Australian Aviation Podcast Network

In this special episode of Australian Aviation podcast, shadow minister for cyber security and shadow minister for countering foreign interference, Senator James Paterson joins Phil Tarrant (director - Momentum Media) and MAJGEN (retired) Dr Marcus Thompson to discuss the regulatory impediments preventing Australia from becoming a leader in cyber security.

The group begins the podcast discussing the cyber security threats facing Australia and the role of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO).

Senator Paterson then details how foreign interference and espionage have overtaken terrorism as the primary security concern for Australia.

The team wraps up the podcast in outlining the importance of attracting the right talent with the right skills to power Australian cyber security businesses.

Marek Bekier is a senior vice president at ACR Aviation Capacity Resources, which manages air traffic at 17 Swedish airports.

In this special episode in partnership with UNSW's School of Aviation, Bekier talks to Australian Aviation's Adam Thorn about what a career in air traffic control is really like, alongside its challenges.

The pair talk about why we need to move on from monopoly operations and how a free-market approach can work.

They also discuss how ATC needs to evolve in a world of drones, eVTOLs and more traditional aircraft traffic.

In this special episode, the editors of Defence Connect and Australian Aviation, Liam Garman and Adam Thorn, talk through the biggest industry topics. First up, they discuss the need for long-range strike capability, with tensions in the region rising and Australia short of options. Next, they ask how this should happen. Should the country invest in the 'sequel' to the B-2, the B-21, or plump for conventional long-range missiles? Finally, they discuss the importance of US B-52s being semi-regularly based at RAAF Base Tindal and whether they could carry nuclear weapons.

Domestic travel in Australia may have bounced back to pre-pandemic highs, but our international passenger traffic is still far down on 2019.

In this special episode, Adelaide Airport's MD, Brenton Cox, talks through how his organisation coped during those tough COVID-19 days and what we got right and wrong.

He tells host Adam Thorn that we must learn the lessons of 2020 for the future and argues that state border closures should have been decided by the federal government rather than state governments.

Finally, the pair discuss what Australia needs to do as a nation to encourage tourists to return and how the industry can navigate its staff shortages.

Like a phoenix rising from the flames, Hannah Dowling returns in her new role as US correspondent to talk about her latest story. She tells host Adam Thorn how and why US airlines are taking Australian pilots in such numbers. The pair discuss what Australia can do to stem the tide, the balance between developing young talent and importing them, and the perks of going abroad. Finally, they chat about how COVID-19 and its restrictions exacerbated the problem for Australia.

Our aviation industry has been long grappling with a chronic lack of engineering talent — with COVID-19 exacerbating the problem.

On this week's episode, Adam Thorn talks to the RAAA, which last week released a report identifying the causes behind our shortages and what we can do to fix them.

Report author Sheridan Austin and the RAAA's CEO Steve Campbell discuss why businesses must invest in hiring more apprentices and why rules on transferring qualifications from abroad need to be modernised.

Finally, they examine what can be done to encourage more women into the profession and how long-term aviation stereotypes can be challenged.

Australian Aviation attended last week's Land Forces military exhibition in Brisbane and interviewed two guests on the floor.

Jay Macklin had a storied military career that saw him fly Black Hawks before rising to become a colonel in the US Army. He's now a director based in Alabama for Lockheed Martin, and discusses his flying days, as well as the aircraft's future.

Finally, we're joined by Australian Aviation's rotary wing pilot of the year, Richard Butterworth. He chats about how Kestrel began fighting bushfires at night and the future of the industry as we approach another La Niña season.