Plane Crazy Down Under » Melbourne http://www.planecrazydownunder.com Looking at the world of aviation from an Australia / Pacific point of view Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:34:38 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 CreativeCommons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve Visscher & Grant McHerron (www.planecrazydownunder.com)) planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve Visscher & Grant McHerron (www.planecrazydownunder.com)) Aviation 1440 http://www.planecrazydownunder.com/images/PCDU_RSS_Feed_Logo.jpg Plane Crazy Down Under http://www.planecrazydownunder.com 144 144 An aviation based podcast with a focus on the Australia/Pacific area aviation, australia, new, zealand, asia, pacific, flying, aircraft Steve Visscher & Grant McHerron (www.planecrazydownunder.com) Steve Visscher & Grant McHerron (www.planecrazydownunder.com) planecrazydownunder@gmail.com no no PCDU Episode 79: Flying Low http://www.planecrazydownunder.com/2011/12/10/pcdu-episode-79-flying-low/ http://www.planecrazydownunder.com/2011/12/10/pcdu-episode-79-flying-low/#comments Fri, 09 Dec 2011 13:50:07 +0000 Grant (Falcon124) http://www.planecrazydownunder.com/?p=1440 Steve’s finally picked up his instructor’s rating although it’s in trains, not aircraft, but don’t worry, we’re not switching the show over to Train Crazy Down Under :)

Once again we’re joined by Kathy Mexted and this time we’re discussing what’s involved in being an Ag Pilot and how the industry has developed here in . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 79: Flying Low]]> Steve’s finally picked up his instructor’s rating although it’s in trains, not aircraft, but don’t worry, we’re not switching the show over to Train Crazy Down Under :)

Once again we’re joined by Kathy Mexted and this time we’re discussing what’s involved in being an Ag Pilot and how the industry has developed here in Australia. We then switch to Kathy’s interview with Georgia Maxwell in Gunnedah. Georgia is the first female ag pilot in Australia qualified to fly the Air Tractor 802 with Pay’s Air Service. Georgia discusses what it’s like working in the Aerial Application world (aka being an Ag Pilot).

After the interview we talk about the Aerial Agricultural Association of Australia and how the season is booming following the breaking of the drought. Anthony Crichton-Browne joins us to continue talking about Ag pilots & the nature of their work.

Anthony has recently been at Red Baron Australia’s open day chatting with Joel Haski and the guys from Combat Dragon who are now basing their A37 at Red Baron’s hangar. We get to sit in on a Combat Dragon briefing, then listen to the sound of the A37 starting its engines before discussing the A37′s typical departure from Bankstown (YSBK).

We then play Anthony’s chat with Joel Haski about the latest developments at Red Baron and their new hangar facility. Anthony talks briefly with Jeff from Combat Dragon about their missions and working with Red Baron. You can hear more about Combat Dragon from an interview Anthony had with them in episode 2 of his podcast, Flying Ant.

Next up, Pieter Johnson from XTP Media in the UK takes time out from his “Across the Pond” segment in the Airplane Geeks to bring us his first “From Up Here to Down There” report. In today’s report, he provides an interview with Matt Falcus about his Far East and Australasia airport spotting guide. If you’re spotting in the Asia/Pacific area, you should check out Matt’s book.

Having listened to Pieter’s chat with Matt, Anthony chats with us about a pilot’s view of the ‘plane spotters’ he sees at most of the major Australian airports.

After the break, we return to Grant’s chat with Geoff Morrison from GT Gyroplanes at Echuca. We talk about Geoff’s background in aviation in New Zealand hunting deer & working on warbirds before he came over to Australia to work on gyroplanes with his brother Alistair. After that we get into a discussion about gyroplanes in general, the Australian Sports Rotorcraft Association (ASRA) and their Kruza gyroplane in particular.

We then have a discussion about gyrocopters before bringing Pieter Johnson back onto the show to chat with us about his background in aviation, his goals for linking Australian/NZ flying with the UK and his interview with his father.

