Marc Joel Atrero

White Paper confirms mixed fleet for future RAAF air combat A leaked draft of the 2013 Defence White Paper has furthered the argument that the future of the RAAF’s air combat capability lies in a mixed fleet of F-35As and F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, along with EA-18G Growlers. “As a key part of its Defence strategy,

Much-needed rationalisation comes to the Indian market The raging, double-digit growth of Indian airlines came to a screaming halt last year, according to figures from the country’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Domestic passenger numbers, which had grown to 60. 6 million in 2011, moved into reverse gear in 2012, down 3. 04 per

Affordability versus effectiveness In 1984 the American aerospace executive Norman Augustine famously wrote that the constant real increase in the price of military aircraft meant that by 2054 the US would be able to afford just one aeroplane. Augustine’s comment was only partly facetious. It is probable that the time has now arrived when Western

A double-edged sword for passengers Australia’s two main airlines continue on the path towards closer tie-ups with international partners, entirely eschewing (in Virgin’s case) and practically ignoring (in Qantas’s case) the three global alliances. Qantas’s now-approved Emirates partnership is the most significant, but Virgin Australia’s global strategy combining Etihad and Singapore Airlines to the west

The perception and reality of an airline pilot In the midst of the 1989 ‘Pilot’s Dispute’, the Prime Minister of the day publically labelled pilots as “overpaid bus drivers” and it was a perception that rapidly spread across the broader public spectrum. Firstly, this was an unwarranted broadside at bus drivers.  Also, what Bob Hawke

Speculation never benefited aviation safety The first casualty of any air crash or incident is almost always the truth. Many in the media recklessly speculate while others became overnight experts in what is one of the world’s most complex industries. This content is available exclusively to Australian Aviation members. Login Become a Member To continue