Australian Aviation Podcast Network

Dario Valenza is the co-founder of Australian drone company Carbonix. His extraordinary career saw him create world championship-winning sail boats before taking his know-how into the world of drones. In this episode, Valenza talks about how the sector has evolved over the last decade, and how flying drones beyond the line of sight could revolutionary for how we lead our lives.

Wing delivery drones are quietly creating a revolution in a select few Australian cities, flying hundreds of thousands of parcels each year. In this episode, the business' general manager, Simon Rossi, reveals how they are upgrading their processes in a way that could increase that figure to potentially millions of deliveries. Rossi tells host Adam Thorn how the business is closing in on the holy...

Bonza has begun its first services from Melbourne as the airline announces it has already sold 100,000 tickets.   On this week's episode, Adam and Chris discuss Bonza's chances as the legacy carriers still doubt the airline.    Plus, the pair talk more about our stagnating recovery.    And will Qantas' increase in capacity finally bring prices down?

Sydney Airport's CEO has claimed domestic aviation recovery has been "stagnant" since April last year, with passenger numbers still 17 per cent down compared to pre-pandemic. In this week's episode, host Adam Thorn is joined by new team member Chris Fenton to discuss exactly what's going wrong. Airlines are claiming the situation is out of their hands, but couldn't they use their record profits to...

Air Vice-Marshal Paul Godfrey is a British RAF fighter pilot who rose up the ranks to head the country's first military Space Command. In this special interview from the Avalon Airshow, AVM Godfrey tells Adam Thorn how he made the transition from the skies to the stars. The pair discuss the challenges and opportunities of creating a military space division, why it's important for the UK and Austra...

Little Wings is a brilliant charity that flies sick children from regional areas into the city for treatment. The service can be life-changing for families who would previously face arduous and stressful journeys. On this week's show, the organisation's CEO, Clare Pearson, talks to host Adam Thorn about how it works. For more information and to donate, please visit  littlewings.org.au .

Brett Pierson is the president and CEO of Textron Aviation Defense and previously served in the US Navy for 30 years, including being a wing commander and combat pilot. Textron Aviation is a major player in defence globally and has delivered more than 14,500 aircraft to countries around the world. In this special episode for AVALON 2023, Pierson talks through Textron Aviation's recent work across...

Angela Garvey has more than 30 years of aviation industry experience as a commercial pilot, general aviation business owner, aviation safety professional and airport manager.  But a fatal plane crash in her skydiving business in 2006 served as a 'stop moment' in her life.  Years later, she's used her experience to set up 'Navigating Aviation', a confidential counselling and support service tailore...

Perhaps no single aircraft has changed Australia more than the 747, which opened up cheap international travel to millions of people.   In this week's show, acclaimed aviation writer Jim Eames talks about his latest book,  The Mighty 747 , which examines how Boeing's Jumbo Jet did it.   Eames tells host Adam Thorn why the aircraft is held in such affection by the industry, why Aussies are so fasci...

After a months-long wait, Bonza this month finally received its crucial licence to fly from CASA. Now, the airline's CEO, Tim Jordan, tells host Adam Thorn how the business navigated the last six months and what the future looks like. The pair discuss keeping prices low despite surging airfares in Australia, competing in the brutal domestic market and the advantage of flying with the MAX. Finally,...

In this special Christmas episode, returning host Phil Tarrant and Adam Thorn discuss what went right and wrong for international aviation in 2022. The pair discuss the sluggish return of tourists, lack of capacity and sky-high prices in commercial travel, alongside the gobsmacking unveiling of the B-21 Raider. Finally, they also stare into the future to predict what 2023 will bring.

In this special episode of Australian Aviation podcast, shadow minister for cyber security and shadow minister for countering foreign interference, Senator James Paterson joins Phil Tarrant (director - Momentum Media) and MAJGEN (retired) Dr Marcus Thompson to discuss the regulatory impediments preventing Australia from becoming a leader in cyber security. The group begins the podcast discussing t...

