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By Grant (Falcon124), on September 4th, 2010% Podcast: Play in new window | Download (82.4MB) Subscribe: This episode we’re joined by Will Horton from the Wings Down Under blog to chat about recent aviation news items. We also have Anthony Simmons returning for another View from the Lounge segment and a chat with Damien Rose about his flight training up in Toowoomba. The episode wraps up with some listener mail and a shout out so it’s a little long but that should make up for the three Election QuickCast episodes we released recently :)
The list of topics we discussed with Will Horton include:
- A review of the recent Asia/Pacific Aviation Outlook Summit in Sydney
- The Asia/Pacific outlook for airlines includes a prediction for strong growth
- “Buy local” for Russia (Sukhoi) & China (Comac) plus India building up its local aeronautics capabilities along with Mahindra & Mahindra buying into Australian aviation companies such as Gippsland Aeronautics
- Cathay Pacific’s Boeing 777-300 and Airbus A350-900 order
- V Australia’s 777 useage in Fiji & Bali plus the use of wide bodies (eg: 767/A330) on domestic routes due to slot restrictions
- Qantas wanting to fly 787s into China & on to Europe
- Jetstar being boosted over Qantas (if it’s new it’s JQ) and using Singapore as a hub into Europe
- Qantas’s new smart card system for check-in that relies on elite frequent flyers who are with Qantas, not Jetstar
- AirAsia setting up a Frequent Flyer program
- Crawford Rix @ Tiger Airways is against frequent flyer programs as they’re anticompetitive and is hinting that Tiger could go down the RyanAir path (standing seats, pay loos, etc) – at least for the publicity :)
- Customers in Australia and Asia/Pacific wanting a higher level of standards
- Tiger setting up a franchise in Thailand (51% Thai owned but still Tiger Thailand)
- China more likely to have standing seats as the Chinese can lay down the law for their own operations – no need to align with FAA/EASA standards although they’re investing in highspeed trains)
- AirAsia wants to enter the Australian domestic & trans-tasman market
- The high quality of the AirAsia experience (a discount carrier that doesn’t nickle & dime their passengers) will hit Jetstar hard
- Pacific Blue is pulling out of the New Zealand domestic market
- Repurposing of V Australia’s 777s off the Fiji route
- United is not worried about Delta-V
- Qantas’ financial results
Steve & Grant also talk afterwards about Virgin Blue’s financial results which came out after we spoke with Will, along with their news about adding A330s, dropping the E170s (while keeping the E190s) and linking up with Etihad.
By Grant (Falcon124), on December 19th, 2009% Podcast: Play in new window | Download (68.0MB) Subscribe:  Regent Street in the snow (by Jon Curnow) For the majority of our listeners it’s warm and getting warmer down here in the Southern Summer with Christmas just around the corner. Not so in London where it’s bleak and somewhat miserable (and that’s the economy, let alone the weather). Saj Ahmad from FleetBuzz Editorial is based in London and recently returned from the scorching skies of Dubai where he’d been attending the Dubai Airshow 2009. Saj generously took some time away from his family to record with us last Sunday (morning his time, evening our time), trying not to look out the window at the winter weather while we discussed the warmth Melbourne was experiencing. The discussion covers the Dubai Airshow, Middle East airlines and their flights to Australia, aircraft orders and the (then) pending first flight of the 787. It’s an enlightening chat and we’ll be sure to have Saj on again early in the new year.
In addition to our chat with Saj, we also recorded some news items to round out the episode. We actually recorded these on the same day the 787 flew and, thanks to the miracle of modern technology, have spliced it all together into a single show. Neat, hey! :)
Topics in this episode include:
- The 787 finally flew – you can check out Boeing’s ‘first flight’ site for all the videos
- Jet star’s check-in system goes down and then a few days later, so does Virgin Blue’s:
- Former doctor Geoffrey Edelsten crashes his helicopter on his first solo
- Delta & V Australia tighten their alliance in steps towards the full Delta-V marriage
- Discussion with Saj Ahmad
- Air New Zealand opens direct Sydney to Rotorua flights
- The Garuda pilot who was convicted for negligence in the cause of a fatal crash ha his conviction quashed
- The Australian Federal Government releases their eagerly awaited aviation white paper
- Sydney Flight Training Centre collapses leaving many students with debts (Pilot pupils left grounded after flight school collapse (Andrew Carswell @ the Daily Telegraph))
- A DC-10 fire bomber arrives for the Victorian forest fire season
- First use of a SkyCrane fire bomber this season (Air crane used on Blue Mountains blaze (ABC News))
- David Vanderhoof’s aviation history down under segment (at last – Grant forgot to include it in episode 19 – ooops)
- Listener mail, including George from New Zealand with his super sexy Falco aircraft
- There’s a chartered Air New Zealand 747 flying to Oshkosh 2010 (details with Avtours Australia) and we’re dreaming of being on it (it’s only AUS$4k each including accommodation – anyone want to help donate to get us there? :)
As usual, our theme music track is “YouNameIt5” by Brian Simpson (aka t3cat5) and our sound effects come from SoundSnap.com.
