Plane Crazy Down Under

PCDU Episode 130: Avalon 2017 – Alpha

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Sat, 15 Apr 2017 05:42:47 +0000

Steve, Grant and Maikha were on-site at Avalon recording plenty of content and this episode is our first collection of audio content covering some of the companies, people and aircraft we encountered while there. Steve & Grant have already started editing the next batch of content for Episode 131 and Maikha’s starting to wade through […]

PCDU Episode 129: Going Back to School

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Tue, 28 Feb 2017 08:29:30 +0000

Steve & Grant have both been back to school in the past week with Steve revisiting his old high school (Brentwood Secondary College and yes, it’s still standing) where they have a great aviation curriculum. Meanwhile, Grant’s been out to Bacchus Marsh airport to the TVSA flying school’s open day. This one’s a short episode […]

PCDU Episode 128: Unprecedented

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Sun, 30 Oct 2016 05:13:23 +0000

From Grant’s collection of ballooning interviews to a chat with Owen Zupp about his latest book and our tribute to Hannes Arch, this episode is our biggest yet (yes, even bigger than Episode 51, our tribute to the RAAF’s F-111s!). We’ve even captured Anthony “The Infrequent Flyer” Simmons’ first ever viewing of the movie TopGun […]

PCDU Episode 127: From the Vault

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Sun, 17 Jul 2016 12:31:26 +0000

We’ve gone back into our archives to pull out some great content that we never got around to releasing before. We have some more interviews from Avalon 2015 (yes, we recorded lots didn’t we? :) ) and we also have WGCDR Tim Alsop (now a GPCAPT :) ) walking us through planning & implementing an […]

PCDU Episode 126: Emirates Wants You!

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Thu, 10 Mar 2016 19:47:26 +0000

They say patience is a virtue and hopefully our audience has plenty of it because it’s been a while since our last episode was released. Fortunately we’ve been able to make some time available to record content, edit it and get this episode into the feed. For this one Steve & Grant are joined by […]

PCDU Episode 125: Avalon Charlie (The Avalon Airshow Goodness Continues)

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Sun, 02 Aug 2015 10:57:12 +0000

Welcome back to our coverage of the 2015 Australian International Air Show (aka Avalon Airshow) with our third release of content recorded at show. It’s been a while since the last episode and we’re sorry for that but as with many labours of love & fun, life gets in the way and paying the rent, […]

PCDU Episode 124: Avalon15 Bravo (Yet more Avalon Airshow Goodness)

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Wed, 11 Mar 2015 22:43:33 +0000

The Australian International Airshow (aka Avalon Airshow) may well be over for 2015 but our collection of content recorded at the show is still being worked on. Here’s another hour of interviews & discussions and we suspect there may be another two episodes before we’re through with all of it. This is what happens when […]

PCDU Episode 123: Avalon15 Alpha (It’s Avalon Airshow Time :) )

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Sat, 28 Feb 2015 02:58:04 +0000

The Australian International Airshow (aka Avalon Airshow) is held every two years and runs for 6 days with the first 3 being trade-only. The 4th day of the show is always on a Friday and the public start coming in around midday then stay for the night show, a feature of Avalon for well over […]

PCDU Episode 122: Farewell 2014

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Wed, 31 Dec 2014 11:58:05 +0000

As the final hours of 2014 draw to a close, we’re getting our last episode for 2014 out the door. The boys have been kept pretty busy with their day jobs lately but, despite this, they’ve managed to do some flying: Grantâ€™s been taking friends on their first balloon flights including Evan Schoo and Darren […]

PCDU Episode 121: Exercise Pitch Black 2014

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Wed, 01 Oct 2014 13:12:23 +0000

During August, Grant spent a week in Darwin covering Exercise Pitch Black 2014, a major multinational “war game” exercise hosted by the Royal Australian Air Force. Held every two years, Pitch Black is Australia’s version of the Red Flag training exercises held in the USA and in 2014 the RAAF was joined by forces from […]

PCDU Episode 120: History & Records

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Thu, 31 Jul 2014 22:59:22 +0000

Steve’s very happy to have finally started converting currency into currency as he’s logging hours in a Flysynthesis Texan and progressing towards getting his RA-Aus license. Grant’s been too busy with work to get many hours but did finally get to log some “special shape” time in his balloon logbook. Naturally, both Steve & Grant […]

PCDU Episode 119: F-35 Joint Strike Fighter: The RAAF Approach

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Tue, 03 Jun 2014 13:36:33 +0000

With Australia’s confirmed purchase of a total of 72 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, Steve & Grant are joined by Andrew McLaughlin from COMINT (Communications Intelligence) to discuss the F-35 and its operation within the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). We also feature a number of great interviews with Lockheed Martin staff and an in-depth discussion […]

PCDU Episode 118: Can you fly to NatFly 2014?

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Sun, 27 Apr 2014 02:56:39 +0000

Just to be different, this episode Steve joins ATC Ben on a BenAir flight from Essendon (YMEN) to Temora (YTEM) to attend the NatFly 2014 event. With the Cirrus SR20’s autopilot keeping them on track, Captain Ben & FO Steve introduce the show before opening up their packed lunches. Sadly, Sierra Juliette Alpha (VH-SJA) did […]

PCDU Episode 117: Holler for a Marshall, an AIR Marshal

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 12:40:50 +0000

With the RAAF’s Centenary of Military Aviation air show only a couple of days away, we thought we’d mix up some content that promotes the event as well as some chats Grant recorded with a number of past & present members of the RAAF at the Temora Aviation Museum’s “Warbirds Down Under” event back in […]

PCDU Episode 116: High Performances

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Sun, 16 Feb 2014 03:48:49 +0000

After a break due to injuries, surgery & a wedding, we’re back on deck and our first episode for 2014 is packed with Down Under aviation goodness :) From Matt Hall and the long awaited return of the Red Bull Air Race to our media flight in a pair of C130Js over Melbourne to promote […]

PCDU Episode 115: Farewell 2013

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Tue, 31 Dec 2013 12:48:34 +0000

It’s been an amazing year but as 2013 draws to a close, we’re squeezing one more episode out for you. We’ve combined some content not yet published from Avalon & AusFly with some great reports supplied by other members of the PCDU team. We’ve also got a competition running to win one of five copies […]

PCDU Episode 114: AusFly 2013 – Back Together Under One Sky

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Tue, 10 Dec 2013 02:45:51 +0000

