The Australia Desk

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 fully loaded flying program comprising local aerobatic performers, military contingents from Australia, the USA and UK, emergency services displays and much more.With Micah also on the line, we quiz Brian on his experience travelling to Australia, flying domestic sectors here with Virgin Australia, and the reaction of local flight crews to his custom made gifts, presented as he boarded each flight.

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), who seemed at least on the surface of things to really be kicking some goals.So imagine our surprise when it was announced on July 30th that Rex had been placed into voluntary administration; its 737 fleet grounded and their associated flights cancelled. It was news that blindsides many in the industry and media alike, and appears to have come in the wake of a board level stoush that's left the carrier starved of funding.  News out today suggests Rex's deficit may be as high at $A500million.  Affected passengers (including Steve and his wife) were re-booked on Virgin Australia flights - a process which has so far been flawless, with VA taking leases on three of Rex's 10 737-800's (jets which ironically had come from VA in the first place) to bolster capacity.Rex's regional SAAB 340 services remain operational at present, as administrators Ernst & Young seek to find a buyer for the airline.In defence news, the USAF have parked a handful of F-22's at RAAF Base Williamtown in New South Wales, allowing joint training exercises with local F-35A's from 3SQN & 77SQN. Two of these Hickam based Raptors will be making their way north to Queensland for the upcoming Pacific Airshow Gold Coast. Raptors are not often seen in this part of the world, so it'll be a treat to see them perform at the event.And speaking of the Pacific Airshow Gold Coast, Steve & Grant will be there for all the action, along with the Airplane Geeks' very own Brian Coleman. Be sure to let us know if you'll be there too!

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 administration on April 30th. Despite numerous reports of a buyer being found for the group, lessors had repossessed all of the company's 737 MAX8 aircraft, the last of which departed Australia on June 5th.Bonza joins a long list of failed operators who've tried to enter the local airline market, only to find that hype, spin and fancy PR only go so far before the financial realities of operating in an ultra-competitive aviation environment begin to take their toll. Previous entrants include Compass, Air Australia, JetGo, Impulse (which morphed eventually into Jetstar), OzJet, and most notably (but for perhaps a wider range of issues) Ansett.But fear not! As cringeworthy as the infantile branding of Bonza was, Grant shakes Steve to his boots with news of a possible new contender under the name Koala Airlines. Oh dear....In defence news, the RAAF has taken delivery of its first MQ-4C Triton aircraft; the first of four on order which will be based in northern Australia at RAAF Base Tindal, and operated remotely from RAAF Base Edinburgh in South Australia by 9 Squadron.9SQN had been stood down since 1989, following the transfer of Australia's Blackhawk fleet to the Army, and has now been reactivated in this new RPAS role. The squadron enjoys a rich history however, dating back to its inception in 1939.

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 plans are to re-activate refurbishments and rebuilds of the GA-8 Airvan fleet with a goal of reviving production. Great news indeed!Sadly, it's not so great news for Bonza's passengers in Darwin who were expecting to fly to the Gold Coast, only to discover that their flight was cancelled at the last minute and, in fact, the commencement of the Darwin to Gold Coast route has been pushed back to January. Fuming passengers report less than stellar responses from Bonza's only way of getting customer service: via the Bonza app. Is this an indication of general troubles ahead for Bonza? Are they repeating Tiger Airways Australia's mistakes of trying to grow too quickly? We sure hope not.Meanwhile, Virgin Australia are increasing their 737 MAX-8 order up to 14 airframes. Announced on the day their third MAX-8 arrived, VA joins Bonza as the only two domestic operators of the MAX-8 in Australia, as Qantas is planning to replace their 737 fleet with A320s.Staying with Virgin Australia, they've rekindled their relationship with Air New Zealand through a new codeshare agreement that will allow VA pax to cross the Tasman on AirNZ aircraft. This will bring more passengers to AirNZ and give VA frequent flyers the opportunity to earn those all important Status Credits as they cross the ditch. Grant just wants to know where the hell was this agreement five months ago when he was booking his flights to NZ for September and had to fly Qantas.The boys wrap the episode with Steve possibly offending our Kiwi audience, much to Grant's dismay. Remember, you can always use [email protected] if you want to tell Steve how annoying and/or wrong he was...

