Flying high

But changes have been made and the first being the NAPC has morphed into the Australasian Aviation Press Club – AAPC – reflecting is coverage across Australia and New Zealand.

The AAPC is also now an incorporated body in the state of New South Wales and has a committee of three.

The changes were announced at the AAPC annual AGM and awards night held at the Intercontinental

Hotel in Sydney on November 27.

And after 10 years as president, Steve Creedy stepped down because after a stellar term as aviation editor of The Australian he is moving to Airservices to join and bolster its corporate communications team.

Incoming president Geoffrey Thomas, editor of AirlineRatings. com, senior contributor for Australian Aviation and aviation editor at The West Australian praised Steve’s contribution over the past ten years.

“Steve is without question one of the best aviation writers and editors that Australia has produced. He is always accurate, extremely fair and really understands the industry. His weekly column in The Australian has been an absolute must read every week,” Thomas said.

“As president of the NAPC, Steve has made an enormous sacrifice in making himself ineligible for the competition for 10 years. Steve would have been, without any doubt, in the winner’s circle every year. ” And Thomas, who was also ineligible as he took on a judging role said that, that high standard is enshrined.

Thomas also acknowledged that Steve is the “biggest contributor to must-see ‘The Year That Was’ at the award’s night, but had good news for the dinner guests at the awards in that Steve had agreed to continue his role in the satire on the industry going forward.

The awards of course held centre stage in another gala night and the winners are celebrated below.

Lifetime achievement award

The first award of the night was one only awarded sparingly – the club’s lifetime achievement award. Veteran journalist Ben Sandilands, who writes crikey. com. au’s much-read Plane Talking blog, was presented a lifetime achievement award in recognition of his many decades covering aviation.

Throughout his career – which now spans 55 years – Ben has been a relentless news chaser. He was transport editor of The Sydney Morning Herald, before joining the oft-missed Bulletin magazine. He had a stint as editor of Traveltrade, a fortnightly industry publication, before moving on to Aircraft & Aerospace, now known as Aviation Business.

But it has been in the last 10 years or so of his Plane Talking blog that the Sandilands diamond wheel has ground away on. Many may not agree with Ben, but most certainly respect his right to an opinion and the expert way he expresses those opinions.

2015 Aviation Journalist of the Year

Sponsored by Cathay Pacific and Airservices the winner was Jamie Freed, an up and coming star who covers aviation for The Sydney Morning Herald and the Australian Financial Review.

Since taking on an aviation beat, Jamie has established herself as a talented reporter and writer for our industry. In 2015, her entries across news as well as features demonstrated her versatility.

From reporting on the Qantas 787- 9 purchase to an engaging profile of an engaging leader at Sydney Airport, Kerry Mather, to a high-tech view of the autonomous future – Jamie turned in an impressive range of material in 2015 alone.

She doesn’t just focus on technology or the financial side of the business. Importantly, Jamie emphasises the human aspect of aerospace – what are the impacts of this cutting-edge industry on us? On pilots? On the travelling public? Important questions to ask, and Jamie is doing just that.

Runner up for Aviation Journalist of the Year was Australian Aviation’s managing editor and publisher Gerard Frawley who is a past winner of the top prize in this category.

Gerard is, of course, a well-respected aviation journalist who is comfortable covering both commercial aviation and defence. Since taking the helm in 2005, he has helped solidify Australian Aviation as a top-tier aviation publication.

Fellow finalists for Aviation Journalist of the Year were: Grant Bradley; Jordan Chong; Adrian Park; Adrian Schofield; Robert Wilson; and Owen Zupp.

2015 Aviation News Story of the Year

It was another big year in aviation for Australia and New Zealand – new aeroplanes ordered and new defence platforms introduced, all of which

Jamie has established herself as a talented writer for our industry.

made for great news stories – and that’s exactly what the judges found with 2015’s submissions.

Entries in this category were judged on their newsworthiness, overall credibility and accuracy, the importance of the issues highlighted, the reporter’s level of understanding and their writing style.

Highly commended were; Adrian Schofield of Aviation Week for ‘Safety Scrutiny’; Nigel Pittaway writing for Air International for ‘Growler Rollout’; Katherine Ziesing of Australian Defence Magazine for ‘P-8s on track for ADF’; and Denise McNabb from Aviation Business for ‘Vincent Aviation collapse’.

The runner up was Jordan Chong of Australian Aviation for his story ‘Airservices managing conflicts of interest’ which took a look at how Airservices leadership managed the tender process for the OneSky system.

The winner of the Sydney Airport trophy and Aviation News Story of the Year was Jamie Freed from the Australian Financial Review.

Jamie’s story ‘Qantas poised to buy 787-9s’ provided a preview of the airline’s ultimate decision and what steps Qantas had to take financially so as to make the order a reality.

2015 Aviation Feature Story of the Year

As in years past, this remains the most popular category and 2015 was no exception with more than 40 submissions from journalists across the spectrum of newspapers, trade publications, wire services and blogs. The judges note that it was an impressive turnout.

This year’s entries included an in-depth look at the operations and safety of airlines and pilots, leadership profiles, historic aircraft and of course, innovations in aviation.

Feature writing is a specific art and entries in this category were judged on their ability to present issues of importance to the industry in a thought-provoking way, a demonstrated understanding of the issue discussed and the relevance and accuracy of the issue presented.