September 2013 rolled around and it was time for the second AusFly event at Narromine in New South Wales. Team PCDU squeezed into a bus that was loaded with Analog Al’s airshow PA system, our gear and a certain trade stand then drove over 800km in a day to get there. Whew! Once there we […]

PCDU Episode 113: Fleeting Dreams

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Mon, 21 Oct 2013 11:12:43 +0000

The past month has included a number of events related to the Royal Australian Navy’s International Fleet Review 2013 as well as the arrival of Jetstar’s new 787-8. Grant’s been visiting a few ships & interviewing their aircrew while Kathy’s had a flight on Australia’s brand new MRH-90 Taipan transport helicopters. Not long after that, […]

PCDU Episode 112: Federal Election 2013

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Fri, 06 Sep 2013 13:20:27 +0000

It’s time for Australians to vote for their favourite (or least disliked :) ) politicians and, once again, we’ve gone into bat for our audience to present information about the transportation policies of the main parties. Unfortunately, our cunning plan to wait for the parties to have revealed their policies has not been as successful […]

PCDU Episode 111: Radio Killed the Podcast Star (Almost :) )

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Sun, 25 Aug 2013 13:13:13 +0000

As the F111 was late & delayed by all sorts of issues, so too has our Episode 111 been late in arriving. Our big excuse has been discovering that the PCDU Radio Show has taken a LOT more effort than we expected. All this plus our day jobs, families AND our PCDU Commentary & Announcing […]

PCDU Episode 110: A Basket Full of Flight

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Mon, 08 Jul 2013 02:59:16 +0000

All good things take time & so do our episodes, with this one taking perhaps the longest to produce of any of them. It’s also packed full of great content covering magazine editors, wing walkers, AOPA, another give-away competition, antique aircraft, solo trips around the world & even hot air balloons. Make use of the […]

TeenWorldFlight: Update #1 with Ryan Campbell

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Sat, 06 Jul 2013 08:09:54 +0000

Ryan Campbell is a 19 year old pilot from Australia who’s currently flying solo around the world to grab the record as the youngest pilot yet to make the epic journey. Steve caught up with Ryan just a couple of hours after he had arrived in Hilo, Hawaii to discuss the experience of island-hopped his […]

PCDU Episode 109: Dave’s Cambridge Airforce

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Sun, 26 May 2013 13:31:15 +0000

We're joined by Dave Homewood from the Wings Over New Zealand forum & podcast who talks to us about his career with the RNZAF, the Kiwi warbird scene and his excellent forum & podcast. We also feature more Avalon content including our KC-30A interview, the Herron RPV and Charles Cheeseman from Eco 2000. Finally, we introduce new team member Maikha Ly, announce another competition and work through a stack of listener mail.

PCDU Episode 108: On a Wing & a Chair

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 12:39:28 +0000

Flying solo around Australia is a challenging & amazing experience, even today (just ask Owen Zupp :) ). It's even more mind-blowing when you're a quadriplegic! This episode Steve & Grant talk to Dave Jacka who is setting out to be the first quadriplegic person to fly solo around Australia! We also include a chat Steve recorded with Laurie Jones from Adventure Wings about his role as a fire-bomber and the Nanchang adventure flights they operate from Tooradin (YTDN), a new View from the Lounge and even a competition!

PCDU Episode 107: Avalon 2013 – Globemaster Central

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 01:04:23 +0000

We still have some Avalon 2013 coverage not yet released so we decided to produce a single episode dedicated to the C17 as there were multiple RAAF C17s and a USAF C17 present on the final day. In keeping with our previous Avalon 2013 episodes, this one is under an hour and gathers the following […]

PCDU Episode 106: Avalon 2013 – Day Six

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 00:52:05 +0000

We had contemplated a quiet final day at Avalon 2013 where the team could gather a few last interviews but it wasn’t to be. There were still so many people to see, content to capture and experiences to share with our audience. In fact, there’s so much content that we couldn’t fit it all into […]

PCDU Episode 105: Avalon 2013 – Day Five

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 12:32:31 +0000

Day Five of the Avalon Airshow 2013 is the first full public day and they turned out in force to enjoy great aviation action under clear blue skies. Despite the crowds we still managed to get around the airport to complete a number of interviews & meet up with plenty of people. This episode includes: […]

PCDU Episode 104: Avalon 2013 – Day Four

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 12:41:19 +0000

The sun came out in force on Day 4 of Avalon 2013 and with mostly clear blue skies we finally felt like we’d arrived at a real airshow. With aircraft putting on some amazing performances, the F22 once again took to the skies and let us experience the “High Show” and what a fantastic show […]

PCDU Episode 103: Avalon 2013 – Day Three

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 12:28:14 +0000

From a Gulfstream G650 to an RAAF C17, Day Three of Avalon 2013 has certainly kept Team PCDU on the go

PCDU Episode 102: Avalon 2013 – Day Two

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 12:47:25 +0000

Day Two of the Avalon 2013 Airshow has kept Team PCDU very busy shooting video & recording interviews. Here’s some of the content we recorded today: Captain Robin Pursey, Chief Pilot for Airbus Corporate Jets talks about flying the ACJ319 David Velupillai, Marketing Director for Airbus Corporate Jets discusses interior fit outs & typical missions […]

PCDU Episode 101: Avalon 2013 – Day One

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 12:25:16 +0000

It's been a good start to the Avalon 2013 Airshow with Team PCDU recording a few interviews and setting up their schedule for the rest of the week.

PCDU Episode 100: The Ton

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 12:07:18 +0000

We've finally made it to our 100th episode and had some amazing experiences along the way. We've learned lots, had aviation experiences we've never dreamed of and even spun off a few side-projects for other shows. For this episode we've resisted the temptation to do a retrospective or rehash earlier content (except for a bit at the start & the end of the episode :) ). Instead, we've put together some interviews with well known people about a couple of up-coming events and a discussion about the dreaded Biennial Flight Review (BFR), now known as an Aeroplane Flight Review (AFR).

PCDU Episode 99: RAAF C-130H – Into History

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 10:28:18 +0000

In November of 2012 the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) decommissioned their C-130H fleet, transitioning to the C-130J and reaching the end of an era for flight engineers & navigators in the Air Lift Group (ALG). We were fortunate enough to be invited to partake in some of the decommissioning events including a final media flight over Sydney Harbour, watching a formation flyby practice from RAAF Base Richmond's control tower and the delivery of C-130H A97-011 to the RAAF Museum at Point Cook. In the course of these events we obtained a number of great interviews with past & present air crew which are gathered here in our tribute episode to the C-130H in RAAF service.