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, and Grant was in attendance, gathering content for Australian Defence Magazine. We take a brief look at the expo, particularly in terms of a focus on maritime aviation and defence.Closer to home, local company Rosebank Engineering has secured a contract for RAAF F-35 component maintenance, activating their wheel & brake repair depot in an outer eastern suburb of Melbourne. Could this be the same Rosebank that produced the infamous Stackhat, the all Australian crash helmet from back in the 80s?Over in Perth, the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) this week celebrated 30 years of operations at RAAF Base Pearce in Western Australia, conducting lead-in and advanced training for their military pilots. The Australian Defence Force enjoys a close working relationship with the Singaporeans not only at Pearce, but in several other aspects of training including CH-47 Chinook training at the Army Aviation Regiment's base at Oakey in Queensland.We also look at new, deployable hangars from DomeShelter, that use 40' shipping containers and an inflatable cover. Pretty amazing stuff that also has potential for use as a deployable studio for the boys...Finally, to bring us back to the maritime start, what exactly was Steve eating for lunch that has Grant so concerned? Tune in to find out! Anchors (or stomach contents) away....

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.Meanwhile, back at home, Qantas hasn't had the best of years, especially when it comes to reputational damage, and the latest Roy Morgan Trusted Brands Awards bear this out following a year long survey which shows Virgin Australia has now replaced their larger rival as the most trusted airline brand in the land. Further helping the reputational damage, Qantas has found another way to annoy customers (and they likely won't be the only airline doing it), announcing fare increases of 3.5% for their mainline network, and 3% for Jetstar flights, thanks mainly to the rising cost of fuelCloser to Melbourne, a local Member of Parliament has had a lucky escape, when a skydive aircraft he was on-board lost power soon after takeoff and returned to Earth with a thud. Everyone walked away, with only two people requiring first aid...which was lucky because this MP just happens to be a former professional firefighter.We close out with Steve wondering if Australia is planning to start its very own Space Force?? Well... probably not, but a recent agreement signed by the US and Australia will unlock the potential for both countries to move ahead with space launch from Down Under in the near to medium future.

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 their support during this time, and we take a moment to speak to that and express our appreciation. For more information on the experience, check out Steve's "Proceed Aspect" blog. In aviation news this week, Qantas has been involved in transporting Australian citizens out of Israel, on behalf of the federal government, due to the escalating conflict there.  At the time of recording, one 787 flight had been completed, while a second was aborted due to security concerns.  That flight was rescheduled for Tuesday.  The 787's are taking passengers first to London where they are then returned to Australia using A380's. Former Air New Zealand CEO Christopher Luxon shifted into politics in recent times and is now Prime Minister of New Zealand following the recent elections.  The news comes as the nation's flag carrier experiences financial stresses due largely to the escalating price of fuel, exacerbated by ongoing wranglings with Pratt & Whitney over engine issues, and a post-covid travel credit hangover. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority is on a recruitment drive, offering multiple aircrew roles on their Dash 8 and Challenger 604 fleet.  Find out more at this recruitment site. An Australian man is at the centre of a recent incident which resulted in a Scoot 787 flight from Singapore to Perth being turned around & given an RSAF F-15 escort back to Changi And the team at Paul Bennet Airshows have had a grand time at the recent Australian Aerobatic Championships, held at Narromine in New South Wales.  Paul took out the Freestyle Championship, while many other members of them team swept the awards categories as well. 

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, Vanessa Hudson.Hudson has been working at the airline in various roles over her 28 year career, and her appointment comes as no surprise, despite claims of a world-wide search for Joyce's replacement, taking in around 40 potential candidates. Alan Joyce began his airline career in 1988 at Aer Lingus, coming to Australia in 1996 for roles at Ansett before joining Qantas in 2000. He became the CEO of low-cost offshoot Jetstar in 2003 before being appointed Qantas CEO in 2008.Meanwhile, Qantas is once again taking unions to court, this time over the question of A380 Second Officer vacancies, and whether they're able to bypass the long standing convention of pilot seniority to fill current gaps. Their proposal includes recruiting aircrew from outside the company. The Australian & International Pilots Association wants the seniority system retained, and the decision of the court may well have broader implications for Australian workers, should they be unsuccessful.

