Airplane Geeks Podcast

  Guest Nils Haupt is Director and Head of Corporate Communications for The Americas, Lufthansa German Airlines. We talk about the airlines and associated companies that fall under the Lufthansa airline group, their cargo operations and how Lufthansa is dealing with the severe night flight ban in Frankfurt. Also how Lufthansa operating in a high cost country means they have to deliver quality. We touch on competition with low cost carriers, the Germanwings strategy, and cooperation with United and Air Canada. Nils comments on their 747-8 experience, the cost of fuel, the schedule for interior upgrades, and much more. We also talk about some of the recent aviation labor activity, big news on the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, bizjet engine advances, and the attempted Predator shoot down by Iranian jets. The week’s aviation news: American Airlines moves closer to pilot contract Machinists union approves new Bombardier contract TSA Grabs Union Contract EU sees progress on UN airline emissions deal EU Suspends extension of plane emissions trading rules New Technology Brings Business Jet Operating Costs Back To Earth Iranian Pilots Tried (and Failed) to Shoot Down a U.S. Drone David’s Aircraft of the Week is the Sukhoi Su-25 “Frogfoot.” In this week’s Australia Desk report: There is a disturbance in the Force as the Qantas pilots union agrees with management on an issue. In this case, Qantas is refusing to pay the operators of Brisbane International Airport up front for the construction of a new runway. In other news, Qantas announces further maintenance job cuts – nearly 500 more to go from Avalon and Sydney, and some aerial fire suppression operations go a little wrong in New South Wales after a helicopter fills its bucket from a sewerage treatment pond and deposits the contents on 29 firefighters. Yuk! 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 gets an update from Diego López-Salazar from Aeropodcast.com. First his recent delayed trip to China, then we cover Spain and of course his pet topic Ryanair! Find Diego on Twitter as @dlopezsalazar. Find Pieter on Twitter as @Nascothornet, on his blog Alpha Tango Papa, on Facebook at XTPMedia, and at the Aviation Xtended podcast. Mentions: Lufthansa Social Media Newsroom Hot Air Balloon Simulator Security Camera Recorded Plane Crash In Brazil CAUGHT ON VIDEO A unique trip around North Korea Stephen’s LGB Blog Dos Gringos An Unexpected Briefing Differing Conops Vie For U.S. Navy Delivery Mission Moab’s Delicate Arch from 6500 by Jodi Listener Jodi working on her Commercial in the Bell 206 Opening and closing music courtesy Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at www.brotherloverocks.com.

Guest John Zimmerman is a Vice President at Sporty’s, one of the world’s oldest and largest pilot shops. They also offer gifts, memorabilia, apparel, models and other items for aviation enthusiasts through their Wright Brothers catalog. Sporty’s Flight Center includes Sporty’s Academy a Part 61 flight school that also provides a degree program in conjunction with the University of Cincinnati, Clermont College Professional Pilot Training Program. We talk with John about last week’s National Business Aviation Association Annual Meeting & Convention, iPad and tablet apps for aviators, flying the Robinson and R-44 helicopter, Air Facts journal, and more. Follow Sporty’s on Twitter as @Sportys, the Air Facts journal as @airfacts, and John’s personal Twitter account, @JTZim. The week’s aviation news: Hawker Beechcraft abandons business-jet market. Beechcraft Reveals Plans for New Turboprop, Piston Models. IS&S and EAI Announce Production Order for Eclipse 550 Flightdeck. HondaJet Production Line Starts Rolling Along. Airlines & Hurricane Sandy: What Do Airlines Owe Passengers Displaced By ‘Acts Of God’?. In this week’s Australia Desk report: Its QANTAS Annual General Meeting time again and its just the same news as the last three years…so we didn’t pay much attention to it! The big news of the week is that Virgin Australia have purchased 60% of Tiger Airways, giving them a low cost carrier of their own. This after Singapore Airlines bought 10% of Virgin Australia. The three way deal also sees Virgin looking to buy out regional carrier Sky West. In similar fashion, Air New Zealand have formed an alliance with Cathay Pacific which see the latter taking ANZ passenger to Europe beyond Hong Kong. This frees up ANZ aircraft to operate more flights into the USA instead. 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: Etienne Maillard calls from Geneva in Switzerland to give us an update on GA and his progress as an Air Traffic Controller. Etienne can be found on Twitter as @Flightlevel150. Find Pieter on Twitter as @Nascothornet, on his blog Alpha Tango Papa, on Facebook at XTPMedia, and at the Aviation Xtended podcast. The Matterhorn by Etienne Maillard on his cross country flight. Mentions: HGS Flight app for iPad, Head Up Guidance System from Rockwell Collins. Captains of the Clouds with James Cagney. From Vintage Wings of Canada: Hollywood and the RCAF go to War and Ghosts of Saskatchewan. Langley man guilty of pointing laser Laser aimed at B.C. helicopter a ‘real danger’ Boeing Now Has A Missile That Destroys Only Electronics And Leaves All Else Intact This F-15 Aerial Dogfighting Video Was Shot Entirely By Pilots Avspecs Facebook page. Flying DH Mosquito KA114. A questionable way to avoid airline baggage-check fees Opening and closing music courtesy Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at www.brotherloverocks.com. This episode is sponsored by: the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.