PCDU Episode 98: Farewell 2012

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 10:21:13 +0000

As 2012 draws to a close come & spend a bit of time with Steve, Grant, Bas & ATC Ben as they wrap up the year with some new content, some discussions and a bit of fun. It’s another long episode but we think it’s a pretty good way to send out the year :) […]

PCDU Episode 97: Journos & Aeros

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 12:30:03 +0000

We have a variety of content for you in this episode including: 0:03:50 – A great chat we recorded with Andrew McLaughlin, previously co-owner and deputy editor of Australian Aviation and now a freelance aviation writer 1:00:59 – Kathy Mexted went flying with Anatole Mills from Warbird Air Adventures and got to experience some aerobatics […]

PCDU Episode 96: “Serge” – An Australian Top Gun

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 09:04:26 +0000

It takes a special breed to push an F18 out to the edge of the envelope, fly missions ranging from surface attack to dog fights and then blow off steam with your squadron mates. It’s certainly not Top Gun but it does make amazing fodder for a book that highlights the good, the bad and […]

PCDU Episode 95: Northern Exposure

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 08:15:40 +0000

Steve & Grant go north of Melbourne thanks to the aid of some members of Team PCDU, both current & new. First up we tag along with ATC_Ben on his visit to Oshkosh 2012, discussing his journey there & listening to a few of the interviews he recorded (yes, we're still jealous we couldn't get there!). We then introduce long-time listener Damien Rose who's joining us as our Queensland correspondent & lives about 2,000km north of PCDU HQ. Finally, we play a few of the interviews Steve & Grant recorded at Oshkosh 2011 to help us feel a bit better about not being there this year (nope, still jealous! :)

PCDU Episode 94: AusFly “Together Under One Sky”

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 11:10:27 +0000

The Sport Aircraft Association of Australia (SAAA) held their inaugural AusFly event at Narromine, New South Wales on the 14th & 15th of September. As part of the show, Plane Crazy Down Under were invited to come & run the AusFly radio show and provide commentary for the air displays. From setting up the studio […]

PCDU Episode 93: Positive Moves

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 13:25:28 +0000

After three years of lamenting the hassles involved in getting to the West Coast of Australia to report on aviation happenings wwwaaayyy over there on the other side of the big empty, we’ve finally done something about it: we’ve set up a PCDU-WestCoast office and found someone just as aviation-crazy as we are to run […]

PCDU Episode 92: Helene Young – A Novel Approach to Flying

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 13:15:36 +0000

[Kathy Mexted joins Steve & Grant to interview Helene Young, a Dash-8 pilot who's written three great books based around pilots flying for Australia's border patrol in the far north of Queensland. In addition to being a captain with the regionals, Helene has managed to juggle her home & social life with work and writing, producing three great books in a relatively short period of time. We also have interviews with Peter Sobey (Chief Flying Instructor at Sharp Airlines) and Chris Dewhirst (first man to fly a balloon over Mt Everest) along with a brand new View From the Lounge segment (also about balloons).

PCDU Episode 91: New Horizons

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 13:32:46 +0000

After a number of years and the inevitable stumbling blocks that life throws at us, Grant has finally become a balloon pilot having completed his check flight up at Mildura just the other day. From how the final stages of solos & check flight unfolded to a comparison of "first solo" moments, Steve & Grant talk briefly about the realisation that a new license & $5 can now buy you a beer... Meanwhile, Bas & AntCB join Steve to talk iPad aviation apps, Pieter Johnson interviews Australians at Farnborough 2012, Steve & Bas talk to Peter Gibson from CASA about the new Class 2 Medicals, we talk to Aviation Australia about their training courses & Aviation Careers Expo and Grant chats with Alan Joyce (no, really! :)

PCDU Episode 90: Moments in Time

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 13:07:47 +0000

Steve's been considering buying an aircraft so he got together with Anthony Crichton-Browne and Ben Morgan to discuss the costs of owning an aircraft. After that we're joined by Kathy Mexted to interview Justin Sheedy about his book "Nor the years condemn" before heading off into a discussion of various items (including Grant getting on his soapbox about 'aircraft snobs'). It's worth sticking around to the very end for a huge, 5 minute mega-blooper reel at the end :)

PCDU Episode 89: RA-Aus NatFly 2012

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 13:48:40 +0000

Way back in April, Steve & ATC_Ben flew "Ben Air" from Lilydale (YLIL) to Temora (YTEM) for the RA-Aus NatFly 2012 event, leaving Grant behind in Melbourne attempting to recover from bronchitis. While not as vibrant as 2011, there was still plenty of activity to keep Steve & Ben busy recording lots of great content. Join us to check out all the light aircraft fun.

PCDU Episode 88: Dreamtime

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Tue, 29 May 2012 15:29:20 +0000

Boeing have been taking their 787 Dreamliners on the DreamTour, a series of 7 multi-stop flights, or segments, that take one of the 787 test aircraft around the world. Each segment visits multiple countries, allowing airlines & invited guests to get up close to the advanced new airliner. Perhaps saving the best for last, the DreamTour came to the Dreamtime during it's 7th segment. Team PCDU were invited by Qantas & Jetstar to join the DreamTour in Melbourne. This "quick cast" episode features our interview recorded in Melbourne with Captain Todd Abraham, a Boeing technical pilot flying the 787 on segment #7.

PCDU Episode 87: Wings Over Illawarra 2012

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Fri, 18 May 2012 13:17:33 +0000

The Great PCDU Road Trip of 2012 covered over 1,700km in the course of a single weekend. From late on Friday night to early on Monday morning, Steve, Grant & Allan drove from Melbourne up to Wollongong (just south of Sydney) to attend the Wings Over Illawarra 2012 air show. Firmly ensconced in the Southern Biplanes hangar with a great view of the show unfolding beyond "Lilly Warra" (their big red Boeing Stearman), the mobile studio was set up (thanks Allan! :) allowing Steve, Grant & Anthony Crichton-Browne to record lots of great content.

C130J
RAN SH60B Seahawk
Army Red Berets parachute demo team leader
NSW Air & Australian Aerial Patrol
and much much more

PCDU Episode 86: One Fine Day at Parafield

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 11:08:55 +0000

Thanks to OzRunways, Steve was able to get to Adelaide to cover the Parafield Airshow 2012. He & Bas recorded a number of interviews, including:

Chris Sperou
The Roulettes
Tammy Augostin
David Hales from 5DME

And much more, including Pieter Johnson's next "From Up Here to Down There" segment and an update from the B24 Liberator Restoration Project.