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 other types in Australian service.We also include a piece from our friend Owen Zupp who was one of the pilots taking Qantas' final 747 on its flight to the Victorville Boneyard. As it left Australian skies, the aircraft's flight path traced a flying kangaroo, with Owen telling us some of the planning that went into it. This is an excerpt from our full interview with Owen which you can find at Plane Crazy Down Under's Series 2, Episode 2: Owen Zupp on Resilience.Meanwhile, in the news this week, regional operator ReX have made the decision to cut schedules across their route network, citing access to trained staff and the impact of global supply chain issues impacting their ability to service and operate their fleet, especially in terms of sourcing parts & spares for their SAAB 340's.The Australian Government's Defence Strategic Review has been released, and we continue to pour over the details, with the Army appearing to cop the brunt of cutbacks and/or changes to equipment and posturing, while the impact, if any, on defence aviation operations remains to be seen. We'll have more on this in future editions of this report, and on Plane Crazy Down Underaus & the Australian Defence Magazine podcast in coming weeks.Finally, it's been 14 years since our first meet-up at Moorabbin that spawned the Australia Desk and PCDU. Plus, as we record this, it's David Vanderhoof's birthday so, sadly, Grant just had to sing Happy Birthday...

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 :)Aviation pioneer Max Hazelton has sadly passed away shortly before his 96th birthday after quite the career. Max was the founder of Hazelton Airlines which became a subsidiary of Ansett Airlines and then merged with Kendell Airlines to become Regional Express (aka REX) after Ansett went under in September 2001.Speaking of REX, they've taken a financial stake in a local electric propulsion company.Meanwhile, Qantas' bid to take over Alliance Airlines is blocked by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) and Qantas are not happy about it.Finally, a former RAF Museum P-51 Mustang arrives at the Hunter Fighter Collection in Scone where it was reassembled to static display in just three days.Whew! Done in under 10 minutes with no sneaky shenanigans. Who knew? :)

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 phonetics work: X for Xylophone, anyone? :)In the news, Virgin Australia has resumed flights this week to the Pacific paradise of Vanuatu, following a three year COVID driven break. As you'll hear, the crew received a warm welcome upon arrival in Port Vila.Virgin are also expecting the delivery of their first 737 MAX aircraft, something also delayed, and obviously not only by the COVID years. The airline had originally placed their orders prior to the type's well publicised issues, and hence put those plans on hold pending a solution. At any rate, we expect to see the first MAX in VA colours here in June.And being Easter, we see the yearly reportage of massive queues and delays at many of Australia's larger airports, as people flock to get away on the last holiday break before the Australian winter sets in.

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 fares for Melburnians to access the warmer weather of Queensland and points north be sustainable in the medium to long term? Will other airlines move to match their destinations and pricing? Business is busss, after all. We'll continue to watch with interest.Qantas meantime has ventured into the sustainability stakes from another angle: biofuels. Partnering with Queensland based biofuel manufacturer LanzaJet & JetZero Australia, the airline will aim to jointly fund the construction of a facility to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The proposed facility will utilise LanzaJet’s alcohol-to-jet technology to produce up to 100 million litres of SAF per year. Construction is expected to start in 2024.The Royal Australian Air Force has returned from a successful Exercise Cope North in Guam, testing new strategies for the use of its C-27J Spartan fleet. The platform continues to evolve for the RAAF, having been re-classified in 2021 from that of a battlefield airlifter to “Light Tactical Fixed Wing Airlifter,” preventing its use in "hot" environments due to issues with its self-protection systems. This exercise allowed it to demonstrate its suitability for operations in "warm" environments and not just for Humanitarian Assistance / Disaster Relief operations (HADR).

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 community.Meanwhile, the Army's fleet of MRH-90 Taipan helicopters has been temporarily grounded following an incident this week. The crew of a Taipan conducting a special forces training exercise off Jervis Bay, 200km south of Sydney, had to ditch their aircraft after it appeared to lose power. Only minor injuries were sustained by some on-board, and the aircraft was successfully recovered. An investigation is now underway,Staying with military, Northrop Grumman Australia’s newly-modernised Brisbane Maintenance and Modification Centre (BMMC) has been officially re-opened; a major facility for the sustainment of the Royal Australian Air Force’s (RAAF) aviation capability. Northrop Grumman has invested $20 million in the BMMC project and the facility conducts continuous through life support to RAAF fleets including its six KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft and 10 C-27J Spartan transport aircraft, and will provide jobs for around 100 people.And across the Ditch in New Zealand, Bevan Dewes’ immaculately restored, former Royal New Zealand Air Force Harvard Mk.IIa (NZ1044) landed at its new home in Masterton, New Zealand on March 19th, 2023 following a three-year rebuild effort with Twenty24 Ltd, at Wanaka. Registered as ZK-OTU, the aircraft made its first post-restoration flight from Wanaka on March 10th.

