The Australian Beechcraft Society is holding their Pilot Proficiency Program for 2026 at Cowra from the 19th to 22nd of March, so if you own, fly or maintain Bonanzas and/or Barons, you’re going to want to be there. There will be a comprehensive flying program, detailed maintenance reviews, and two days of presentations from specialists on the Bonanza and Baron, plus other speakers including Airservices, CASA, and Stralis Engineering. We caught up with representatives from the Australian Beechcraft Society along with two very experienced members of the American Bonanza Society who will be coming to Australia for the event. It’s a great chat with something to learn even if you don’t fly a Beechcraft. 0:01:07 – We kick off the episode and oh wow, it’s 2026 already. How did that happen? 0:04:25 – We chat with Dave Porter and David Young from the Australian Beechcraft Society about their flying experience and how they became part of the Beechcraft world. The conversation includes how Textron Aviation now owns both Cessna and Beechcraft, an overview of the Society, and the importance of aircraft type clubs for operational and maintenance knowledge, plus lobbying with regulators on your behalf. We also touch on the range of Beechcraft types, including the aerobatic Bonanzas and T-34 Mentor, then discuss what to expect from the 2026 Pilot Proficiency Program, the importance of attending, and how to sign up for it. 0:47:32 – We present a promotion for our latest podcast production: A History of the Future, then tell you a little about it. 0:51:20 – We’re joined by Bob Ripley & Tom Turner from the American Bonanza Society and, after the inevitable discussion about the weather, we talk about their backgrounds and aviation experience, the number of Bonanzas and Barons still flying, and the benefits the Society provides to members. We also talk about some of the things pilots and maintainers should be aware of with these aircraft and that there are specific items for not only different models, but also specific to serial number ranges. We wrap our chat by learning the specifics of what they’re bringing to the Australian event, including a detailed walk-around specific to your aircraft’s model and serial number, and what unique aspects they’ve identified about flying and maintaining these aircraft in Australia. 1:30:26 – We talk briefly about Grant’s trip to Singapore and introduce the next segment. 1:32:24 – Grant talks with Jimmy Beeson, Textron’s Vice President for Product Development, about identifying opportunities for updates and new developments, working with customers to assess their needs and obtain feedback on new ideas, the latest developments, and the use of Virtual and Augmented Reality when working with customers. The conversation also touches on Textron’s recent closure of the Bonanza and Baron production lines, plus what to expect from the new Denali aircraft and when it’s going to be in production. 1:43:42 – We wrap up with summary of the Singapore Air Show, catching up with Brian Coleman while there, and then close out the episode. Links: Australian Beechcraft Society: abs.org.au ABS PPP 2026: www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAFZSLrpE44 American Bonanza Society: www.bonanza.org Textron Aviation: txtav.com Beechcraft: beechcraft.txtav.com Cessna: cessna.txtav.com A History of the Future: www.australiandefence.com.au/history-of-the-future Australian Defence Magazine: www.australiandefence.com.au Singapore Air Show: www.singaporeairshow.com Credits: Introduction voice over and closing credits by Kevin Hillier Contact us via contact@planecrazydownunder.com
Many in Australia will have flown the Embraer E190 as there are a few flying here with Airnorth, Alliance Airlines (as QantasLink) and National Jet, plus the ones Virgin Australia used to operate back prior to COVID. The E190 and E195 include such wonderful features as large, well positioned windows (no bending down to look […]
It was a baking hot 42 Celsius (108 Fahrenheit) under the scorching Australian sun when the Sport Aircraft Association of Australia held its AusFly 2025 event at Wentworth, New South Wales, during the middle of March. Grant was on the commentary team but Steve couldn’t make it due to a scheduling conflict, so Grant recorded […]
It’s our first episode for 2025 so we’re allowed to say Happy New Year, right? Even though it’s February, right? We may be Australia’s longest running aviation podcast but we’re taking a very long time to get to episode 200 :) This episode we follow our dreams into the stratosphere and beyond, featuring a great […]
Just to be different, this episode Steve joins ATC Ben on a BenAir flight from Essendon (YMEN) to Temora (YTEM) to attend the NatFly 2014 event. With the Cirrus SR20’s autopilot keeping them on track, Captain Ben & FO Steve introduce the show before opening up their packed lunches. Sadly, Sierra Juliette Alpha (VH-SJA) did not include a flight attendant so they had to arrange their own drinks.