Former Australian Aviation Podcast host Phil Tarrant returns in this special episode to review the year in domestic travel with regular Adam Thorn.   And what a year it's been, as the pair discuss crazy delays at airports, record profits and spiralling airfares.   Plus, the pair get stuck into what the future holds as we move into 2023 and travel edges closer to a pre-COVID normal.

In this special episode, Defence Connect's Liam Garman and Australian Aviation's Adam Thorn discuss the biggest military stories this year.   The pair talk about the success of the F-35 program as it nears completion, reports of ex-RAAF pilots training Chinese military personnel and the axing of the SkyGuardian project.   Finally, the hosts debate the most contentious talking point of 2022: was Au...

Peter Newington is the newly appointed managing director of aviation and critical services at Babcock Australasia.   In this special episode, Newington discusses the importance of leadership and why it matters in the kind of high-pressure situations Babcock personnel find themselves in.   He also talks to host Adam Thorn about his career as a British Army pilot and how the lessons learned helped s...

Marek Bekier is a senior vice president at ACR Aviation Capacity Resources, which manages air traffic at 17 Swedish airports. In this special episode in partnership with UNSW's School of Aviation, Bekier talks to Australian Aviation's Adam Thorn about what a career in air traffic control is really like, alongside its challenges. The pair talk about why we need to move on from monopoly operations a...

In this special episode, the editors of Defence Connect and Australian Aviation, Liam Garman and Adam Thorn, talk through the biggest industry topics. First up, they discuss the need for long-range strike capability, with tensions in the region rising and Australia short of options. Next, they ask how this should happen. Should the country invest in the 'sequel' to the B-2, the B-21, or plump for...

Domestic travel in Australia may have bounced back to pre-pandemic highs, but our international passenger traffic is still far down on 2019. In this special episode, Adelaide Airport's MD, Brenton Cox, talks through how his organisation coped during those tough COVID-19 days and what we got right and wrong. He tells host Adam Thorn that we must learn the lessons of 2020 for the future and argues t...

Like a phoenix rising from the flames, Hannah Dowling returns in her new role as US correspondent to talk about her latest story. She tells host Adam Thorn how and why US airlines are taking Australian pilots in such numbers. The pair discuss what Australia can do to stem the tide, the balance between developing young talent and importing them, and the perks of going abroad. Finally, they chat abo...

Our aviation industry has been long grappling with a chronic lack of engineering talent — with COVID-19 exacerbating the problem. On this week's episode, Adam Thorn talks to the RAAA, which last week released a report identifying the causes behind our shortages and what we can do to fix them. Report author Sheridan Austin and the RAAA's CEO Steve Campbell discuss why businesses must invest in hiri...

Australian Aviation attended last week's Land Forces military exhibition in Brisbane and interviewed two guests on the floor. Jay Macklin had a storied military career that saw him fly Black Hawks before rising to become a colonel in the US Army. He's now a director based in Alabama for Lockheed Martin, and discusses his flying days, as well as the aircraft's future. Finally, we're joined by Austr...

Greg Hay is the General Manager of Operations at Sydney Airport. Over the last few years, he's seen first-hand how our industry has changed before, during and after COVID-19 at Australia's busiest and most important international airport. In this special episode in partnership with UNSW's School of Aviation, Hay talks through navigating aviation's toughest period but also how the industry is build...

It sounds mad, but it's real: Virgin Orbit has perfected audacious technology to fire rockets from refurbished Boeing 747s. Speaking exclusively from LA, the business' CEO, Dan Hart, tells the Australian Aviation Podcast how the plan will open satellite launches up to more countries by turning airports into spaceports. The pair also discuss how the technology works, the company's ambition to launc...

Andrew Charlton is the managing director of Aviation Advocacy, a consultancy firm based in Switzerland.   His exhaustive CV includes stints as chief legal officer of Qantas before heading government affairs for the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and working as a university lecturer in airport economics, management and policy.  In this special episode in partnership with UNSW's Scho...

Hypersonic research has become one of the biggest topics in global aviation, as countries compete to develop the next generation of missiles so manoeuvrable, they can't be intercepted. The advances are also being used to create scramjet-powered, hypersonic spaceplanes, which could one day provide an alternative to rockets for taking satellites into space. In this special episode, host Adam Thorn i...