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 lunch (and more beers, of course :) ). Suffice to say, Grant is very keen to try this one out, although Steve wants to be flying the aircraft with the pilot...The Google Wing drone delivery platform is going to be trialling automated loading of deliveries in Australia. Steve hopes they start servicing Melbourne so he can get his coffees delivered directly to his desk!

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 some GA announcements but not a lot on the airline front as far as the boys could tell. In addition to the AH-64E Apache, F-35A and P-8A doorstop interview opportunities with the Defence Minister, there was also the announcement that the RAAF are standing up 9SQN once again to fly the MQ-4C Triton UCAS. This news was scooped a few days in advance of the official announcement because we all saw the 9SQN emblem proudly painted on the aircraft's fins. Oooops :)Speaking of drones, Grant interviewed a representative of the team developing the "Wanderer," a sovereign, low cost ISR drone with all components made in Australia that's been designed and built by the RAAF and the Defence Science and Technology Group. Very neat stuff!At this year's airshow, Peter Meehan announced he was hanging up the microphone and retiring from the commentary team. He has been the "Voice of Avalon" since 1992 and is handing over the team anchor role to our friend Tony Moclair. Steve & Grant grabbed a quick chat with them both about the transition.It wouldn't be an Avalon without at least one tanker on the ramp and, this year, we had three examples of the USAF's current tankers: KC-135, KC-10 and KC-46. Grant's calling them Grandpa, Juniour and Cousin It...

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 RAAF's EA-18G Growlers will be updated in alignment with the US Navy's aircraft development projects.The Kiwi's are retiring the first of their C-130Hs that was due to undergo heavy maintenance one year out from their first C-130J arriving, so it was deemed more economical to retire the airframe. Meanwhile, the retirement of the P-3K2 fleet has left a six month capability gap for their maritime patrol which the Kiwi's are hoping to fill with assistance from the RAAF and the USA.Keeping with Defence, the Australian government's Defence Strategic Review has been delivered to the Prime Minister but not yet made public, so the leaks have started to flow with rumours of more Tritons and F-35As being ordered.Meanwhile, the Australian government are launching an aviation white paper process which is further delaying the urgently required efforts that the sector desperately needs. They could easily implement a few recommendations from the past three or four reviews and inquiries that obviously are required, all in parallel to the white paper. Sadly, it's not likely to happen :(

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 confusion with the spelling of the airport's name (and IATA code) when booking saw him arrive in a rather chilly Sidney, Montana.Speaking of anniversaries, it's been ten years since the Qantas and Emirates codeshare agreement was formed, giving rise to the unofficial name Emiroo and joke airline code QFEK. We look at what that has meant to Australian travellersMeanwhile, Qantas is still in the sights of local media however, with another turnback, this time for a QantasLink Dash 8 due to severe turbulence. The event forced CEO Alan Joyce to go on the offensive, pointing out a few facts about turnbacks, comparing them not only to airlines overall, but specifically the local rival, Virgin Australia

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, Auckland, double hassles hit when first an Air New Zealand 777 took out runway edge lights on landing, forcing the runway to close temporarily. Then, after it was re-opened, the city and surrounding areas were hit with historic levels of flooding, leading to the airport's closure for well over 24 hours, leaving passengers from all corners of the globe stranded for many hours in the terminal. There were also two international flights that turned around about half way to Auckland and returned to their departure airports. DOH!Leaving the surface for a moment, Grant's literally over the moon following Saber Astronautics' plans to send Australian tech to the International Space Station in coming years, including beer in a specially made zero-G bottle.Coming back to airports, flights were temporarily halted in and out of Sydney Airport this weekend when the control tower had to be evacuated following the smell of gaseous fumes in the ventilation system.And finally, we pay tribute to local aviation photographer Matt Savage, of Mach One Aeromedia , who passed away recently after a long battle with illness. Matt was a man who shared our passion for aviation, and was a big supporter of our work. Though he left us way too soon, his skill with the lens will live on as a lasting legacy for all of us to enjoy.

