again (yup, there's a new danger area being declared for operations in the vicinity of YBLA, YWGT & YILA :) ). With Steve in hospital, Grant turns to ATC Ben for help with the intro and outro on this episode which is packed full of content, including:
- 0:07:07 - Steve & Grant catch up with Kevin Elliott, CEO of Pacific Airshow, for a post-event debrief from their Gold Goast show.
- 0:36:18 - Henry Young was 99 years old when he visited the Gold Coast show and he talked to the guys about flying Seafires during WW2 and Sea Furies in the 1950s. His story includes being in New Zealand at the start of the war, his training in the USA, flying from HMAS Sydney when it was first introduced to the Royal Australian Navy, and how he met his wife. We could have talked for hours and it was amazing to get his views on how far we've come since he was flying military aircraft and formation demonstrations.
- 0:51:15 - The Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter Service team were at the show performing a winching demonstration while also having one of their Eurocopter EC135 P2 aircraft parked on the Surfers Paradise Esplanade to help their fundraising and merch sales. The guys caught up with Paul "Gibbo" Gibson, their chief pilot, to discuss his career, the operations they undertake and his experiences flying helicopters.
- 1:05:08 - Steve & Grant also spoke with Mandy Hentschel, the Service's Fundraising and Events Coordinator, about the efforts required to keep these vital life saving helicopters operating and available to patrol and perform rescues on Queensland's beaches.
- 1:09:50 - Grant and ATC Ben wrap up the episode with a discussion on Ben's activities in the world of air traffic control and performing operations from Melbourne.
Links:
Leave your message for the crew of Dumptruck 11: pacificairshowaus.com/memorial
Watch the RAAF F/A-18F Super Hornet display from on-board the aircraft: www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LDjhO_gq1Y&t=122s
More information about the Queensland Westpac Lifesaver rescue helicopter service, including how you can help keep them operating: www.lifesaving.com.au/about/what-we-do/westpac-lifesaver-rescue-helicopter-service
Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter Service have a Facebook page: www.facebook.com/westpacheliqld/
Credits:
Episode title image by Grant McHerron, Southern Skies Media.
Voiceovers: Terry Daniel from Your Voice Over.
Way back in June 2014 we released Series 1 Episode 119 about the RAAF bringing the F-35A into service, including the first two pilots selected to learn how to fly it, discussions with Lockheed Martin representatives (including test pilot Billie Flynn) and an hour long discussion with AVM Kym "Koz" Osley about the infrastructure work, staffing build up, training and logistics preparations that were in progress. At almost 2 1/2 hours in duration, it was one of our longer episodes from Series 1.
It seems only fitting then that our longest episode so far of Series 2 should once again be all about the F-35. This time we catch up with F-35 Test Pilot Tony "Brick" Wilson, Lockheed Martin's Chief of Fighter Flight Operations, and also bring you an update from Steven Over, Lockheed Martin's Director, Combat Air INDOPACOM and CENTCOM Business Capture.
You can find these two discussions in this episode at:
- 02:19 - Tony "Brick" Wilson talks to us about what got him into aviation, his career to date, transitioning to the F-35, sensor fusion in the cockpit, what flying the F-35 is like, and how mission planning is conducted.
- 53:54 - Steven Over provides an update on the F-35's pending Block 4 upgrades, how they will be available in the RAAF's new F-35s and plans to roll them out as upgrades to existing airframes. He also steps us through the sensor fusion concept, how it is presented to the pilot and the benefits it provides F-35 pilots and operators.
Credits:
Image from Lockheed Martin.
Thanks to Australian Defence Magazine for allowing us to use excerpts from their interview with Steven Over.
Voiceovers: Terry Daniel from Your Voice Over
The team from the Pacific Airshow at Huntington Beach in California have come down under to stage the first Pacific Airshow Gold Coast event at Surfers Paradise in August, right around the corner as we release this episode. Steve and Grant will be attending the event to gather more content from the performers who will be displaying there, but in advance of the event, they've scored a couple of interviews for you to enjoy:
- 2:52 - Kevin Elliott, CEO and Director of the Pacific Airshow chats with us about their events in the USA, the efforts they've gone through to bring the show to the Gold Coast and what attendees can expect while they're at the event.
- 23:14 - We catch up with Jeff Boerboon, the pilot and owner of the very distinctive Yak-110 aircraft, the merger of two Yak-55s with a turbine engine slung between them. He talks to us about his background in aviation, what inspired him to create this amazing machine, how they built it, what it's like to fly and how he's going flying it out of Southport airport for the event.
Credits:
Voiceovers: Terry Daniel from Your Voice Over
They say that if you can't see it, you can't be it and that certainly seems to be the case with getting more women into aviation. The recently released documentary Touch the Sky seeks to help encourage more women to consider flying for fun and/or employment, particularly looking at the "soft" (aka "human") issues that are part of the answer to the "Why are there so few female pilots?" question.
We also take a look at drone racing which was featured at the recent Avalon Airshow back in March. The Australian Defence Force is running racing events to encourage more young people to consider doing STEM training and also the potential for a career in Defence.
This episode consists of:
- 1:22 Stephen Limkin is the director of Touch the Sky while Erin Douglas is one of the ladies appearing in the documentary. They talk to us about their experiences in aviation, the inspiration behind the film and what it was like making the film. Erin also talks about over coming her fears and self doubt to not only fly, but also become a flight instructor with RA-Aus.
- 27:50 WGCDR Keirin Joyce steps us through the benefits and opportunities that drone racing brings the Australian Defence Force.
- 36:49 PTE Hamish Glover steps us through the experience of drone racing and the equipment they're using.
Credits:
Image by: Light Studios
Voiceovers: Terry Daniel from Your Voice Over
Thanks to Australian Defence Magazine for allowing us to include the two drone racing interviews in this episode.
There are plenty of beaches in Australia and many cities have an "Eye in the Sky" traffic reporter giving commuters updates on where the bottlenecks are, but what if you could provide traffic reports plus beach reports, all while logging hours? Our voice-over guy, Terry Daniel, steps out of the recording booth and into the studio to chat with Steve & Grant about doing just that in the skies over Coffs Harbour, a beautiful tourist city on the New South Wales North Coast.
Terry talks about his experiences flying twice a day, every day, in all types of weather to bring Radio2CS listeners the latest info on which beaches had the best breaks, which to avoid due to sharks or bluebottles, and how the roads were looking. He also tells about some of his more interesting experiences with passengers, folks on the beach, weather and a low flying RAAF F-111.
We wrap up the chat with a discussion about Terry's AIR News Media organisation that provides news headlines for radio stations around Australia. It's also where you can occasionally hear Steve's dulcet tones reading the news.
As if all that wasn't enough, we also have a mailbag item from Mark Newton and a shout-out to Redhome Aviation's Instagram page which features photography of military traffic around Tinker AFB in Oklahoma, USA.
Cover art images for this episode were supplied by Rob Cleary (Seen Australia - http://seenaustralia.com.au), Bruce Linwood and Terry Daniel.
We recorded so much content at Avalon 2023 that it's going to take a few more episodes to get it all released. This episode brings us the Scandanavian wing walker team, the return of Timbo's Tarmac and a chat with UK aerobatic pilot Mark Jefferies and Dee Ebeling from Perth, so lets lean into the slipstream and have a listen.