The weather spawned by Hurricane Sandy took out David and Max, although Rob was comfortably situated in Orlando, Florida for the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) convention. Not wanting to leave you without an episode for the week,we gathered up what we could and produced this “mini-episode.” We have David’s interview with Lieutenant Jay Kircher from the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City in New Jersey. Steve and Grant had a light news week but submitted an Australia Desk report nonetheless with a third airport for Melborne and spam from Tiger Airways (you can opt in but try opting out!). Our European contributor Pieter Johnson has an Across the Pond segment with Tim Gresty, Managing Director at Cognitio, about airline super hubs and the threat to the European superhubs such as London Heathrow from the middle east and this is being affected by the alliances as well as joint ventures such as those being formed by Qantas, breaking decades of traditional links with airlines such as British Airways. This short show is rounded out by voice mails from a couple of listeners. 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. Find Pieter on Twitter as @Nascothornet, on his blog Alpha Tango Papa, on Facebook at XTPMedia, and at the Aviation Xtended podcast. Look for a full episode next week with another great aviation guest. Opening and closing music courtesy Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at www.brotherloverocks.com.

Guest Dan Hampton is the author of Viper Pilot: A Memoir of Air Combat. He served in the United States Air Force for twenty years (1986–2006) and is a graduate of the elite USAF Fighter Weapons School, USN Top Gun School (TOGS), and USAF Special Operations School. Dan has flown many combat missions in the F-16 as a Wild Weasel. These are elite Air Force fighter squadrons whose mission is to fly behind enemy lines to draw fire from surface-to-air missiles and artillery. Without being shot down, they destroy the threats and make the skies safe for the aircraft that follow. Stephen Trimble from Flight Global’s The DEW Line joins us for a bit as a guest co-host. Follow him on Twitter as @thedewline. The week’s aviation news: Hawker Beechcraft sale to Chinese firm collapses. USAF $AVE Vortex Surfing Flights Cut Fuel Use 10%. USAF remembers birds exist, tests ‘vortex surfing’ for aircraft. CAE & APS Partner to Deliver Upset Training to ab initio students. In this week’s Australia Desk report: Grant tells us about his latest hot air balloon pilot-in-command adventures, a kangaroo causes havoc at Melbourne Airport’s high rise parking lot, Qantas spends $A30million on further upgrades to its new Brisbane maintenance centre (which all but confirms the demise of their facility at Avalon in Victoria), Flight Centre is in hot water with the Government over alleged anti competitive behaviour towards Singapore Airlines, the New South Wales Police Force team are victorious in a charity “Haul A Herc” competition at RAAF Base Richmond near Sydney, the New Zealand Defence Force signs a five year deal with Hawker Pacific for four B200 aircraft, and we make a correction to last week’s article regarding Fiji Airways. 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: In the last of the Royal Navy Historic Flight mini series, we talk to Lt Commander Glen Allison, the pilot of the Fairey Swordfish display aircraft. We find out what its like to fly an 80 knot bi plane versus his day job of Commanding a Lynx unit. For more see Royal Navy Historic Flight and Fly Navy Heritage Trust. Find Pieter on Twitter as @Nascothornet, on his blog Alpha Tango Papa, on Facebook at XTPMedia, and at the Aviation Xtended podcast. Mentions: The Plane Crash. British Explorer Prepares To Dig Up 140 Mint Condition Spitfires That Were Buried In 1945. Opening and closing music courtesy Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at www.brotherloverocks.com.