Moving onto Listener Mail, we have:

  • Andrew Brown from the UK talking about our Qantas Grounding episode
  • Voice mail from Ian Kershaw in Canada
  • Chris Howard-Bath who likes the C130 & works with ATC Ben
  • Peter Anderson talks about our website

If you want us to send you a CD copy of our content, please send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to:

PO Box 70
Cranbourne VIC 3977
Australia

Don’t forget about our Aus Air Services + PCDU BBQ & Fly In on December 17th at Tooradin Airport (YTDN). Come on down and say HI, folks :)

The Aus Air Services advert is provided courtesy of Star FM 94.3

]]> http://www.planecrazydownunder.com/2011/12/10/pcdu-episode-79-flying-low/feed/ 2 1:56:36 PCDU Episode 79: Flying Low Flying Low aviation, australia, new, zealand, asia, pacific, flying, aircraft www.planecrazydownunder.com no no PCDU Episode 66: That Wasn’t in the Script! http://www.planecrazydownunder.com/2011/06/21/episode-66-that-wasnt-in-the-script/ http://www.planecrazydownunder.com/2011/06/21/episode-66-that-wasnt-in-the-script/#comments Tue, 21 Jun 2011 13:16:39 +0000 Grant (Falcon124) http://www.planecrazydownunder.com/?p=1111 It’s been a while since we got down & dirty with the Australian commercial airline scene so with that in mind, we called up Ben Sandlilands from the PlaneTalking blog on Crikey.com.au for a chat. There’s some amazing developments going on in the “big iron” side of people moving here in Australia and we went . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 66: That Wasn’t in the Script!]]> It’s been a while since we got down & dirty with the Australian commercial airline scene so with that in mind, we called up Ben Sandlilands from the PlaneTalking blog on Crikey.com.au for a chat. There’s some amazing developments going on in the “big iron” side of people moving here in Australia and we went through the following subjects:

  • The joys of ash clouds (Thanks Chile!)
  • Virgin Australia taking on Qantas & Jetstar with their new pricing structures & business class, including just what kind of passenger they were targeting at the front of the cabin
  • Qantas & JetStar’s industrial issues with their unions
  • Tiger regrouping & focusing on routes where it can do the most damage to the others (watch out Melbourne <-> Sydney and maybe even the Golden Triangle of Melbourne, Sydney & Brisbane)
  • Strategic’s foray into the Pacific

In this episode we also include an interview with Kathy Mexted, a freelance writer who we met *way* back at the Centenary of Flight airshow in 2010. Flying is in Kathy’s blood by birth & by marriage and she’s been writing articles for a variety of aviation magazines as well as working on a book about being the spouse of an airline pilot. We’re very happy to announce that Kathy’s also going to be producing some content for us in the near future mostly covering Recreational & General Aviation areas.

Finally, we’re including some new music in our show as Steve’s found out about the royalty free production music by JewelBeat. Watch out for whole new background tracks & cross-over music in this & future episodes :)

]]> http://www.planecrazydownunder.com/2011/06/21/episode-66-that-wasnt-in-the-script/feed/ 1 1:32:30 Episode 66: That Wasn't in the Script! That Wasn't in the Script! aviation, australia, new, zealand, asia, pacific, flying, aircraft www.planecrazydownunder.com no no PCDU Episode 52: The Misty Dawn of Avalon http://www.planecrazydownunder.com/2011/02/03/episode-52-the-misty-dawn-of-avalon/ http://www.planecrazydownunder.com/2011/02/03/episode-52-the-misty-dawn-of-avalon/#comments Wed, 02 Feb 2011 14:29:43 +0000 Grant (Falcon124) http://www.planecrazydownunder.com/?p=869 Every two years Avalon Airport is the home to one of the biggest airshows & aviation expositions in the Southern Hemisphere (the biggest, according to many). One of Australia’s premier aviation events, Avalon Airshow (also known as the Australian International Airshow) draws aircraft from around the world and attracts scores of people from the general . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 52: The Misty Dawn of Avalon]]> Every two years Avalon Airport is the home to one of the biggest airshows & aviation expositions in the Southern Hemisphere (the biggest, according to many). One of Australia’s premier aviation events, Avalon Airshow (also known as the Australian International Airshow) draws aircraft from around the world and attracts scores of people from the general public through to aviation enthusiasts & professionals, especially for the Friday night airshow.

From the early days of the airshows produced by the Schofields Flying Club through to today, a consistent presence throughout it all has been Ian Honnery. CEO of Airshows Downunder. We were fortunate to spend some time with Ian to discuss the history of the Avalon Airshow and it makes for fascinating listening.

