Airplane Geeks Podcast

United Parcel Service McDonnell Douglas MD-11F, Sydney – Kingsford Smith International (Mascot) (SYD / YSSY), February 29, 2012 by Ryan Hothersall Guest Mike Mangeot is the Public Relations Manager with United Parcel Service (UPS) Airlines. UPS celebrated it’s 105th anniversary on August 28, 2012. We talk about the composition of the UPS fleet, cargo conversions, the UPS committment to green aviation (noise, emissions, carbon trading, etc.), and employment opportunities. Also, the speed and efficiency of the air network, and the fast service we might come to expect in the future. UPS offers a number of customized services through it’s supply chain group. Learn more about the company at the UPS Pressroom and follow them on Twitter as @UPS. Flying as Boeing 288, passing infront of the KPAE factory, about to touchdown on 16R by Malcolm Muir. The week’s aviation news: Strike talk from American pilots hits the bottom line CPA Australia Presents: An Audience with Neil Armstrong Southwest, American Airlines Under Fire For Dress Code Enforcement 747-400 Nose Loading courtesy UPS In David’s This Week in Aviation segment: The Aircraft of the week is the Mitsubishi T-2. In this week’s Australia Desk report: Qantas announces a $A256million loss on the back of its loss making international division, Allan Joyce is not taking his $A2.7million salary bonus as a result, 12 RAAF F18F Super Hornets to be converted to EA18G spec at a cost of $A1.5billion, Griffith University in Queensland announces a partnership with Cathay Pacific to provide candidates for their cadet programme, Etihad buys more shares in Virgin Australia. Find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124. Australia Desk archives can be found at www.australiadesk.net. In this week’s Across the Pond segment: This week on Across The Pond we talk to our expert on aviation in India Rohit Rao from AeroBlogger. Following up our last discussion, Rohit tells us how bad Kingfisher’s financial performance is and what effect the pilots strike has had on international yields . We look at yet another start up and wonder if it will survive and we end up talking about Air India’s new 787 fleet and where it is expected to operate. Find Rohit at his AeroBlogger website, on Twitter as @TheAeroBlogger, and on Facebook. Find Pieter on Twitter as @Nascothornet, on his blog Alpha Tango Papa, on Facebook at XTPMedia, and at the Aviation Xtended podcast. Mentions: Ben’s Heathrow T5 Transportation Pod links: Personal transport pods unveiled at Heathrow Airport, Futuristic ‘pods’ launched at Heathrow, Press releases – Heathrow pods transport passengers to the future. C17 Lands At Wrong Airport Ryan Hothersall On The Net From Trevor Smith, Desert Pilot and @trevsmith on Twitter: 1AZ0 Phoenix Mobile Airport and Google Maps look at Mobile Airport 1AZ0. 747 Over Green Caps courtesy UPS. Opening and closing music courtesy Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at www.brotherloverocks.com.

David rides with the Geico Skytypers in the SNJ-2 Our guest this episode is Keith Smith, the Founder and CEO of PilotEdge, which connects your flight simulator to live PilotEdge Air Traffic Controllers. Keith is also an instrument rated pilot and regularly flies a Lancair 360 out of Lincoln Park, NJ. PilotEdge provides real ATC as you fly your sim, so you are interacting with controllers and other planes and thus flying with real consequences. It’s not synthetic ATC playing in the background. These are active duty Controllers, retired Controllers, and experts culled from other FS virtual networks. PilotEdge brings a flight simulator to the next level for hobbyists, student pilots, professional pilots, flight training facilities, and airlines looking to increase simulation realism to improve training. Along the way, Keith provides some good tips for those looking to get started in flight simulation and learning ATC. Find PilotEdge on the Web at PilotEdge.net. You can also watch and listen to Keith’s approach and Fisk Runway 27 landing for 2012 Airventure at Oshkosh. The week’s aviation news: Autonomous robotic plane flies indoors Researchers May Have Found Amelia Earhart’s Plane Debris American Airlines loses key decision in bankruptcy court American Airline flight attendants rattled by judge’s ruling on pilot contracts American Airlines’ flight attendants approve contract offer, avoiding drastic cuts in court AMR creditors’ committee to American unionized workers: It’s time to deal Analyst: Could AMR Acquire US Airways in Bankruptcy? In David’s This Week in Aviation segment: David describes his experience flying with the Geico Skytypers in the SNJ-2, also called the T-6 Texan and the Harvard. In this week’s Australia Desk report: GippsAero to commence manufacturing the GA-8 Airvan in the USA, Draken International purchases eight additional ex-RNZAF A4-K Skyhawks to use for training operations in the US, Indonesia to purchase six extra ex-RAAF C130H aircraft in addition to the four already gifted to them, full body scanners to be introduced at Australian airports from November. Find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124. Australia Desk archives can be found at www.australiadesk.net. In this week’s Across the Pond segment: Pieter reflects on Airport Security. Are they doing a good or a bad job given some of the challenges they face. He gives some amusing and also worrying examples of where it goes wrong and then comes to the conclusion………….well listen in and find out. Find Pieter on Twitter as @Nascothornet, on his blog Alpha Tango Papa, on Facebook at XTPMedia, and at the Aviation Xtended podcast. Mentions: Lufthansa Cockpit Careers Indo-US Red Flag Air Force Exercise Lecture 2008 Part 1 Vintage airplane videos The incredible ThunderMaster goes 425mph!! (Dynamic soaring) AOPA Aviation Summit, 11-13 October 2012 in Palm Springs, California. On Twitter: @AOPAsummit Opening and closing music courtesy Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at www.brotherloverocks.com.