BenAir’s VH-SJA after arriving at Temora (YTEM)Meanwhile, as you may have heard on a recent Australia Desk Segment, Grant was flying hot air balloons in Leeton, about 60 nautical miles south west of Temora. While Steve & Ben were at NatFly & recording a few interviews, Grant managed to corner a pilot for a chat in Leeton.
This episode unfolds with the following content:
0:03:54 – Paul Goard from Brumby Aircraft Australia (based in Cowra, New South Wales) talks about their high-wing aircraft, the change to the Rotax engine and their production schedule.
0:08:49 – Robin Lowe from Lowe Flight (based at Kilcunda, Victoria) talks about the Fresh Breeze XCitor Paratrike which subsequently won the “Best Powered Parachute” award at NatFly 2014.
It also turns out that Robin is looking for an instructor to join his team so if you’re interested, his contact details are on the website :)
0:14:54 – Bob & Marya Phillips at AvTours Australia have been in the aviation tours business since 1989. They talk about the tours they’ve previously run to Oshkosh and their plans for this year’s tour.
0:24:57 – Matt Hall from Matt Hall Racing talks about pylon hits, assessing the other competitors, the removal of the knife-edge pass pylons from the Red Bull Air Race‘s track design and his schedule for the next month or two.
0:31:31 –Grant firing the burners during inflation (Photo by Greg Maunder Sports Photography) Grant catches up with Niall Higgins after another fun morning flying hot air balloons over Leeton. Niall talks about his background in aviation and why he flies fixed wing AND hot air balloons. In addition to flying a Yak52 with the Russian Roolettes, Niall also flies Tiger Moths and he talks about a very special gig on ANZAC Day this year: as part of the lead up to the Great Tiger Moth Air Race, Niall flew one of 4 Tigermoths up Sydney Harbour with WWII veterans on board.
0:38:17 – As ATC Ben flies the Sierra Juliet Alpha back to Essendon, he records a NatFly 2014 wrap up with Steve while they were somewhere over Mt Kosciuszko.
VH-SJA parked back at Essendon (YMEN) after the flightBalloons flying over Leeton (Grant’s in there somewhere :) )
As the F111 was late & delayed by all sorts of issues, so too has our Episode 111 been late in arriving. Our big excuse has been discovering that the PCDU Radio Show has taken a LOT more effort than we expected. All this plus our day jobs, families AND our PCDU Commentary & Announcing gigs have, in turn, made it almost impossible to get an episode out. Suffice to say, we’re parking the radio show production for a while as we try to find a new way of working that lets us produce radio shows AND episodes. It’s very much a learning experience!
Meanwhile, we have managed to get this episode out and it’s packed with lots of great content, including:
0:01:55 – Grant recently took a holiday in Bali & flew with Virgin Australia. He provides a review of their short-haul international business class service & the GA scene on Bali.
0:12:50 – We chat with Mark Pracy from Pracy Racing about his preparations for Reno 2013 and the “feel” of the event now that it’s coming up on two years since the big crash back in 2011.
0:34:46 – We present a summary of the chats Steve recorded with Dave Jacka as he made his solo-flight around Australia to become the first quadriplegic person to do so as part of his On A Wing & A Chair charity. These chats were recorded during Dave’s journey and after his return to Tooradin airport (YTDN), giving a great overview of the many issues & experiences he encountered.
1:03:46 – During Exercise Talisman Saber, Damien Rose interviewed Jake Press a pilot with the KC135. He then went on to enjoy a great ride in a USAF C17 doing a low-level airdrop. You can watch his summary video posted to the PCDU YouTube channel:
1:08:20 – Back in 2012, Grant had a great chat with David Cottee, the curator of the Qantas Heritage Collection
1:29:28 – Also back in 2012, Grant had a fantastic chat with Paul Gianniotis, an ex-Cathay Pacific Flight Engineer who learned to fly in a Piper at Kai Tak in Hong Kong (no, really :) ) and even started flying hot air balloons in Hong Kong. As you could imagine, he’s got some amazing stories to tell!
1:47:23 – We give some shoutouts:
The Stuck Mic AvCast has not only passed their 50th episode, they’re about to release their 55th! Awesome!
Dave Homewood is about to release his 50th Wings Over New Zealand podcast episode and it’s going to be a fantastic one!
Bevan Anderson from AvSoft has seen his AvPlan application turn 2 years old
Steve’s daughter Rachel turned 18 and his wife now has her Yellow Belt in Karate
Australia’s Federal Election is coming up & once again we’re going to do some Election Quick Cast episodes to give you an insite to the aviation policies (if any) of the major parties
