Australian Aviation Podcast Network

Starting first as an aeronautical engineer, and then a flight test engineer for the Canadian Armed Forces, Kristen Raby has climbed the ranks of both the public and private sectors, to now be Nova Systems' general manager of operations. In this episode of Sky's The Limit, hosts Anna Grbas and Hannah Dowling sit down with Kristen to discuss her early fascination with the aviation industry, and how it shaped her future career path. Plus, Kristen reveals how she demonstrated her capabilities to kickstart her early career progression, how decisions she made early on affected her later down the road, and the way she climbed up the corporate ranks. Finally, she shares the greatest advice she would give to a younger woman looking to take on a similar path.

As NSW's near two-month lockdown rumbles on, state and territory leaders seem to be backing out of their national cabinet promise to open borders when most of us have been vaccinated.

On this week's episode, Phil and a very recently jabbed Adam discuss how COVID politics is keeping domestic aviation grounded.

Plus, the team discuss a screwdriver incident, Alliance's amazing profits and stand downs at Rex and Virgin.

Finally, the pair chat about the imminent launch of the new issue of Australian Aviation's print magazine.

This week, Qantas announced it would stand down 2,500 employees, just one day after the government revealed its plan to provide additional financial support to the airline industry. In this episode of the Australian Aviation Podcast, host Adam Thorn and reporter Hannah Dowling discuss the conveniently-timed move, and speculate as rival Virgin bides its time. Plus, the team reveals the details of that booze-fuelled Japan Airlines flight that saw some Australian Olympians end up in hot water with the international media. Finally, the crew talks of one lucky frequent flyer that spent 2 million points on two used Qantas A380 seats.

People often don't take the time to consider the kind of retirement they want to have, and whether they can afford it. But delaying making a plan will only make things more difficult in the long-run. In this special episode of the Australian Aviation Podcast, Adam Thorn speaks to MGD Wealth's Richard Marsden and Alec Berry to discuss how professional financial modelling can take the guesswork out of enjoying a successful retirement. Richard talks through the questions you should be asking, such as what age can you afford to retire and will my assets maintain my quality of living? Finally, the pair give us some real-life case studies from those in the industry to illustrate how different scenarios can get you successfully to your end goal. The information in this podcast is current as at the date of the recording. Please note that past performance is not an indication of future performance. Any advice included in this podcast is general and has been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. As such, you should consider its appropriateness having regard to these factors before acting on it. Any tax information refers to current laws, is not based on your unique circumstances and should not be relied on as tax advice. Before you make any decision about whether to acquire a certain financial product, you should obtain and read the relevant product disclosure statement.

Aviation's deep freeze shows no sign of thawing – but this week Alan Joyce broke cover to reassure staff stand-downs will be avoided. For now. In this week's episode, Phil and Adam discuss the latest situation with borders and lockdowns, and ask how quickly domestic aviation can recover. Plus, Australian Aviation talks through its story aiming to track down all the Qantas 747s in boneyards. How did we do it… and what happens when an aircraft reaches the Pearly Gates? Finally, Air New Zealand is now Australia's biggest international airline. What does this mean for bragging rights across the Tasman?

As domestic aviation's latest COVID slumber continues, host Phil Tarrant and guest Adam Thorn try to find some reasons to be positive. Because amid the gloom, there's been some great stories of late, not least that of hero pilot Gerry Geltch, who saved his trainee co-pilot by repeatedly re-entering the wreckage of his Cessna after it crashed into the sea. The team also discusses the space race between Sir Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos, and what it means for the future of aviation. Finally, as Talisman Sabre continues, what is its significance to the RAAF?

Amy Shira Teitel is a woman of many talents – she's a space historian, YouTuber, TV host, and now, a biographical author. On this episode of Sky's The Limit, hosts Anna Grbas and Hannah Dowling are joined by Amy to discuss her latest biographical novel, titled Fighting for Space, which tells the story of the women vying to become NASA's first female astronauts, and the Mercury 13. Amy tells us the story of Jackie Cochran and Jerrie Cobb, two distinguished pilots who dreamed of flying to space, and the rivalry between them that contributed to the downfall of the Mercury 13 program. Finally, Amy shares details of how she pieced together this incredible story, her creative process, as well as her own experience as a woman operating in the male-dominated spaces of science, history and academia.

Leaving any job in aviation can be hard. Particularly if you're a pilot, and even more so if you're an RAAF fighter pilot. How do you deal with giving up a lifetime's work? There's probably no person in Australia who has managed the transition better than Jim Whalley, who co-founded Nova after a hugely successful career flying Hornets. In this interview, Adam and Jim discuss his career, what possessed him to take the gamble of moving into business, and what the future holds for one of our industry's most influential companies. Plus, the pair chat about why it's so important to get the next generation of young Australians interested in STEM subjects, as aviation faces years of huge disruption and growth.

Last week, it was back to the future as half of Australia went into lockdown and state borders slammed shut.

On this week's episode, host Phil Tarrant and guest Adam Thorn talk through the sobering events and ask how long airlines can hold their nerve and not stand down workers.

Plus, the pair chat about the effect of Australia reducing its overseas arrival caps. How much harder will it make it for the country to remain open, and for stranded Aussies to get home?

Finally, we celebrate the ingenious targeting abilities of Army's super smart Shadow drones, and a new era of space and aviation collaboration.

In this episode of the Australian Aviation Podcast, Defence Connect news editor Charbel Kadib joins Adam and Phil to discuss the latest developments in military aviation.

The team begins by addressing the latest COVID-19 outbreak in NSW and its potential consequences, before reflecting on the evolution in air power, including the recent integration of the fifth-generation F-35A fleet.

The trio also touch upon the recent testing of RAAF capability across a number of major military exercises, including Exercise Arnhem Thunder and Exercise Rogue Ambush.

Finally, they chat about the impact of suspending the MRH-90 Taipan fleet and the greenlighting of Defence's purchase of 29 Boeing-built Apache aircraft.