John Burnside and Andy Matthews, two of the four co-founders from iFlightPlanner, join us to talk about flight planning and the software they supply. John is the Director of Technology and brings computer engineering and custom web application development experience. Andy is a pilot, Director of Business Development at iFlightPlanner, and also happens to be a professional golfer. iFlightPlanner was formed in 2009 by Andy, John, and their fathers after Andy earned his private pilot’s license. In the process of planning for a flight to do some sight-seeing with his dad Jerry, Andy found it necessary to visit multiple aviation-related websites to gather weather information, plan their route, retrieve a certified weather brief, compute weight and balance, and file their flight plan with the FAA. Jerry noticed the amount of time Andy spent to plan for their flight and suggested there needed to be a simpler and more intuitive way for pilots to complete these critical pre-flight tasks. Andy contacted his college roommate John, founder of Huron One Solutions, and together they laid the foundation for what is now iFlightPlanner.com, mobile.iFlightPlanner.com, and iFlightPlanner for iPad. Find them on Twitter as @iFlightPlanner. Gavin Werbeloff, the Travel­_Buddha is guest co-host. If you haven’t yet, consider taking our straw poll on the EU Emissions Trading Scheme at http://strawpoll.me/2169. Gavin Werbeloff and the GE90 The week’s aviation news: American Airlines Contract Vote Results Are in American pilots’ union president resigns Israel, U.S. Agree To $450 Million In F-35 EW Work NTSB: fan shaft fracture caused 787 engine failure In this week’s Australia Desk report: Air New Zealand subsidiary TAE opens engine maintenance shops in Adelaide & Brisbane, Qantas reports a statutory financial loss but Allan Joyce says the reduction in staff numbers by 2,800 will help return the airline to profit, Qantas also going head to head with the Australian Taxation Office over goods & services tax issues, University of Sydney research shows that big is not always better for airline operations, Qantas A380 flight delayed at LAX after two first class passengers are offloaded over a dispute involving pyjamas….yes, you heard right!….RAAF KC30A tankers operational in Exercise Pitch Black, billionaire businessman Clive Palmer wants A380 services operating to the Gold Coast in Queensland so he can bring more tourists to his resorts and other attractions there. Find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124. Australia Desk archives can be found at www.australiadesk.net. From the recent Test Pilot Reunion at Popham Airfield where they had a Hawker Hurrican visit. Photo Courtesy Peter Holman. In this week’s Across the Pond segment: We return to Popham Airfield in the beautiful Hampshire Countryside to talk to Dick Richardson two years on. We wanted to find out how this GA airfield had done in the past few years and what effect the dreadful UK summer has had on business as well as the nearby Olympics exclusion zone. Dick tells us his thoughts about general aviation and gives an insight into where the airfield might go next. With his retirement due next year, when he will be 76 years old, who will take on the challenge of keeping this great little airfield operating and available all year round. Please support the airfield (or your local airfield) by visiting if you can, preferably by air. Find Pieter on Twitter as @Nascothornet, on his blog Alpha Tango Papa, on Facebook at XTPMedia, and at the Aviation Xtended podcast. Mentions: AOPA Aviation Summit, 11-13 October 2012 in Palm Springs, California. On Twitter: @AOPAsummit Opening and closing music courtesy Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at www.brotherloverocks.com.

