Behind the Scenes Insights
& Bonus Tales

There comes a moment in most aviation careers where you make a decision that, in hindsight, feels ... optimistic. For me, that moment came after three months of unsuccessfully trying to land a job as a test pilot in the United States. Money was running out. Options were thinning. And then I saw an advertisement: 'A pilot required to ferry a Cessna 172 from San Francisco to Sydney.' Now, for those unfamiliar with geography, that's roughly 7,000 miles (11,265 kms) across the Pa

A test flight of the CT-4 Airtrainer reveals an unexpected spin problem.

A “simple” ferry flight turns into a jungle negotiation with rebels, a bag of cash, and a hijacked aircraft.

There are remote places...and then there are the Cocos (Keeling) Islands , a tiny Australian territory so far out in the Indian Ocean that even seagulls need to pack snacks to get there. Two habitable islands, about six hundred people, and, critically, an airport bar that seems to be the centre of all major social transactions. Southern Cross Aviation had been contracted to ferry a Boeing 737-300 from Australia to the UK, with a planned overnight stop on Cocos. Work colleagu

In September 1966, the legendary Col Robin Olds , a larger-than-life leader with the combat record to prove it, took command of the 8th Tactical Air Wing. A double ace with thirteen victories in World War II and four more over North Vietnam, Olds was the driving force behind pushing for high intensity dogfight training between F-4 Phantom crews and our Sabres. His 'Wolfpack', an elite group of top pilots, reflected both his ferocity and his commitment to sharpening air combat

Long Beach Harbour on November 2, 1947, aviation history was made when the colossal H-4 Hercules, forever nicknamed the "Spruce Goose" lifted from the water for its first and only flight. Piloted by the legendary Howard Hughes , who had spent five years overseeing its construction, the giant flying boat soared just under half a mile at low altitude, stunning spectators and answering the skeptics who had long derided it as a "boondoggle" or "flying lumberyard". Though the Spru