Four turning
Grand circle route Back in the day, Qantas crews referred to their long-haul Super Constellations as ‘the best three-engined airliners in the world’. The complicated, 18 cylinder turbo-compound Wright R-3350-972-TC18DA ‘Duplex Cyclone’ engines arrayed along the wings paid for their incredible 3,250 HP output (each) with a propensity to failure. In fact, Qantas had spare engines stored at every stop along its Kangaroo Route from … Continue reading Four turning
Spitfire restoration
Back from the grave Apparently I had so much to cover in my report on the first half of this year, that I completely forgot to share what may be one the best aviation things I ever did! As you may recall from ‘The Man Inside K5054’, Joseph ‘Mutt’ Summers was far more than ‘just’ the test pilot who took Supermarine’s history-making Spitfire prototype on … Continue reading Spitfire restoration
Doing it quietly
A week or so ago, UK-based author Mitch Peeke sent me this story of a recent unplanned visit to his old gliding club. While I’m sure it stirred up memories for Mitch, it also brought the magic rushing back from my own Saturdays with the Adelaide Soaring Club. It seems the charm of sunshine, dry grass and sleek sailplanes is the same the world over. … Continue reading Doing it quietly
Stacking up
Ready for anything Thanks for standing by, airscapers. (And thanks for not asking what happened to June!) Back in February, I think, I flagged the potential of some changes that would impact on airscape one way or another this year. Turns out I was right. But still, the changes came later than I’d expected and, true to life, were completely different from what I’d planned. It … Continue reading Stacking up
Home Stretch
Fully interactive I didn’t get to Sun ‘n’ Fun (again – but in my defence, it is literally on the other side of the world). All I could manage was to follow the highlights via the blizzard of podcasts and social media content a show like that generates… I still feel I missed out on the best of the warbirds, aerobatics, experimentals and the neat … Continue reading Home Stretch
Lonely From The Off
Almost any time you watch, read or listen to interviews with WW2 fighter pilots, they give a huge amount of credit to their ground crews. And yet the media never seems to take the cue. Stories focused solely on those ground crews are rare beyond words.* However, I found the following piece in an old Air Forces Magazine (January 1944). Apart from being incredibly well … Continue reading Lonely From The Off
Family matters
Feature photo (above) courtesy of TAVAS Undoing a legend Saturday, April 21st, 2018 will be the 100th anniversary of the death of Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen – aka The Red Baron – World War One’s deadliest aerial ace. I, for one, will be celebrating this notable centenary at The Australian Vintage Aviation Society (TAVAS) Great War Flying Display 2018 at Caboolture Airfield, just north … Continue reading Family matters
Oswald Watt
Combat Over The Trenches Oswald Watt, Aviation Pioneer by Chris Clark Published by Pen & Sword Aviation, ISBN 978 1 52671 501 2 Originally published in Australia as The High Life of Oswald Watt; Australia’s First Military Pilot (Big Sky Publishing Pty Ltd) this Pen & Sword reprint brings a hugely important Australian aviator to the world stage. And, while the new title Combat Over … Continue reading Oswald Watt
Passing The Cup
World Leader It’s a question that’s easily answered for celebrities, business leaders and heads of state, but how do you get between engagements when you’re a pre-eminent trophy…? Okay, you may not have devoted that much brain space to the issue before now. And I know that not everyone is obsessed with soccer. But with 209 participating countries, an expected TV audience of over 1 … Continue reading Passing The Cup
Smarter Learning
‘Smart flight training’ doesn’t just mean glass cockpits and electric airplanes. With ‘Skynotes’, career educator and CFI Amy Labus-Olson is re-casting instruction as an up-to-date education service. From the ground up There’s an old saw that says you’re not ready to fly until the weight of the paperwork equals the weight of the aircraft. Okay, so the rise of digital devices has made that problem … Continue reading Smarter Learning