This episode flies past with:
- 06:42 Scandanavian Airshows' Sky Cats wing walker team presented their Cat Walk show while at Avalon and Grant caught up with them to find out what's involved and how they got into this form of aviation.
- 18:33 Grant catches up with Timbo and the tarmac crew, hanging out in the Keyhole where the heavy metal gets parked (tankers, transports, etc) to get an update on how the show was from their perspective as they parked aircraft despite the crowds of visitors.
- 26:45 Mark Jefferies talks about getting to Australia, bringing an Extra NG aerobatic aircraft over from Perth and his day and night shows.
- 32:58 Dee Ebeling talks about the Extra NG and also gives us an update on Awesome Aviation's developments since we last had him on the show in 2013.
- 43:00 We have some listener mail from Andrew van der Saag.
As we wrap up this episode, we'd like to give a shout out to the Royal Flying Doctor Service and their need for donations to help cover their fuel bill, which is a major part of their costs, especially as fuel prices keep going up. If you have a few shekels and want to support a very worthy cause, please go to their site and help out.
It's time to dig into the recently released Defence Strategic Review to assess its impacts on the Australian Defence Force from an aviation perspective. For this episode we're joined by award winning defence and aerospace journalist Andrew McLaughlin, who helps assess the changes we can expect to see over the next few years.
A big change is the focus on long range strike and missiles for RAAF, Navy and Army to help keep potential adversaries at a distance. We also touch on the lack of news regarding additional F-35s or MQ-4C Tritons, the B-21 Raider being ruled out (for now) and Army's transition from ARH Tiger and MRH-90 Taipan to AH-64 Apache and UH-60M Blackhawk.
We also ask where we'll get enough people from to crew all the platforms, look at the types of drones we're likely to have and the focus on hypersonics and other advanced technologies under AUKUS Pillar 2. There's a lot to dig into so this episode is a double-length special, running for almost an hour, but that's what the pause/resume button is for, right? :)
Cover image thanks to Seth Jaworski.
With the recent release of the Defence Strategic Review by the Australian Federal Government, a major focus has been put on long range missiles for use by Army, Navy and Air Force to deter a potential adversary from approaching our island continent and/or blockading our ocean supply routes. With this in mind, we release an interview recorded at Avalon 2023 with John Fry, general manager of Kongsberg Defence Australia, covering their National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System, their Naval Strike Missile, its Coastal Defence System variant, and the Joint Strike Missile for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
Following Kongsberg, we present a discussion with Mark Robinson, head of Air Traffic Management at Frequentis Australasia. We cover their latest remote digital tower technology and its applications in civilian and military markets. It's certainly a technology that could be of great use to Airservices here in Australia as well as to the RAAF's 44WG who provide Air Traffic Control at military air fields and bases.
The two discussions can be found at the following points in the episode:
- 03:35 John Fry at Kongsberg
- 20:18 Mark Robinson at Frequentis Australasia
Cover image thanks to Stefan Kalm via AP
Imagine a hoard of RV-6s & RV-7s flying in close formation and performing solo & pair aerobatics. Sounds intense? Well, wait for the Pacific Airshow at the Gold Coast to find out how it looks & sounds. Meanwhile, Mark Newton is one of the pilots in the Freedom Formation and he talks us through his aviation history, his aircraft and the genesis of the show. All this plus a flying car and our Maine Man Micah sends through some audio to include. Check out how it unwinds below :)
- 02:10 Mark Newton talks about his flying background, his RV-6 and the Freedom Formation.
- 16:50 We continue our chat with Mark and discuss the Pacific Airshow being held in August on the Gold Cost.
- 25:55 Lets talk flying cars with Jacky Yang about the Pegasus which blends the needs of road rules with CASA's rules for the air.
- 37:36 Micah Engber has sent through a piece welcoming PCDU back to the airwaves with references to the great land down under.
Cover image thanks to the Freedom Formation
The Australian International Airshow in 2023 (aka Avalon 2023) saw not only huge crowds and amazing displays in the air, but also the end of an era as Peter Meehan performed his last show as "The Voice of Avalon," handing over the reigns to Tony Moclair. It also saw Grant join Angela Stevenson as part of the commentary team for the show.
- 05:11 We chat with Peter Meehan about his experience with Avalon commentary and Tony Moclair about taking over as commentary team anchor.
- 21:18 Angela Stevenson talks about her experiences in aviation, as a pilot, as an author and as an air show commentator.
- 30:53 We capture the official announcement of the AMDA Foundation taking over the Wings Over Illawarra airshow from Bright Events, renaming it to Airshows Down Under: Shell Harbour and making it a biennial event that will alternate with the Avalon event. We also chat with Justin Giddings, CEO of AMDA Foundation, and Mark Bright of Bright Events.
Cover image credit: Steven Pam
We recently caught up with our friend Owen Zupp to talk with him about the many ups and downs he's experienced in his career and, most importantly, his current grounding for medical reasons (starts at 1:20 into the episode). We touch on the importance of resilience and how many of the traits that make a good pilot can also help a person get through adversity.
In the second half of the show, we also chat with Owen about the final flight of Qantas' last 747-400 that drew a flying kangaroo as it departed Australian skies (from 22:16 into the episode). The discussion covers the flight path, the planning, how it was loaded into the flight management system and what it was like being in California during the height of COVID lockdowns.
Cover image credit: Kirrily Zupp
The new series has officially launched with the release of this episode and, what better way to come back to the world than at the Australian International Airshow (aka Avalon 2023) where we caught up with plenty of old friends and made lots of new contacts. It seems only fitting that our first released content should be chats with Matt Hall, Bas Scheffers and Bob Carlton so lets get into the show.
- 04:56 Matt Hall talks about getting through COVID, the potential for something like the Red Bull Air Race to return, the Gold Coast Air Show, flying the Avanti II and his plans for the future.
- 16:45 Bas Scheffers talks about developments in OzRunways, their new clients and features, upgrading VH-EFB to a Cirrus SR-22, and flying an RV-4.
- 27:46 Bob Carlton steps us through his day and night show routines, his aircraft testing work plus with his rocket scientist work in retirement.
Cover image credit : Wayne Nugent - Australian Motorsport Images
Rumours of our demise have, sadly, been accurate ... well, until now that is!
We're back and looking to give PCDU another whirl with a new series coming out shortly, but we thought a good way to get back in the groove would be to do that "Farewell" episode we'd planned to do way back in 2018. We are indebted to those who sent in the amazing farewell messages you're going to hear in this episode, but don't forget to stick around to the end and hear what's coming up.
Meanwhile, here's how this episode's farewell messages unfold around our chatting:
- 06:00 Max Flight from the Airplane Geeks.
- 08:07 Pieter Johnson from Aviation Xtended.
- 11:57 Carlos, Matt & Neville from the Plane Talking UK show
- 15:56 Steven Pam.
- 17:24 Damien Rose.
- 23:17 Dave Homewood from the Wings Over the New Zealand show.
- 25:06 Martin Rottler.
- 28:01 Captain Jeff, Dr Steph, Captain Dana & Captain Nick from the Airline Pilot Guy show.
- 31:47 Ray Davis.
- 35:12 Glen Towler.
We wrap up the episode with a discussion of what's coming next. Stay tuned!