Airplane Geeks Mission Control by the Art Department at ThrombyAir.com. Max Trescott was the 2008 National CFI of the Year and produces training books, CD’s, and iPhone GPS guides. Max knows flying and how to teach it like few others. He’s a frequent speaker at AOPA Aviation Summits and this year’s event was no exception – Max presented on flying the new WAS-based approaches and also tips for learning to fly a glass-based cockpit. We talk with Max about the Aviation Summit in Palm Springs which launched with the Parade of Planes and saw many interesting announcements and product introductions. Find Max Trescott at his site MaxTrescott.com, at G1000book.com, and on Twitter as @MaxTrescott. Brett Snyder, the Cranky Flier, joins us as a guest co-host. Brett also offers travellers flight services at Cranky Concierge, and you can follow @CrankyFlier on Twitter. The week’s aviation news: 24 Miles, 4 Minutes and 834 M.P.H., All in One Jump. Qatar Airways to join Oneworld Alliance. All Three Airline Alliances Undergoing Big Changes. AA pilots picket oneworld welcome ceremony for Qatar Airways. Airline passenger arrested wearing bulletproof vest, flying with bizarre weapons cache was mostly playing by airport security rules. Feds: Passenger had murder directions on computer. In this week’s Australia Desk report: An RAAF Air Traffic Controller is stood down pending an investigation after a “Loss of separation assurance” incident near Darwin, Fiji Airways reveals new A330 livery, Avalon Airport in Victoria given approval to become Melbourne’s second international airport, the Federal Government grants formal approval for the Qantas/Emirates deal, RAAF AP3-C Orions from 10SQN returning to Australia after 10 years continuous deployment in the Middle East. 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: We continue the Royal Navy Historic Flight Mini series with a look at the Sea Fury. Pieter continues our behind the scenes look at the Royal Navy Historic Flight. This week we get to talk to Chief Engineer Howard Reed about the rebuild of the Swordfish and what it takes to get it and then keep it air worthy. For more see Royal Navy Historic Flight and Fly Navy Heritage Trust. Find Pieter on Twitter as @Nascothornet, on his blog Alpha Tango Papa, on Facebook at XTPMedia, and at the Aviation Xtended podcast. Listener Jodi’s 1978 Cessna 152 Mentions: AOPA Flying Club Finder. West Valley Flying Club. LiveATC.net. China Clipper DVD in Amazon.com. Pub near Dulles Airport lets patrons listen in as air-traffic controllers talk to pilots (O’Malley’s Pub, in the airport’s Holiday Inn.) Mosquito Show 29th Sep 2012 Photos in the The Wings Over New Zealand Forum. D.H.98 Mosquito Photo’s Please, Just Because I love looking at them in The Aviation Forum. D.H. 98 Mosquito to fly in New Zealand! in FerrariChat. Legal Fee Voyeurism: American Airlines’s Big-Time Bankruptcy Bills. Opening and closing music courtesy Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at www.brotherloverocks.com.  