By Grant (Falcon124), on September 11th, 2009% Podcast: Play in new window | Download (99.9MB) Subscribe: We thought we’d have this episode out within a few days of our previous one, but there was so many news items to review, so much to discuss and so many bits to splice together that it took a whole week to bring it to you. Weighing in at almost 2 hours, this episode has interviews, GA, follow ups and much much more.
Continue reading PCDU Episode 8: Riding Our Segways
By Grant (Falcon124), on August 16th, 2009% Podcast: Play in new window | Download (69.4MB) Subscribe: Steve’s back from his trip to the USA and, despite some jet lag woes, he’s in the recording studio and the banter is flowing in our longest episode yet. Sadly, the first 15 minutes sound like Grant’s testing NASA’s new Interplanetary Internet and experiencing a really crappy connection. Not to worry, it soon clears up and the rest of the episode quite clearly reveals our usual commentary on this week’s local aviation news stories, including the following topics:
- Airlines PNG Twin Otter crash at Kokoda
 Landing gear incidents @ Bankstown (YSBK)
- Regional airlines worrying about aircraft
- Flying Doctor losing a contract
 Steve discusses his visit to the TWiT Cottage and meeting Leo Laporte (go on gang, you *know* you’re jealous :) - Steve clarifies that he went to Eaker AFB while in the USA but named it incorrectly during his update on the previous episode
- Steve talks about his flights with V Australia
- We discuss an article by Andrew McLaughlin in the July issue of Australian Aviation magazine about United Airlines fighting to retain share on the Pacific route
- Tiger is taking steps to improve its image
- V Australia wants to fly to Fiji
- Grant talks about his experiences going to Sydney for the SimpliFlying/PCDU Tweet Up along side the Asia Pacific Aviation Outlook Summit 2009 conference
- QANTAS links its frequent flyer program to the Woolworths loyalty program
- AirAsiaX news
- Malaysia Airlines getting stung by low cost carriers
- Laser taggers arrested
By Grant (Falcon124), on July 31st, 2009% Podcast: Play in new window | Download (21.2MB) Subscribe: 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 737 de-pressurises during flight
- Jetstar upsetting Kiwi pax with baggage charges
- It’s official, Regional Express (REX) is the world’s best regional carrier
- Virgin Blue 737 loses a nose wheel
- Brett Godfrey announces he’ll retire from Virgin Blue
- Virgin Blue to raise capital
- John Holland Group wins Virgin Blue’s Embraer maintenance work
- Macquarie Airports to separate from the Macquarie Group
- PelAir chosen for Ambulance Victoria contract
- Steve Visscher presents an update from the USA, including flight comparisons and the TSA
By Grant (Falcon124), on July 22nd, 2009% Podcast: Play in new window | Download (31.5MB) Subscribe: 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
- British Airways cutting flights to Australia
- Garuda ends their only flight to Darwin
- Tiger Airlines protests V Australia’s agreement with Delta
- 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
- Push for second Sydney area airport to be at the Richmond RAAF base
- RAAF Sabre jet flies again
- 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
- Jockeys smuggle beer onto REX flight and drink them while returning from a responsible drinking course
By admin, on July 16th, 2009% Podcast: Play in new window | Download (25.0MB) Subscribe: Weighing in at a whole 27 minutes and 18 seconds, here’s the first episode of the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast. During this episode, we discuss the following news items:
Continue reading PCDU Episode 1: And so it begins…
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