Sadly, our sound gear wasn’t configured correctly for the space we were in and so the audio quality is not up to our show’s (and especially Steve’s :) usual standards. The content itself is incredible so after doing as much work as could be done to correct the sound issues, we’re finally able to release this interview. Our thanks go to Domenic at Audio Visual Media for his help in massaging the raw audio.

We’re looking forward to attending the airshow in March this year as it will be the 90th anniversary of the RAAF. Look out for more content about Avalon, how it’s managed and what to expect this year as we get closer to March 1st.

]]> http://www.planecrazydownunder.com/2011/02/03/episode-52-the-misty-dawn-of-avalon/feed/ 1 1:09:45 Plane Crazy Down Under - Episode 052: The Misty Dawn of Avalon The Misty Dawn of Avalon aviation, australia, new, zealand, asia, pacific, flying, aircraft www.planecrazydownunder.com no no PCDU Episode 47: Bull Me! http://www.planecrazydownunder.com/2010/11/23/episode-47-bull-me/ http://www.planecrazydownunder.com/2010/11/23/episode-47-bull-me/#comments Mon, 22 Nov 2010 17:15:55 +0000 Grant (Falcon124) http://www.planecrazydownunder.com/?p=811 The 2010 RedBull AirRace season was exciting, eventful and disappointing all at once. From Adilson Kindleman’s crash in Perth to Hannes Arch’s pylon hit and Matt Hall’s “walk on water” incident, G-Stalls were everywhere. Then came the news that the last two races were cancelled and, finally, that the whole 2011 season was cancelled. As . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 47: Bull Me!]]> The 2010 RedBull AirRace season was exciting, eventful and disappointing all at once. From Adilson Kindleman’s crash in Perth to Hannes Arch’s pylon hit and Matt Hall’s “walk on water” incident, G-Stalls were everywhere. Then came the news that the last two races were cancelled and, finally, that the whole 2011 season was cancelled. As if the end of the season wasn’t bad enough, we were all stunned by the news that Alejandro Maclean had died in an aerobatic training accident.

We have already presented our “End of Season” chats with Hannes Arch and Matt Hall in previous episodes so in this one, we present our chats with Nigel Lamb and Pete McLeod.

We also officially announce the winners of our Flight City Simulator Centre B777 sim session prize (Graham Neal) and two runners up (Greg Spencer & David Mitchell), both of whom win PCDU T-Shirts.

We talk briefly about Qantas’ recent 90th Birthday event at Melbourne airport and play the quick chat we recorded with Juan Serrano, John Travolta’s chief pilot.

After another View from the Lounge segment, this time paying tribute to those serving in the military, we dive into our mailbag:

  • Steve Horton form Perth is worried that the RedBull AirRace will never return to Perth and lets us know about his great photo site
  • Peter Baxter wrote in asking about jet engine technology and again to share a great story about an Air New Zealand DC10 that helped a ferry flight in trouble over the Pacific
  • “brettkp” has some great feedback about episode 46 in our forums on Downwind

We give a shout-out to Pieter Johnson (@NascotHornet) in the UK who has just become a very proud father: welcome Beatrice :)

]]> http://www.planecrazydownunder.com/2010/11/23/episode-47-bull-me/feed/ 0 1:47:37 Plane Crazy Down Under Episode #47 Bull Me! aviation, australia, new, zealand, asia, pacific, flying, aircraft www.planecrazydownunder.com no no PCDU Episode 33: Four Degrees of Separation from Ben Sandilands http://www.planecrazydownunder.com/2010/05/28/episode-33-four-degrees-of-separation-from-ben-sandilands/ http://www.planecrazydownunder.com/2010/05/28/episode-33-four-degrees-of-separation-from-ben-sandilands/#comments Fri, 28 May 2010 06:02:43 +0000 Grant (Falcon124) http://www.planecrazydownunder.com/?p=542 In this episode we join noted aviation journalist Ben Sandilands from Plane Talking to review the latest news & information. When we called Ben, he was experiencing a heat wave of 11 degrees Celsius at his home in the mountains near Canberra. Meanwhile, here in Melbourne we were thinking winter was upon us as the . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 33: Four Degrees of Separation from Ben Sandilands]]> In this episode we join noted aviation journalist Ben Sandilands from Plane Talking to review the latest news & information. When we called Ben, he was experiencing a heat wave of 11 degrees Celsius at his home in the mountains near Canberra. Meanwhile, here in Melbourne we were thinking winter was upon us as the temperature dipped to 15 degrees Celsius. Four degrees of separation but a very different pair of perspectives on cold vs hot.