Adam White (Director) and Kara Martinelli (Producer) from Hemlock Films create aviation films. In 2003, the documentary film The Restorers was produced with 8 short stories about people restoring planes. That was followed by the movie Red Tail Reborn with the Red Tail Squadron of the Commorative Air Force. Since then, the orginal Restorers begged to become a television series, and the pilot episode follows the “Miss Mitchell” B-25 from the Minnesota CAF chapter to the 68th Dolittle Raiders reunion. We talk about Adam and Kara’s passion for aviation and how they came together. Adam says, “warbird restorations connect people to their past.” We also touch on the old Cleveland air races, mentioning Bob Odegaard (who sadly passed away last month) and his Super Corsairs. Adam and Kara self-funded the pilot (which has aired on PBS), and are they looking for additional investors so they can film more episodes and look for a television channel to pick up the series. Find more at the The Restorers site, the Hemlock Films site, on Facebook and YouTube, and on Twitter. The week’s aviation news: FAA Creates Fuels Program Office to Facilitate General Aviation Transition to Unleaded Avgas Coalition lauds new Avgas Fuels Program Office Mosquito Flies again for the first time in 30 Years American Airlines Says it Fixed the Seats Why is American Not Trying Harder to Calm Safety Fears?   Rob at APS training   Rob in the Extra 300: Rob attended an upset prevention and recovery media day with Aviation Performance Solutions and he gives us his observations from the event. APS provides upset recovery training in an Extra 300 that teaches pilots about flight situations they wouldn’t encounter in the usual training. David’s aircraft of the week is the Bristol 152 Beaufort. In this week’s Australia Desk report: Airservices Australia under investigation after a Virgin Australia 737 is “lost” for 30 minutes en route from Sydney to Brisbane, US Navy EA18G “Growlers” arrive at RAAF base Amberley in Queensland to begin training RAAF crews in preparation for the type’s introduction in 2018, sad news with the loss in Queensland of aviation identity Des Porter and five passengers following the crash of his classic DeHavilland Dragon in poor weather. 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 continues our behind the scenes look at the Royal Navy Historic Flight. This week we get to talk to Chief Engineer Howard Reed about the rebuild of the Swordfish and what it takes to get it and then keep it air worthy. For more see Royal Navy Historic Flight and Fly Navy Heritage Trust. Find Pieter on Twitter as @Nascothornet, on his blog Alpha Tango Papa, on Facebook at XTPMedia, and at the Aviation Xtended podcast. Mentions: Geneseo (New York) Air Show from the 1941 Historical Aircraft Group Museum. Yankee Air Museum, The Yankee Air Force. DARPA Steps Toward UAV To UAV Refueling Jay Leno pays attention to American Airlines Whirly-Girls International scholarships. Airport 24/7: Miami on the Travel Channel Rob in the Extra 300 Opening and closing music courtesy Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at www.brotherloverocks.com.

Guest Nigel Howarth is Senior Fleet Analyst with Aviation Week. We talk with Nigel about fleet forecasts and Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) forecasts: who purchases fleet forecasts, how these forecasts are developed, and how they are used to help a variety of aviation companies plan their manpower, other resources, and capabilities. Nigel also talks about the linkage between the price of oil and regional jet retirements, and comments on the Embraer and CSeries outlook. Nigel gives us a taste for just how complicated MRO forecasting is, and that segment is such a large part of the market, both commercial and military. Airplane Geeks listener John Arvin joins us as a Special Guest Co-host. John is an airline pilot and the man behind The Aviation Advocate. Find John on Twitter as @theAvAdvocate. The week’s aviation news: Accusations fly between American Airlines, pilots; no talks on tap United Airlines CEO Smisek talks 787s and mojo We need drone aircraft, says police chief In this week’s Australia Desk report: The hangover from the Australian Football League grand final is evident as Steve’s team, the Hawks, lost to the Sydney Swans….but in aviation news, Air New Zealand announces a share buy back while several members of its board of management are leaving, Qantas contemplates removing each of their A380s from service for up to eight weeks at a time to repair wing cracks, a study this week also finds that Qantas is losing domestic market share while Virgin remains steady and Tiger Airways increases, CASA commences a study into the use of RAAF Base Richmond as a temporary second Sydney airport, as farewell activities get into gear for the retiring RAAF C130H fleet, a website has sprung up showing what’s happening and when – any former C130H personnel are invited to attend – details at C130-H: End of an era. 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 is granted behind the scenes access to the Royal Navy Heritage Flight based at RNAS Yeovilton in the UK. This is the first segment of a 4 programme mini series we are producing in partnership with the RNHF to promote their work. In this episode Pieter talks to Display Manager Katie Campbell about the purpose of the RNHF and how it delivers its services. Future segments will cover behind the scenes in the hanger and a discussion with the pilot of the Fairey Swordfish. See Royal Navy Historic Flight and Fly Navy Heritage Trust. Find Pieter on Twitter as @Nascothornet, on his blog Alpha Tango Papa, on Facebook at XTPMedia, and at the Aviation Xtended podcast. Mentions: Accident: Swiss A343 near Kazan on Sep 2nd 2012, unruly passengers prompt return to Zurich FedEx Plane Crash at Narita International Airport In Tokyo Opening and closing music courtesy Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at www.brotherloverocks.com.