In this Special Edition of the Airplane Geeks Podcast, David takes us back to EAA AirVenture 2012 with interviews recorded July 25-28, 2012. Over 500,000 people attended the event over the course of seven days. This year was the year of the Piper Cub, celebrating 75 years of Cubs. Interviews: Douglas C. Shidler Director- Light Tactical Helicopter Research and Engineering about the Sikorsky RAIDER compound Helicopter. Cedric Gitchenko, pilot of the RIMOWA JU-52-3M. Michael Langston, pilot of the Wingster Cessna 195. Bob Russell about the C-46A Commando Tinker Belle. Warriors and Warbirds. Jessica Gibbs of Safari Helicopters. Trey Johnson of Plane Driven about the PD-2 Roadable. John and Fran Hess about their AT-11 Kansan. James H. Keeffe III about Two Gold Coins and a Prayer, his Fathers story as a B-24 Pilot and POW in World War II. Paul Seelafer, Director of EAA’s Seaplane Base John M. Bingham, President and CEO, Piaggio America Bruce Johnson, Director of Aviation Operations, ORBIS International. Teresa Stokes, www.teresastokes.com.   Opening and closing music courtesy Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at www.brotherloverocks.com.

Our guest this episode is Ravi, also known as The Raviator. Ravi gives motivational presentations designed to encourage people to become involved in aviation. Ravi has presented at AirVenture, Sun ‘n’ Fun, AOPA Summits, ATAC (Air Transport Association of Canada), Embry-Riddle, University of North Dakota, and many other places. He’s a sport pilot and also a musician who has played his guitar on the Letterman and Leno shows, not to mention Madison Square Garden and the White House. He’s also produced AirVenturous, a song about discovering and participating in one of humanity’s greatest achievements, Aviation, and how it is showcased by the greatest air show in the world, AirVenture. Find more Ravi at his Facebook Page. We talk about the inspiration for AirVenturous, pilot shortages and how that issue might be addressed such as dealing with the cost of becoming a pilot, wages paid to pilots, actions some airlines are taking, scholorships, and more. Phil Derner from NYCAviation is guest co-host. The week’s aviation news: The EU should stand firm on its scheme to limit aviation emissions US Airways planes were not on collision course, FAA chief says With Indonesian Airline’s Expansion Comes Problem of Finding Enough Pilots Obama signs Pilot’s Bill of Rights David’s Aircraft of the Week is the Grumman F6F Hellcat. In this week’s Australia Desk report: Exercise Pitch Black providing some excellent plane spotting opportunities in Darwin, the Red Bull Air Race is planning to re-launch in 2014 and several Australian cities are bidding to host a round, Australian researchers have invented a laser system to augment pitot tubes, Virgin Australia & Sky West announce the establishment of a joint training scheme based in Adelaide. We also offer a clarification of the carbon tax cost increases to agricultural aircraft, which we talked about in Episode 207. Find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124. Australia Desk archives can be found at www.australiadesk.net. In this week’s Across the Pond segment: Pieter welcomes back the AviationPlatform.com team to discuss the latest Benelux news focusing this week on Luxembourg. Frenchez Pietersz and Carmen Van Boeckel gives us their views on Cargolux, the Boeing 747-8F and who’s using social media tools to improve their customers experience (or not)! Aviation Platform is a very different and innovative aviation website so do have a look at their content and activities. Find Aviation Planform on Twitter as @AviationPlatform. Carmen Van Boeckel is @iCarms and he blogs at icarms.wordpress.com. Find Pieter on Twitter as @Nascothornet, on his blog Alpha Tango Papa, on Facebook at XTPMedia, and at the Aviation Xtended podcast. Mentions: AOPA AV8RS – AOPA’s free membership for teens aged 13-18 Sennheiser Live Your Dream – Enter to win an Aviation Scholarship Women in Aviation Opening music courtesy Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at www.brotherloverocks.com. Closing music is AirVenturous by Ravi.  