Fortunately, we were all spot on with our news analysis, including such topics as:

  • Use of composites in airliners and the indications that it won’t really be effective for another 10 to 20 years
  • QANTAS still claiming that they’re going to get their 787-9s on a date that would be before Air New Zealand (the launch customer) despite Boeing making a statement contradicting this
  • The changes that are afoot with the Virgin Blue group being under new leadership:
    • Brett Godfrey’s farewell bash
    • John Borghetti not getting the top job at QANTAS but, perhaps, getting something better with running Virgin Blue
    • Fleet choices and the possibility that they’ll get A330s or B767s, especially on high density routes like Sydney to Melbourne
    • The likelihood that they’ll rebrand the group (Virgin Blue, V Australia, Pacific Blue, Polynesian Blue) under a single name
  • Singapore Airlines having veto rights over the name Virgin for any new international airline
  • Tiger Airways recording a profit and becoming more of a stable, solid threat in the market
  • Australia’s transport minister Anthony Albanese wanting to restrict cockpit access to only the two pilots flying and any check pilots or safety reviewers
  • The F35 and how Australia seems to be one of the few countries NOT getting upset about all the delays and problems

After chatting with Ben, we have an interview with James Baldwin & Glen Somerville from EmptyJets, an organisation that gives you the chance to get rides in charter aircraft that would otherwise be flying empty on positioning flights. From helicopters to Gulfstream Vs, they’re all on the list and well worth checking out.

After that we dive into the mail bag where:

  • Matt McCabe compares the cost of learning to fly here in Australia against the USA
  • Errol Cavit enjoyed the Red Bull show and will be catching up with us when he comes over from New Zealand (for a Sci Fi convention, no less)
  • Vince Bezzina who volunteers at the RAAF Museum at Point Cook was checking if we knew about the DC6 coming to Australia from South Africa. Oh yes, do we ever!

We also have a couple of shout outs to:

  • Damien Rose who is now a private pilot and on his way to a commercial license (and speaking of the cost of learning – Damien sold his house to fund all this! He must have a VERY understanding wife, that’s for sure :)
  • Steve Cooke from the Flying Podcast in the UK has released his latest episode on a topic that’s very important for Grant: ballooning
]]> http://www.planecrazydownunder.com/2010/05/28/episode-33-four-degrees-of-separation-from-ben-sandilands/feed/ 2 1:53:04 Plane Crazy Down Under Episode #33 Four Degrees of Separation from Ben Sandilands aviation, australia, new, zealand, asia, pacific, flying, aircraft www.planecrazydownunder.com no no PCDU Episode 29: What’s in a Checklist? http://www.planecrazydownunder.com/2010/04/06/episode-29-whats-in-a-checklist/ http://www.planecrazydownunder.com/2010/04/06/episode-29-whats-in-a-checklist/#comments Mon, 05 Apr 2010 23:21:35 +0000 Grant (Falcon124) http://www.planecrazydownunder.com/?p=427 Some in-cockpit audio provided by a listener triggered a discussion on the differences in pre-landing checklists (GUMPS vs BUMFTH vs BUMFOH vs whatever). All of Grant’s aviation books & manuals are still in boxes after moving house so he had to rely on his memory with predictable results. Talk about incentive to go out and . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 29: What’s in a Checklist?]]> Some in-cockpit audio provided by a listener triggered a discussion on the differences in pre-landing checklists (GUMPS vs BUMFTH vs BUMFOH vs whatever). All of Grant’s aviation books & manuals are still in boxes after moving house so he had to rely on his memory with predictable results. Talk about incentive to go out and get current again…

Given we couldn’t do a whole episode around the concept of “gas” in different countries, we also discuss recent aviation news items (so many to chose from lately) and have a collection of interviews we recorded at the RAAF’s Air Pageant at Point Cook.

Here’s how the episode hangs together this time:

As usual, our theme music track is “YouNameIt5″ by Brian Simpson (aka t3cat5) and our sound effects come from SoundSnap.com.

