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 …
When Everything Old is New Again.
Qantas A321XLR Arrival. (Image: SYDSQUAD) When Everything Old is New Again. As the new Qantas Airbus A321XLR taxied in at Sydney Airport in the thrashing rain, my eye was caught by one of the less obvious details – its registration – VH-OGA. The markings, “VH-OGA” …
75 Years On. The Forgotten War – The Korean War.
75 Years On. The Forgotten War – The Korean War. As dawn broke on 75 years ago on 25 June 1950, the Korean People’s Army surged south across the 38th Parallel in unison with artillery fire. The Korean War had begun. Most Australians would’ve have …
Air India Flight 171. Investigation not Speculation.
Air India Flight 171. My posts always endeavours to consider the ‘positives’ in aviation, however, on this occasion, there is a change in direction. Once again, the broader media is demonstrating its ignorance of aviation matters in the quest for a quick headline. The crash …
Follow Your Dreams.
Follow Your Dreams. Once upon a time, there was a youngster, let’s call him “Alex”. Alex was the son a of a good friend and, at an early age, showed an interest in aviation. At the time, I was the proud owner of a …
Beyond a Woman at War.
A Woman at War. I am neck deep in my latest manuscript and as I alternate between research and writing, I seem to sink further into the story. Unbelievably, it is my mother’s story. When I began writing my father’s biography, “Without Precedent”, I …
We Never Stop Learning.
We Never Stop Learning. We never stop learning in aviation and the more I think about it, you never stop learning in life – or at least I think that you shouldn’t. My recent absence from posting any “Short Thoughts” has been due to undertaking …
Sixty Years On.
Sixty Years On. My late mother loved to recount how I was born at 8:30am in the midst of a violent thunderstorm. In my teenage years she blamed that storm on what she described as my belligerent traits – I prefer to think that I …
Two Years On.
Two Years On. Two years ago to the day, I was beginning to stir in the dark surrounds of the Intensive Care Unit. I could hear the nurses debating whether to remove the breathing tube that had kept me ventilated through the hours of surgery. …
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