Episodes
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Episode 912: Avenging Bonza's ghost, Qantas has issues & Western Sydney Airport
The boys decide to show the world they still exist and record a new Australia Desk segment for the Geeks. As usual, it goes long but it's not like they're doing them weekly so if you average them out over time it all works out, right? Right? RIGHT? We kick off this report with the news that 777...
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Episode 908: Can Brisvegas survive Brian?
Brian's doing an Australian trip for family purposes, starting in Sydney and then to Brisbane, both far north of Mebourne. Well, if he's not going to Melbourne, Grant's going to use the excuse to blow some frequent flyer points to visit Brian in Brisbane and was sitting beside him when they…
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Episode 894: Vale Gary Bittle
Steve gives a tribute to Gary Bittle, his flight instructor and friend, who recently passed away.
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Episode 813: Pacific Airshow Gold Coast with Brian Coleman
The Pacific Airshow Gold Coast was held over the beautiful beaches of Surfers Paradise, Queensland from August 16-18, and Steve, Grant AND Brian Coleman were there to capture all the action. It was the second year of the event, and crowds were noticeably larger than 2023, with an enhanced and…
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Episode 811: Ummm, about Rex...
What a difference a few weeks makes.... In our last report, we spoke of the difficulties new entrants to the Australian airline market face, and how it almost always ends in tears. With startup LCC Bonza Air exiting the scene earlier this year, we were full of praise for Regional Express (Rex)…
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Episode 804: Bye Bye Bonza, Hello Triton!
Grant & Steve return for an Australia Desk report; the first for 2024, and much has happened in the first half of the year on the Australian aviation scene. Sadly, in a case of "we told you so", new LCC entrant Bonza Airlines has ceased operations after 15 months, entering into voluntary...
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Episode 777: GippsAero is Aussie again but some of Bonza's pax aren't happy
It's an auspicious episode given it's aligned to the mighty Boeing Triple-7 aircraft (the originals, not the -X :) ) but the main news is that the boys are very happy to report that George Morgan, the surviving co-founder of GippsAero, has purchased the company back from Mahindra Aerospace. His...
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Episode 774: Indo Pacific 2023 had helicopters, drones, and ... Grant
Despite saying they'd be back next week, reality got in the way and the boys are back this week instead. They're from Down Under and you know time works differently down here, right? The Indo Pacific International Maritime Exposition (IndoPac 2023) was held between November 7th & 9th in Sydney…
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Episode 772: Qantas' reputation drops as passenger annoyance (& fares) go up
Steve's recovery continues so the boys dive into the latest stories, kicking off with the realisation that the RAAF (or maybe the government) were listening to Episode 770 as the RAAF have been sent into Israel to provide repatriation flights for Australian citizens wishing to return home....
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Episode 770: Downunder news of Hearts and Aviation... we're back!
It's been a rather eventful couple of months here in Australia for aviation news and a little closer to home. Steve returns to the microphone following his recent journey with open heart surgery, the result of a heart attack in early September. The aviation podcast community was so generous in...
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Episode 748: Change of Monarch at Qantas by November
Qantas has dominated this week's airline news so naturally this episode is all about them. We start with the news that long-time, and often controversial, CEO Alan Joyce has announced his intention to step down in November, handing the reins to the company's current Chief Financial Officer…
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Episode 747: Memories of the Queen
This week being episode 747, we decided to have a little fun and look at some Australian Boeing 747 milestones over the years. There are so many to cover, so these are just a snapshot. We highly recommend checking out the Aussie Airliners website for a superb reference on Jumbo's and many, many...
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Episode 746: Vale Max Hazelton, an Australian aviation pioneer
There's lots to talk about this week (no surprise given it's been two weeks since the last Geeks episode) so we're going to try to compress it into less than 10 minutes. Do you think we can do it this time without reverting to compression techniques or gagging Grant? Well, listen and find out :)...
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Episode 745: Accents to the MAX as Winter draws near Down Under
Accents?? What accents?? It may well be a matter of perspective of course, but following on from last week's discussion by the Geeks of Aussie accents vs American accents, we take a quick look at some of the challenges that can sometimes pose, from an aviation standpoint. Suffice to say, not all...
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Episode 744: Bonza ticket sales for Bonza!
Australia's newest airline, Bonza, continues with the rollout of its new route network with the opening this week of its base in Melbourne, Victoria. The opening comes as figures show they've sold over 100,000 seats since commencing operation two months ago. Will the strategy of offering budget...
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Episode 743: Taking the MRH-90 for a drink
After a busy couple of weeks, the guys are back in the studio as Grant recovers from another weekend of air show commentary duties, this time at Benalla, 130 miles north of Melbourne. We discuss the role these regional air shows play in terms of promoting the importance and fun of aviation in the...
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Episode 741: You fly, I'll drink!
The ATSB releases their preliminary report on the Gold Coast helicopter mid-air collision, providing a high level overview of the facts gathered to date. Straddy Brewairy Tours launch a sight-seeing flight that combines beer sampling with views of Stradbroke Island then lands at the brewery for...
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Episode 740: Avalon's back and we're loving it, Chief!