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 that he's only had to admit this next bit very few times. Yes, Grant was wr... He was incorr... OK, yeah, he screwed up by saying that Bonza weren't using travel agents at all. Bzzzzt! They are using agents but their clients still have to download Bonza's app. Ooops...Meanwhile, Bonza's announced their first route which will be from the Sunshine Coast up to the Whitsundays, aka Prosperpine airport. Their first flight will be on 31st January so we're looking forward to seeing how they develop from there.Grant tries to head off the next big news item by diverting to military news, such as:Australian troops deploying to the UK to train Ukraine forces.The paperwork has been signed to purchase 40 MH-60M Blackhawk helicopters to replace their existing MRH-90 Taipans that haven't worked out as expected.When the new MH-60Ms arrive, they will be based at Oakey (West of Brisbane) and Holsworthy in Sydney but not at Townsville where some of the MRH-90s are currently located.Despite Grant's best efforts, they have to talk about the Qantas maintenance news items which have been making headlines, but the biggest shock is that the boys are in agreement with Qantas management on this topic. Who knew, right?A 737 makes a mayday call due to an engine failure while flying from Auckland to Sydney.Another 737 enroute to Fiji returned to Sydney due to warnings of a possible mechanical issue.A third 737 had to return to Melbourne following minor engine issues.On the same day as the third 737 incident, a QantasLink 717 had a flap issue on climb out from Melbourne while flying to Canberra and had to return.

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 has received its Air Operators Certificate (AOC). The boys note that Bonza will be avoiding Brisbane and Sydney, which has annoyed some travel agents, while Grant also points out how similar Bonza's approach is to the original Virgin Blue.Meanwhile, the big three Chinese airlines are coming back to Australia in force now that China has dropped their quarantine requirements for visiting their country.Finally, the boys cover the Australian company Skykraft which early in January launched a constellation of five satellites via Space-X and has now completed their initial checks and verifications, allowing the satellites to commence operations. These Australian-built satellites are using majority Australian developed components and are working with Airservices Australia to provide ADSB & VHF coverage for aircraft operating in areas without coverage, such as a large part of Australia and the oceanic regions around the country. Skykraft's goal is to expand the constellation over time so that it eventually provides global coverage.

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 two tourist helicopters from the Sea World marine park on the Gold Coast in Australia. It was rather horrific and amazing that any people survived at all. Spectator and on-board videos have been released but the guys are waiting for the ATSB to issue their preliminary report.On the airline front, Bonza, Australia's latest start-up, is still saying they'll be charging passengers fares based on a rate of $50 per hour despite the fuel price going up significantly since they first announced that rate. Meanwhile, they still haven't received their Air Operator's Certificate (AOC) despite working on it for well over a year, but rumours are running that it's just been issued. Grant reached out to Bonza to see if this could be confirmed and received the following from CEO Tim Jordan:"We remain focussed on the final stages of the regulatory process and look forward to sharing an update as soon as it’s right to do so."Hmmmm. Hopefully it won't be too much longer!

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.Australia's newest airline is called Bonza (IATA: AB). Strewth, right? Bonza's first aircraft has arrived in Oz and they've announced their first routes, many of which are targeted at people escaping the cold south to get to sunny beaches.The RAAF are going to keep flying their F-35s despite some being grounded in the USA due to ejection seat issues.

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 big news from Qantas, but it's not their long awaited purchase of Alliance AviationInstead, it's Qantas' purchase of A350-1000s for use on their Project Sunrise flights.These flights will connect Sydney & Melbourne to London and New York with no stops enroute and will involve an A350-1000 with way less seats than usual to allow for more fuel to be carried.Of course, this is just another step in Qantas' transition away from an all Boeing fleet as it's yet another Airbus they're purchasing, in addition to their large order for A320 family aircraft we've previously reported on.There's also plenty of news on the air show front with:The Pacific Air Show coming to Australia to hold an air show at the Gold Coast in 2023.The RAAF announcing the Amberley Air Tattoo for October this year.The World Championship Air Race confirming their Australian race will be held at Lake Macquarie in November this year.

