Australian Aviation Podcast Network

We were joined on the Australian Aviation podcast by Michel Verheem. In 2007 Michel was on a landmark personal development course and he was tasked with setting up a community event. After a series of things not playing out the way that he wanted for his original idea, he decided that organising an aviation-based event for sick and underprivileged kids was the way to go. As you listen to Michel's story, I think you will agree, that he really did underestimate the strength of the Australian Aviation community. When the local Aero Clubs and pilots heard all about the event they rallied behind the cause and the first Fun Flight was borne. Fast forward to today and thousands of kids have been take for their first flight in a light plane and in many cases their first flight ever. Aero Clubs, aircraft owners and pilots all across the country have supported the cause over the years and Fun Flight has brought a lot of joy to both the children and parents alike. I was also lucky enough to speak with Julia Sawer whose son Blair suffers from cerebral palsy. Blair and his family live near Warnervale airport in NSW and he loves nothing more that spotting all the GA movements nearby, so when he was given the opportunity to fly with Fun Flight it really was a dream come true for him. Listen in as both Michel and Julia talk about their experience.

We were joined on the Australian Aviation podcast by Michel Verheem. In 2007 Michel was on a landmark personal development course and he was tasked with setting up a community event. After a series of things not playing out the way that he wanted for his original idea, he decided that organising an aviation-based event for sick and underprivileged kids was the way to go. As you listen to Michel’s story, I think you will agree, that he really did underestimate the strength of the Australian Aviation community. When the local Aero Clubs and pilots heard all about the event they rallied behind the cause and the first Fun Flight was borne. Fast forward to today and thousands of kids have been take for their first flight in a light plane and in many cases their first flight ever. Aero Clubs, aircraft owners and pilots all across the country have supported the cause over the years and Fun Flight has brought a lot of joy to both the children and parents alike. I was also lucky enough to speak with Julia Sawer whose son Blair suffers from cerebral palsy. Blair and his family live near Warnervale airport in NSW and he loves nothing more that spotting all the GA movements nearby, so when he was given the opportunity to fly with Fun Flight it really was a dream come true for him. Listen in as both Michel and Julia talk about their experience.    

Today we are joined on the Australian Aviation podcast bu Steve Hui from iFly Flat. Now you might have a credit card in your wallet or purse that has a frequent flyer program associated with it but do you really know the fine print. Do you understand the ins and outs of redeeming the points and actually using them for flights. Well if you've ever amassed enough points to actually qualify for a flight you might find that it is actually quite hard to find one because only so many seats per flight are allocated to frequent flyers. It's not that you can't redeem points, you might find it really difficult to find a flight where you can actually use them at the time you want to use them going to the place you want to travel. On top of all of that it is very time consuming to search for the flights and you really do need to know where to look for them. Listen in as Steve shares with us how iFly Flat helps consumers make the most of their frequent flyer points and exactly how they can maximise the opportunities that they present.

Today we are joined on the Australian Aviation podcast bu Steve Hui from iFly Flat. Now you might have a credit card in your wallet or purse that has a frequent flyer program associated with it but do you really know the fine print. Do you understand the ins and outs of redeeming the points and actually using them for flights. Well if you’ve ever amassed enough points to actually qualify for a flight you might find that it is actually quite hard to find one because only so many seats per flight are allocated to frequent flyers. It’s not that you can’t redeem points, you might find it really difficult to find a flight where you can actually use them at the time you want to use them going to the place you want to travel. On top of all of that it is very time consuming to search for the flights and you really do need to know where to look for them. Listen in as Steve shares with us how iFly Flat helps consumers make the most of their frequent flyer points and exactly how they can maximise the opportunities that they present.

We were joined on the Australian Aviation podcast by Lee de Winton who is the chief executive of Sydney Metro Airports which encompasses both Bankstown and Camden airports. de Willton started out in the Royal Navy as a radar plotter and eventually went on to earn a commission and become a fully qualified Air Traffic Controller both in the Royal Navy and eventually in the RAAF. Here in the Sydney basin there is a lot happening with the development of the new Western Sydney Airport and now with the release of the master plan for Bankstown Airport, so it was timely to catch up with de Wilton to discuss what the master plan means, what we can expect for the future and how the community can offer feedback and get involved. Listen in as de Wilton shares with us what we can expect from the master plan and what the future holds for Australia's largest and busiest general aviation airport. If you'd like to offer some feedback on the master plan you can do so by: Visiting: https://www.sydneymetroairports.com.au Emailing: [email protected] Writing to: PO BOX 6450 Wetherill Park NSW 1851

