First Solo – 44 Years On.
First Solo – 44 Years On. Through planning or good fortune, I have generally flown on the anniversary of that first flight. On the 25th anniversary, I organised to fly a light aircraft in Queensland where I was on holidays. 40 years on, and …
Flight – Technology, Safety and Humanity
(Image: Simon Coates) Flight -Technology, Safety and Humanity. There is no disputing the enhancements in safety that technology has brought to aviation. One only has to consider the advent of Ground Proximity Warning Systems (GPWS) to appreciate the number of lives potentially saved by technology. …
What a Night!
What a Night! It was a clear night, albeit moonless. The air was smooth, even near the equator, as we wound our way southward from Vancouver to Sydney. I have spent many hours aloft by night but this night was something different. Whether it was …
Solo Flight
Solo Flight. i have spent the last two weeks training young pilots towards their first solo flight. The young girls and guys of the Australian Air Force Cadets never cease to impress me – both in the cockpit and on the ground. For all those …
Air Show Day is Family Day.
Air Show Day is Family Day. Last weekend RAAF Richmond air base celebrated its centenary with a sizeable air show. The base is home to the unit with which I serve as a Reservist, but the significance to our family lies much deeper. Kirrily’s father …
In Aviation – Check Your Ego.
In Aviation – Check Your Ego. I was told early in my aviation journey that when you think you know it all, you are dangerous. Flight itself is not inherently dangerous, but it can be brutally unforgiving and cracking the door open to complacency is …
Monsters. When a Father Dies.
“I’m not your son, you’re not my father We’re just two grown men saying goodbye” James Blunt – “Monsters” I don’t reflect on the small hours of July 31st, 1991. After 34 years it still seems too raw. I had seen my fair share …
Flight Safety…and other Childhood Memories.
Post Sortie. Wal Bowles (Far Left) and Phil Zupp (Far Right) Flight Safety…and other Childhood Memories. The conversations around my home as a boy greatly influenced my outlook on aviation, although I wasn’t aware of that fact at the time. My Godfather, Wal Bowles, …
Qantas Boeing 747 Farewell – 5 Years On.
The Qantas Boeing 747 Farewell – 5 Years On. It’s cliche…everybody says it…but where does the time go? Yet, on July 22nd it will be 5 years since we departed Sydney to fly the final Qantas Boeing 747 to its resting place in the Mojave …
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