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 withdrawn their S-70-A9 Blackhawk fleet from service in a subdued ceremony right around the same time that the government announced that the MRH-90 Taipan fleet (the replacement for the Blackhawk) will be replaced 10 years ahead of schedule by up to 40 new build UH-60M Blackhawks.While the Australian military seems to be doing all it can to dump European platforms for American, Qantas has announced its intention to replace its Boeing 737-800 fleet over the next ten years with Airbus A320s and A321s...but will they actually do it??

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 Hornets” in Australia rather than “Legacy Hornets” as the US military calls them.

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 fully vaccinated Australian citizens and visa holders, but it's a start!Grant's really happy that Virgin Australia has re-opened its Melbourne lounge so it's worth flying again :)Meanwhile, Qantas has returned its first A380 to flight and it touched down in Sydney earlier this week. They'll start crew workups and get it back onto international flying early next yearMeanwhile, rumours are running that the RAAF may get another 28 F-35As and stand up a new SQN for them at TindalHow about those RAAF AP-3C ISREW and P-8A aircraft flying out of Singapore and heading off into the South China Seas. What are they up to???No photos of the boys recording this episode as "I just woke up" is not a good look :)

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 should make that a baker’s dozen and order 13 new MH-60Rs given one on deployment with HMAS Brisbane (a Hobart class guided missile destroyer) went for a swim in the Phillipine Sea. Fortunately the crew were recovered with only minor injuries and the temporary grounding of all MH-60Rs has since been lifted.In the civilian aviation world, Qantas have announced that they will resume limited international flights from November 1st now that Sydney & New South Wales have declared that fully vaccinated Australian citizens, permanent residents and visa holders can return without needing to quarantine. Meanwhile, Virgin Australia are bringing forward their resumption of flights to Fiji to now start in mid-December so it’s game on for those allowed to travel.

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 in the sky and this time it’s the the last Qantas 747 being flown to the USA for storage at Victorville. After plenty of secret planning & sim sessions, VH-OEJ departed Sydney airport with only cargo on board, did two passes along the harbour and then flew over the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society’s Albion Park site (where Qantas’ first 747-400 VH-OJA is on display) before turning for LAX. It then proceeded to draw a giant flying-kangaroo in the sky, taking 90 minutes to do so.Moorabbin airport has started evicting aviation businesses in order to make more room for non-aviation commercial developments. While this work was included in Moorabbin Airport Corporation’s master plan back in 2015, it’s hitting doubly hard due to the businesses being impacted by COVID-19.

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 an airliner since early March, he’s not let that stop him from obtaining new status levels with airlines around the planet. He’s even managed to obtain Qatar Platinum status which is the equivalent of One World Emerald, all while working from home. Who knew?During the COVID lockdowns and border closures, Qantas and Virgin have been operating repatriation flights between overseas locations and Australia to return citizens and residents, where-upon they will undertake a mandatory 14 day quarantine period in a hotel at the tax payers’ expense. Unfortunately the subsidies for these flights from the Federal Government are winding up this weekend so both airlines have said they will suspend them.Out of interest, New Zealand has declared itself COVID free after going 17 days without a new case turning up. While this has many Australians talking of a “Trans Tasman Bubble” of flights between the two countries, the Kiwis are less than enthused about opening up their borders to any country that still has new cases appearing.Meanwhile, Virgin Australia is in adminstration (like Chapter 11 in the USA) and the field of suitors has been whittled down to two serious bidders: Bain Capital and Cyrus Capital Partners. We should know more in a few weeks how this plays out as the Queensland government are apparently working with both groups to ensure that Virgin Australia keeps its headquarters in Brisbane and it’s likely that the company’s many debts will be written down.So that’s about all the news and info we could fit into this episode, even though we’ve gone over our usual 10 minute limit, although we did note that Max was talking on a certain British show about hanging out in seedy podcaster bars. What could possibly go wrong with that? Well, listen to the end to find out… :)

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 & GAJetstar staff (ground crew and pilots) are going on strike over working conditionsThe latest set of F-35As arrive in Australia and our latest P-8A arrives.After references to kidneys (the price of entry is steep!) and Max’s name, the boys aren’t sure if they’ll be allowed back next year, but then, you never know… :)

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, throwing a welcome party that included a demonstration grass field landing.Air New Zealand are sending their two 787-9s for maintenance to have their Rolls Royce Trent 1000 “Package C” engines upgraded. Fortunately their other 787-9s have the Trent 1000 TEN engines which do not have the same issue with their fan blades.Steve’s being kept very busy helping to prepare for the Wings Over Illawarra air show coming up in May where he’ll be helping to run the show, including doing the official opening before handing over commentary to the WOI team of Ando, Grant and Tony Moclair.

