QF7474. Farewell to the Qantas Queen of the Skies. (Part 1)
QF7474. Farewell to the Qantas Queen of the Skies. (Part 1) A hallmark of the aerospace industry is its dynamic and ever-evolving nature. A little over a century has passed since the Wright Brothers made their momentous flights at Kitty Hawk in frail machines of …
Returning to Ground Zero – The 9/11 Memorial.
Returning to Ground Zero – The 9/11 Memorial. In 2001, life was very different. Kirrily and I had only been married for four years, our children were yet to be born and I was flying Boeing 737s for Ansett Australia. To this backstory we stood …
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 …
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 …
In Reserve.
In Reserve. Sometimes anniversaries can slip by unnoticed. Sometimes this is not a good thing but at other times it is because you are so engrossed with the activity, that the day passes by without recognition. So it was for the day that marked …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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