On the Airbands

Due to the very strong wind, VH-MFY was having a whole heap of trouble attempting to land. Some time later, after Mark and Dean had become airborne in their aircraft, Mike Foxtrot Yankee finally had made it down.

VH-MFY: “Hey … we made it!” TWR: “Congratulations, we’re very happy for you”

Speedbird And Qantas

Andy O’Donaghoe lives in Kingsgrove NSW, and was doing some airband monitoring on a cold, quiet Monday public holiday afternoon in Sydney. Andy was tuned in to 123.0 MHz, Sydney Departures North & East. “Speedbird one zero” (British Airways flight 10) was departing just ahead of “Qantas 5”.

DEPARTURES: “Speedbird 10, have you got thirty seconds?” BA 10: “Speedbird ten, yes … go ahead.” DEPARTURES: “My daughter is on board your aircraft today and I was wondering if you could look after her for me please?” BA 10: “No problem … her name please?” DEPARTURES: (Passed the name of his daughter). BA 10: “We’ll look after her.” DEPARTURES: “Thanks very much for that!”

After a short time, the Controller vectored Qantas 5 into a right turn, which was acknowledged. Then …

QANTAS 5: “What’s the young lady doing flying with the opposition anyway?” DEPARTURES: “I thought both your airlines are one and the same these days?” QANTAS 5: “Not quite, they only own 25% of us.” BA 10: “But we’re much better value aren’t we?” DEPARTURES: “Yeah, it was marginally cheaper with British!” QANTAS 5: “Okay, I can relate to that.”

“Speedbird one zero” was shortly afterwards handed off to Richmond Approach on 119.7, while Qantas 5 went to Sydney Control 125.6 MHz. And Andy had a smile on his face, and decided to write in with this exchange. Thank you.

A Living Breathing Advertisement

The following is my favourite story for some time: Julie Cullen is a lady who lives in Worthing, Sussex, in the UK, and she regularly listens in to Qantas pilots flying in Heathrow airspace using her scanner radio. Julie can now claim some of those Qantas pilots as her friends! But how did this happen? Well Julie has become an avid Qantas “fan” with a whole room stocked with Qantas memorabilia. A recent visitor was the head of Boeing 747-400 Operations, Captain Les Hayward, along with Second Officer Dennis Caldwell. Their visit, in uniform, had been sparked when Qantas Second Officer Roly Deighton saw a letter on the wall of the Qantas Heathrow Ops office from a “Qantas fan”. The letter stated that Julie was a keen follower of Qantas aircraft on her scanner radio, Qantas being her favourite airline.

Roly Deighton thought the letter had been written by a child, and sent a postcard back in reply. He then received a lovely letter from Julie in return, and he decided to visit her on his next trip to London. Following this visit that Roly made, he wrote a long letter to Captain Les Hayward, describing Julie as a “living breathing advertisement for Qantas and in fact Australia”.

Julie Cullen is 42 years old, and we might mention in explanation at this point that she suffers from a debilitating nervous disorder, and due to her health, she can’t travel anywhere comfortably outside of her home. Her main interest in life is aircraft (I can relate to that!), and specifically Qantas.

One room in her home has been totally dedicated to the airline with numerous models of Qantas aircraft, including a large Boeing 747-400 that cost her about $900, along with numerous other pieces of Qantas memorabilia. Qantas Marketing Communications Officer Tessa Wood from the London office arranged for Les Hayward and Dennis Caldwell to pop in to Julie’s home on a recent London trip of their own. While there, Captain Les Hayward presented Julie with technical crew epaulettes and a Qantas Captain’s cap, which Les himself had worn when he commanded a flight carrying the Queen. Phil Wigglesworth of the Evening Argus newspaper in Brighton snapped a photo of Julie, Les, and Dennis, and we’re just happy to be able to report the situation here. Another “well done” to Qantas. As they are well aware, it’s the little things that count.

Radio Exchange Near Bundaberg

I’m wondering how you will regard this radio exchange, which reached my eyes from an anonymous correspondent who supplied his name but asked for it to be withheld. The radio frequency monitored by our man was 124.1, just south of Bundaberg. The aircraft callsigns have been changed to protect the guilty.