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 only time to talk about the Australian Government relaxing 457 Visa requirements for foreign pilots to help address the shortage of qualified pilots within Australia.After that they have a chat about the future of the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast and admit that, perhaps it’s run its course and needs to be closed down as Steve’s working in aviation (including producing the Australian Aviation magazine’s podcast) and Grant’s being kept very busy working in Defence in addition to his Australian Ballooning Federation work. That’s it from us for 2017. Hopefully we’ll have another Oz Desk before the end of 2018 :)

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 Sport aviation environments in Australia.They also talk about the arrival of Australia’s first two F-35A aircraft (A35-001 and A35-002) that made their public debut at the show. Yes, they’re loud. Yay! :)Meanwhile, this show Steve and Grant are working at the air show on tasks other than Plane Crazy Down Under:Grant’s attending workshops, having business development meetings and presenting to senior RAAF staff.Steve’s hosting video interviews for AOPA Australia, including:Aminta Hennessy OAM talks about what GA today are facingAOPA Australia chats to Craig Morrison from Benalla Aviation Museum in the StudioAOPA Australia speaks to GarminThat’s about it for this year’s episode. We’ll be back next year … maybe :)

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 & Grant have decided it's time to pull back from the Australia Desk and take a break. While the regular weekly (or at least, mostly weekly :) ) episodes are going on hold, they'll no doubt be back here & there if super important news from down under needs to be mentioned. For now it's so long and thanks for all the laughs as the boys sign out & take a well earned break. It's Summer, it's Christmas so it's time to fire up the barbie and go hang out at the beach. Thanks to everyone for all the fun and who knows, we may be back before you know it :)

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 AiresATSB & CASA investigating Jetstar after 2 separate weight & balance incidentsAirscope Industries run their drones like an airline

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 be helping them achieve the same result in November’s results. Ooops.Meanwhile, following on from our story last month about Alliance Airlines getting their Fokkers serviced in Austria, it seems that Lufthansa subsidiary Austrian Airlines (that’s AUSTRIAN not AUSTRALIAN :) ) are taking a 12% stake in Alliance in return for giving them Austrian’s old Fokkers. Let the “Old Fokker” jokes commence!

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 bigger jet, mining magnate & politician Clive Palmer is trying to offload his lovely Citation X as well as his MD80s that have been sitting around for a while. Ooops, guess the mining boom is indeed coming to an end.Meanwhile, shifting over to Steve’s favourite airline: TigerAir's first 737 has been seen in the wild (as opposed to their usual A320s). These aircraft will be operated to Bali by Virgin Australia tech crew (TigerAir’s owner) but with TigerAir cabin crew & a 1-class seating layout (some might say “no class” but we digress…).

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 winIf it's not one volcano blocking Bali, it's the otherQF & VA say credit card surcharges don't cover the costsVirgin Australia on track for profit in the first quarter of 2015/2016The RAAF’s eighth & final C17 arrivesRAAF Sponsors two Female Pilot Scholarships with the Australian Women Pilots Association

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 rather odd for a government department.Over in the Military world, a RAAF KC30A has refuelled a RAAF E7A Wedgetail during operations over the Middle East Region. This is the same E7A that has been given some rather interesting WW2 style nose art with Simpsons references.Finally, Tracey Curtis-Taylor is on her way from the UK to Sydney, Australia in a Boeing Stearman. She’s currently transiting the Middle East and you can track her progress on her Bird in a Biplane website.

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 737-800 is in the paintshop at Townsville getting one of the old Qantas paint schemes applied. We're hoping for the V-Jet look.Meanwhile, Grant gets to run his Big Motor Fokker vs Little Motor Fokker joke as Virgin are selling off all their Fokker 50s. Finally, Steve's going to be Em-Cee for the Angel Flight charity dinner at Bankstown in Sydney on Saturday 31st. Get on down & support the cause if you're in the area!