PCDU Episode 85: Tyabb Air Show 2012 & ATC Ben Answers Your Questions

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 12:22:41 +0000

After a long break from the show, Ben Ippolito (aka ATC Ben) returns in this packed episode to tell us about getting current again, wrap up the Tyabb airshow and answer some of your ATC questions. Our Tyabb coverage includes:

Matt Hall
Mark Pracy talking about the Reno crash
The formation & operation of the Southern Knights
ATC Ben talks about re-gaining proficiency and ATC Q&A session

We also introduce a new sponsor (OzRunways) and with lots of airshows coming up, we're looking for more :)

PCDU Episode 84: Geoff Whitty: Pidgin Tales

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 14:37:41 +0000

This episode we're joined by Kathy Mexted & her brother Geoff Whitty to talk about his adventures running aviation operations & airports in Papua New Guinea. We then talk to Tammy Augostin, the Promotion & Marketing Manager of the Parafield Airshow before featuring Anthony Crichton-Browne's chat with a Blackhawk pilot and Anthony Simmons' latest View from the Lounge segment.

PCDU Episode 83: Replicate This!

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 11:29:26 +0000

This episode we dip into aviation's rich & storied history as we chat with a few replica builders who are working hard to preserve our access to our fledgling beginnings as we first pushed into the sphere of powered, heavier than air flight. (show title image supplied by Project 2014) This episode includes:

Bristol Military Boxkite flying replica being built by Geoff Matthews & Ron Gretton AM
BE2a static replica being built by Andrew Willox.
Richard Gardner, Charman of the Trustees at the Farnborough Air Sciences Trust
Replica of Eugene Ely's Curtis Pusher by Bob Coolbaugh& Andrew King
The Barnstorming Movie with Paul Glenshaw & Andrew King followed by a chat with Paul about the Wright Brothers movie he has reassembled

PCDU Episode 82: Keeping up with Owen Zupp

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 14:36:44 +0000

Our good friend Owen Zupp takes time out from his very busy schedule to hang out & chat with us about his new blog, flight testing the GA8 Airvan and much more. We also include chats with Ken Wright OAM from the RAAF 2OTU Museum and Noel Breetag at the RAAF Catalina Museum plus Pieter Johnson has a great chat with Paul Fowler about the Spitfire Project.

PCDU Episode 81: An Infrequent Flyer goes to Europe

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 09:18:52 +0000

There’s been a few delays in getting our first episode for 2012 out but what can you expect with the Summer heat to enjoy and games of Cricket to watch (or avoid :). It is with Cricket in mind that our very own Infrequent Flyer, Anthony Simmons, took some time out of his European adventures […]

PCDU Episode 80: Farewell 2011 (aka “Tom Cruise wraps my Dolmades” :)

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 10:49:15 +0000

All good things must come to an end and so too must the year 2011. It has been an amazing year of growth for PCDU as we’ve covered Avalon 2011, NatFly 2011 and Oshkosh 2011 along with a number of major events (eg: Qantas grounding) and added some new voices to the team. So as […]

PCDU Episode 79: Flying Low

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 13:50:07 +0000

Steve’s finally picked up his instructor’s rating although it’s in trains, not aircraft, but don’t worry, we’re not switching the show over to Train Crazy Down Under :) Once again we’re joined by Kathy Mexted and this time we’re discussing what’s involved in being an Ag Pilot and how the industry has developed here in […]

PCDU Episode 78: Tim Smith: Flying Saved My Life

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 12:18:28 +0000

Many people in Australia know of Tim Smith, a Melbourne comedian who’s worked on television and in radio for years. What many people don’t know is that Tim is a pilot who is working towards his goal of running charter operations taking people around Australia, visiting places many folks have never heard of let alone […]

PCDU Episode 77: Qantas Crisis: After the Grounding

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 01:35:41 +0000

Almost one year after the QF32 incident, Qantas is again in the news around the world and for a short time again appeared to be on the brink of a major disaster. At 5pm on Saturday the 29th of October, Alan Joyce (CEO of Qantas) announced that he & the board of directors had decided […]

PCDU Episode 76: Air Wilpena

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 11:48:17 +0000

A few episodes ago we introduced Kathy Mexted as a new member our group of occasional PCDU contributors and this episode she’s back with some great content. She recently took a few friends in a Bonanza out to Wilpena Pound in South Australia, a trip that would usually take many days to achieve by road […]

PCDU Episode 75: Talking Aerobatics with Anthony Crichton-Browne

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 10:43:57 +0000

Today we’re joined by Anthony Crichton-Browne, a commercial airline pilot who also likes to take his Pitts Special out for a spin (and a few other fun manoeuvres :) In addition to chatting with Anthony, we also run a chat with Grant Piper (President of the Australian Aerobatic Club) about Australia’s recent involvement in the […]

PCDU Episode 74: Kiwi User Fees … and other issues

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 08:53:02 +0000

We’re joined by our mate Dan Morris from New Zealand to discuss some news from the Land of the Long White Cloud. Topics include: Air Traffic Control in the aftermath of the Christchurch earthquake, especially the problems they encountered due to centralising all area controllers in one location How user fees in New Zealand have […]

PCDU Episode 73: Oshkosh: The Greatest Show on Earth

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 13:12:26 +0000

Today Steve & Grant are chatting with Bas Scheffers, reviewing their experiences at EAA‘s AirVenture Oshkosh 2011. We talk about the long haul across the Pacific via V Australia 777 and Qantas A380, arriving in Chicago on their hottest day in 10 years and then hanging out with Rob Mark, his family and his ever […]

PCDU Episode 72: Oshcast #3 – Hugging your Roo

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 05:47:02 +0000

As all good things must come to an end, so too must our time at Oshkosh 2011. It’s been an incredible event for us and an eye-opener to just how large this Mecca of all things aviation truly is. With our final day at the show, we’ve produced a chunky episode packed full of *some* […]

PCDU Episode 71: AirVenture 2011 – Oshcast #2

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 22:28:05 +0000

We’re still here at Oshkosh and working hard despite heat, humidity, rain, storms and sore feet. There’s something about being at the greatest aviation event in the world & surrounded by over 10,000 aircraft that makes all those hassles fade away :) While the only way to really appreciate & experience Oshkosh is to be […]