FIS: “Alpha Bravo Charlie, IFR traffic is Delta Echo Foxtrot, a Mitsubishi, departed Bundy at three three, on climb to three thousand for Maryborough, estimating Maryborough at four four.” VH-ABC: “Copy the traffic.” FIS: “And Delta Echo Foxtrot, IFR traffic for you is Alpha Bravo Charlie, a Cessna 414, which is tracking direct Brisbane/Bundy, leaving Flight Level one two zero and on descent to Bundy at four six.” VH-DEF: “Copy traffic Alpha Bravo Charlie.” VH-DEF: “Alpha Bravo Charlie, this is Delta Echo Foxtrot, I think I have you sighted now, eighteen miles, maintaining three thousand, I should be in your twelve thirty to one o’clock low!” VH-ABC: “Yeah, we’re thirty one miles, passing nine thousand, we won’t go below three till you confirm passing.” VH-DEF: “Delta Echo Foxtrot is now one two miles.” VH-ABC: “I’ll correct that, we won’t go below four thousand till you confirm passing.” VH-DEF: “Roger.” VH-DEF: “I’m centred about your one o’clock low.” VH-ABC: “Yeah, haven’t gotcha! You got strobes on?” VH-DEF: “No, don’t have any strobes unfortunately. Now at twenty four miles.” VH-ABC: “Two seven now. Got two lights on have you?” VH-DEF: “Yeah, that’s it, the taxi lights.” VH-ABC: “Right, gotcha now, gosh … I thought it was a car!” VH-DEF: “Well we’re a big car … a very fast one!” VH-ABC: “You seemed to be doin’ a good pace. Okay, have a good time.” VH-DEF: “Okay mate, catch you later!”

I will reiterate that the callsigns mentioned here are not the correct ones, and that actual aircraft VH-ABC and VH-DEF are not the aircraft involved in this radio exchange. We are simply using the first six letters of the alphabet for expediency.

Sydney Airport Observations

Even though Sydney International Airport seems to have been downscaling areas worthy of watching aircraft in recent years, the new terminal extensions have thrown things back around in the other direction, with large observation windows for all to use. I particularly like the upper level interior areas, where the new airline operator offices are now placed in the ITB. You can’t go outside, and the noise “atmosphere” isn’t there, but there are comfortable padded seats for your use, and you can sit back in quiet comfort with your radio and earpiece (so as not to disturb others) and enjoy some great listening and watching. And in winter you don’t freeze to death!

For those disturbed by the outrageous parking fees for the main car park, I suggest parking in the back streets near the Sydney Hilton, and walking over. It takes about 10 minutes to hoof it across the bridge, there is a pedestrian walkway, and ample pedestrian island space. You can stay at the airport for three hours without having to shell out the $12.00 they want from you to park in the car park area. And during the walk, there is lots to see and you can monitor aircraft on the radio as well.

Satcoms And Updates

I’ll be in the USA next month attending both the “Monitoring Times” Convention, and also the Aeronautical Satellite News Conference and Exhibition in Association with InMarSat Aeronautical Services. The former is in Atlanta, Georgia, while the SatComs Conference is in San Francisco. I’ll be able to report any startling aviation satellite news on my return.

On the subject of SatComs, Lufthansa has announced plans to SatComs equip all its long range aircraft, following successful in service trials. A total of 22 A300s, A310s and A340s are due to be equipped by November this year with more to follow. The carrier is also experimenting with trial installations in Boeing 737s and 747s. The airline’s seventeen Boeing 747-400s will be fitted out next year, bringing the number of Lufthansa aircraft to be satellite equipped to fifty two, at a total cost of 40 million dollars!

Initial services will be passenger voice phone on A300 and A310s plying the European and African routes. These aircraft are to have one telephone handset per double or triple seat configuration. The A340s and 747s will have one handset per seat in First and Business Class. Price per minute to use the telephones is $9.90!

Qantas’ SatComs programme is part of a total system upgrade for its 18 Boeing 747-400s in service, with a further 27 on option. The programme makes use of SAT 906 avionics from Collins, and Canadian Marconi CMA 2102 antenna subsystems. The equipment is being fitted in conjunction with the installation of the Boeing FANS 1 flight management system software package. By contrast, Air New Zealand has ordered Honeywell/Racal MCS 6000 avionics, Ball Airlink antennas and flightdeck voice systems, and provision for cabin phone for its three 747-400s. The initial application will be in support of FANS 1 operations, just like Qantas.

Attention – Collectors Of Airline Postcards

First such aeroplane postcards in Australia. Set of 12 Postcards: 8 measuring 120mm x 170mm and 4 measuring 120mm x 225mm panoramic. Our first set includes Air New Zealand, Ansett Australia and Swissair. Four cards of each airline. Beautiful pictures (mostly aerial views), printed to the highest standard in Australia. Only $10.50 plus $2.50 p & p. Overseas orders add $3.00 for airmail. Send your Cheque/MO to: Australex International, GPO Box 1040H, MELBOURNE VIC 3001. If you order before 15 September 1994, you receive a complimentary Swissair Pocket 1995 Calendar.

Conclusion

Listening In to Aircraft Radio is almost completely sold out. It has been our biggest success story in monitoring publications. We are now updating and expanding it, to cover many more subjects, and are looking at ways of reducing the price. You can still order the few available copies of the present edition from Airband Communications, PO Box 16 Georges Hall 2198 for $22.95, post paid. See you next month.