Steve, Grant and Maikha were on-site at Avalon recording plenty of content and this episode is our first collection of audio content covering some of the companies, people and aircraft we encountered while there. Steve & Grant have already started editing the next batch of content for Episode 131 and Maikha’s starting to wade through . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 130: Avalon 2017 – Alpha
Steve & Grant have both been back to school in the past week with Steve revisiting his old high school (Brentwood Secondary College and yes, it’s still standing) where they have a great aviation curriculum. Meanwhile, Grant’s been out to Bacchus Marsh airport to the TVSA flying school’s open day. This one’s a short episode . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 129: Going Back to School
From Grant’s collection of ballooning interviews to a chat with Owen Zupp about his latest book and our tribute to Hannes Arch, this episode is our biggest yet (yes, even bigger than Episode 51, our tribute to the RAAF’s F-111s!). We’ve even captured Anthony “The Infrequent Flyer” Simmons’ first ever viewing of the movie TopGun . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 128: Unprecedented
We’ve gone back into our archives to pull out some great content that we never got around to releasing before. We have some more interviews from Avalon 2015 (yes, we recorded lots didn’t we? :) ) and we also have WGCDR Tim Alsop (now a GPCAPT :) ) walking us through planning & implementing an . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 127: From the Vault
They say patience is a virtue and hopefully our audience has plenty of it because it’s been a while since our last episode was released. Fortunately we’ve been able to make some time available to record content, edit it and get this episode into the feed. For this one Steve & Grant are joined by . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 126: Emirates Wants You!
Welcome back to our coverage of the 2015 Australian International Air Show (aka Avalon Airshow) with our third release of content recorded at show. It’s been a while since the last episode and we’re sorry for that but as with many labours of love & fun, life gets in the way and paying the rent, . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 125: Avalon Charlie (The Avalon Airshow Goodness Continues)
The Australian International Airshow (aka Avalon Airshow) may well be over for 2015 but our collection of content recorded at the show is still being worked on. Here’s another hour of interviews & discussions and we suspect there may be another two episodes before we’re through with all of it. This is what happens when . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 124: Avalon15 Bravo (Yet more Avalon Airshow Goodness)
The Australian International Airshow (aka Avalon Airshow) is held every two years and runs for 6 days with the first 3 being trade-only. The 4th day of the show is always on a Friday and the public start coming in around midday then stay for the night show, a feature of Avalon for well over . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 123: Avalon15 Alpha (It’s Avalon Airshow Time :) )
As the final hours of 2014 draw to a close, were getting our last episode for 2014 out the door. The boys have been kept pretty busy with their day jobs lately but, despite this, theyve managed to do some flying:
Grant’s been taking friends on their first balloon flights including Evan Schoo and Darren . . . Read More: PCDU Episode 122: Farewell 2014
During August, Grant spent a week in Darwin covering Exercise Pitch Black 2014, a major multinational “war game” exercise hosted by the Royal Australian Air Force.
RSAF F15 at dusk in Darwin
Held every two years, Pitch Black is Australia’s version of the Red Flag training exercises held in the USA and in 2014 . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 121: Exercise Pitch Black 2014
Steve’s very happy to have finally started converting currency into currency as he’s logging hours in a Flysynthesis Texan and progressing towards getting his RA-Aus license. Grant’s been too busy with work to get many hours but did finally get to log some “special shape” time in his balloon logbook. Naturally, both Steve & Grant . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 120: History & Records
With Australia’s confirmed purchase of a total of 72 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, Steve & Grant are joined by Andrew McLaughlin from COMINT (Communications Intelligence) to discuss the F-35 and its operation within the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). We also feature a number of great interviews with Lockheed Martin staff and an in-depth discussion . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 119: F-35 Joint Strike Fighter: The RAAF Approach
Just to be different, this episode Steve joins ATC Ben on a BenAir flight from Essendon (YMEN) to Temora (YTEM) to attend the NatFly 2014 event. With the Cirrus SR20’s autopilot keeping them on track, Captain Ben & FO Steve introduce the show before opening up their packed lunches. Sadly, Sierra Juliette Alpha (VH-SJA) did . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 118: Can you fly to NatFly 2014?
With the RAAF’s Centenary of Military Aviation air show only a couple of days away, we thought we’d mix up some content that promotes the event as well as some chats Grant recorded with a number of past & present members of the RAAF at the Temora Aviation Museum’s “Warbirds Down Under” event back in . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 117: Holler for a Marshall, an AIR Marshal
After a break due to injuries, surgery & a wedding, we’re back on deck and our first episode for 2014 is packed with Down Under aviation goodness :)
From Matt Hall & the return of the Red Bull Air Race to flying in a pair of C130Js over Melbourne
From Matt Hall and the . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 116: High Performances
Steve & AntCB chatting with Chris Sperou
It’s been an amazing year but as 2013 draws to a close, we’re squeezing one more episode out for you. We’ve combined some content not yet published from Avalon & AusFly with some great reports supplied by other members of the PCDU team. We’ve also got a . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 115: Farewell 2013
Would you let these guys run a radio station? AusFly did!
September 2013 rolled around and it was time for the second AusFly event at Narromine in New South Wales. Team PCDU squeezed into a bus that was loaded with Analog Al’s airshow PA system, our gear and a certain trade stand then . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 114: AusFly 2013 – Back Together Under One Sky
JQ’s new 787 arrives at Melbourne
The past month has included a number of events related to the Royal Australian Navy’s International Fleet Review 2013 as well as the arrival of Jetstar’s new 787-8. Grant’s been visiting a few ships & interviewing their aircrew while Kathy’s had a flight on Australia’s brand new . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 113: Fleeting Dreams
It’s time to vote!
It’s time for Australians to vote for their favourite (or least disliked :) ) politicians and, once again, we’ve gone into bat for our audience to present information about the transportation policies of the main parties. Unfortunately, our cunning plan to wait for the parties to have revealed their policies . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 112: Federal Election 2013
As the F111 was late & delayed by all sorts of issues, so too has our Episode 111 been late in arriving. Our big excuse has been discovering that the PCDU Radio Show has taken a LOT more effort than we expected. All this plus our day jobs, families AND our PCDU Commentary & Announcing . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 111: Radio Killed the Podcast Star (Almost :) )
Grant about to take Kathy flying in a hot air balloon
All good things take time & so do our episodes, with this one taking perhaps the longest to produce of any of them. It’s also packed full of great content covering magazine editors, wing walkers, AOPA, another give-away competition, antique aircraft, solo trips . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 110: A Basket Full of Flight
Ryan Campbell is a 19 year old pilot from Australia who’s currently flying solo around the world to grab the record as the youngest pilot yet to make the epic journey. Steve caught up with Ryan just a couple of hours after he had arrived in Hilo, Hawaii to discuss the experience of island-hopped his . . . → Read More: TeenWorldFlight: Update #1 with Ryan Campbell
We're joined by Dave Homewood from the Wings Over New Zealand forum & podcast who talks to us about his career with the RNZAF, the Kiwi warbird scene and his excellent forum & podcast. We also feature more Avalon content including our KC-30A interview, the Herron RPV and Charles Cheeseman from Eco 2000. Finally, we introduce new team member Maikha Ly, announce another competition and work through a stack of listener mail. . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 109: Dave’s Cambridge Airforce
Flying solo around Australia is a challenging & amazing experience, even today (just ask Owen Zupp :) ). It's even more mind-blowing when you're a quadriplegic! This episode Steve & Grant talk to Dave Jacka who is setting out to be the first quadriplegic person to fly solo around Australia! We also include a chat Steve recorded with Laurie Jones from Adventure Wings about his role as a fire-bomber and the Nanchang adventure flights they operate from Tooradin (YTDN), a new View from the Lounge and even a competition! . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 108: On a Wing & a Chair
One of the many RAAF C17s at Avalon 2013
We still have some Avalon 2013 coverage not yet released so we decided to produce a single episode dedicated to the C17 as there were multiple RAAF C17s and a USAF C17 present on the final day. In keeping with our previous Avalon 2013 episodes, . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 107: Avalon 2013 – Globemaster Central
We had contemplated a quiet final day at Avalon 2013 where the team could gather a few last interviews but it wasn’t to be. There were still so many people to see, content to capture and experiences to share with our audience. In fact, there’s so much content that we couldn’t fit it all into . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 106: Avalon 2013 – Day Six
Day Five of the Avalon Airshow 2013 is the first full public day and they turned out in force to enjoy great aviation action under clear blue skies. Despite the crowds we still managed to get around the airport to complete a number of interviews & meet up with plenty of people.