PCDU Episode 70: AirVenture 2011 – Oshcast #1

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 20:01:43 +0000

Steve & Grant are at Oshkosh along with Bas Scheffers, David Vanderhoof and a large number of other aviation podcasters, swimming in the sea of aviation that is AirVenture Oshkosh 2011. Grant & Bas have been here since Saturday while Steve & David arrived on Sunday. We’ve recorded with the Airplane Geeks, producing an episode […]

PCDU Episode 69: Carbonated

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 10:16:11 +0000

Ben Morgan from Aviation Advertiser returns to join us in a discussion of current events in the Australian aviation scene. Following a quick intro, the first topic we discuss is the Carbon Tax our government is proposing to implement. We do try to keep the discussion coming back to the impacts this tax is likely […]

PCDU Episode 68: Flyabout to Memory Lane

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 08:18:44 +0000

We open this episode having a chat with James Williams of the LifeStyle PodNetwork, Australia’s global podcast network. We are very happy to announce that we’ve been invited to join and we talk with James about the network, why they invited us to join and what it means to be a part of their community […]

PCDU Episode 67: Team Pracy: Racing, JetRides & Aircraft Imports

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 23:27:52 +0000

We’re joined by Mark Pracy Sr and Mark Pracy Jr to talk about the many aviation endeavours they’re involved in, including JetRide Australia, Pracy Racing and Aircraft Imports. We also have Bas Scheffers sitting in from Adelaide for the interview as well as a fantastic announcement to make towards the end of the show :) […]

PCDU Episode 66: That Wasn’t in the Script!

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 13:16:39 +0000

It’s been a while since we got down & dirty with the Australian commercial airline scene so with that in mind, we called up Ben Sandlilands from the PlaneTalking blog on Crikey.com.au for a chat. There’s some amazing developments going on in the “big iron” side of people moving here in Australia and we went […]

PCDU Episode 65: Innovative Ideas

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 01:43:00 +0000

There’s no denying that aviation has been the home of many innovative ideas when it comes to aerodynamics, systems and so on. Sometimes we even get to hear about innovation in many of the business & training aspects of aviation and this episode is bringing us a few of them, from new ways to bring […]

PCDU Episode 64: Dick Smith – Setting it Straight

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Tue, 24 May 2011 08:04:43 +0000

We are fortunate to have Dick Smith return to PCDU, joining us to discuss his views on Australia’s aviation environment. We talk about his time as chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority and then his return as chairman of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority. He mentions some of the initiatives he started that worked as […]

Video 001: Steve’s Flight in JetRide’s L39

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Wed, 18 May 2011 00:45:19 +0000

Here’s a quick teaser video of Steve’s flight in JetRide’s L39 down at Tooradin airport recently. We’re still working on the full “Adventure Flights” video so this one’s a bit of a teaser and a test of putting videos in our feed. Let us know how it works for you. Do you want videos in […]

PCDU Episode 63: RA-Aus NatFly 2011

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 03:37:05 +0000

Every year at Easter, Recreational Aviation Australia holds its National Fly In (NatFly). This is an event where RA-Aus members, vendors & interested folks come to meet, attend workshops, review vendor offerings, undertake test flights and show off their aircraft. Aircraft range from powered parachutes & ultralights through to home builds and the latest sport […]

PCDU Episode 62: Advertising Advocacy

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 01:48:53 +0000

Aviation in Australia is experiencing a difficult time and General Aviation is especially being hit hard. User fees are continuing to increase, rules are being changed and airports are being shutdown or reduced in size due to encroachment by non-aviation construction. We’re joined in this episode by Ben Morgan from Aviation Advertiser to discuss these […]

PCDU Episode 61: The Great Pilgrimage

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 09:19:30 +0000

Most people interested or involved in aviation have a special love for warbirds and antique aircraft and we at PCDU are certainly no exception. This episode features a number of interviews with pilots of Warbirds & antique aircraft that were recorded at Avalon Airshow and at Point Cook when the RAAF Pilgrimage arrived. The RAAF […]

PCDU Episode 60: Now the Party’s Over

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 23:14:59 +0000

The Australian International Airshow (aka Avalon 2011) is over but the show must go on. We have mountains of content from Avalon 2011 in addition to the interviews we released in each of our daily episodes. Yes, that’s right: If you haven’t downloaded & listened to each of the daily episodes then you should stop […]

PCDU Episode 59: Avalon Not-So Quick Cast #6

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 12:44:45 +0000

We’ve made it to the end of day 6 of the Australian International Airshow and Aerospace & Defence Exposition (aka Avalon 2011). It’s the final day of the airshow and once again Team PCDU have been flat out interviewing, editing and generally having fun. We’ve spent some time chatting with the crew of a KC-135 […]

PCDU Episode 58: Avalon Quick Cast #5

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 12:56:32 +0000

It’s day 5 of the Australian International Airshow and Aerospace & Defence Exposition (aka Avalon 2011) and it’s the first whole day open to the general public. The PCDU team have had one of the most amazing days of their lives with time in the venerable B52, getting up close & personal with the Wedgetail, […]

PCDU Episode 57: Avalon Quick Cast #4

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 11:59:43 +0000

We’re up to day 4 of the Australian International Airshow and Aerospace & Defence Exposition (aka Avalon 2011) and the general public are arriving as of today. The PCDU team are pushing through more interviews, catching up with old friends and meeting listeners. The content we selected for this Quick Cast includes: An interview with […]

PCDU Episode 56: Avalon Quick Cast #3

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 11:32:12 +0000

It’s time once again for the Australian International Airshow and Aerospace & Defence Exposition (aka Avalon 2011) and Team PCDU are there to arrange interviews with people & organisations that catch our eye. On the third day of the show we have been particularly busy interviewing aircrew, maintainers and other folks on site, frequently while […]

PCDU Episode 55: Avalon Quick Cast #2

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 11:56:09 +0000

It’s time once again for the Australian International Airshow and Aerospace & Defence Exposition (aka Avalon 2011) and Team PCDU are there to arrange interviews with people & organisations that catch our eye. Today was our second day at the airshow and we spent lots of time recording new content and arranging more interviews for […]

PCDU Episode 54: Avalon Quick Cast #1

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 12:47:24 +0000

It’s time once again for the Australian International Airshow and Aerospace & Defence Exposition (aka Avalon 2011) and Team PCDU are there to arrange interviews with people & organisations that catch our eye. Today was our first day at the airshow and while much of it was spent meeting people & setting up our schedule […]

PCDU Episode 53: A Ditch, Some Dutch & De-Icing

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 11:37:32 +0000

Steve & Grant are joined once again by Bas Scheffers from Adelaide to discuss a few items, including: A follow up to the ADSB discussion we had with Bill Hamilton back in episode 48 A discussion of the iPhone/iPad application Bas & a partner have been developing called OzRunways covering what it does & how […]

PCDU Episode 52: The Misty Dawn of Avalon

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 14:29:43 +0000

Every two years Avalon Airport is the home to one of the biggest airshows & aviation expositions in the Southern Hemisphere (the biggest, according to many). One of Australia’s premier aviation events, Avalon Airshow (also known as the Australian International Airshow) draws aircraft from around the world and attracts scores of people from the general […]

PCDU Episode 51: Pig Out!

