FLY with Richard De Crespigny

In this wide-ranging and deeply personal conversation, Qantas Group Chair John Mullen reflects on a life shaped by adversity, responsibility and long-term thinking. From childhood trauma and early lessons in survival, to leading some of the world’s largest logistics and aviation organisations, John shares how resilience is built long before a crisis arrives. We explore the collapse of Ansett...

On this episode of Fly, Richard is joined by one of Australia’s most experienced public relations professionals, John Connolly. With more than 30 years' experience working with some of the world’s largest companies and organisations, he's helped CEOs, boards, and companies navigate various challenging events, including mergers, hostile takeovers, and environmental disasters. In this ep...

In this episode of Fly, Richard is joined by University of Sydney  Associate Professor Sandra Peter and Professor Kai Riemer , Co-Directors of Sydney Executive Plus, to discuss their  2026 Skills Horizon report. They explore the future of leadership, the engagement of younger generations in the workforce, the growing role of automation and AI across a number of industries, and much more....

Jake Bailey was just like any other Year 12 student in 2015, until a persistent toothache lead to a devastating diagnosis. What doctors initially thought was Jake's wisdom teeth was actually an aggressive form of cancer invading his jaw and spreading throughout his body. Initially given just two weeks to live, an aggressive treatment plan and Jake's positive attitude saw him soon in remission and...

Current data shows that as many as 11% of Australians will suffer from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder at some time in their life. That figure balloons to 18% for former Australian Defence Force members. But dealing with the effects of PTSD can often feel isolating and overwhelming, and many don't seek help as a result.  This week, I speak with retired senior Austrailan Army officer Majo...

When Ben Pettingill was just 16 years old, he lost 98% of his eyesight overnight thanks to a hereditary disease that had laid dormant up until that point. His resilience was quickly tested when Ben was forced to comprehend a new reality without his sight. Not allowing his disability to get in the way of life, Ben has gone on to waterski, compete in Spartan obstacle course races, hike the famed Kok...

Crisis management is one of the elements of resilience. How a person or business handles a scandal or disaster can make or break their future. In the case of QF32, not one passenger spoke ill of Qantas, myself or the crew in the aftermath.   In this episode, I speak with one of Australia's most respected and knowledgable crisis management and communication experts about getting the messa...

Steve Wright is an experience military and commercial pilot, who spent many years specialising in human factors and safety management with Qantas. It's a role that saw him teaching and testing the next generation of pilots in aviation best practice, developing and facilitating the courses to get the certified and in the air. In this episode, Steve and Richard discuss pathways for up-and-coming pil...

Well known in the Australian media industry as the co-founder of independent publisher Junkee Media, Tim Duggan knows about the monotony of corporate life. After selling off and leaving the business, Tim reflected on the way we work, finding that too many of us are overworked, disengaged and apprehensive about the future of our jobs. It prompted his work on the book 'Work Backwards', looking at fu...

John Howard is Australia's second-longest serving Prime Minister, responsible for revolutionary gun law reform and the introduction of the controversial goods and services tax (GST). From humble beginnings working for free at his father's petrol station, Mr Howard became a lawyer before moving into politics. Steadily moving up the Liberal Party ranks, he took on roles as Minister for Business and...

Risk is one of the elements of resilience, and managing risk is a key way to improve resilience. In this episode, Richard sits down with founder of ResilienceSOS and  2025 Risk Consultant of the Year Kate Gannon to talk about why risk management is so crucial to corporate resilience, and how she's changing they way we think about managing risk. LINKS View and buy Kate's ResilienceSOS Scenario...

Swedish-born Petter Hörnfeldt was bitten by the aviation bug as a teenager, eventually securing his place in a government sponsored training course at just 17. Following his military service, Petter was soon in the cockpit of the mighty Boeing 737-800, eventually clocking up more than 10,000 hours in command of the iconic aircraft. After a number of years as an instructor, Petter found a nich...

In this episode of Fly, Richards with thought leaders in two critical areas of resilience. Donna McGeorge is an expert in productivity and high-performance. Her latest book, 'Red Brick Thinking' helps readers break through the clutter of everyday life to be more critical with their decision-making. Donna joins Richard to discuss the principles and techniques to make better decisions to improve you...

In a world that's always vying for our attention and connections are harder to find, it's easy for our internal battery to quickly drain. After a friend took his life, Tim Jack Adams was determined to go back to the drawing board and rethink how we communicate about mental health. The result was GreenX7 and the 'Battery Check' as an easy way to check in with yourself and share the results.  A...

In a fast moving, disruptive world, where the unexpected can often feel intimidating, threatening and overwhelming, anxiety is one of the greatest societal challenges we are facing. Research suggests as many as three million Australians are living with anxiety at any one time. From children, through to adolescents and adults, anxiety is a fundamental human experience and hard-wired into us. But ma...

John Blackburn AO retired from the Royal Australian Air Force in 2008 as the deputy chief of the Air Force, following a distinguished career as an F 18 fighter pilot, a test pilot and strategic planner. Now the Chair of the Institute for Integrated Economic Research Australia and a respected consultant in the field of defence and national security, John joins Richard for a robust discussion about...

For many of us, building resilience starts in our childhood. So it would make sense that our schools are places that help us learn those vital skills that will help us overcome and persevere later in life. In this episode, Montessori ambassador, founder of upschool.co and a 25 year veteran of the education industry Gavin McCormack , discusses the changing face of education and the keys to helping...

Entrepreneur Dick Smith is best known for his groundbreaking chain of electronics stores that grew to humble beginnings in the late 1960s to a billion-dollar empire. His love of electronics was rivalled only by his passion for adventure, which saw him complete the first solo helicopter flight around the world in 1983. A renowned philanthropist, he's also active in politics and public affairs. In t...

When an explosion rocked the cabin of QF32 just four minutes after taking off from Singapore’s Changi Airport, Captain  Richard de Crespigny and his crew of experienced pilots battled to control and land the stricken aircraft. But in the cabin, it was up the dedicated flight attendants to keep the 440 passengers calm and informed about just what was going on. In this episode, Cabin Serv...

Just four minutes after QF32 took off from Singapore’s Changi Airport, an explosion rocked the cabin, damaging vital flight controls on the Airbus A380. As Captain Richard de Crespigny and his crew of experienced pilots battled to control and land the stricken aircraft, the lives of 440 passengers were on the line. One of those passengers was Ulf Waschbusch , taking his first ever trip to Au...

On November 4, 2010, QF32 took off from Singapore’s Changi Airport just before 10am. For the passengers and crew on board, it was a routine take-off. Until four minutes in, when an explosion rocked the cabin, damaging almost every major system on the massive Airbus A380. The lives of 440 passengers were now in the hands of a crew battling to control a crippled aircraft.  Richard de Cres...

When an explosion rocked a seemingly routine flight between Singapore and Sydney on November 4, 2020, the Captain of QF32 Richard De Crespigny leapt into action. Decades of knowledge and experience helped him make critical decisions under pressure to safely land the crippled Airbus A380, saving more than 400 passengers and crew from the unthinkable. Now Richard is sharing his lessons in resilience...