Tag Archives: iPad

Episode 255 – Steve McNeilly, Aviation Tutorials

VH-OLS “Spirit of the Sapphire Coast”

Guest Steve McNeilly is president and founder of Aviation Tutorials, providing interactive training software for pilots and flight simmers. He’s been in aviation for thirty years, he’s an airline pilot, A&P mechanic, instructor, examiner, book author, and FAA WINGS training provider.

We talk about how Steve came to develop these professional grade simulation tutorials which are light on theory and heavy on “this is what you need to do.” Also, pilots using iPads, drones in the airspace, electric drive systems for airliners, thrust reverser depoyment at altitude (Steve’s done that in a DC-8).

The week’s aviation news:

David Vanderhoof’s Aircraft of the Week is the D.H. 86 Express Airliner.

Ryan Cambell

Ryan Cambell

In this week’s Australia Desk:

After an “interesting” week in Australian federal politics, Minister for Transport & Infrastructure, Anthony Albanese, is now also the Deputy Prime Minister, leaving Steve & Grant to ponder whether this will be good for aviation or not. In more positive aviation news, 19 year old Ryan Campbell has set out on his attempt to become the youngest person to fly solo around the world; a record which has only recently been set by American, Jack Wiegant. Ryan is flying in a Cirrus SR-22, VH-OLS, named “Spirit of the Sapphire Coast”, tracking east from Wollongong, just south of Sydney, across the Pacific to the USA (including a stop at Airventure 2013), then on to Europe, Asia and back to Australia. We spoke to Ryan a couple of days prior to launch and we present part of that interview in the week’s report.

Follow Ryan’s progress at www.teenworldflight.com and @teenworldflight on Twitter.

In other news, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau has handed down it’s findings into the cause of the Qantas A380 engine failure on board VH-OQA, in 2010. Although this has been covered earlier in the show, we popped our two cents in as well, including the fact that Rolls Royce ended up paying some hefty compensation.

Find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu. Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124. Australia Desk archives can be found at www.australiadesk.net.

Mentioned:

Opening and closing music courtesy Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at www.brotherloverocks.com.

Episode 247 – Arthur Rosen’s Aviation Opinions

ICON Aircraft

Arthur Rosen blogs at My Opinion: Thoughts and Comments on General Aviation and he doesn’t hold back on his opinions. He’s a pilot, the AOPA-ASN (Airport Support Network) volunteer for Scottsdale Airport (SDL), past Chairman of the Scottsdale Airport Advisory Commission, he served on the Super Bowl Committee for Aviation, is past President of Arizona Soaring Association, an Aviation Expert for ABC TV-Phoenix, and a retired Judge!

We talk with Arthur about flight training and how it has become more about passing the test than learning to fly. Also, local airports and local politics – how residential development is an airport killer. Arthur has strong feelings about user fees, and how they, like land development, destroy aviation.

Arthur maintains that people do have an interest in learning to fly, but for many the cost is prohibitive. He has a pretty interesting prediction for small airplanes over the next five or ten years (it isn’t pretty), and he doesn’t buy the airline pilot shortage we hear about.

We discuss light sport aircraft and why they haven’t fulfilled the promise of being affordable entry-level airplanes. Also, legacy aircraft and FAA mandated TSO (Technical Service Order) equipment (Max gets confused because TSO means something different to ex-MRO guys), how the iPad is valuable for pilots with Foreflight and WingX dominating the apps market and training through the FAA Acquisition System Toolset (FAST).

Find Arthur Rosen on Twitter as @judge613.

The week’s aviation news:

David Vanderhoof’s Aircraft of the Week: Vultee Vibrator or Valiant BT-13/SNV.

2013 Defence White Paper

Defence Minister, Stephen Smith MP, releasing the 2013 Defence White Paper at Defence Establishment

In this week’s Australia Desk:

The Australian Government released its latest Defense White Paper this week, outlining updates on planned future equipment acquisitions for the Army, Navy and Air Force. On the aviation side of things, the purchase of 12 EA-18G “Growler” aircraft was announced, and Grant ponders whether this might mean the existing 12 “pre-wired” F18F+ Super Hornets already in the fleet will still be converted – as previously planned – into Growlers, while buying 12 new Super Hornets to replace them. Steve points out that this is far too logical for any government to consider. Additionally, there is speculation that the F-35 order book may be reduced from 100 airframes to 72.

Australia’s Attorney General, Mark Dreyfus, was in hot water this week after allegedly refusing to obey the instructions of a Qantas flight crew to turn off his mobile phone. The Federal Police was notified of the incident but were not required to attend the aircraft.

Former Qantas executive Rod Sharp took the reins at Tiger Airways this week, continuing the trend of ex-Qantas big wigs being poached away by John Borghetti, the CEO of Virgin Australia – who now own a controlling interest in Tiger, as reported last week.