This episode includes:
. . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 105: Avalon 2013 – Day Five
The sun came out in force on Day 4 of Avalon 2013 and with mostly clear blue skies we finally felt like we’d arrived at a real airshow. With aircraft putting on some amazing performances, the F22 once again took to the skies and let us experience the “High Show” and what a fantastic show . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 104: Avalon 2013 – Day Four
From a Gulfstream G650 to an RAAF C17, Day Three of Avalon 2013 has certainly kept Team PCDU on the go . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 103: Avalon 2013 – Day Three
Day Two of the Avalon 2013 Airshow has kept Team PCDU very busy shooting video & recording interviews. Here’s some of the content we recorded today:
Captain Robin Pursey, Chief Pilot for Airbus Corporate Jets talks about flying the ACJ319 David Velupillai, Marketing Director for Airbus Corporate Jets discusses interior fit outs & typical missions . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 102: Avalon 2013 – Day Two
It's been a good start to the Avalon 2013 Airshow with Team PCDU recording a few interviews and setting up their schedule for the rest of the week. . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 101: Avalon 2013 – Day One
We've finally made it to our 100th episode and had some amazing experiences along the way. We've learned lots, had aviation experiences we've never dreamed of and even spun off a few side-projects for other shows. For this episode we've resisted the temptation to do a retrospective or rehash earlier content (except for a bit at the start & the end of the episode :) ). Instead, we've put together some interviews with well known people about a couple of up-coming events and a discussion about the dreaded Biennial Flight Review (BFR), now known as an Aeroplane Flight Review (AFR). . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 100: The Ton
In November of 2012 the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) decommissioned their C-130H fleet, transitioning to the C-130J and reaching the end of an era for flight engineers & navigators in the Air Lift Group (ALG). We were fortunate enough to be invited to partake in some of the decommissioning events including a final media flight over Sydney Harbour, watching a formation flyby practice from RAAF Base Richmond's control tower and the delivery of C-130H A97-011 to the RAAF Museum at Point Cook. In the course of these events we obtained a number of great interviews with past & present air crew which are gathered here in our tribute episode to the C-130H in RAAF service. . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 99: RAAF C-130H – Into History
As 2012 draws to a close come & spend a bit of time with Steve, Grant, Bas & ATC Ben as they wrap up the year with some new content, some discussions and a bit of fun. It’s another long episode but we think it’s a pretty good way to send out the year :)
. . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 98: Farewell 2012
We have a variety of content for you in this episode including:
0:03:50 – A great chat we recorded with Andrew McLaughlin, previously co-owner and deputy editor of Australian Aviation and now a freelance aviation writer 1:00:59 – Kathy Mexted went flying with Anatole Mills from Warbird Air Adventures and got to experience some aerobatics . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 97: Journos & Aeros
Serge’s “Fighter Pilot” book cover
It takes a special breed to push an F18 out to the edge of the envelope, fly missions ranging from surface attack to dog fights and then blow off steam with your squadron mates. It’s certainly not Top Gun but it does make amazing fodder for a book that . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 96: “Serge” – An Australian Top Gun
Steve & Grant go north of Melbourne thanks to the aid of some members of Team PCDU, both current & new. First up we tag along with ATC_Ben on his visit to Oshkosh 2012, discussing his journey there & listening to a few of the interviews he recorded (yes, we're still jealous we couldn't get there!). We then introduce long-time listener Damien Rose who's joining us as our Queensland correspondent & lives about 2,000km north of PCDU HQ. Finally, we play a few of the interviews Steve & Grant recorded at Oshkosh 2011 to help us feel a bit better about not being there this year (nope, still jealous! :) . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 95: Northern Exposure
PCDU Narrating at AusFly
The Sport Aircraft Association of Australia (SAAA) held their inaugural AusFly event at Narromine, New South Wales on the 14th & 15th of September. As part of the show, Plane Crazy Down Under were invited to come & run the AusFly radio show and provide commentary for the air displays. . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 94: AusFly “Together Under One Sky”
After three years of lamenting the hassles involved in getting to the West Coast of Australia to report on aviation happenings wwwaaayyy over there on the other side of the big empty, we’ve finally done something about it: we’ve set up a PCDU-WestCoast office and found someone just as aviation-crazy as we are to run . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 93: Positive Moves
[Kathy Mexted joins Steve & Grant to interview Helene Young, a Dash-8 pilot who's written three great books based around pilots flying for Australia's border patrol in the far north of Queensland. In addition to being a captain with the regionals, Helene has managed to juggle her home & social life with work and writing, producing three great books in a relatively short period of time. We also have interviews with Peter Sobey (Chief Flying Instructor at Sharp Airlines) and Chris Dewhirst (first man to fly a balloon over Mt Everest) along with a brand new View From the Lounge segment (also about balloons). . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 92: Helene Young – A Novel Approach to Flying
After a number of years and the inevitable stumbling blocks that life throws at us, Grant has finally become a balloon pilot having completed his check flight up at Mildura just the other day. From how the final stages of solos & check flight unfolded to a comparison of "first solo" moments, Steve & Grant talk briefly about the realisation that a new license & $5 can now buy you a beer... Meanwhile, Bas & AntCB join Steve to talk iPad aviation apps, Pieter Johnson interviews Australians at Farnborough 2012, Steve & Bas talk to Peter Gibson from CASA about the new Class 2 Medicals, we talk to Aviation Australia about their training courses & Aviation Careers Expo and Grant chats with Alan Joyce (no, really! :) . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 91: New Horizons
Steve's been considering buying an aircraft so he got together with Anthony Crichton-Browne and Ben Morgan to discuss the costs of owning an aircraft. After that we're joined by Kathy Mexted to interview Justin Sheedy about his book "Nor the years condemn" before heading off into a discussion of various items (including Grant getting on his soapbox about 'aircraft snobs'). It's worth sticking around to the very end for a huge, 5 minute mega-blooper reel at the end :) . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 90: Moments in Time
Way back in April, Steve & ATC_Ben flew "Ben Air" from Lilydale (YLIL) to Temora (YTEM) for the RA-Aus NatFly 2012 event, leaving Grant behind in Melbourne attempting to recover from bronchitis. While not as vibrant as 2011, there was still plenty of activity to keep Steve & Ben busy recording lots of great content. Join us to check out all the light aircraft fun. . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 89: RA-Aus NatFly 2012
Boeing have been taking their 787 Dreamliners on the DreamTour, a series of 7 multi-stop flights, or segments, that take one of the 787 test aircraft around the world. Each segment visits multiple countries, allowing airlines & invited guests to get up close to the advanced new airliner. Perhaps saving the best for last, the DreamTour came to the Dreamtime during it's 7th segment. Team PCDU were invited by Qantas & Jetstar to join the DreamTour in Melbourne. This "quick cast" episode features our interview recorded in Melbourne with Captain Todd Abraham, a Boeing technical pilot flying the 787 on segment #7. . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 88: Dreamtime
The Great PCDU Road Trip of 2012 covered over 1,700km in the course of a single weekend. From late on Friday night to early on Monday morning, Steve, Grant & Allan drove from Melbourne up to Wollongong (just south of Sydney) to attend the Wings Over Illawarra 2012 air show. Firmly ensconced in the Southern Biplanes hangar with a great view of the show unfolding beyond "Lilly Warra" (their big red Boeing Stearman), the mobile studio was set up (thanks Allan! :) allowing Steve, Grant & Anthony Crichton-Browne to record lots of great content. * C130J * RAN SH60B Seahawk * Army Red Berets parachute demo team leader * NSW Air & Australian Aerial Patrol * and much much more
. . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 87: Wings Over Illawarra 2012
Thanks to OzRunways, Steve was able to get to Adelaide to cover the Parafield Airshow 2012. He & Bas recorded a number of interviews, including: * Chris Sperou * The Roulettes * Tammy Augostin * David Hales from 5DME
And much more, including Pieter Johnson's next "From Up Here to Down There" segment and an update from the B24 Liberator Restoration Project. . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 86: One Fine Day at Parafield
After a long break from the show, Ben Ippolito (aka ATC Ben) returns in this packed episode to tell us about getting current again, wrap up the Tyabb airshow and answer some of your ATC questions. Our Tyabb coverage includes: * Matt Hall * Mark Pracy talking about the Reno crash * The formation & operation of the Southern Knights * ATC Ben talks about re-gaining proficiency and ATC Q&A session
We also introduce a new sponsor (OzRunways) and with lots of airshows coming up, we're looking for more :) . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 85: Tyabb Air Show 2012 & ATC Ben Answers Your Questions
This episode we're joined by Kathy Mexted & her brother Geoff Whitty to talk about his adventures running aviation operations & airports in Papua New Guinea. We then talk to Tammy Augostin, the Promotion & Marketing Manager of the Parafield Airshow before featuring Anthony Crichton-Browne's chat with a Blackhawk pilot and Anthony Simmons' latest View from the Lounge segment. . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 84: Geoff Whitty: Pidgin Tales
This episode we dip into aviation's rich & storied history as we chat with a few replica builders who are working hard to preserve our access to our fledgling beginnings as we first pushed into the sphere of powered, heavier than air flight. (show title image supplied by Project 2014) This episode includes: * Bristol Military Boxkite flying replica being built by Geoff Matthews & Ron Gretton AM * BE2a static replica being built by Andrew Willox. * Richard Gardner, Charman of the Trustees at the Farnborough Air Sciences Trust * Replica of Eugene Ely's Curtis Pusher by Bob Coolbaugh& Andrew King * The Barnstorming Movie with Paul Glenshaw & Andrew King followed by a chat with Paul about the Wright Brothers movie he has reassembled
. . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 83: Replicate This!
Our good friend Owen Zupp takes time out from his very busy schedule to hang out & chat with us about his new blog, flight testing the GA8 Airvan and much more. We also include chats with Ken Wright OAM from the RAAF 2OTU Museum and Noel Breetag at the RAAF Catalina Museum plus Pieter Johnson has a great chat with Paul Fowler about the Spitfire Project. . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 82: Keeping up with Owen Zupp
There’s been a few delays in getting our first episode for 2012 out but what can you expect with the Summer heat to enjoy and games of Cricket to watch (or avoid :). It is with Cricket in mind that our very own Infrequent Flyer, Anthony Simmons, took some time out of his European adventures . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 81: An Infrequent Flyer goes to Europe
All good things must come to an end and so too must the year 2011. It has been an amazing year of growth for PCDU as we’ve covered Avalon 2011, NatFly 2011 and Oshkosh 2011 along with a number of major events (eg: Qantas grounding) and added some new voices to the team. So as . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 80: Farewell 2011 (aka “Tom Cruise wraps my Dolmades” :)
Steve’s finally picked up his instructor’s rating although it’s in trains, not aircraft, but don’t worry, we’re not switching the show over to Train Crazy Down Under :)
Once again we’re joined by Kathy Mexted and this time we’re discussing what’s involved in being an Ag Pilot and how the industry has developed here in . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 79: Flying Low
Many people in Australia know of Tim Smith, a Melbourne comedian who’s worked on television and in radio for years. What many people don’t know is that Tim is a pilot who is working towards his goal of running charter operations taking people around Australia, visiting places many folks have never heard of let alone . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 78: Tim Smith: Flying Saved My Life
Almost one year after the QF32 incident, Qantas is again in the news around the world and for a short time again appeared to be on the brink of a major disaster. At 5pm on Saturday the 29th of October, Alan Joyce (CEO of Qantas) announced that he & the board of directors had decided . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 77: Qantas Crisis: After the Grounding
A few episodes ago we introduced Kathy Mexted as a new member our group of occasional PCDU contributors and this episode she’s back with some great content. She recently took a few friends in a Bonanza out to Wilpena Pound in South Australia, a trip that would usually take many days to achieve by road . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 76: Air Wilpena
Today we’re joined by Anthony Crichton-Browne, a commercial airline pilot who also likes to take his Pitts Special out for a spin (and a few other fun manoeuvres :) In addition to chatting with Anthony, we also run a chat with Grant Piper (President of the Australian Aerobatic Club) about Australia’s recent involvement in the . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 75: Talking Aerobatics with Anthony Crichton-Browne
We’re joined by our mate Dan Morris from New Zealand to discuss some news from the Land of the Long White Cloud. Topics include:
Air Traffic Control in the aftermath of the Christchurch earthquake, especially the problems they encountered due to centralising all area controllers in one location How user fees in New Zealand have . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 74: Kiwi User Fees … and other issues
Today Steve & Grant are chatting with Bas Scheffers, reviewing their experiences at EAA‘s AirVenture Oshkosh 2011. We talk about the long haul across the Pacific via V Australia 777 and Qantas A380, arriving in Chicago on their hottest day in 10 years and then hanging out with Rob Mark, his family and his ever . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 73: Oshkosh: The Greatest Show on Earth
As all good things must come to an end, so too must our time at Oshkosh 2011. It’s been an incredible event for us and an eye-opener to just how large this Mecca of all things aviation truly is. With our final day at the show, we’ve produced a chunky episode packed full of some . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 72: Oshcast #3 – Hugging your Roo
We’re still here at Oshkosh and working hard despite heat, humidity, rain, storms and sore feet. There’s something about being at the greatest aviation event in the world & surrounded by over 10,000 aircraft that makes all those hassles fade away :)
While the only way to really appreciate & experience Oshkosh is to be . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 71: AirVenture 2011 – Oshcast #2
Steve & Grant are at Oshkosh along with Bas Scheffers, David Vanderhoof and a large number of other aviation podcasters, swimming in the sea of aviation that is AirVenture Oshkosh 2011. Grant & Bas have been here since Saturday while Steve & David arrived on Sunday. We’ve recorded with the Airplane Geeks, producing an episode . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 70: AirVenture 2011 – Oshcast #1
Ben Morgan from Aviation Advertiser returns to join us in a discussion of current events in the Australian aviation scene. Following a quick intro, the first topic we discuss is the Carbon Tax our government is proposing to implement. We do try to keep the discussion coming back to the impacts this tax is . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 69: Carbonated
We open this episode having a chat with James Williams of the LifeStyle PodNetwork, Australia’s global podcast network. We are very happy to announce that we’ve been invited to join and we talk with James about the network, why they invited us to join and what it means to be a part of their community . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 68: Flyabout to Memory Lane
We’re joined by Mark Pracy Sr and Mark Pracy Jr to talk about the many aviation endeavours they’re involved in, including JetRide Australia, Pracy Racing and Aircraft Imports. We also have Bas Scheffers sitting in from Adelaide for the interview as well as a fantastic announcement to make towards the end of the show :)
. . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 67: Team Pracy: Racing, JetRides & Aircraft Imports
It’s been a while since we got down & dirty with the Australian commercial airline scene so with that in mind, we called up Ben Sandlilands from the PlaneTalking blog on Crikey.com.au for a chat. There’s some amazing developments going on in the “big iron” side of people moving here in Australia and we went . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 66: That Wasn’t in the Script!