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 firesAlan Joyce awarded Airline CEO of the Year by CAPA (say WHAT??? :) )Alan is also talking about non-stop flights from London to Perth when their new 787-9s come on line

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 Australian town of Karratha. He tells about the aircraft movement this predominantly mining based town hosts each day, including scheduled airline services through to multiple helicopter flights going out to the oil and gas rigs off the coast.In the news, the RAAF has used a KC-30A tanker to successfully conduct air to air refuelling sorties with a USAF F-35A in the skies over California recently. Using the boom system, the Lighting II make 59 contacts, taking on 23,000lbs of fuel in total. A busy day for all involved.Ben then talks about his participation in the annual World Flight event, the Australian version of which raises funds for the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Ben is a regular participant in this virtual around the world flight, using a fixed based 737 simulator in Hobart, Tasmania. More details can be found at http://worldflight.com.au/.

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 into the computer games, the RAAF C130J sim at Richmond was used to take part in the global event Virtual Flag 2015.Keeping to the Hercules theme, a Coulson C130 tanker has arrived at RAAF Richmond for NSW's fire season.

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 about why he thinks such a turnaround has been possible.NOTE: You can hear the full version of that interview by clicking here. Qantas confirm their order for 8 787-9s in Red Tail livery plus they still have 15 firm options and another 30 slots reserved in case they want more.Meanwhile, Australia's Matt Hall returned to the podium in the Red Bull Air Race recently, this time coming second to Britain's Paul Bonhomme at Ascot in the UK. Steve plays some audio from the post race press conference.

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 Australia are going to use their subsidiary TigerAir on flights to Bali as well as completely pulling out of flights to PhuketVirgin are also converting 17 of their 737-800 orders into 737 MAX 8 orders (and delaying them, thus hopefully saving more money) which will give them a total of 40 orders … eventuallyThe good news continues for Qantas as Moody's upgrades their credit ratingAlliance Aviation Services sending its fleet of Fokkers up to Slovakia for heavy maintenance 'cos it's cheaper to fly all the way from Australia to Europe than maintain a heavy maintenance facility in Australia

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 unveiledThe first RAAF P8A is under construction & due to have its first flight in mid 2016 First of 15 Airbus Helicopter EC135 T2+ helicopters (HATS01) received for Boeing to operate on behalf of the Australian Defence Force (yes, Boeing :) )Not the first, but the seventh RAAF C17 is delivered in record time (one more C17 left to be delivered)Meanwhile, the Qantas long-haul pilots have approved a new wage deal which includes provisions for them to fly the 787-9 should Qantas actually take up the options they have for those aircraft.To finish with, we are sad to report on the terrible news for the Australian helicopter charter industry as Bronwyn Bishop resigns. Yes, it’s a satirical take on a recent Australian political scandal (here’s a summary of the helicopter flight scandal).

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 :)Meanwhile, Qantas’ competitor Virgin Australia got the gong for most punctual domestic carrier in June. Nice to see as they’ve been out of the running for a while.

Steve’s on his own in the studio because Grant finally made it away for his vacation, although not to Bali as originally planned. Instead, he and his lovely wife flew halfway across the Pacific to Fiji. Now, of course, you’d think he’d be living it up on the beach and all, but Grant still managed to find his way to a local airport from where he filed a quick report for us.After the report, Steve notes that for the recent soccer matches held here in Australia, Liverpool FC arrived in a chartered A340 while Real Madrid arrived in a chartered A380. Who says there’s no money in sport?

Grant’s at home when he should be in Bali thanks to the ash cloud from Mt Raung so it’s time to do an OzDesk. The boys talk briefly about flights resuming to Bali.They also talk about the fun they had doing commentary at the Hunter Valley Airshow last weekend despite Grant losing his voice :)

Grant’s holding together with cold & flu medicine long enough to get an Aus Desk recorded with Steve covering:The RAAF’s first C27J Spartan (the ‘baby Hercules’) arrives in AustraliaBAE Systems gets their contract with the Royal Singaporean Air Force extended until 2019Another Qantas 747 goes into retirement