Yohai West is Product Marketing Manager at NICE Systems and is an expert in airport security and safety technologies like video management systems, incident management, and physical security information management (PSIM). He consults with airports around the world on best practices and strategies to mitigate security risks by anticipating, managing, and mitigating the risks. NICE customers include Los Angeles Airport, Miami International Airport and Denver Regional Transportation District. We talk about the security functions at airports and their roles, what security threats actually exist, and how most airports now handle all the security inputs they receive. NICE Systems offers a technology that brings the video and other inputs together in a way that enables the airport to make the best possible decisions. We talk the tech, including the application of video analytics to airport security and operations. Learn more about this at the NICE YouTube Channel and also the NICE Situator Video Case Study New Orleans International Airport MSY AirVenture 2012: After attending AirVenture 2012 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Rob and David have a lot of observations and insight into this annual event. They talk about the places at the show they visited, the planes they saw, and most of all, the people they met, including: Karlene Pettit, Flight for Control, karlenepetitt.blogspot.com Amy Laboda, Women in Aviation, International, www.wai.org Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association www.aopa.org HondaJet: hondajet.honda.com Linda Meeks, Girls With Wings, www.girlswithwings.com Jamie Dodson, Nick Grant Adventures: www.nickgrantadventures.com David Allen, Other People’s Airplanes: otherpeoplesairplanes.com Benet Wilson: www.aviationqueen.com Rod Rakic: www.facebook.com/rodrakic Adam Fast: www.adamfast.com @ATCBen Uncontrolled Airspace: www.uncontrolledairspace.com Eden Grace Zeek, GE Aviation, US @NZAircraftFan @BrandiLAX Rimowa Luggage Ju-52: www.rimowa.de Sennheiser: www.sennheiserusa.com Orbis: www.orbis.org Teresa Stokes, wingwalker and artist: www.genesoucy.com/about_teresa_stokes.htm The week’s aviation news: Diesel Emerging As New Technology of Choice for General Aviation Debris from Boeing 787 engine sparks fire In this week’s Australia Desk report: Statistics are all the rage this week as all major Australian carriers claim to have the best “on time departure” ratings, more Qantas maintenance to move overseas as subsidiary company LTQ Engineering announces the closure of its Melbourne engine shop, Qantas rumoured to be back in talks with Emirates about code sharing to Europe while at Virgin, CEO John Borghetti says “bring on the competition,” RAAF Hawk 127 fleet achieves 75,000 hours or service, Indonesian Air Force Su27 and Su30 fighters arrive in Darwin to join in the multi national training Exercise Pitch Black. Find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124. Australia Desk archives can be found at www.australiadesk.net. Rob Mark beats out Benet Wilson for the GE Aviation “Oshy” Trophy, presented by Eden Zeek. Benet promises revenge next time. Mentions: Commemorative Air Force Collings Foundation Wittman Airport Opening and closing music is provided by Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at www.brotherloverocks.com.

Rich Bergmann is a Senior Executive with Accenture and gives us some observations from Farnborough, airline strategies, and what’s happening with the defense segment. We talk about new commercial airliners from Russia and China, and maintenance strategies for commercial operators. Also, global capacity constraints in view of the order backlog, and even what it takes to be considered for an aviation consulting position. Rob is already at Oshkosh for AirVenture and is joined by Benet Wilson, Scott Spangler, and Peter Moll, the Director of Wittman Regional Airport. In particular, we talk with Peter about airport preparations for AirVenture. Visit Wittman Regional Airport on Facebook and follow them on Twitter. The week’s aviation news: Flight schools shouldn’t be scapegoat for foreign student vetting Rising demand for airline pilots raises safety concerns Glasair Aviation Acquired by Mr. Fang Tieji, Chairman of Jilin Hanxing Group co., Ltd. AirVenture 2012 Set to Be a Good One David’s Aircraft of the Week is the CAC CA-15, also known unofficially as the CAC Kangaroo. In this week’s Australia Desk report: Steve calls in from work to discuss Qantas dumping their Blackberrys for iPhones, Emirates being the third largest employer of Australians of any airline, Etihad getting approval to increase their ownship of Virgin Australia to 10% and the RAAF getting some of their aircraft repainted. All this and investment properties on this week’s AusDesk. Find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124. Australia Desk archives can be found at www.australiadesk.net. In this week’s Across the Pond segment: This week on Across The Pond we welcome back pilot and Journalist David Cenciotti, David often publishes really exciting and leading edge aviation articles on his Website (TheAviationist.com) and although at Farnborough we didn’t get the chance to cath up with him then so we talk to him this week about recent V22 incidents, the Turkish F4 that was shot down over Syria and the Spartan Gunship. David also shares his views on some of the aircraft highlights from Farnborough including an amusing story about the Yak130. You can find David on Twitter as @Cencio4 and his website which is really worth visiting and then tracking is http://www.TheAviationist.com. Find Pieter on Twitter as @Nascothornet, on his blog Alpha Tango Papa, on Facebook at XTPMedia, and at the Aviation Xtended podcast. Opening and closing music is provided by Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at www.brotherloverocks.com.