]]> http://www.planecrazydownunder.com/2010/04/06/episode-29-whats-in-a-checklist/feed/ 0 1:49:47 Plane Crazy Down Under # 29 What's in a Checklist? aviation, australia, new, zealand, asia, pacific, flying, aircraft www.planecrazydownunder.com no no The Jetstarisation of QANTAS is not over yet http://www.planecrazydownunder.com/2010/02/22/the-jetstarisation-of-qantas-is-not-over-yet/ http://www.planecrazydownunder.com/2010/02/22/the-jetstarisation-of-qantas-is-not-over-yet/#comments Mon, 22 Feb 2010 06:00:49 +0000 Grant (Falcon124) http://www.planecrazydownunder.com/?p=369 Thanks to an opportunity presented by Shashank Nigam, Grant’s just had an article about the ongoing Jetstarisation of QANTAS published on Shashank’s Simpliflying site.

It provides a background on the birth of Jetstar, its growth to date and how it is destined to consume more of QANTAS’ mainline routes & aircraft. Head on over to . . . → Read More: The Jetstarisation of QANTAS is not over yet]]> Thanks to an opportunity presented by Shashank Nigam, Grant’s just had an article about the ongoing Jetstarisation of QANTAS published on Shashank’s Simpliflying site.

It provides a background on the birth of Jetstar, its growth to date and how it is destined to consume more of QANTAS’ mainline routes & aircraft. Head on over to Simpliflying and check out the article.

Thanks to Shashank for giving us the opportunity to gain further exposure to the global aviation world, it’s very much appreciated :)

]]> http://www.planecrazydownunder.com/2010/02/22/the-jetstarisation-of-qantas-is-not-over-yet/feed/ 2 Ten minutes of fame in a 737 Simulator? http://www.planecrazydownunder.com/2010/01/21/ten-minutes-of-fame-in-a-737-simulator/ http://www.planecrazydownunder.com/2010/01/21/ten-minutes-of-fame-in-a-737-simulator/#comments Wed, 20 Jan 2010 22:35:10 +0000 Grant (Falcon124) http://www.planecrazydownunder.com/?p=334 The crew at Flight Experience Melbourne are having an Open Night on the 27th January and we’re going along. They’re giving away 10 minute sessions in their 737 sim to the first 20 people in the door (need to register before hand).

We’re going to be there to interview people for a future episode as . . . → Read More: Ten minutes of fame in a 737 Simulator?]]> The crew at Flight Experience Melbourne are having an Open Night on the 27th January and we’re going along. They’re giving away 10 minute sessions in their 737 sim to the first 20 people in the door (need to register before hand).

We’re going to be there to interview people for a future episode as well as have some fun (and enjoy the drinks & nibbles :)

If you’re in Melbourne, Australia and can get to the QV Building in the city from 6pm on the 27th January, you really should get yourself there. More information about the event and the registration form is available on their blog.

Hope to see you there :)

]]> http://www.planecrazydownunder.com/2010/01/21/ten-minutes-of-fame-in-a-737-simulator/feed/ 1 PCDU Episode 3: Flying Solo http://www.planecrazydownunder.com/2009/07/31/episode-3-flying-solo/ http://www.planecrazydownunder.com/2009/07/31/episode-3-flying-solo/#comments Thu, 30 Jul 2009 15:23:28 +0000 Grant (Falcon124) http://www.planecrazydownunder.com/?p=45 We were a little delayed because Grant was trying to do it all this week, but better late than never. With Steve in the USA, Grant was flying solo and discovering that he missed having someone to put the gear up on take off.

This week’s episode includes the following topics:

Air New Zealand joins . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 3: Flying Solo]]> We were a little delayed because Grant was trying to do it all this week, but better late than never. With Steve in the USA, Grant was flying solo and discovering that he missed having someone to put the gear up on take off.

This week’s episode includes the following topics:

