Flying high

And there was plenty to write about. Sadly, MH370 drags on, as does MH17 which is still in the news as investigators try to zero in on those responsible. Meanwhile, airlines flag that the boom profits may be fading somewhat.

Also, unfortunately the search for MH370 also became the search in the media for the most bizarre theory as to why it disappeared with some theories making the nonsense stories that flowed from some computer geeks in Macedonia supporting Trump’s election sound credible.

In the media industry, the changes kept coming, but while cuts continue as the industry strives to find a balance aviation journalists still thrive because of the public’s insatiable appetite for all things that fly and sometimes don’t.

That appetite is extraordinary. When the world’s largest aircraft the An-225 came to Perth earlier this year the leading search criteria on Google in Australia that weekend was ‘An-225’.

For Seven West media in Perth the An-225 broke all records for online and TV coverage and an estimated 40,000 people visited the airport to see the giant jet. People love aviation.

Aside from the MH370 and MH17 coverage and the really big plane in Perth there was much to celebrate this year. Virgin Australia revamped its 777s with beds to die for, while Qantas completed the upgrade of its A330s with a similar fitout.

Scoot offered ridiculously low fares to Athens to help the Greek economy, while Air New Zealand offered to help Americans wanting to leave the US after the Presidential election boilover with some crazy one-way fares.

Also in the news were deliveries of the Airbus A350 to Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific, while Qantas dripfed tantalising snippets of what its new Boeing 787s will look like. And the stunning Airbus A350-1000 has taken flight for the first time.

And one cannot forget 100 wonderful years for Boeing.

In a twist, in over 100 years of aerospace design we have come from fabric, glue and wire to, you guessed it –fabric, glue and wire. Yes the 787 and the Airbus A350 are made from carbon fibre yarn impregnated with resign baked in an oven. And passengers now get their all-important IFE through wireless technology.

So, what may 2017 hold? First delivery of the 737 MAX, rollout of the 787-10, first delivery of the A350‑000 and Qantas’s first delivery of the Boeing 787-9.

In the media industry, the changes kept coming.

2016 Aviation Journalist of the Year

Sponsored by Airservices and Cathay Pacific the winner was Grant Bradley, who covers aviation for The New Zealand Herald. A deserved winner, Bradley has covered aviation for several years and this year his reporting and writing combined with his use of social media made his entries stand out.

Runner up for Aviation Journalist of the Year was Australian Aviation and Runway Girl Network contributor John Walton.

The award recognises Walton for his feature writing, combined with his prolific social media presence – both of which combined to create great journalism in print and online.

Fellow finalists for Aviation Journalist of the Year were: Jordan Chong, Gerard Frawley, Nigel Pittaway, Steve Creedy and Stewart Wilson.

The journalist of the year is selected based on a combination of his/her news coverage including breaking news stories, feature writing, and multimedia/social media presence.

Judges compiled a list of candidates based upon entries submitted for the other categories.

2016 Australian Aviation News Story of the Year

From government policies to airports and infrastructure to commercial and general aviation to leadership plans and expansion plans, this category highlights stories about the people, products, services and policies that help make Australian aviation great. And this year, like many before it in aviation, had it all.

The judging criteria for this category were credibility, style, impact, value and understanding. The winner of the Sydney Airport trophy and Aviation News Story of the Year was Michael Smith from The Australian Financial Review for his piece about Virgin Australia’s move to bring in a former aviation consultant to run its airline operations in ‘Virgin hires John Thomas in management restructure’.

Meanwhile, The Australian’s Mitchell Bingemann was named runner-up in this category for his story ‘Pilots facing groundings over medical delays’.

2016 New Zealand Aviation News Story of the Year

This is a new category that has been added to the awards in 2016 and judging by the entries received, it has been a great decision to create this new category recognising the best new stories on New Zealand’s aviation sector.

Similar to the Australian Aviation News Story of the Year, the judging criteria for this category were credibility, style, impact, value and understanding.

The winner of the inaugural trophy was Jamie Freed, who was recognised for her story about increasing competition for Air New Zealand in The Australian Financial Review, ‘Air New Zealand faces headwinds as competition increases’. Freed is now a senior companies news correspondent at Thompson Reuters.

Meanwhile, The New Zealand Herald’s Grant Bradley came in runnerup in this category for his story about the competition on the Auckland-Los Angeles route, ‘AKL‐LAX fare war begins’.

2016 Aviation Feature Story of the Year

The features this year were diverse – everything from an in-depth look at business class seats to the rise of remotely-piloted aircraft systems to flying supply missions to Antarctica, as well as coverage of people, products and services, and the policies that are of strategic importance to the Australasian aviation and defence industry, offering colour and a level of reporting that went beyond the typical news story.