David Parker Brown from Airline Reporter.com joins us fresh from the 2012 Farnborough International Airshow to give us his perspectives. Pieter Johnson also attended and gives us his view of the flightline and aerial display. Speaking of airshows, listener Seb Spencer provides an audio report from the 2012 Royal International Air Tattoo. The week’s aviation news: Spotlight turns to output as Boeing wins show Bombardier Aerospace Concludes a Successful Farnborough Airshow Boeing Plans 737 Production Transition Dem lawmaker files bill to require airlines to seat families together US Airways executives discuss fees, amenities David’s Aircraft of the Week is the Breguet Br.1150 Atlantic In this week’s Australia Desk report: Virgin tops Qantas in the latest SkyTrax Awards, Qantas deploying iPads for their Boeing pilots to use in flight, The Australian Aerial Agricultural Association says the carbon tax will add at least $18 per hour to their operating costs for crop dusting, Qantas sets up a new travel website called www.hooroo.com Find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124. Australia Desk archives can be found at www.australiadesk.net. In this week’s Across the Pond segment: Pieter attends the Farnborough 2012 International Trade and Air Show and gives us his view of the flightline and aerial display. He also wraps up Day 3 of the Trade Show with an interview with Tim Robinson from Aerospace International with some interesting developments from Virgin and Richard Branson. Also on show was the new Boeing 737Max Winglets. Quite a nice piece of engineering design, almost artistic! Find Pieter on Twitter as @Nascothornet, on his blog Alpha Tango Papa, on Facebook at XTPMedia, and at the Aviation Xtended podcast. Mentioned on the podcast: Initial Flight Testing Complete For PW1200G NRC Confirms Importance Of Humidity To Ice Crystal Engine Icing Company Patents Safety Technology Paul Filmer Airsoc.com Opening and closing music is provided by Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at www.brotherloverocks.com.

Max, Rob, and David field questions from listeners who want to learn just a little bit more about us Airplane Geeks. We also talk about the BEA’s final report on the Air France Flight 447 crash, the Airbus plan to open an A320 final assembly facility in Mississippi, issues with the Airbus A400M engines, and how the heat affects airliners, at least in Washington, D.C. With the 2012 Farnborough International Airshow underway, you might want to check out the Farnborough Air Show 2012 Micro-News Site Coverage List at Jet City Star – a great resource. We also mention Seb’s photos from RIAT 2012 Rob’s video from his A380 flight, and Ryan Hothersall’s list of models. The week’s aviation news: Air France crash due to pilot and technical failings Europe’s Airbus to build planes on Boeing’s US turf Europe’s A400M troop plane hits new engine glitch US Airways plane gets stuck in ‘soft spot’ on pavement at Reagan National David’s Aircraft of the Week is the Waco CG-4A glider, the Hadrian. In this week’s Australia Desk report: Grant gets his Private Hot Air Balloon Certificate! He tells us about the process over the past week, including his first solo flight. Congratulations Grant!! In the news, Virgin Australia announces an order for 23 737MAX8 aircraft, arriving on our shores from 2019. Virgin also plans to defer some additional 737-800 orders until after 2016, but will retire its entire -700 fleet by the end of 2013. Find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124. Australia Desk archives can be found at www.australiadesk.net. Opening and closing music is provided by Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at www.brotherloverocks.com.

