Warning Signs.
Warning Signs. Flight training for emergency situations can often focus on when things go bang! Major failures in the aircraft that err more towards the need for black and white action rather than nuance and potential ambiguity. The catastrophic engine failure rather than that intermittent …
Thoughts on Being Average.
Thoughts on Being Average. One of the most satisfying aspects of my duties with the Elementary Flight Training School (EFTS) is taking young cadets flying. These flights may be a short scenic flight, or an instructional flight that we call a “Pilot Experience”, or PEX. …
It’s All Relative.
It’s All Relative. It’s midnight in Sydney and 7am in San Francisco. 13 hours of flight time and 6512 nautical miles separate them. The world outside the flight deck is black, void of our friend the moon, who unknowingly illuminates the towering clouds for us …
Looking back at QF7474.
(Image: Seth Langdon via Facebook) Looking Back at QF7474. Today, July 22nd 2026, marks six years since Qantas Flight QF7474 departed Sydney for Los Angeles and ultimately, the Mojave Air and Space Port. While, at the time, I thought that Mojave was to be the …
Navigating Beyond the Storm.
(Image: Rockwell Collins) Navigating Beyond the Storm. That time has come and again it has passed. The rigorous review of my aviation medical status which comes around every six months now that I have turned sixty. Having undergone open heart surgery in late 2022, there …
Flight Simulators – Friend or Foe?
Flight Simulators – Friend or Foe? They represent an incredible asset in the world of flight training and safety – and yet they can simultaneously be the device that pilots love to hate. I was ten years old when I had my first brush with …
My Fourth of July.
My Fourth of July. While the United States celebrates its 250th year, July 4th also has special significance for me as an Australian. Historically, in 1918, the Australians fought at the Battle of Hamel under the leadership of General Sir John Monash. The battle saw …
You Get Out What You Put In.
You Get Out What You Put In. It was January in Sydney and I was sweltering in my suit with a tie that was doing its best to choke me. I was just one lad in rows of grey uniforms sitting in the Centenary Hall …
If These Walls Could Speak.
If These Walls Could Speak. This week marked 98 years since Kingsford Smith and his crew crossed the Pacific Ocean. It was an epic undertaking that left an even greater mark upon me when I was able to sit in the Southern Cross and appreciate …
Time and Space.
Time and Space. It’s a beautiful Parisienne morning, perhaps a little hot for the locals. Kirrily and I are sitting on a bench in the shade of an allèe of trees and there is music playing in the background. The lyrics repeat the word, “freedom” …
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