Flight to Paris…Then and Now.
Flight to Paris…Then and Now. As I write this, I am at 38,000 feet in the “crew rest” of a Boeing 787, weaving my way to Paris from Singapore. 24 years ago, my first flight in Qantas was to Paris and yet while the planet …
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 …
Considering Your Options.
(Image: ATSB) Considering Your Options. They say that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line – or at least a great circle as we navigate the globe. However, while geometrically efficient, the straight line may not always be the best strategy in …
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. …
More Than a Flight. The Air Mail Centenary.
More Than a Flight. The Air Mail Centenary In 2014 I was honoured to lead a flight to commemorate the centenary of air mail in Australia. Here are some words I wrote about a flight that will long live in my memory and served to …
From Apollo to Artemis.
From Apollo to Artemis. (Image from video. NASA) It’s 1969 and it’s a grainy memory. In fact, the strongest memory is that my brother was allowed to stay home from school. Like millions around the world, I was watching a grainy image on our black …
A Veteran’s Story.
A Veteran’s Story. (Image: Defence) In working with the RAAF History and Heritage branch, I was asked to compile this story for Defence from recollections captured by Monte Wilson. I have reproduced the article here but the link to the Defence website with additional images …
Living and Learning.
Living and Learning. I am often contacted by the parents of children with a passion for aviation and seek to pursue a career among the clouds. Without attempting to dampen that passion, I remind them that it is a vocation in which you never stop …
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