Australian Aviation

The Mirage story reaches its conclusion In January 1963, the Minister for Air, James Fairbairn, announced that No75 Squadron would be the first unit to re-equip with the Mirage, replacing its Avon Sabres. The aircraft were allocated aircraft identification number A3, previously used by the RAAF’s Avro 504Ks and the later Wackett Trainers. During July

Warbirds, classic aircraft, museum and airshow news Antique Aero 2020 fly-in move The President of the Antique Aeroplane Association of Australia, Matt Henderson, has announced that Wangaratta, Victoria will be the venue for the 2020 annual fly-in. In making the announcement Henderson said that while Echuca, Victoria had been the venue for the past few

Developing Habit Patterns For High Performance Out of the Blue: Part 4 I sit patiently watching my dad, who is resting quietly in his bed in the nursing home. A highly respected airline captain who finished up in command of very large A380 jets, he should be enjoying the fruits of his labour in semi-retirement.

The rotary-wing weakness in our rapid response It was 1978, and I had been in the Australian Army for almost two years, joining 6th Battalion the Royal Australian Regiment at the age of 17. Exercising in the Shoalwater Bay area, the battalion was about to undertake its first helicopter night assault in Australia. At that

Head in the clouds, feet on the ground The power of preparation is a familiar theme in aviation. The hours of work undertaken on the ground can greatly improve the quality of the flight hours that are logged. While there are many aspects of preparation, the flight simulator has evolved over the decades to provide

Training more than the nuts and bolts A few years ago, a Qantas engineer was called to one of the airline’s Airbus A380s in Sydney. A defect had been discovered in an emergency slide that needed to be addressed before the aircraft could be cleared for departure. The task required the engineer to climb up