The boys have made it to the Australian International Airshow 2023 (aka Avalon) and have been kept extremely busy recording content for the Australian Defence Magazine podcast as well as the recently revived Plane Crazy Down Under podcast. Woo hoo! The show has featured plenty of military and…
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Episode 738: Kiwi retirements, military rumours and preparations for Avalon 2023
The boys were a bit cheeky this week as they were able to re-use a big chunk of the content they recorded last week, even though Qantas hasn't had any turn backs this week. Go figure! CEA Technologies will be upgrading the fixed and portable training emitters at the ADFs test ranges while the...
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Episode 736: Anniversaries abound, from marriages to Emiroo
February seems to be anniversary time in Oz as it's a cracker time for a Summer wedding, but that's not been the case this week as it's been rather cold and we haven't (yet) seen any snow, and certainly none in Sydney. Snow however, was exactly what greeted a Sydney bound passenger this week as...
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Episode 735: Floods vs Gas, it's all on in Steve's sim session
Steve's a little tired after being recertified as an instructor...not for airplanes...but for trains. We discuss the similarities in approaches to training between rail and aviation, including one of Steve's more interesting sim sessions. Meanwhile, across the Tasman Sea at New Zealand's capital,...
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Episode 734: Bonza, a smattering of military and Qantas maintenance woes
After the Geeks asking how long the boys have been producing the OzDesk, they start with a bit of history and how they started submitting news via email, then recording separately until, on Episode 52 in June 2009, the first OzDesk was heard. With almost 300 OzDesks produced, Grant's very happy...
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Episode 733: Bonza gets its AOC & there's an Ozzie constellation in space
It's been only a week and the boys are back with a new OzDesk which could be setting a bit of a trend, but they had to come back to talk about the big big news. Yes, it was rumour when they recorded last week and it was still rumour when the Geeks released Episode 732, but now it's fact: Bonza…
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Episode 732: Fatal helicopter collision and Bonza's still awaiting their AOC
Wow, it's 2023 and the boys are back so hopefully they can get a few extra episodes into the feed this year. Meanwhile, Grant's been loading historical OzDesk segments into the Australia Desk website and hopes to get the full backlog loaded soon. The big news at present is the fatal collision of...
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Episode 711: It's Bonza, Mate!
Steve & Grant note that since the last episode we've lost Glen Towler from NZ and Grant's Dad Jim while also noting the anniversary of Steve's father's passing. After a small discussion on how both fathers were influential in the boys getting into aviation, we get into a couple of news stories....
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Episode 701: So much news, so little time...
The boys knew they'd be back with AusDesk episodes in 2022 but didn't think it would take quite *this* long to get one produced. Suffice to say, they've picked one of the busiest times in aviation Down Under to come back with lots of things to cover, so lets crack on with them: We start with the...
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Episode 684: The Blackhawks are dead, long live the Blackhawks
There's been a grave disturbance in the Force as another military platform gets retired (but not for long) and Qantas announces it's replacing its Boeing 737-800s with aircraft from the A320 family. You bet the boys will have commentary and opinions on these matters, so here they are: Army have...
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Episode 682: Farewell to the Classic Hornet
With the sad news that the RAAF have withdrawn the F/A-18 A & B aircraft from service this week, the boys are joined by Stewart Wilson, a well known aviation author and historian in Australia, to discuss their history in RAAF service. They even mention why these models are referred to as “Classic...
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Episode 679: Opened borders allow a QF A380 to return plus RAAF rumours galore
The boys are back and Grant's had to get Steve up at the crack of noon to record an Oz Desk much earlier than usual, but there's so much to discuss and so much to do, like maybe flying somewhere outside of Melbourne? First up, Australia's international borders are open again, admittedly only for...
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Episode 675: More Romeos, please, and let’s get International again
The boys are back for another Oz Desk and, despite being well over a year since their last one, everything works out just fine with no hassles, hijinks or shenanigans. Who knew? The Royal Australian Navy are shopping for another 12 MH-60R Romeos to add to their existing fleet of 24. Maybe they...
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Episode 614: The last Qantas 747 has left the party
Despite the best efforts of COVID to turn Victoria into Sick-toria (the infectious state) and Melbourne being locked down like East Berlin, the boys have managed to get another Oz Desk produced for Max to (hopefully :) ) allow into the show :) Yet another crew have used their flight path to draw…
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Episode 607: Quarantinny News from Down Under
It’s been a while since our last Australia Desk and the boys have been busy in their isolation. Grant’s picked up a new, sexy microphone & studio gear while Steve’s been busy perfecting his speed editing while working on more podcasts than even Max produces! Despite Grant not being able to fly on...
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Episode 583: Political Enquiries, a Jetstar Strike & more RAAF Airframes
It’s time for the annual OzDesk update and the boys are back with the following news items: The Federal Senate have launched (yet another) enquiry into CASA & GA Jetstar staff (ground crew and pilots) are going on strike over working conditions The latest set of F-35As arrive in Australia and our...
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Episode 500: Spartans are great even without the roll
How could the boys not crash a milestone 500th episode? With a nod to the bulk of their past reports, they present a standard Oz Desk episode with news reviews, discussion and fewer sound effects (mostly :) ). The topics covered today are: The RAAF receives their 10th and final C-27J Spartan,...
