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” …
Across Generations.
Across Generations. I remember that my school song started with, “Across the years from when John Wesley rode…” This past weekend I had cause to reflect across the years for a very different reason and any attempt to sing about it would have been drowned …
A Pilot’s Career – The Spirit Airlines Collapse.
Image: Spirit Airlines. A Pilot’s Career – The Spirit Airlines Collapse. To some outsiders, the career of an airline pilot can seem like a linear pathway – learn to fly and get a job flying a jet. While some have that express path, for the …
Silent Witnesses.
Beaufort A9-557. (Image: AWM) Silent Witnesses. In their prime these two aircraft filled the air with the sound of their engines. Now, they are silent witnesses to past battles and the stories of those men that flew them. As I delve deeper into the research …
Why I Write.
Why I Write. To try and describe why I write in a “Short Thoughts” post seems counterintuitive. There are so many reasons, and a few hundred words seem at odds with providing adequate reasoning. However, I shall endeavour to make some sense of it all. …
San Francisco. A Second Home?
San Francisco. A Second Home? Only a sliver of moon was reflecting the sun’s rays and soon that glow would also slip away into the night. There was just enough light to see the cloud tops a few thousand feet below as we peered out …
ANZAC Day. Surrounded by Service.
ANZAC Day. Surrounded by Service. Another ANZAC Day has passed. The alarm stirred me at 2:45am as our son was in the Catafalque Party, standing guard for the Dawn Service. Then there was a march through city streets and another cenotaph and another service. As …
Forays into Film.
Forays into Film. As they say, blink and you’ll miss it. That is the best way to describe my film credit in the National Geographic IMAX production, “Living in the Age of Airplanes”. The movie was a massive undertaking by Brian Terwilliger of “One Six …
Risk.
Risk. I recently took a ride in a “Waymo” in San Francisco. What’s a Waymo? Well, a Waymo is like an Uber…..but without a driver. I was keen to see the new technology at work, particularly as it navigated the busy streets of the bay …
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