Guests Edward Honey and Benjamin Alimena are two of the Discover Flying Interns for Cessna in a program to take the 162 Skycatcher to various aviation fly-ins and events, ending with AirVenture in OshKosh. Cessna is handing the keys of these brand-new light sport aircraft to college students (and recent graduates) and trusting them to fly all over the country to promote the airplane. Chris Manno from the JetHead blog is our guest co-host. Be sure to check out his JetHead Live podcast. The week’s aviation news: New airport virtual assistant holograms guide passengers Delayed airline passengers given better recourse Delta pilots ratify new contract Air India-Indian Airlines pilots’ gulf widens In this week’s Australia Desk report: Grant is on the cell phone this week from far north west Victoria, 600km from Melbourne, and Max’s favourite Australian, Anthony Simmons also joins us. In the news, on the one year anniversary of their grounding, Tiger Airways opens its new Sydney base, announces 150 new jobs and re-commences Sydney – Gold Coast flights, Qantas check in systems affected by world wide Amadeus System malfunction, Air Pacific announces an operating profit of $A9million for the year. Just for fun, we also nominate our favourite Americans. Find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124. Australia Desk archives can be found at www.australiadesk.net. In this week’s Across the Pond segment: This week on Across The Pond, Pieter along with Gareth visit the Royal Navy Air Day at RNAS Yeovilton in Somerset, UK. Apart from reminiscing about the Fairy Swordfish Pieter talks to Gareth about his chariot for arriving, speaks about some of the static exhibits demonstrating the air power in the Falklands conflict and see’s a Condor fly past. Find Pieter on Twitter as @Nascothornet, on his blog Alpha Tango Papa, and on Facebook at XTPMedia. You can also find Pieter and Gareth at the Aviation Xtended podcast, and on Twitter at @AviationXtended. Mentioned this episode: Rob found the Cessna 152 video. Yeovilton Air Day Texas college hacks drone in front of DHS Embraer To Build Jets In China Researchers use spoofing to hack into a flying drone Opening and closing music is provided by Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at www.brotherloverocks.com. This episode is dedicated to the memory of our friend Harriet.

In his new Aviation Careers Podcast, Carl Valeri tells you what it’s like to have an aviation career through the voices of his guests. Carl focuses mostly on pilot and mechanic jobs, but there will be others as well. After all, there are lots of positions for those who have a love of aviation. Carl is a flight instructor and an airline Captain who is also well known for his volunteer work at Sun ‘N Fun Radio and his role on the Stuck Mic AvCast. He also authors the popular Expert Aviator site. Carl Tweets for the Aviation Careers Podcast at @FlyingCareers and for Expert Aviator at @expertaviator. The week’s aviation news: After Osprey crashes, battle looms over deployment of US transport aircraft to Japan Deadly Private-Plane Crashes Prompt U.S. Call for Basics NetJets to spend up to $9.6B on new planes David’s Aircraft of the Week is the Martin M-130 China Clipper. In this week’s Australia Desk report: South Australian government wants $2.25 million back from Tiger Airways, former RAAF & RNZAF WWII Bomber Command aircrew return in force to the UK for the memorial, Qantas senior management travel to Canberra to lobby federal politicians on all sides, Alan Joyce names as the new IATA Chairman, Qantas A380 fleet re-configured to take more PAX, Hawaiian Airlines announce expansion to Brisbane, Virgin Australia announced code share agreement with Virgin America, Christopher Luxon names as new CEo of Air New Zealand, Royal New Zealand Navy looking to purchase 11 additional SH-2G Sea Sprite helicopters. Re. recent listener email about the Avanti P180 – Grant’s video interview on board the P180 demonstrator at Avalon 2011 is at http://youtu.be/iFrrWF8CwD8 Find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124. Australia Desk archives can be found at www.australiadesk.net. In this week’s Across the Pond segment: Pieter tells us his story of a flying incident in Florida. On his cross country qualifying flight he hit bad weather and made a decision to abort too late with almost terrible results. In the end Pieter was OK but shaken. Find Pieter on Twitter as @Nascothornet, on his blog Alpha Tango Papa, on Facebook at XTPMedia, and at the Aviation Xtended podcast. Mentioned this episode: Nick Grant Adventures by Jamie Dodson Avantair AgentJayZ’s YouTube channel Reddit – Aviation Reddit – Flying Reddit – Helicopters Pigeons nesting in a 737-700 APU Post photo: MV-22 Osprey over the Gulf of Mexico. A U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey from Marine Medium Tiltrotor Training Squadron 204 (VMMT-204), Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C., flies over the Gulf of Mexico and surrounding areas in Florida March 30, 2007. Opening and closing music is provided by Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at www.brotherloverocks.com.