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 21:27:21 +0000

In November 2010 the PCDU team were invited to attend the Media Day at RAAF Amberley where members of 6 Squadron were gathered to give us one final look at the F-111 before it was retired from service. We have gathered the interviews we recorded during the Media Day and combined them with a couple […]

PCDU Episode 50: Farewell 2010

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 11:01:38 +0000

As the final hours of 2010 pass by and the year draws to a close, we release our 50th episode with a mix of annual review, Christmas greetings and a new experiment. In conjunction with a live video stream of the proceedings, we gathered Steve, Grant, Anthony and Ben in the recording studio to attempt […]

PCDU Episode 49: Hovering Matilda

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 01:30:33 +0000

Rosemary Arnold learned to fly fixed wing in the early 60s then converted helicopters in the mid-60’s, becoming the first woman in Australia to receive a helicopter pilot’s license. From operating her own helicopter business in Australia to flying in locations around the world, Rosemary has had an extensive career in aviation. She has also […]

PCDU Episode 48: ADS-B: C’est un petard! – with Bill Hamilton

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 03:13:51 +0000

While the technology behind ADS-B is nothing new, it is becoming the centerpiece of modern Air Traffic Management systems around the world. Unfortunately, CASA is once again taking a global concept and creating an entirely unique Australian implementation of it. According to CASA’s Discussion Paper (DP) 1006AS Proposed Strategy and Regulatory Plan in support of […]

PCDU Episode 47: Bull Me!

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 17:15:55 +0000

The 2010 RedBull AirRace season was exciting, eventful and disappointing all at once. From Adilson Kindleman’s crash in Perth to Hannes Arch’s pylon hit and Matt Hall’s “walk on water” incident, G-Stalls were everywhere. Then came the news that the last two races were cancelled and, finally, that the whole 2011 season was cancelled. As […]

PCDU Episode 46: Qantas A380 incident – from the Ground Up

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 05:02:12 +0000

On November 4th, 2010 Qantas A380 VH-OQA (“Nancy Bird Walton”) was operating flight QF32 from Singapore to Sydney. During the climb out from Singapore, the number 2 Rolls Royce Trent 900 engine’s Intermediate Pressure Turbine appears to have failed and flown apart, sending bits through the aircraft’s wing in multiple locations and raining debris down […]

PCDU Episode 45: Keeping it to Scale

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 02:29:50 +0000

It’s been a while since our last episode but at last we’re able to present our latest update with some more great content. First up, Matt Hall joins us once again to look back on his 2010 RedBull AirRace season, discuss the lessons he’s learned and give us his thoughts about 2011 & beyond. Next […]

PCDU Episode 44: Hannes, Bas and the Rhino

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 06:25:44 +0000

In an effort to reassure you that we’re not trying to cut any corners as we build towards our 50th episode, this episode comes in at over 2 hours in length (our longest ever, in fact). It’s jam packed with great content, including: A chat with Bas Scheffers about: The impact of the Class D […]

PCDU Episode 43: Back to the Air Show

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 17:48:06 +0000

Back in March we attended the Centenary Air Show at Melton airport near Diggers Rest (a short drive from Melbourne). In addition to being a great air show that celebrated 100 years of powered flight in Australia, this was also the first event where we had media passes. We recorded lots of great interviews, caught […]

PCDU Episode 42: Wings Down Under

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 21:35:16 +0000

This episode we’re joined by Will Horton from the Wings Down Under blog to chat about recent aviation news items. We also have Anthony Simmons returning for another View from the Lounge segment and a chat with Damien Rose about his flight training up in Toowoomba. The episode wraps up with some listener mail and […]

PCDU Episode 41: Australian Federal Election QuickCast #3: Comments on the Greens & Labor’s White Paper

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 22:46:38 +0000

In our third & final Election QuickCast, we take a look at the published transportation policies from the The Greens and the Labor Party’s “Aviation White Paper.” Sadly, Christine Milne from the Greens and Anthony Albanese from Labor were unable to accommodate us in their busy schedules. Both groups have indicated that they’ll be happy […]

PCDU Episode 40: Australian Federal Election QuickCast #2: Ken Hill & Tim Sheen

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 06:52:16 +0000

Australians are about to go to the election booths on Saturday 21st August so we’re working to bring our listeners information about the aviation policies of the various political parties. We’re not trying to tell you how to vote, just doing our bit to raise awareness of the importance of aviation within the political community […]

PCDU Episode 39: Australian Federal Election QuickCast #1: Warren Truss

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 15:59:49 +0000

PCDU Episode 38: Dick Smith: Around the World in Many Ways

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 22:24:53 +0000

Dick Smith is an entrepreneur well known to most Australians, ranging from the country wide chain of Dick Smith Electronics stores he created to Dick Smith Foods and Australian Geographic. Another very important aspect of Dick’s life has revolved around aviation. In addition to owning & flying his own aeroplanes & helicopters, he has also […]

We tried to get to Oshkosh 2010

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 02:37:03 +0000

Air Venture: Oshkosh is the place to be if you’re into aviation. There’s something for everyone from home builts to military to warbirds to commercial to seaplanes to antiques to balloons and everything else imaginable. If you love aviation, you have to get to Oshkosh. For the past four years a group of aviation podcasters […]

PCDU Episode 37: It’s “Flight Attendant,” Grant

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 11:51:01 +0000

It seems that Grant has always had troubles with the label “Flight Attendant” ever since his sister joined Australian Airlines and mistakenly told him she would be a “Trolley Dolly.” Ooops :) In this episode we’re joined by Janene Murdoch, Tania Tracey and Amelia Kelly. Janene used to be a flight attendant with Ansett in […]