]]> http://www.planecrazydownunder.com/2009/07/31/episode-3-flying-solo/feed/ 0 0:23:08 We were a little delayed because Grant was trying to do it all this week, but better late than never. With Steve in the USA, Grant was flying solo and discovering that he missed having someone to put the gear up on take off. This week’s episod[...] We were a little delayed because Grant was trying to do it all this week, but better late than never. With Steve in the USA, Grant was flying solo and discovering that he missed having someone to put the gear up on take off. This week’s episode includes the following topics: Air New Zealand joins Tiger to say that Delta teaming up with V Australia (Delta V) is bad, but QANTAS stays out of it Qantas aloof as Air NZ joins Delta V opponents (Steve Creedy @ The Australian) QANTAS 737 de-pressurises during flight Engineers probe Qantas midair mishap (ABC News) Jetstar upsetting Kiwi pax with baggage charges Bags cost shocks traveller (Rebecca Lewis @ the New Zealand Herald) It’s official, Regional Express (REX) is the world’s best regional carrier Rex ruled the world’s best regional carrier (Steve Creedy @ The Australian) Virgin Blue 737 loses a nose wheel Safety fears raised after plane wheel falls off (ABC News) Brett Godfrey announces he’ll retire from Virgin Blue Brett Godfrey to retire from Virgin Blue (Steve Creedy @ The Australian) Virgin Blue to raise capital Godfrey to quit as Virgin raises capital (Steve Creedy @ The Australian) John Holland Group wins Virgin Blue’s Embraer maintenance work John Holland in 10-year deal to maintain Virgin Blue’s Embraer jets (Steve Creedy @ The Australian) Macquarie Airports to separate from the Macquarie Group Macquarie Airports takes over management from Macquarie Group (Allison Jackson @ The Australian) Sydney airport traffic declines; Melbourne rises (Business Day) Airports fly against economic downturn (Steve Creedy @ The Australian) PelAir chosen for Ambulance Victoria contract Pel-Air Chosen As Preferred Contractor By Ambulance Victoria (Aero-News) Steve Visscher presents an update from the USA, including flight comparisons and the TSA Podcasts Steve Visscher & Grant McHerron (www.planecrazydownunder.com) no no PCDU Episode 2: Aero Neuro What??? http://www.planecrazydownunder.com/2009/07/22/episode-2-aero-neuro-what/ http://www.planecrazydownunder.com/2009/07/22/episode-2-aero-neuro-what/#comments Wed, 22 Jul 2009 13:12:42 +0000 Grant (Falcon124) http://www.planecrazydownunder.com/?p=17 Surprisingly less than one week after our first episode was released, we’re releasing our second episode. During this one, we discuss the following items:

Singapore Airlines to fly A380 to Melbourne

Superjumbo threat to Qantas stepped up (Steve Creedy @ The Australian) British Airways cutting flights to Australia British Airways to cut flights to Australia . . . → Read More: PCDU Episode 2: Aero Neuro What???]]> Surprisingly less than one week after our first episode was released, we’re releasing our second episode. During this one, we discuss the following items:

]]> http://www.planecrazydownunder.com/2009/07/22/episode-2-aero-neuro-what/feed/ 0 0:34:27 Surprisingly less than one week after our first episode was released, we’re releasing our second episode. During this one, we discuss the following items: Singapore Airlines to fly A380 to Melbourne Superjumbo threat to Qantas stepped up (St[...] Surprisingly less than one week after our first episode was released, we’re releasing our second episode. During this one, we discuss the following items: Singapore Airlines to fly A380 to Melbourne Superjumbo threat to Qantas stepped up (Steve Creedy @ The Australian) British Airways cutting flights to Australia British Airways to cut flights to Australia (Steve Creedy @ The Australian) Garuda ends their only flight to Darwin Plea for Garuda to retain Darwin flights (Daniel Bourchier @ the Northern Territory News) Tiger Airlines protests V Australia’s agreement with Delta Tiger Airlines out to disrupt Delta Airways deal (Geoff Easdown @ the Courier Mail) Virgin’s joint venture deal with Delta has upset Tiger (Steve Creedy @ The Australian) Steve says Tiger Airways’ reality show is terrible but he’s going to keep watching it (Airways) Virgin Blue halts shares and appears to be seeking more money Virgin defers on call for funds (Matt O’Sullivan @ WA Today) Virgin goes to Gulf for cash (Adele Ferguson @ The Australian) Push for second Sydney area airport to be at the Richmond RAAF base Airlines push for second airport at RAAF base (Steve Creedy @ The Australian) Wikipedia information on RAAF Richmond airbase RAAF Sabre jet flies again Temora Aviation Museum Australian RAAF Sabre Flies Again (AVweb) We comment on Robyn Riley of the Sunday Herald Sun panning Air New Zealand’s Nothing To Hide campaign QANTAS ground staff in Perth are upset with management leaving them to deal with angry passengers Perth ground staff lash Qantas inaction (Steve Creedy @ The Australian) Jockeys smuggle beer onto REX flight and drink them while returning from a responsible drinking course Drunken flight lands jockeys in hot water (ABC News) Podcasts Steve Visscher & Grant McHerron (www.planecrazydownunder.com) no no