Highly commended were: Jordan Chong with Australian Aviation for his feature article ‘In Command’; Jamie Freed at the Australian Financial Review for her profile of Kerry Mather at Sydney Airport; Grant Bradley at the New Zealand Herald for his article ‘Peace in the Air’; Stewart Wilson from Aero for ‘The Buff over Vietnam’; and Adrian Park from Flight Safety Australia for his feature “When I can’t”.

The runner up in the category was Tom Ballantyne writing for Australian Aviation for his story “Succession Plans” which took an in-depth look at how Qantas and Virgin Australia have overseen leadership changes at the top of their respective airlines in the past – and what the future may hold in terms of the top spots.

Winner of the Airbus trophy for the 2015 Aviation Feature Story of the Year was Adrian Schofield of Aviation Week for his feature ‘Proven Product: Cathay Pacific relies on a tested model to defend its market position’ which took an in-depth look at Cathay’s market position, it’s underlying business model and the certainty of its CEO that it’s headed in the right direction despite significant competitive challenges.

2015 Aviation Defence Story of the Year

The Defence category drew a diverse range of entries that covered the quick pace of technology, the growth of autonomous systems, complex defence platforms today and in the future, combined with the need to always balance a nation’s strategic capability with the right products and services.

Entries in this category were judged on their value and importance to the industry, the writer’s understanding of defence issues, depth of coverage, style and accuracy.

Highly commended were: Kym Bergman of Asia Pacific Defence Reporter for ‘Australian Industry Opportunity on P-8A Poseidon Program’; Marcus Hocking in Australian Aviation for his article ‘Quantum Leap – Big deck aviation returns to the Royal Australian Navy’; Nigel Pittaway writing for Air Forces Monthly for his article ‘Operation Slipper’; and Ian McPhedran for his Sunday Telegraph article ‘Pilotless aircraft’.

The runner up for Defence Story of the Year was Australian Aviation managing editor Gerard Frawley for his article ‘Full Spectrum’ which recapped the introduction and electronic attack capabilities of the RAAF’s new EA-18G Growler aircraft.

The winner of the Boeing trophy for the 2015 Aviation Defence Story of the Year went to Rob Neil for his article ‘Big Decisions – the RNZAF’s Future Airlift Operations’ in Australian Aviation, which provided an in-depth look at the operational requirements of the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s airlift capability.

2015 Aviation Technical Story of the Year

The Aviation Technical Story of the Year is a specialised category focusing on developments in aviation technology, commercial aerospace, defence platforms, and includes anything that advances the state-of-the-art in an industry known for the state-of-the-art.

The journalists in this category need to not only grasp the highly technical aspects of aerospace, but also find a way to communicate them in a way that the reader can understand and appreciate. Not an easy task.

Entries covered topics such as the heavy toll of improperly maintained aircraft, autonomous vehicles, the internet in the sky, and the logistics system behind the F-35.

Highly commended were: John Walton’s article for Australian Aviation: ‘The Internet of Planes: the Internet of things takes to the sky’; Stewart Wilson for his Aero article ‘Saving the Electra’; Philip Smart for Australian Defence Magazine for his article ‘Printing our way into the future’; and Adrian Park of Flight Safety Australia for his article “For the want of a genuine part”.

The runner up was Robert Wilson from Flight Safety Australia for his article ‘Leaping off the Page’, a comprehensive look at opportunities and risks involved with 3-D printing in the aviation industry.

The winner of the Rolls-Royce Trophy for 2015 Aviation Technical Story of the Year went to Owen Zupp writing for Australian Aviation for his story ‘Electrical Evolution’ which traced the technology development and key advances in propulsion and power that led to a successful flight across the English Channel of Airbus’s E-Fan electric aircraft.

2015 Online Contribution of the Year

Since most everything goes online these days, what this award reflects is the use of online as a unique medium – often requiring different skills by a journalist to get those precious clicks.

Entries in this category were published online and were judged on their style, the author’s understanding of the topic and on their use of the online medium.

Highly commended were: Adrian Park for his Flight Safety Australia article ‘Rage against the Machine’; Kreisha Ballantyne’s article for Flight Safety Australia ‘No Second Chances’; and Adrian Schofield of Aviation Week for his article “Air New Zealand Boosts network with new aircraft deliveries”.

The runner-up was Australian Aviation’s Gerard Frawley for his online article ‘End of an Era as Qantas farewells the 767’ which was a fond farewell to the Boeing 767.

The winner of the Air New Zealand Trophy for Online Contribution of the Year went to Ian McPhedran for his news. com. au contribution ‘The Growler’ which was a multimedia winner in its use of text, video, photos and graphics.

2015 Aviation Photographer of the Year

Right time right place. It’s a moment in time, that split second of optical opportunity that can yield an image of immense impact.

Entries in this category were judged on the quality of the photographs, the creativity displayed in the entries and the photographer’s commitment to excellence.

The finalists in alphabetical order were: Peter Clark; Alex Coppel; Martin de Ruyter; Rob Finlayson; Derek Flynn; Seth Jaworski; Nigel Pittaway; Paul Sadler; Mark Smith; and Jay Town.

The runner-up went to Derek Flynn of The Marlborough Express and the stuff. co. nz website.

The winner of the 2015 Aviation Photographer of the Year sponsored by Hawker Pacific and Singapore Airlines was Alex Coppel of the Herald Sun.

Alex provided an impressive portfolio of photographs captured at the 2015 Avalon Airshow.