PCDU Episode 36: Incidentally, Matt…

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 07:01:32 +0000

Most of you will have already seen Matt Hall’s splash on the river at Windsor back in June. Then he was denied a go at racing in New York, to which he responded very diplomatically, which in turn taught some of us how to “take our lumps.” This episode we have a good chat with […]

PCDU Episode 35: Perseverance & Persistence

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 19:15:20 +0000

These days it’s quite common to find ladies in command of commercial airliners, bizjets and combat aircraft. Thirty years ago, however, this was certainly not the case here in Australia and a female required a stubborn streak & thick skin to push through and gain acceptance in a very male dominated world. While the situation […]

PCDU Episode 34: Arching over the Swamp

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 06:32:23 +0000

This episode we feature an interview with Hannes Arch, the Austrian Red Bull champion in 2008 who came second in 2009 and is currently second on points for 2010. We have a great chat with Hannes (starting at 0:05:38) about his involvement in extreme sports, his love of flying and his approach to the Red […]

PCDU Episode 33: Four Degrees of Separation from Ben Sandilands

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Fri, 28 May 2010 06:02:43 +0000

In this episode we join noted aviation journalist Ben Sandilands from Plane Talking to review the latest news & information. When we called Ben, he was experiencing a heat wave of 11 degrees Celsius at his home in the mountains near Canberra. Meanwhile, here in Melbourne we were thinking winter was upon us as the […]

PCDU Episode 32: Switch to Plan Delta

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Thu, 13 May 2010 04:41:44 +0000

This episode features a discussion with Peter Gibson, the manager of corporate communications at CASA. He’s joined us to explain the airspace changes that will come into effect on June 3rd, changes which will impact Class D, see the transition of GAAP to Class D and introduce the mandatory carriage of radios at all certified, […]

PCDU Episode 31: Red Bull all The Way

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Fri, 07 May 2010 20:01:56 +0000

The Red Bull Air Race came back to Perth this year and Steve was there, flexing his newly minted press credentials and discovering the amazing world of the Red Bull media centre. Sadly, Grant was working in Indonesia and so couldn’t be there to help hang out, rub shoulders with the stars and quaff a […]

PCDU Episode 30: Antarctica: The Last True Wilderness

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 09:55:45 +0000

The first aircraft to be used in Antarctica was Henry Mawson’s Vickers REP monoplane. Sadly, it had been damaged in Australia before arriving in Antarctica and was used as an “air tractor” to pull sleds. Even that didn’t work out and it was dumped, eventually being found again only recently. Given that inauspicious start, it’s […]

PCDU Episode 29: What’s in a Checklist?

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 23:21:35 +0000

Some in-cockpit audio provided by a listener triggered a discussion on the differences in pre-landing checklists (GUMPS vs BUMFTH vs BUMFOH vs whatever). All of Grant’s aviation books & manuals are still in boxes after moving house so he had to rely on his memory with predictable results. Talk about incentive to go out and […]

PCDU Episode 28: Save the Liberator

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 14:28:19 +0000

The B24 Liberator was the most produced heavy bomber of World War 2 and saw service in all theaters of the war. The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) flew B24s along side those of the USAAF, based in northern Australia and Papua New Guinea. These aircraft flew long range missions of many hours duration, typically […]

PCDU Episode 27: Trans World Adventures

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:09:34 +0000

The common theme in this episode is about going around the world, first by bringing Saj Ahmad (Fleetbuzz Editorial) in the UK and Ben Sandilands (Plane Talking) in Australia together to talk about financial reports from QANTAS, Virgin & Tiger plus general discussions about airlines in Australia, past, present & future. We then chat with […]

PCDU Episode 26: Enjoying the Views

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 21:24:39 +0000

You can always count on this podcast to have some interesting, opinionated and, occasionally, diverse points of view. This episode really brings them all and (bonus!) includes a whole new view as we introduce Anthony Simmons and the “View from the Lounge” segment for your listening pleasure. We’ve also got another great discussion with Owen […]

PCDU Episode 25: Fan Boys

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 10:14:09 +0000

Yes, Steve & Grant are Fan Boys (big Fan Boys, in fact :) and this episode we demonstrate it once again by interviewing Matt Hall and hanging out with some more fans at the Flight Experience Melbourne Facebook fan page open night in their 737 flight simulator. Seems we’re not the only ones who think […]

PCDU Episode 24: Misuse of Accents

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 23:06:19 +0000

Despite the annoying habit of our “day jobs” and families encroaching into our PCDU time, we’ve finally managed to get some time to record an episode. Steve even managed a marathon effort of post production to edit a coherent episode from our opinionated news discussion and an interview with Saj Ahmad. Go Steve! :) Despite […]

PCDU Episode 23: Australia: A TSA free zone (for now)

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 11:53:35 +0000

Even down here in Australia we’re being impacted by the out-of-control antics of the TSA, so what the heck, we’ll have a bit of a c’est la vent moment about it. We also have our usual opinionated discussion on some other news items and chat with Shashank Nigam from SimpliFlying. Here’s how the show proceeds: […]

PCDU Episode 22: Farewell 2009

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 12:05:34 +0000

It’s the Christmas & New Year holiday period, plus down here it’s Summer so we’re totally into listening to long aviation podcasts when we’re not distracted by having fun. So, for all of our listeners who have long drives or lots of chores to do around home, we give you our longest episode yet. With […]

PCDU Episode 21: London Calling

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 15:04:57 +0000

For the majority of our listeners it’s warm and getting warmer down here in the Southern Summer with Christmas just around the corner. Not so in London where it’s bleak and somewhat miserable (and that’s the economy, let alone the weather). Saj Ahmad from FleetBuzz Editorial is based in London and recently returned from the […]

PCDU Episode 20: A Tribute to Pip Borman

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:58:30 +0000

As part of the recent Show us ya Wheels event in Numurkah the PCDU team attended a memorial tribute dinner for Pip Borman, a famous Australian aerobatics pilot from Shepparton who died in a crash during a photo shoot flight. The presentations at the dinner included speeches from David Fertel at Castrol and Julian Frazier […]

PCDU Episode 19: Interview with a Vampire … Pilot (& Other Stories)

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 02:27:37 +0000

Steve’s out sick (he must have eaten the fish :) so Grant’s flying solo on this one and cheating madly by assembling a few interviews and a slightly modified version of the Australia Desk segment we recorded for the Airplane Geeks’ Thanksgiving episode. The interviews include: Matt Hall & Nigel Lamb Carlo Santoro from Flight […]

PCDU Episode 18: Tally Ho, it’s the Red Baron!