The judging criteria for this category were credibility, style, impact, value and understanding.

The winner of the Airbus trophy was Steve Creedy from airlineratings.com, who won for his in-depth review of the search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 entitled, ‘MH370 –Now for the facts’.

Meanwhile, The Weekend Australian’s Brendan Nicholson came in runner-up in this category for his first person feature about a RAAF mission over Iraq, ‘Raining Down a Fiery Justice’.

2016 Aviation Defence Story of the Year

From policies to platforms to realworld operations, this category highlights stories about the military and defence industry.

The judging criteria for this category were credibility, style, imagery, impact, value and understanding.

The winner of the Boeing trophy was Trevor Thomas for his exhaustive two-part story about the Defence White Paper in Australian Defence Business Review (sister publication to Australian Aviation). His winning entry, ‘Inside the Defence White Paper –Part 2’ looked at the Defence Integrated Investment Plan.

Meanwhile, Asia Pacific Defence Reporter’s Kym Bergmann came in runner-up in this category for his story about a Senate inquiry into the F-35, ‘F‐35 –Senate inquiry uncovers new information’.

2016 Aviation Technical Story of the Year

Aircraft and aerospace issues, parts manufacture and air traffic management technology all come under this category that focuses on technical issues in relation to aviation.

And with this year’s entries looking at connecting to the internet from the aeroplane, an aeroplane that might be carrying a spare engine, and landing during peak times of the day, the technical category once again did not disappoint.

The judging criteria for this category were credibility, style, imagery, impact, value and understanding.

The winner of the Rolls-Royce trophy was Orient Aviation’s Tom Ballantyne, who won for his story whose headline says it all: ‘Airlines ignore the big data bandwagon at their peril’. In addition to being Orient Aviation’s chief correspondent, Ballantyne is also an Australian Aviation senior contributor.

Meanwhile, Stewart Wilson of Aero Australia was runner-up in this category for his story about the evolution of the commercial turbofan engine, ‘Fans and Gears’.

2016 Multimedia Story of the Year

Previously known as the Online Story of the Year, in 2016 this category was changed to Multimedia Story of the Year. Times have changed and so have the tools that our journalists use to tell their stories. Video, graphics, social media – all support and sometimes replace traditional storytelling.

In today’s media environment, publications are now platforms that can incorporate advanced ways to tell a story. This category recognises stories that transcend the traditional text-andphoto and use a combination of text, graphics, photos, video and social media to tell a more encompassing and well-rounded story.

The judging criteria for this category were credibility, style, impact, value and understanding.

The winner of the Air New Zealand trophy was The New Zealand Herald’s Grant Bradley for his story ‘Cathay shows off latest addition to its fleet’.

The story had a strong multimedia showing that included video and social media elements.

Meanwhile, Runway Girl Network contributing editor and Australian Aviation contributor John Walton was named runner-up in this category for his coverage of the 2016 Farnborough Airshow online and in real time across various social media platforms including Twitter and YouTube.

2016 Aviation Photographer of the Year

Sponsored by Hawker Pacific and Singapore Airlines, the rules for this category were changed in 2016. While entrants were still required to submit three photographs in their entry, airshow submissions were limited to one photograph. Also, the judging panel this year and moving forward would give additional weighting to the professional photographer judge in the final determination of the winner.

The judging criteria for this category were quality of photographs, creativity, commitment to excellence and distribution.

The winner of the Singapore Airlines and Hawker Pacific trophy was Australian Aviation contributor Seth Jaworski. The judges said Jaworski’s photos showed imagination, depth and a love for aerospace.

Meanwhile, The Nelson Mail’s Martin de Ruyter was named the runner-up in this category.

AAPC and its sponsors

The AAPC committee consists of Geoffrey Thomas as president, David Sidman as secretary and treasurer and committee member Peter Marosszeky. In addition to Peter, the AAPC is requesting nominations for additional committee members.

The sponsors of this year’s media awards are Airservices Australia, Boeing, Airbus, Cathay Pacific, Air New Zealand, Sydney Airport, Singapore Airlines, Rolls-Royce, Hawker Pacific, Qantas, Virgin Australia, the Australian Airports Association and the Australian International Airshow. Their support is very much appreciated. Without them none of this would be possible.

The judges for the 2016 awards were Doug Nancarrow, Peter Marosszeky, Owen Poland and David Sidman. Also, James Morgan was a judge for the 2016 Aviation Photographer of the Year. Their efforts in this time consuming and extremely challenging task is also very much appreciated.