Rob, Max, David, and Benet attend the eighth annual Become a Pilot Day at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, located in Chantilly, Virginia, next to Washington Dulles International Airport. Besides looking at all the great aircraft, spacecraft, and other exhibits inside the Center, event visitors could view some 50 visiting vintage, recreational, military, and homebuilt aircraft on display outside the Center and talk to the pilots. Back inside the Center, visitors could test their piloting skills in flight simulators, talk to aviation experts, and enjoy story time and hands-on activities with the kids. While at the event, we recorded a number of interviews and segments: General J. R. (Jack) Dailey, Director, Smithsonian’s National Air And Space Museum Roger Connor, Curator of Vertical Flight, Aeronautics Division, National Air and Space Museum Amelia Earhart tells us about some of her adventures and also comments on a certain recent movie. Ed Mautnur, Museum Specialist, Aeronautics talks about preservation and restoration of airplanes. Learn more by visiting the web page for the Paul E. Garber Preservation, Restoration, and Storage Facility, where the National Air and Space Museum preserves and restores aircraft and other artifacts. Tim Bell, an Airplane Geeks listener from Melbourne, Australia was in the States and came by for the event. Follow him on Twitter as @timb07. Linda Shiner, Editor, Air and Space Magazine, has been the Editor for 25 years and tells us who reads the magazine, how she came to become Editor, and how her ride in biplane influenced her interest in aviation. The August Space Special will be all about Mars, and comes out as the Curiosity rover lands on that world. Also, the Military Aviation Collector’s Edition on is sale now. Follow the magazine on Twitter as @airspacemag. The Princess of Planes, the youngest Airplane Geek, tells us about her day at the event. Marcy Heacker, Program Specialist, Smithsonian Natural History Museum, Feather Identification Lab talks about the economic and safety impact of bird strikes, why bird species identification is important and how it’s done, and the “deer strike” at 1500 AGL. Learn more at Bird Strike Committee USA. Benet Wilson interviews the Geek’s wives and learns what the guys are really like to live with. Benet Wilson volunteers to try the Wright Model B flight simulator, with somewhat disappointing results. Twice. David interviews USMC Captain Jason Nollette, CH-46, VH-3, VH-6 pilot. Rob and David walk around Orbital Vehicle 103, Discovery. Special thanks to Vicki Portway, Isabel Lara, and Frank McNally! Post photos by Tim Bell. Opening and closing music is provided by Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at www.brotherloverocks.com.

Guest Chris Anderson founded DIY Drones, a free online community for enthusiasts and builders of fully autonomous aerial drones that perform just like large UAV’s, but use open source software. Chris also co-founded a company called 3D Robotics which sells aerial vehicles, components, and accessories. Chris is the Editor in Chief of Wired Magazine, and he is also the author of the New York Times bestseller, “The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More.” Find Chris on Twitter at @DIYDrones. We talk about converting R/C craft to autonomous unmanned vehicles with autopilots, sensors, and GPS navigation that rival military unmanned systems. Minus the armament, of course. With falling component costs and free open source software, these aircraft are not as expensive as you might think. This fosters a hobby UAV market that acts in a similar way to the early personal computer days when creativity and innovation ran rampant. Past guest Martin Rottler subs for Rob Mark as co-host. Martin is a pilot and also lectures aviation subjects at The Ohio State University Center for Aviation Studies. Find him on Twitter at @MartinRottler. The week’s aviation news: 4th FW holds historic change of command First female 4-star general heads AFMC China Is Biggest Emerging Threat To Boeing And Airbus, Says Albaugh China’s threat to Boeing, Airbus overblown? EPA told to come clean on feedlot flyovers EPA defends aerial surveillance on Farmers and Ranchers David’s Aircraft of the Week is the Bell Boeing V22 Osprey. In this week’s Australia Desk report: Qantas profits take a dive and so does their share price, Etihad buys a stake in Virgin Australia and may be looking to increase it, Scoot commences services to Sydney, the fifth & final KC30A tanker is ready for RAAF service while a former RAAF B707 tanker returns to Australian skies with new engines and a new owner Find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124. Mentioned this episode: Hobby King SparkFun Electronics Listener links: The Radial Rocket Boeing 747-8 undergoes extreme testing Boeing 747-8F Performs Ultimate Rejected Take-off Post photo by David M. Vanderhoof. Opening and closing music is provided by Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at www.brotherloverocks.com.