Guest Chris Sloan is Executive Producer of the television series Airport 24/7: Miami, premiering October 2 on the Travel Channel. Chris is also the founder of the Airchive.com website which contains a wealth of aviation memorabilia and items of historical significance, and lots of interesting things for aviation enthusiasts. We talk with Chris about Airport 24/7: Miami, which provides a fascinating inside view of the daily activities at Miami International Airport. It’s not a documentary and it’s not contrived reality. It’s about the stories, adventures, and difficult situations that people who work in a major airport find themselves dealing with every day. Follow Chris on Twitter as @airchive. David’s Aircraft of the Week: Dornier Do 27 (pictured above). The week’s aviation news: MV-22 Osprey Tested In Japan As airport security ‘precheck’ plans grow, lines could shrink Why BAE-EADS merger is double trouble for Boeing EADS-BAE tie-up hampered by French government: Report In this week’s Australia Desk report: A quick update on our activities at AusFly 2012 including our first attempts at air show commentary. In the news, Virgin Australia pilots reject the company’s enterprise bargaining proposal, Virgin refers the Qantas/Emirates deal to the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission, Qantas is closing it’s first class lounge in Singapore but is rumoured to be chasing Singapore Airlines for closer ties, a crocodile ascapes its cage on a Qantas flight from Brisbane to Melbourne…no, seriously!….and more Airbus tanker concerns as a refuelling boom falls from a test aircraft in flight. 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’s Across The Pond segment welcomes back Tim Gresty for the first of several discussions on the airline sector. This week Pieter talks to Tim about the emerging trend of low cost carriers adding prices and making service additions, crossing the boundary from lower cost into full service. Is this going to be the end of low cost flights or is it just another way for the LC airlines to make more money? Tim will join us next time to talk about airline superhubs. Tim Gresty can be found at www.cognitio.co.uk. Mentions: BAE Systems European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) Italian Coast Guard base Catania Fontanarossa unveiled British Airways Boeing 747-400 in D-Check – YouTube Samsung’s Galaxy Note to become official ‘phablet’ for American Airlines flight attendants Opening and closing music courtesy Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at www.brotherloverocks.com.