There’s no denying that aviation has been the home of many innovative ideas when it comes to aerodynamics, systems and so on. Sometimes we even get to hear about innovation in many of the business & training aspects of aviation and this episode is bringing us a few of them, from new ways to bring . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 65: Innovative Ideas
We are fortunate to have Dick Smith return to PCDU, joining us to discuss his views on Australia’s aviation environment. We talk about his time as chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority and then his return as chairman of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority. He mentions some of the initiatives he started that worked as . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 64: Dick Smith – Setting it Straight
Here’s a quick teaser video of Steve’s flight in JetRide’s L39 down at Tooradin airport recently. We’re still working on the full “Adventure Flights” video so this one’s a bit of a teaser and a test of putting videos in our feed.
Let us know how it works for you. Do you want videos in . . . → Read More: Video 001: Steve’s Flight in JetRide’s L39
Every year at Easter, Recreational Aviation Australia holds its National Fly In (NatFly). This is an event where RA-Aus members, vendors & interested folks come to meet, attend workshops, review vendor offerings, undertake test flights and show off their aircraft. Aircraft range from powered parachutes & ultralights through to home builds and the latest sport . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 63: RA-Aus NatFly 2011
Aviation in Australia is experiencing a difficult time and General Aviation is especially being hit hard. User fees are continuing to increase, rules are being changed and airports are being shutdown or reduced in size due to encroachment by non-aviation construction. We’re joined in this episode by Ben Morgan from Aviation Advertiser to discuss these . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 62: Advertising Advocacy
Most people interested or involved in aviation have a special love for warbirds and antique aircraft and we at PCDU are certainly no exception. This episode features a number of interviews with pilots of Warbirds & antique aircraft that were recorded at Avalon Airshow and at Point Cook when the RAAF Pilgrimage arrived.
The RAAF . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 61: The Great Pilgrimage
The Australian International Airshow (aka Avalon 2011) is over but the show must go on. We have mountains of content from Avalon 2011 in addition to the interviews we released in each of our daily episodes.
Yes, that’s right: If you haven’t downloaded & listened to each of the daily episodes then you should stop . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 60: Now the Party’s Over
We’ve made it to the end of day 6 of the Australian International Airshow and Aerospace & Defence Exposition (aka Avalon 2011). It’s the final day of the airshow and once again Team PCDU have been flat out interviewing, editing and generally having fun. We’ve spent some time chatting with the crew of a KC-135 . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 59: Avalon Not-So Quick Cast #6
It’s day 5 of the Australian International Airshow and Aerospace & Defence Exposition (aka Avalon 2011) and it’s the first whole day open to the general public. The PCDU team have had one of the most amazing days of their lives with time in the venerable B52, getting up close & personal with the Wedgetail, . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 58: Avalon Quick Cast #5
We’re up to day 4 of the Australian International Airshow and Aerospace & Defence Exposition (aka Avalon 2011) and the general public are arriving as of today. The PCDU team are pushing through more interviews, catching up with old friends and meeting listeners. The content we selected for this Quick Cast includes:
An interview with . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 57: Avalon Quick Cast #4
It’s time once again for the Australian International Airshow and Aerospace & Defence Exposition (aka Avalon 2011) and Team PCDU are there to arrange interviews with people & organisations that catch our eye. On the third day of the show we have been particularly busy interviewing aircrew, maintainers and other folks on site, frequently while . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 56: Avalon Quick Cast #3
It’s time once again for the Australian International Airshow and Aerospace & Defence Exposition (aka Avalon 2011) and Team PCDU are there to arrange interviews with people & organisations that catch our eye. Today was our second day at the airshow and we spent lots of time recording new content and arranging more interviews for . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 55: Avalon Quick Cast #2
It’s time once again for the Australian International Airshow and Aerospace & Defence Exposition (aka Avalon 2011) and Team PCDU are there to arrange interviews with people & organisations that catch our eye. Today was our first day at the airshow and while much of it was spent meeting people & setting up our schedule . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 54: Avalon Quick Cast #1
Steve & Grant are joined once again by Bas Scheffers from Adelaide to discuss a few items, including:
A follow up to the ADSB discussion we had with Bill Hamilton back in episode 48 A discussion of the iPhone/iPad application Bas & a partner have been developing called OzRunways covering what it does & how . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 53: A Ditch, Some Dutch & De-Icing
Every two years Avalon Airport is the home to one of the biggest airshows & aviation expositions in the Southern Hemisphere (the biggest, according to many). One of Australia’s premier aviation events, Avalon Airshow (also known as the Australian International Airshow) draws aircraft from around the world and attracts scores of people from the general . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 52: The Misty Dawn of Avalon
In November 2010 the PCDU team were invited to attend the Media Day at RAAF Amberley where members of 6 Squadron were gathered to give us one final look at the F111 before it was retired from service. We have gathered the interviews we recorded during the Media Day and combined them with a couple . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 51: Pig Out!
As the final hours of 2010 pass by and the year draws to a close, we release our 50th episode with a mix of annual review, Christmas greetings and a new experiment. In conjunction with a live video stream of the proceedings, we gathered Steve, Grant, Anthony and Ben in the recording studio to attempt . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 50: Farewell 2010
Rosemary Arnold learned to fly fixed wing in the early 60s then converted helicopters in the mid-60’s, becoming the first woman in Australia to receive a helicopter pilot’s license. From operating her own helicopter business in Australia to flying in locations around the world, Rosemary has had an extensive career in aviation. She has also . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 49: Hovering Matilda
While the technology behind ADS-B is nothing new, it is becoming the centerpiece of modern Air Traffic Management systems around the world. Unfortunately, CASA is once again taking a global concept and creating an entirely unique Australian implementation of it.
According to CASAs Discussion Paper (DP) 1006AS Proposed Strategy and Regulatory Plan in support of . . . Read More: PCDU Episode 48: ADS-B: Cest un pétard! with Bill Hamilton
The 2010 RedBull AirRace season was exciting, eventful and disappointing all at once. From Adilson Kindleman’s crash in Perth to Hannes Arch’s pylon hit and Matt Hall’s “walk on water” incident, G-Stalls were everywhere. Then came the news that the last two races were cancelled and, finally, that the whole 2011 season was cancelled. As . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 47: Bull Me!
