Combating the threat of birdstrikes The first recorded in-flight collision involving a powered aircraft and a bird is believed to have occurred not too long after the first powered flight. In September 1905, Orville Wright was chasing a flock of birds when he struck one. He landed safely but the encounter was fatal for the

ACA 8KCAB Super Decathlon Would you believe it? Here, now, in the 21st Century, there is only one true multi-purpose trainer that can be used for basic flying instruction, tailwheel conversions, formation flying and aerobatics. The latest iteration of a long line of trainers, tourers and load-haulers, this Super Decathlon traces its roots back sixty

Training for the Nintendo generation When I graduated from RAAF Pilots Course in the mid-eighties the advanced trainer was a jet – the Macchi MB326H. This aircraft was also the ‘lead-in fighter’ trainer (LIF) and the front-line fighter was the Mirage III. RAAF cockpits had round dials, lots of them, and GPS was still a

Where to next for Sydney Airport? While the upcoming Aviation White Paper is likely to deliver little substantial changes to the industry, there will no doubt be great focus on the terms of reference it will put forward for a study into a second airport to serve the Sydney basin. Originally raised as part of