As we celebrate our 200th episode, we also bid farewell to Dan Webb who has graduated from college and is starting his career. All of us are sad to see Dan go, but happy to send him off with a little reminiscing and more than a little roasting. Benet Wilson joins us and is particularly distraught. The week’s aviation news: Parolee sneaks on San Diego plane before arrest 747 cargo plane clips commuter jet while taxiing in Chicago United Airlines to cut 1,300 Houston jobs after Southwest wins right to international flights Full text: United memo to workers on Houston job cuts In this week’s Australia Desk report: Happy 200! We are joined this week by PCDU team member ATC Ben as we access the archives and go back to the first couple of Australia News Desks from 2009 (oh dear…cringe worthy stuff). In the news, Air India’s 787 flights to Sydney may be delayed by legal wrangling between the company and Boeing over production delays, United decided not to operate 787s to New Zealand, Qantas announces a new design for uniforms. We chat about what being part of the Airplane Geeks has meant for us, and wrap up with a big farewell for Dan. Find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124. In this week’s Across the Pond segment: Pieter Johnson brings us news of the new aviation Xtended podcast he has started with Tim Robinson from the Royal Aeronautical Society, and Gareth Stringer from Global Aviation Resource. Find Pieter on Twitter as @Nascothornet, on his blog Alpha Tango Papa, on Facebook at XTPMedia, and at the Aviation Xtended podcast. Mentioned this episode: Louis Smith, President, FAPA.aero, formerly FltOps.com. Pilots Without Pants: The AACGNY Calendar for 2013 from the Antique Aeroplane Club of Greater New York. Opening and closing music is provided by Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at www.brotherloverocks.com. Post cartoon courtesy the art department at Thromby Air, the lowest of the low. Remember, at Thromby Air, they take low cost air travel to it’s logical extreme! Be sure to follow them on Twitter as @Thromby!

David brings us some of his interviews from the May 11-13, 2012 Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst air show which returned after a four year hiatus. He spoke with: Col. Chris Patterson from the 621st Contingency Response Wing Jim Record, #7 form the Geico Skytypers Martin Sheehan, Jeffrey Daniel, and Morten Stoverud from the Northeast Raiders The week’s aviation news: Private jet door lands on South Florida golf course fairway; no injuries reported Airbus To Retrofit Wings On 120 A380s NTSB Study Finds More Than 10 Percent of Accidents Occurred on First Flight of Experimental Amateur-Built Aircraft; Improved Training and Better Documentation Recommended David’s Aircraft of the Week: the Sud Aviation Caravelle. See Le Caravelle Club. In this week’s Australia Desk report: Recorded live at the Qantas Maintenance Base at Melbourne Airport (on the back of the PCDU Mobile) after our tour of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner (ZA003). Qantas announces the closure of Melbourne heavy maintenance operations with nearly 500 jobs lost, Qantas also announces that they will split into separate domestic & international divisions, GippsAero have the first flight of their new GA10 Airvan, Grant has an interesting theory on Qantas Group B787 usage as the first 15 airframes are all going to Jetstar. Find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124. In this week’s Across the Pond segment: On Across The Pond this week Pieter talks to Richard Cooke a PPL (H) license holder. He has held a JAR PPL(H) since 2010 on the R22 and is also rated on the R44.With time in the seat of a S300 and B206 as well, Richard tells us about his flying experience. With a father who was a QHI flying the Lynx in the Army Air Corps, it was not a surprise that Richard became very passionate about helicopters too. Listen in to what’s involved in becoming a helicopter pilot. Richard can be found on twitter as @rotorrich and Helicentre Aviation as @flyhelicentre. Helicentre Aviations’s website is www.flyheli.co.uk and the scholarship website is www.helicopterscholarships.com. Find Pieter on Twitter as @Nascothornet, on his blog Alpha Tango Papa, and also on Facebook at XTPMedia. Mentioned this episode: Grill the Geeks 747/380 photo. Experimental Aircraft Association NTSB Spotlights Safety Factors for Homebuilt Aircraft Sonex Aircraft. Xtended, Pieter Johnson’s new aviation podcast. BBC – Lost: The Mystery of Flight 447 Opening and closing music is provided by Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at www.brotherloverocks.com.