Guest Tom Haines is Editor-in-Chief and Sr. Vice President, Media for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. He’s a pilot who has covered General Aviation for many years. We talk about Tom’s fantastic Self-Fly Safari in Africa through Hanks Aero Adventures in Cessna 182′s. Tom wrote about this trip in the August 2012 issue of AOPA Pilot magazine. [PDF] The AOPA Aviation Summit is in Palm Springs, California this year October 11-13 and we talk about that, including the parade of planes which you can see at AOPA Live This Week. The Summit features 100 hours of seminars and 400 exhibitors. Tom also describes AOPA activity in response to the dwindling number of pilots. They’ve hired Adam Smith to run a new center at AOPA, and they are creating resources to help make GA more attractive and the flight training experience more successful. To help reduce the drop out rate, AOPA is introducing field guides: one for student pilots, one for flight schools, one for flight instructors. Follow Tom on Twitter as @tomhaines29. The week’s aviation news: No New Aviation Taxes — There’s A Better Way to Go User Fees in the Aviation Industry: Turbulence Ahead Ryanair boss slams ‘idiot’ who forgot boarding pass Airlines cutting middle man AMR Faces Pilots’ Appeal Over Contract Rejection Ruling Cracks Spur Board to Urge Check of Dreamliner Engines In this week’s Across the Pond segment: This week on Across The Pond, we have a really exciting opportunity to talk to one of the main players in public relations in the aerospace industry. Stephanie Schierholz is Social Media Manager at @Raytheon and President at Women in Aerospace. Prior to this she was Social Media Manager at NASA, Public Affairs Specialist at NASA, and Director of Communications at Space Foundation. Stephanie tells us what its like to be the public face of these amazing aerospace organisations and what those Astronauts are really like to work with. Stephanie can be found on Twitter as @Schierholz. Find Pieter on Twitter as @Nascothornet, on his blog Alpha Tango Papa, on Facebook at XTPMedia, and at the Aviation Xtended podcast. Mentions: TURBULENCE on Flight BA 244 – Buenos Aires(Ezeiza) to London(Heathrow) 2 planes collide in Holland! Most difficult landing in the world – Bhutan? Flagship Detroit Homer Hickam Post photos by listener Neil: The Flagship Detroit, a 1937 fully restored DC-3 flown all over the U.S. raising money so people can share the history of this magnificent aircraft. Opening and closing music courtesy Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at www.brotherloverocks.com.

Beechcraft B17R Staggerwing by Stephen Tornblom Guest Mary Kirby is from the Airline Passenger Experience Association where she is Editor-in-Chief of the Airline Passenger Experience magazine and the APEX Media Platform. Mary considers the passenger experience to start when the decision is made to take a flight and continue through to boarding, where the airline then has the passenger captive in terms of the experience. We talk Inflight Entertainment (IFE) tech and how wireless is taking off with video streaming to personal devices. Also, how Southwest Airlines with their Row 44 satellite system is absorbing the AirTran fleet with their GoGo air-to-ground system. Mary maintains that the US carriers are ahead of others with inflight connectivity and long term revenue sharing agreements with vendors. Now that the pipe to the aircraft is in place, we’re seeing all manner of inflight connectivity business models: some free, some pay per use, and some supported by advertising and promotions. Visit the APEX blog and follow Mary on Twitter as @APEXmary. Coming up 17 – 20 September 2012 is the APEX EXPO in Long Beach California. (Twitter hash tag #APEX12.) We also talk about airport security, should it be privatized, the cost/benefit analysis, and the impact of airport security on the travel experience. American Airlines is in the news with the pilot contract, a Downs Syndrome flyer, and a 9/11 negligance law suit. Also, more bizarre behaviour in Philadelphia. The week’s aviation news: GOP platform seeks privatization of airport security Costs, Benefits, and Efficiency of Aviation Security Measures American to end pilots’ labor contract American Airlines throws kid with Downs Syndrome off flight Airlines face trial over 9-11 terror attacks Philly love triangle leads to plane scare, arrests In this week’s Australia Desk report: Qantas announces an alliance with Emirates, along with major route structure and schedule changes, Tiger Airways resuming Melbourne – Adelaide operations from November, and outcry in New Zealand over massive aviation user fee hikes by their government. 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: On Across The Pond this week we talk to our adopted student pilot Neil Bradon to monitor his progress flying in the USA. He gives us the great news that he has passed his check ride and is amassing flying hours at a rapid pace but not simply in the circuit, Neil is taking on some challenging cross country flights as well. We are absolutely delighted Neil is now a qualified pilot. Well done Neil. Neil can be found on Twitter @Pilot_NGB and at his blog pilot_ngb’s aviation blog. Find Pieter on Twitter as @Nascothornet, on his blog Alpha Tango Papa, on Facebook at XTPMedia, and at the Aviation Xtended podcast. Mentions: Steve Frischling, Flying With Fish Seat 1P !! on Flyertalk Skyvector. AOPA Flight Planning Heathrow pods: ULTra PRT | Fully Charged. Rand Corporation reportCosts, Benefits, and Efficiency of Aviation Security Measures. What Did Neil Armstrong Really Think Of Business Jets?. Help fund the Neil Armstrong Memorial on Indiegogo. Opening and closing music courtesy Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at www.brotherloverocks.com.

