Australian Aviation Podcast Network

Hawker Pacific is one of the leading aircraft sales and support companies in APAC, and one of the largest independent companies of its type in the region with 800 employees. In this special episode of the Australian Aviation podcast, host Phil Tarrant talks to the business' Vice President, Middle East and APAC, Ian D'Arcy, about RBI Hawker, a collaboration between Hawker and Bell that specialises in rotor blade repair. D'Arcy talks about the plan to bring a true home base to Australia after 15 years' experience in Dubai while looking at launching satellite operations in countries such as Papua New Guinea. He talks through the challenges and opportunities, and how the market is changing.

Last week, the sale of Virgin was finally complete after a months-long administration process that had enough twists and turns to script a whodunnit. But now Bain's deal has been rubber-stamped, what exactly is going to happen moving forward?

In this episode of the Australian Aviation podcast, host Phil Tarrant and regular guest Adam Thorn talk through the story behind the final week of the sale. Why did Branson break his silence? Are the TWU really supportive? And how on earth has chief executive Paul Scurrah managed to not only keep his job but get everyone to buy into his revival plan?

They also discuss strong comments from the CEO of Melbourne Airport, who has said the country shouldn't wait for a vaccine to open international borders.

Finally, amid the gloom, Sydney's new international airport now has some firm dates for construction work to start. The team discuss why the long-term outlook for aviation, post-COVID-19, is still strong.

In July, Australia limited the number of people who could arrive back into the country to manage the flow into hotel quarantine. The problem is, the decision has pushed up prices to eye-popping levels and reduced availability.

In this episode of the Australian Aviation podcast, host Phil Tarrant and regular guest Adam Thorn discuss how this slow-burn story has exploded in the last seven days. They examine what the options are, the industry's collective position and whether the government will restart its repatriation program to assist.

They also discuss Friday's now not-so-crunch meeting to decide the future of Virgin, where creditors will get to vote on quite how new owners Bain should take over.

Finally – while our industry might be shrinking on the surface, it's also going through a period of exciting change. Just how long then, until we switch our Fords for flying cars?

In amongst the border closures, groundings and rows, it can be easy to forget the impact of COVID-19 on airline pilots themselves, who have found their industry has effectively shut down. In this episode of the Australian Aviation podcast, hosts Phil Tarrant and Christian "Boo" Boucousis speak to Mark Sedgwick, the executive director of Australian and International Pilots Association, about how pilots are adapting to the new normal. He discusses why states should sign up to a national framework on border closures, how many of his members have found work elsewhere and why he has worked hard to build a good relationship with the Qantas Group. He also tells long-time friend Boo what advice he would give to governments trying to protect the profession for the next generation.

Despite many Aussie citizens struggling to get home from overseas under the tightly capped limits of new arrivals in each state, the government has announced a pilot program to resume international student flights to Adelaide in September.

In this week's episode of the Australian Aviation Podcast, host Phil Tarrant and Adam Thorn discuss the impetus for this controversial move, as well as the latest developments in the tumultuous Virgin Australia saga, with tensions bubbling over between Bain, bondholders and the TWU.

Tune in to hear about noise complaints stemming from the new Brisbane runway and a Gold Coast joy flight business respectively, a step back for Air New Zealand as it cuts Auckland flights, Alliance launching new routes, and a Queensland rescue mission gone wrong.

Despite initially indicating it wouldn't have to go to shareholders for money, Sydney Airport has now asked shareholders to pitch in $2 billion to help it through the challenges brought on by the pandemic.

With Qantas only raising a fraction of its $500 million goal and border restrictions hitting both organisations quite hard, will the airport see the kind of enthusiasm it needs from shareholders to reduce debt and increase liquidity?

In this episode of the Australian Aviation Podcast, Phil Tarrant and Adam Thorn discuss Qatar Airways' growing influence in the wake of gushing praise from senior politicians, the Prime Minister's changed stance on state border closures, and the upsurge in intrastate travel to regional holiday hubs.

They also talk about Virgin's surprisingly modest staff cut, Exercise Pitch Black going virtual, the government's investment into a new drone development program, and Dnata donating hundreds of thousands of uneaten meals to charity.

Gary Criddle's remarkable career has seen him work as a pilot for the Royal Australian Navy, RAAF as well as commercially, where he has flown 767s and A380s. He's also practised as an examiner, specialising in both air show display flying and warbirds.

In this episode of the Australian Aviation Podcast, Gary joins hosts Phil Tarrant and Christian "Boo" Boucousis to talk about his earliest aviation memory, his transition from seaman officer to aviator with the Navy, and the difference between military and commercial pilot training.

He gives an insight into what the flight examination process is actually like, outlines his preparation routine for getting into the zone on flying days, and reveals his hairiest flying experience to date.

At the start of July, the federal government announced a $270 billion commitment to defence spending for the coming decade, and a new holistic strategy for dealing with an increasingly uncertain world in the Indo-Pacific.

In this exclusive interview, the Chief of Air Force, Air Marshal Mel Hupfeld, AO, DSC, gives host Phil Tarrant the inside story on how his team is rethinking what a modern air force should look like - and how it can better collaborate with other elements of the ADF and government to drive change.

AIRMSHL Hupfeld lifts the lid on working with artificial intelligence on the Loyal Wingman platform, "robust" conversations with his counterparts in the Navy and Army on an integrated military, the drive towards a fifth-gen fighting force and how the lesson from COVID-19 must be to shore up global supply chains.

He also talks candidly about his love of flying, his journey into the top job in the RAAF, and how he can't wait to get out in his Airtourer and P-51 Mustang in the near future.

Tension between two industry groups has come to a head as airports accuse airlines of neglecting to pass on their government bailouts by not paying various fees.

In this episode of the Australian Aviation Podcast, hosts Phil Tarrant and Adam Thorn speculate over whether airports will eventually get paid and discuss Brisbane Airport's CEO's gloomy forecast for recovery.

Tune in to hear all about a report against REX for an uncompetitive new route, an exact breakdown of how much is owed to Virgin creditors, and the last ever take-off of a Qantas 747 from Australian soil.

The latest development in the Virgin Australia saga has unhappy bondholders confirming they will put their offer to creditors next month, despite Bain having already pumped millions into the airline to keep it afloat over the last few months.

Join hosts Phil Tarrant, Christian "Boo" Boucousis and Adam Thorn as they recap this week's headlines on the Australian Aviation Podcast, including Brisbane's brand new billion-dollar runway, saying goodbye to the Qantas 747, and a changing of the guard at CASA.

In this episode they'll also touch on a new Microsoft flight simulator program, the cause of the recent R44 rash in WA, and NSW's investment into an electric flying car testing facility.