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 08:16:23 +0000

If you’ve ever looked skyward in Sydney, there’s a high chance you’ve seen a bright red aircraft with old-style German crosses on the wings. Originally flying an old Tiger Moth, the Red Baron flew out of Bankstown and gave joy flights to members of the public, flying over Sydney’s beaches and occasionally doing aerobatics. Roll […]

PCDU Episode 17: The Ipanator says “Rivet Shower? Not on my Watch!”

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:46:24 +0000

How many of you folks have wanted to be Air Traffic Controllers? Do you dream of Pushing Tin around the skies? Think you can keep The Flick in your head? Want to tell pilots in aircraft of all sizes where to go? (ahem! :) Steve & Grant both applied for ATC and were both knocked […]

PCDU Episode 16: Rant on Steve, Rant on

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 23:08:59 +0000

We review the latest news items, Steve gets to vent on a few topics and Owen Zupp returns to help us select the winner of our first competition.

PCDU Episode 15: And now for something completely different, here is the news

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 04:37:51 +0000

We review a stack of news items & Bas Scheffers returns to talk to us about some more RA-Aus issues.

PCDU Episode 14: Lang’s Great Journeys

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:52:28 +0000

We recorded a lecture presented by Lang Kidby at the Australian National Aviation Museum (Moorabbin Air Museum) about flying a Vickers Vimy replica aircraft from England to Australia to re-enact the 1919 flight by Keith & Ross Macpherson Smith and an Avro Avian from England to Australia to re-enact Bert Hinkler's completion of the first solo flight from England to Australia in 1928.

PCDU Episode 13: The Only Way is Zupp

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:15:07 +0000

Despite some audio quality issues (lucky 13, right? :) we have a great chat with Owen Zupp covering his early aviation life, how working as an Ambo provided a good foundation for dealing with emergencies, his father's influence and his "There and Back" fund raising flight project.

PCDU Episode 12: It’s not that late in Adelaide…

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 11:39:02 +0000

Despite his better judgement, Bas Scheffers comes back to hang out with us once again as we discuss some of the news items from the past week or so.

PCDU Episode 11: Recreationally Yours

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 13:15:18 +0000

This episode we're joined by Bas Scheffers, a Recreational Aviation Australia pilot (our version of the US Sport Pilot rules) who flies out of Parafield airport (YPPF) in Adelaide, South Australia. We have a great chat about flying RA-Aus aircraft, GAAP issues, the benefits of learning to fly under RA-Aus instead of the usual GA, the information available from the recreational flying community and even discuss the new AAAF Forum.

PCDU Episode 10: On the Podium with Matt Hall

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 21:45:14 +0000

Once again we get to interview Matt Hall, Australia's Top Gun RAAF pilot who's making a big hit in the RedBull AirRace as the first rookie to ever score a podium. We talk with Matt about his performance at Porto, his preparations for Barcelona, how visualisation plays a major role in his flying and flying his P51 Mustang.

PCDU Episode 9: Airplane Geeks Down Under

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 02:17:38 +0000

This episode we're joined by Dan, David & Rob from the Airplane Geeks podcast to discuss airline news and have a great discussion about air traffic control issues here & in the USA. We also have interviews with Dr Bruce Searle, dean of the Australian Centre for Mission Aviation, and Andrew Temby, aerobatic pilot & owner of a YAK-52TW.

PCDU Episode 8: Riding Our Segways

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:48:27 +0000

We thought we'd have this episode out within a few days of our previous one, but there was so many news items to review, so much to discuss and so many bits to splice together that it took a whole week to bring it to you. Weighing in at almost 2 hours, this episode has interviews, GA, follow ups and much much more.

PCDU Episode 7: Matt Hall, we’re not worthy!

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:37:04 +0000

This episode detours from our usual opinionated discussion of the news and instead features an interview we were fortunate enough to arrange with Matt Hall, an ex-RAAF F18 pilot who has flown the F15 on exchange with the USAF and is currently flying an MXS aerobatic aircraft in the RedBull AirRace. We were expecting to get a half hour or so to chat with Matt and were thrilled to discover an hour had passed before we all thought to double check the time.

PCDU Episode 6: Plugcast

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 14:38:35 +0000

After almost two weeks we finally get another episode out, but this one should be worth the wait. We have our first guest discussion session (@MaxFlight from the Airplane Geeks Podcast and we have our first interview (Carlo Santoro from the "Flight Experience Melbourne" 737 simulator). In addition to all this, we also discuss some current news stories.

PCDU Episode 5: Jet Lag Recovery

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 22:41:05 +0000

Steve's back from his trip to the USA and, despite some jet lag woes, he's in the recording studio and the banter is flowing in our longest episode yet. Sadly, the first 15 minutes sound like Grant's testing NASA's new Interplanetary Internet and experiencing a really crappy connection. Not to worry, it soon clears up and the rest of the episode quite clearly reveals our usual commentary on this week's local aviation news stories.

PCDU Episode 4: Hand Propped

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 20:47:41 +0000

This week's episode comes out a little late as Steve's still in the USA and Grant was up in Sydney for the PCDU / SimpliFlying TweetUp that happened along side the Asia / Pacific Aviation Outlook Summit 2009. A great time was had by all who attended the event but now it's back to work as there's news to read, interviews to arrange and a podcast to produce. For now, here's a review of the news.

Greetings Oshkosh, 2009

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 07:58:14 +0000

A recent event at Oshkosh has been the Podapalooza “gathering of aviation podcasters” where attendees get to meet some of the voices in their heads. Much as we would have loved to go to Oshkosh this year and attend Podapalooza, it’s a long long way to swim from down here so all we could do […]

PCDU Episode 3: Flying Solo

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 15:23:28 +0000

We were a little delayed because Grant was trying to do it all this week, but better late than never. With Steve in the USA, Grant was flying solo and discovering that he missed having someone to put the gear up on take off. Despite that, he does manage to review a number of current news items.

PCDU Episode 2: Aero Neuro What???

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 13:12:42 +0000

Surprisingly less than one week after our first episode was released, we're releasing our second episode. During this one, we again discuss a number of current aviation news items.

PCDU Episode 1: And so it begins…

planecrazydownunder@gmail.com (Steve V & Grant M) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:54:35 +0000

Weighing in at a whole 27 minutes and 18 seconds, here's the first episode of the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast. During this episode, we discuss a number of news items.