On November 4th, 2010 Qantas A380 VH-OQA (“Nancy Bird Walton”) was operating flight QF32 from Singapore to Sydney. During the climb out from Singapore, the number 2 Rolls Royce Trent 900 engine’s Intermediate Pressure Turbine appears to have failed and flown apart, sending bits through the aircraft’s wing in multiple locations and raining debris down . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 46: Qantas A380 incident – from the Ground Up
It’s been a while since our last episode but at last we’re able to present our latest update with some more great content. First up, Matt Hall joins us once again to look back on his 2010 RedBull AirRace season, discuss the lessons he’s learned and give us his thoughts about 2011 & beyond.
Next . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 45: Keeping it to Scale
In an effort to reassure you that we’re not trying to cut any corners as we build towards our 50th episode, this episode comes in at over 2 hours in length (our longest ever, in fact). It’s jam packed with great content, including:
A chat with Bas Scheffers about: The impact of the Class D . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 44: Hannes, Bas and the Rhino
Back in March we attended the Centenary Air Show at Melton airport near Diggers Rest (a short drive from Melbourne). In addition to being a great air show that celebrated 100 years of powered flight in Australia, this was also the first event where we had media passes. We recorded lots of great interviews, caught . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 43: Back to the Air Show
This episode we’re joined by Will Horton from the Wings Down Under blog to chat about recent aviation news items. We also have Anthony Simmons returning for another View from the Lounge segment and a chat with Damien Rose about his flight training up in Toowoomba. The episode wraps up with some listener mail and . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 42: Wings Down Under
In our third & final Election QuickCast, we take a look at the published transportation policies from the The Greens and the Labor Party’s “Aviation White Paper.” Sadly, Christine Milne from the Greens and Anthony Albanese from Labor were unable to accommodate us in their busy schedules. Both groups have indicated that they’ll be happy . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 41: Australian Federal Election QuickCast #3: Comments on the Greens & Labor’s White Paper
Australians are about to go to the election booths on Saturday 21st August so we’re working to bring our listeners information about the aviation policies of the various political parties. We’re not trying to tell you how to vote, just doing our bit to raise awareness of the importance of aviation within the political community . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 40: Australian Federal Election QuickCast #2: Ken Hill & Tim Sheen
Australians are about to go to the election booths on Saturday 21st August so we’re working to bring our listeners information about the aviation policies of the various political parties. We’re not trying to tell you how to vote, just doing our bit to raise awareness of the importance of aviation within the political community . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 39: Australian Federal Election QuickCast #1: Warren Truss
Dick Smith is an entrepreneur well known to most Australians, ranging from the country wide chain of Dick Smith Electronics stores he created to Dick Smith Foods and Australian Geographic.
Another very important aspect of Dick’s life has revolved around aviation. In addition to owning & flying his own aeroplanes & helicopters, he has . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 38: Dick Smith: Around the World in Many Ways
Air Venture: Oshkosh is the place to be if you’re into aviation. There’s something for everyone from home builts to military to warbirds to commercial to seaplanes to antiques to balloons and everything else imaginable. If you love aviation, you have to get to Oshkosh.
For the past four years a group of aviation podcasters . . . → Read More: We tried to get to Oshkosh 2010
It seems that Grant has always had troubles with the label “Flight Attendant” ever since his sister joined Australian Airlines and mistakenly told him she would be a “Trolley Dolly.” Ooops :)
In this episode we’re joined by Janene Murdoch, Tania Tracey and Amelia Kelly. Janene used to be a flight attendant with Ansett in . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 37: It’s “Flight Attendant,” Grant
Most of you will have already seen Matt Hall’s splash on the river at Windsor back in June. Then he was denied a go at racing in New York, to which he responded very diplomatically, which in turn taught some of us how to “take our lumps.”
This episode we have a good chat with . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 36: Incidentally, Matt…
These days it’s quite common to find ladies in command of commercial airliners, bizjets and combat aircraft. Thirty years ago, however, this was certainly not the case here in Australia and a female required a stubborn streak & thick skin to push through and gain acceptance in a very male dominated world.
While the situation . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 35: Perseverance & Persistence
This episode we feature an interview with Hannes Arch, the Austrian Red Bull champion in 2008 who came second in 2009 and is currently second on points for 2010. We have a great chat with Hannes (starting at 0:05:38) about his involvement in extreme sports, his love of flying and his approach to the Red . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 34: Arching over the Swamp
In this episode we join noted aviation journalist Ben Sandilands from Plane Talking to review the latest news & information. When we called Ben, he was experiencing a heat wave of 11 degrees Celsius at his home in the mountains near Canberra. Meanwhile, here in Melbourne we were thinking winter was upon us as the . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 33: Four Degrees of Separation from Ben Sandilands
This episode features a discussion with Peter Gibson, the manager of corporate communications at CASA. He’s joined us to explain the airspace changes that will come into effect on June 3rd, changes which will impact Class D, see the transition of GAAP to Class D and introduce the mandatory carriage of radios at all certified, . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 32: Switch to Plan Delta
The Red Bull Air Race came back to Perth this year and Steve was there, flexing his newly minted press credentials and discovering the amazing world of the Red Bull media centre. Sadly, Grant was working in Indonesia and so couldn’t be there to help hang out, rub shoulders with the stars and quaff a . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 31: Red Bull all The Way
The first aircraft to be used in Antarctica was Henry Mawson’s Vickers REP monoplane. Sadly, it had been damaged in Australia before arriving in Antarctica and was used as an “air tractor” to pull sleds. Even that didn’t work out and it was dumped, eventually being found again only recently.
Given that inauspicious start, . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 30: Antarctica: The Last True Wilderness
Some in-cockpit audio provided by a listener triggered a discussion on the differences in pre-landing checklists (GUMPS vs BUMFTH vs BUMFOH vs whatever). All of Grant’s aviation books & manuals are still in boxes after moving house so he had to rely on his memory with predictable results. Talk about incentive to go out and . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 29: What’s in a Checklist?
The B24 Liberator was the most produced heavy bomber of World War 2 and saw service in all theaters of the war. The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) flew B24s along side those of the USAAF, based in northern Australia and Papua New Guinea. These aircraft flew long range missions of many hours duration, typically . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 28: Save the Liberator
The common theme in this episode is about going around the world, first by bringing Saj Ahmad (Fleetbuzz Editorial) in the UK and Ben Sandilands (Plane Talking) in Australia together to talk about financial reports from QANTAS, Virgin & Tiger plus general discussions about airlines in Australia, past, present & future.
We then chat with . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 27: Trans World Adventures
You can always count on this podcast to have some interesting, opinionated and, occasionally, diverse points of view. This episode really brings them all and (bonus!) includes a whole new view as we introduce Anthony Simmons and the “View from the Lounge” segment for your listening pleasure.