We were joined on the Australian Aviation podcast by Lee de Winton who is the chief executive of Sydney Metro Airports which encompasses both Bankstown and Camden airports. de Willton started out in the Royal Navy as a radar plotter and eventually went on to earn a commission and become a fully qualified Air Traffic Controller both in the Royal Navy and eventually in the RAAF. Here in the Sydney basin there is a lot happening with the development of the new Western Sydney Airport and now with the release of the master plan for Bankstown Airport, so it was timely to catch up with de Wilton to discuss what the master plan means, what we can expect for the future and how the community can offer feedback and get involved. Listen in as de Wilton shares with us what we can expect from the master plan and what the future holds for Australia’s largest and busiest general aviation airport. If you’d like to offer some feedback on the master plan you can do so by: Visiting: https://www.sydneymetroairports.com.au Emailing: [email protected] Writing to: PO BOX 6450 Wetherill Park NSW 1851

We were joined on the Australian Aviation podcast by Lee de Willton who is the chief executive of Sydney Metro Airports which encompasses both Bankstown and Camden airports.de Willton started out in the Royal Navy as a radar plotter and eventually went on to earn a commission and become a fully qualified Air Traffic Controller both in the Royal Navy and eventually in the RAAF. Here in the Sydney basin there is a lot happening with the development of the new Western Sydney Airport and now with the release of the master plan for Bankstown Airport, so it was timely to catch up with de Wilton to discuss what the master plan means, what we can expect for the future and how the community can offer feedback and get involved.Listen in as de Wilton shares with us what we can expect from the master plan and what the future holds for Australia's largest and busiest general aviation airport.If you'd like to offer some feedback on the master plan you can do so by:Visiting: https://www.sydneymetroairports.com.auEmailing: [email protected] to: PO BOX 6450 Wetherill Park NSW 1851

We were joined on the Australian Aviation podcast by Ted Ingling who is Program General Manager for the GE9X. Ted started out life as a car mechanic and moved onto engineering and ultimately into aviation. He's worked at GE for more than 38 years and has seen incredible development and innovation throughout that time. The G9X is the biggest, most powerful and most fuel efficient engine ever created by GE. The technology, skill and manpower that goes into creating a project such as this is truly inspirational. The G9X has completed 2 of its 3 critical milestones which are static testing and the initial flight testing. The final milestone is marrying the engine to the new 777X airframe which will happen very soon indeed. Listen in as Ted shares his deep knowledge in a simple and easy to understand manner on the most exciting engine project in GE's history.

We were joined on the Australian Aviation podcast by Ted Ingling who is Program General Manager for the GE9X. Ted started out life as a car mechanic and moved onto engineering and ultimately into aviation. He’s worked at GE for more than 38 years and has seen incredible development and innovation throughout that time. The G9X is the biggest, most powerful and most fuel efficient engine ever created by GE. The technology, skill and manpower that goes into creating a project such as this is truly inspirational. The G9X has completed 2 of its 3 critical milestones which are static testing and the initial flight testing. The final milestone is marrying the engine to the new 777X airframe which will happen very soon indeed. Listen in as Ted shares his deep knowledge in a simple and easy to understand manner on the most exciting engine project in GE’s history.    

Today on the podcast we are joined by Graham Millett who is the CEO of the new Western Sydney Airport. As listeners you would know it has been a very long road to breaking ground on the Badgerys Creek location. In fact a second the second Sydney airport was first flagged in the 1940's. It was talked about, planned and then shelved by a succession of politicians and their governments. After facing the worst possible headlines and statements from politicians and journalists such as 'The second airport will never be built' and 'Sydney doesn't need a second airport' ground was finally broken on September 24th 2018 and construction began on the much needed second Sydney airport began. As you can appreciate this is a massive infrastructure project and new airports like these don't come around often. In fact, it is not described as once in a lifetime but more as a once in a hundred years type project. The roads, the rail and the drone planning coupled alongside the Aerotropolis is incredible, and the jobs that are created as a result can only be a good thing for the NSW economy. Listen in as Graham gives us some background to the project and how we can expect it to roll out initially when it opens in 2026 and what the future looks like all the way out into the 2080's.