No Speedos were harmed in the production of this segment

Links :

Find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu. Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124. Australia Desk archives can be found at www.australiadesk.net.

Commander Ian Sloan at Royal Navy Historic Flight

Commander Ian Sloan at Royal Navy Historic Flight

In this week’s Across the Pond segment:

On our recent visit to the Royal Navy Historic Flight, Commander Ian Sloan told us about his plans to become an exchange pilot flying jets from a friendly nation’s aircraft carriers. Listen in and find out what aircraft type and what Navy, he is being seconded to.

Find Pieter on Twitter as @Nascothornet, on Facebook at XTPMedia, and at the Aviation Xtended podcast.

Mentioned:

Opening and closing music courtesy Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at www.brotherloverocks.com.

Episode 161 – When You Fly

When You Fly

Our guest this episode is Ansel Brown, the award winning country music recording artist who co-wrote (with wife Lisa) and sang the song When You Fly at the final launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis, when it returned to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and at AirVenture 2011 in Oshkosh at the Society of Aviation and Flight Educators banquet, and the Women in Aviation breakfast. This moving song was written to honor Lisa’s grandfather Richard Wixom who was inducted into the Wisconson Aviation Hall of Fame in 2010.

Find more about Ansel and his music on Facebook, YouTube and MySpace. He also has a home page at AnselBrown.com and you can follow him on twitter at @AnselBrown.

The week’s aviation news:

In this week’s Australia Desk report, Steve and Grant discuss the QANTAS restructure with Will Horton from the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation. Find Steve and Grant on the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu. Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124.

This week on Across the Pond, Pieter Johnson covers airport design considerations with information from @plansairports, and provides additional content from last week’s conversation with Steve, an A320 pilot. You can find Steve on Twitter @Thermalhound and Pieter @Nascothornet.

Mentions:

Follow the @AirplaneGeeks on Twitter and on Facebook, send us email at thegeeks@airplanegeeks.com, or leave a message on our listener line: (361) GEEKS01.

Opening and closing music is provided by Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at http://www.brotherloverocks.com/.

Episode 138 – The Radial Rocket

Radial Rocket

Jeff Ackland, President of New Century Aerosport Inc., is our guest thie week. He produces the Radial Rocket, a two place performance and aerobatic kit plane with a 9 cylinder radial engine in the nose. We talk about what this beautiful airplane is like to fly, and what it takes to build one.

We also have the aviation news from the past week, the Australia Desk Report by Steve and Grant from the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and Pieter Johnson’sAcross the Pond segment.

The week’s aviation news:

Mentions:

Follow the @AirplaneGeeks on Twitter and on Facebook, send us email at thegeeks@airplanegeeks.com, or leave a message on our listener line: (361) GEEKS01.

Opening and closing music is provided by Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at http://www.brotherloverocks.com/.

1960 Beech G18S C/N BA-552

1960 Beech G18S C/N BA-552 by Stephen Tornblom

Episode 134 – Lots of Listener Mail

Photo submitted by Errol Cavit

Pieter Johnson, our Geek in Europe and producer of our Across the Pond segment, joins us in this listener mail episode. That’s right, pretty much nothing but listener mail. Oh, and the Australia Desk Report by Steve and Grant from the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast.

Photo submitted by Thomas Eklund

Some of the links mentioned:

Photo submitted by David Apkarian

Follow the @AirplaneGeeks on Twitter and on Facebook, send us email at thegeeks@airplanegeeks.com, or leave a message on our listener line: (361) GEEKS01.

Opening and closing music is provided by Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at http://www.brotherloverocks.com/.

Episode 108 – AirVenture Oshkosh 2010

Guest Stephen Trimble, author of The DEW Line on FlightGlobal joins in as we talk AirVenture Oshkosh 2010 and also military aviation. A sleep-deprived Dan brings us a bit of airline news to round out the GA, military, and commercial aviation conversation.

That’s Rob Mark and Dan Webb at Oshkosh in the photo, by the way.

The week’s aviation news:

Mentions:

This episode is dedicated to Mike’s mom.

Follow the @AirplaneGeeks on Twitter and on Facebook, send us email at thegeeks@airplanegeeks.com, or leave a message on our listener line: (361) GEEKS01.

Opening and closing music is provided by Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at http://www.brotherloverocks.com/.

Episode 100 – The First Hundred

To celebrate the first hundred episodes, Rob, Max, David, and Dan are joined by founding co-host Courtney Miller. We discuss the week’s aviation news and reminisce a bit about the first hundred Airplane Geeks episodes. That plus This Week in Aviation and the Australia Desk report.

The news:

Follow the @AirplaneGeeks on Twitter and on Facebook, send us email at thegeeks@airplanegeeks.com, or leave a message on our listener line: (361) GEEKS01.

Opening and closing music is provided by Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at http://www.brotherloverocks.com/.