We’ve also got another great discussion with Owen . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 26: Enjoying the Views
Yes, Steve & Grant are Fan Boys (big Fan Boys, in fact :) and this episode we demonstrate it once again by interviewing Matt Hall and hanging out with some more fans at the Flight Experience Melbourne Facebook fan page open night in their 737 flight simulator. Seems we’re not the only ones who think . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 25: Fan Boys
Despite the annoying habit of our “day jobs” and families encroaching into our PCDU time, we’ve finally managed to get some time to record an episode. Steve even managed a marathon effort of post production to edit a coherent episode from our opinionated news discussion and an interview with Saj Ahmad. Go Steve! :)
Despite . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 24: Misuse of Accents
Even down here in Australia we’re being impacted by the out-of-control antics of the TSA, so what the heck, we’ll have a bit of a c’est la vent moment about it. We also have our usual opinionated discussion on some other news items and chat with Shashank Nigam from SimpliFlying.
Here’s how the show proceeds:
. . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 23: Australia: A TSA free zone (for now)
It’s the Christmas & New Year holiday period, plus down here it’s Summer so we’re totally into listening to long aviation podcasts when we’re not distracted by having fun. So, for all of our listeners who have long drives or lots of chores to do around home, we give you our longest episode yet. With . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 22: Farewell 2009
Regent Street in the snow (by Jon Curnow)
For the majority of our listeners it’s warm and getting warmer down here in the Southern Summer with Christmas just around the corner. Not so in London where it’s bleak and somewhat miserable (and that’s the economy, let alone the weather). Saj Ahmad from FleetBuzz Editorial . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 21: London Calling
(Image from JustLearn on Flickr)
As part of the recent Show us ya Wheels event in Numurkah the PCDU team attended a memorial tribute dinner for Pip Borman, a famous Australian aerobatics pilot from Shepparton who died in a crash during a photo shoot flight. The presentations at the dinner included speeches from David . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 20: A Tribute to Pip Borman
Steve’s out sick (he must have eaten the fish :) so Grant’s flying solo on this one and cheating madly by assembling a few interviews and a slightly modified version of the Australia Desk segment we recorded for the Airplane Geeks’ Thanksgiving episode. The interviews include:
Matt Hall & Nigel Lamb Carlo Santoro from Flight . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 19: Interview with a Vampire … Pilot (& Other Stories)
The Red Baron's Pitts Special
If you’ve ever looked skyward in Sydney, there’s a high chance you’ve seen a bright red aircraft with old-style German crosses on the wings. Originally flying an old Tiger Moth, the Red Baron flew out of Bankstown and gave joy flights to members of the public, flying over Sydney’s beaches . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 18: Tally Ho, it’s the Red Baron!
How many of you folks have wanted to be Air Traffic Controllers? Do you dream of Pushing Tin around the skies? Think you can keep The Flick in your head? Want to tell pilots in aircraft of all sizes where to go? (ahem! :) Steve & Grant both applied for ATC and were both knocked . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 17: The Ipanator says “Rivet Shower? Not on my Watch!”
We review the latest news items, Steve gets to vent on a few topics and Owen Zupp returns to help us select the winner of our first competition. . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 16: Rant on Steve, Rant on
We review a stack of news items & Bas Scheffers returns to talk to us about some more RA-Aus issues. . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 15: And now for something completely different, here is the news
We recorded a lecture presented by Lang Kidby at the Australian National Aviation Museum (Moorabbin Air Museum) about flying a Vickers Vimy replica aircraft from England to Australia to re-enact the 1919 flight by Keith & Ross Macpherson Smith and an Avro Avian from England to Australia to re-enact Bert Hinkler's completion of the first solo flight from England to Australia in 1928. . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 14: Lang’s Great Journeys
Despite some audio quality issues (lucky 13, right? :) we have a great chat with Owen Zupp covering his early aviation life, how working as an Ambo provided a good foundation for dealing with emergencies, his father's influence and his "There and Back" fund raising flight project. . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 13: The Only Way is Zupp
Despite his better judgement, Bas Scheffers comes back to hang out with us once again as we discuss some of the news items from the past week or so. . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 12: It’s not that late in Adelaide…
This episode we're joined by Bas Scheffers, a Recreational Aviation Australia pilot (our version of the US Sport Pilot rules) who flies out of Parafield airport (YPPF) in Adelaide, South Australia. We have a great chat about flying RA-Aus aircraft, GAAP issues, the benefits of learning to fly under RA-Aus instead of the usual GA, the information available from the recreational flying community and even discuss the new AAAF Forum. . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 11: Recreationally Yours
Once again we get to interview Matt Hall, Australia's Top Gun RAAF pilot who's making a big hit in the RedBull AirRace as the first rookie to ever score a podium. We talk with Matt about his performance at Porto, his preparations for Barcelona, how visualisation plays a major role in his flying and flying his P51 Mustang. . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 10: On the Podium with Matt Hall
This episode we're joined by Dan, David & Rob from the Airplane Geeks podcast to discuss airline news and have a great discussion about air traffic control issues here & in the USA. We also have interviews with Dr Bruce Searle, dean of the Australian Centre for Mission Aviation, and Andrew Temby, aerobatic pilot & owner of a YAK-52TW. . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 9: Airplane Geeks Down Under
We thought we'd have this episode out within a few days of our previous one, but there was so many news items to review, so much to discuss and so many bits to splice together that it took a whole week to bring it to you. Weighing in at almost 2 hours, this episode has interviews, GA, follow ups and much much more. . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 8: Riding Our Segways
This episode detours from our usual opinionated discussion of the news and instead features an interview we were fortunate enough to arrange with Matt Hall, an ex-RAAF F18 pilot who has flown the F15 on exchange with the USAF and is currently flying an MXS aerobatic aircraft in the RedBull AirRace. We were expecting to get a half hour or so to chat with Matt and were thrilled to discover an hour had passed before we all thought to double check the time. . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 7: Matt Hall, we’re not worthy!
After almost two weeks we finally get another episode out, but this one should be worth the wait. We have our first guest discussion session (@MaxFlight from the Airplane Geeks Podcast and we have our first interview (Carlo Santoro from the "Flight Experience Melbourne" 737 simulator). In addition to all this, we also discuss some current news stories. . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 6: Plugcast
Steve's back from his trip to the USA and, despite some jet lag woes, he's in the recording studio and the banter is flowing in our longest episode yet. Sadly, the first 15 minutes sound like Grant's testing NASA's new Interplanetary Internet and experiencing a really crappy connection. Not to worry, it soon clears up and the rest of the episode quite clearly reveals our usual commentary on this week's local aviation news stories. . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 5: Jet Lag Recovery
This week's episode comes out a little late as Steve's still in the USA and Grant was up in Sydney for the PCDU / SimpliFlying TweetUp that happened along side the Asia / Pacific Aviation Outlook Summit 2009. A great time was had by all who attended the event but now it's back to work as there's news to read, interviews to arrange and a podcast to produce. For now, here's a review of the news. . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 4: Hand Propped
A recent event at Oshkosh has been the Podapalooza “gathering of aviation podcasters” where attendees get to meet some of the voices in their heads. Much as we would have loved to go to Oshkosh this year and attend Podapalooza, it’s a long long way to swim from down here so all we could do . . . → Read More: Greetings Oshkosh, 2009
We were a little delayed because Grant was trying to do it all this week, but better late than never. With Steve in the USA, Grant was flying solo and discovering that he missed having someone to put the gear up on take off. Despite that, he does manage to review a number of current news items. . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 3: Flying Solo
Surprisingly less than one week after our first episode was released, we're releasing our second episode. During this one, we again discuss a number of current aviation news items. . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 2: Aero Neuro What???
Weighing in at a whole 27 minutes and 18 seconds, here's the first episode of the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast. During this episode, we discuss a number of news items. . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 1: And so it begins…