6th Airlift Squadron C-17A Globemaster III On May 11th, 12th and 13th, 2012 the Joint Base McGuire Dix Lakehurst hosted its first Open House in two years. David Vanderhoof was there and brings us a series of interviews from the event. What is Joint Base McGuire Dix Lakehurst? In 2005 BRAC or the Base Realignment and Closing Commission ordered the consolidation of the three bases located in central New Jersey. On October 1st 2009, Fort Dix, Naval Air Station Lakehurst and McGuire Air Force base merged into Joint Base McGuire Dix Lakehurst. JB-MDL has over 42,000 acres of land and supports over 44,000 thousand Solders, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines, Active Duty, Reserve and Guard. Of the 12 Joint Bases now in the United States, it is the only one to have all branches, of the US Military Services. The “Host” of the joint base is the 87th Air Base Wing, of the United States Air Force. They are responsible for over 3933 buildings, their maintenance, and the security of the three facilities. The three bases have integrated well, and inter-service co-operation is a hallmark of JBMDL. Examples of this are the New Jersey Army National Guard aviation unit is based at Lakehurst, with the Marines MAG-49 Headquarters is at Fort Dix. JB-MDL is also hosting EAGLE FLAG the Expeditionary Operations School. Interviews: Capt. Cory Simmons, 6th Airlift Sqn C-17A Globemaster III Lt. Anthony Petrone, VR64 Condors US Navy Reserve, C-130T Hercules Lt. Andy Kolbecker 108th ARW NJ ANG, KC-135R Stratotanker Capt. Beckwith – HMLA773 Det B Marine Air Group 49, AH-1W “Whiskey” Cobra Senior Airman Keith McLaughlin -2nd Air Refueling Squadron, KC-10A Extender Staff SGT Miranda – 1-150th Helicopter Battalion New Jersey National Guard, UH-60L Black Hawk 621st Contingency Response Wing – Col. Chris Patterson Links: 87th Airbase Wing 305th Air Mobility Wing 108th Air Refueling Wing NJ Air National Guard MAG-49 621st Contingency Response Wing Like them on Facebook: 87th Air Base Wing 621 CRW JB-MDL MAG-49 VR-64 C-130T Hercules 108th Wing KC-135R Engine 2nd Air Refueling Squadron KC-10A Extender 108th Wing KC-125R Stratotanker David would like to thank the following people who provided him with the opportunity to bring this to you: Tech Sergeant Parker Gyokeres of the 621st Public Affairs Office, I’ll never forget the whirlwind tour and the hospitality. Staff Sergeant James Stewart of the 621st Public Affairs Office, Captain Brooke Bzozowske of the 621st Public Affairs Office, and the rest of the 621st. Bill Addison of the 87th Air Base Wing Public Affairs Office, who went out of his way so I can bring you these interviews. Steve “Sound Effects” Visscher, who did what I am never able to do, edit! Lastly the men and woman who are Joint Base McGuire Dix Lakehurst America’s East Coast Gateway! HMLA-773 DET B UH-1N HMLA DET B Inserting repellers CH-53E HMH-772 with a Sling loaded Humvee Opening and closing music courtesy Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at www.brotherloverocks.com.

The first Monday in September is “Labor Day” in the United States. For many, the holiday symbolizes the end of Summer, but it is really intended to celebrate the American worker. The exact origin of Labor Day is the subject of some dispute, but it seems to have been originally proposed in 1882. Over the following years, a number of States celebrated Labor Day. Finally, in 1894, the U.S. Congress passed legislation creating Labor Day as a national holiday. In this recording, originally published in 2010, Rob Mark talks about the history of Labor Day and his own role in labor unions, including the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO) strike, the rise of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), and the Airline Pilots Association (APA).  

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.