On The Go

“My earliest aircraft memories were of the Mustang that put on a display at the opening of Coonabarabran Airport in about 1964. Pulling up vertically from the Warkton Valley (Coonabarabran’s Airport is built on a plateau and it was a good party trick for an aircraft to approach out of sight below ground level, the glorious sound of the Merlin at full wick and the general patina of the P51 afterwards as the aircraft cooled down on the tarmac, creaking and sighing with the smells of glycol and MIL 5606, are the memories of a six year old that are like yesterday.”

These reflections of Paul Bredereck, engineer, pilot, regional airline owner, CEO – and enthusiast – have shaped a life-long career in aviation. Australian Aviation caught up with Bredereck as he enters a new phase of his career as CEO of a specialist charter airline seeking to reap benefits from the affluence of Australia’s mining boom.