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Episode 484: Dusting off the Studio
Max managed to get the boys back into the studio to record an Australia Desk segment for the end-of-2017 “Bits n Pieces” episode. By the time they’d cleared out the dust, fired up the generators and caught up on what they’d each been doing since the last Oz Desk (way back in March), there was…
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Episode 442: We’re back at the Avalon Air Show
We’re back, babies (well, at least for this year :) ). Steve and Grant are at the Avalon Air Show 2017 and they interview Ben Morgan, CEO of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association of Australia who is working hard to increase membership and champion improvements to the General, Recreation and...
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Episode 382: So long & thanks for all the laughs
Once again it's Qantas all the way but this time our friend Richard Muirden was on board the first Qantas flight to San Francisco since 2011 :) CASA goes for awareness rather than registration for drones. To wrap things up, we have sad news: It's taken some thinking and some angst but Steve &…
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Episode 380: 5.5 Hour ETOPS? Wow!
Steve's back in the studio so the sound quality is up and so is the number of stories: AirNZ operates first ETOPS 330 flight to Buenos Aires ATSB & CASA investigating Jetstar after 2 separate weight & balance incidents Airscope Industries run their drones like an airline
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Episode 379: Steve’s turn to Visit Fiji
Steve’s relaxing in Fiji but still takes a moment to chat with Grant & record some content for the OzDesk before going back to his strenuous relaxation program. Virgin Australia were the most punctual airline in October but Steve’s aborted take off in one of their aircraft heading to Fiji won’t…
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Episode 378: Ice ice baby!
Big news this week as the RAAF lands one of their C17s on the Wilkins ice runway in Antarctica. The RAAF may also be looking at a new, bigger VIP aircraft as our Prime Minister needs a bigger executive jet to take his entourage with him on longer summit missions. Despite the PM considering a…
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Episode 376: It’s all Back in Black
Grant’s not letting his birthday get in the way of recording an OzDesk but Steve’s been loading up the articles so this could be a long one! Qantas loses its bet with Air New Zealand and celebrates the recent All Blacks win If it's not one volcano blocking Bali, it's the other QF & VA say credit...
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Episode 375: Angels Passing Gas
Steve’s had a good time being Em-Cee at the OzRunways fundraiser for Angel Flight with Matt Hall in the Regal Air hangar at Bankstown in Sydney but now it's back to work and producing the OzDesk. In the news today, CASA says it'll listen to industry yet also says that it’s losing money which is...
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Episode 374: Tiger Enters the Comedy Market, Who Knew?
The boys are back and the comedy flows as they report on Tiger Airways apparently improving their customer experience and even getting a new call center. Steve is less than enthused! He is, however, rather excited about the next Retro Roo colour scheme from Qantas. As we record an existing…
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Episode 372: Grant’s Back on Deck
Grant's back on deck (& so is Nykolai :) ) but he's struggling to remember how to do the AusDesk. Not to worry, Steve helps him get back in the groove and the guys report on: CASA warning drone operators to stay clear of bush fires Alan Joyce awarded Airline CEO of the Year by CAPA (say WHAT???…
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Episode 371: Calling Karratha, come in ATC Ben
Finally back after a bit of a break although Grant has subbed out due to family reasons, being ably replaced by ATC Ben. Ben tells us about his recent slight change of job, and location, having moved from the world of en-route controller in Melbourne to tower controller in the remote Western...
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Episode 366: Bigger is better? A380, C130s and Alan Joyce’s salary
Grant's back and the boys are gobsmacked by Alan Joyce's $12 million salary! They're pretty sure their morals would get corrupted for that amount of money! Still with Qantas, they've painted A380 VH-OQH to support the Wallabies rugby union team (Grant tries to explain what that means). Getting…
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Episode 365: Qantas gets a profit & Matt Hall’s back on the podium
Steve is solo this week as Grant is out of action with a throat infection. Steve covers the huge turnaround in the Qantas full year profit ($575 million profit after a $2.8 billion loss the year before) with an excerpt of Ross Greenwood from Sydney radio station 2GB interviewing CEO Alan Joyce...
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Episode 363: The Virgin, the Tiger, the Sex Party and the Max
Steve has declared that the boys won't be talking about the Australian Sex Party despite Grant's protestations (don’t worry, you can hear our chat with two of their pilots, Ken Hill & Tim Sheen, back in PCDU Episode 40). After getting past that tricky topic, they proceed to discuss: Virgin...
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Episode 362: First in Type – Mostly
It’s a week of firsts for the Australian Defence Force as the boys give progress on still more new or updated airframes coming down under: The first RAAF E18G Growler is unveiled The first RAAF P8A is under construction & due to have its first flight in mid 2016 First of 15 Airbus Helicopter…
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Episode 361: Qantas Turning the Corner?
The boys are back in the studio and Grant’s trying VERY hard not to explode over the news that Qantas is doing very well thanks to Alan Joyce. It’s not that they haven’t turned the corner and improved their stock price, it’s more that they’ve done it despite Joyce’s previous management disasters…
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