Episode 912: Avenging Bonza’s ghost, Qantas has issues & Western Sydney Airport

Posted on October 21, 2026 by admin


The boys decide to show the world they still exist and record a new Australia Desk segment for the Geeks. As usual, it goes long but it’s not like they’re doing them weekly so if you average them out over time it all works out, right? Right? RIGHT?

We kick off this report with the news that 777 Partners (the buggers who killed Bonza) are gone and one of their co-founders has admitted their guilt. It won’t bring back Bonza, which Steve considers to be the worst named airline in Australian history, but at least there may be some justice at last.

Qantas are concerned that their Project Sunrise route from Sydney to London that goes north then over the pole could become impractical if the USA decides to no longer maintain the runway at Midway for use as an ETOPS alternate site. There’s also been a case of bed bugs infesting some seats on a Qantas 787 that were discovered during a flight from Rome.

We wrap with the news that the new Western Sydney Airport, named for Australia’s famous aviatrix Nancy Bird Walton, is finally opening for passengers on the 25th of October. The concept of a second airport for Sydney was being discussed since the 1940s, with the Badgerys Creek site proposed in 1969, then land being purchased in 1986, and a ceremonial shovel occuring in 1992. It’s been quite the history but the airport is finally opening and Sydney will have a curfew free airport to help share the load with the main Kingsford Smith airport at Mascot.

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Episode 908: Can Brisvegas survive Brian

Posted on September 16, 2026 by admin


Steve with his Tesla
Brian’s doing an Australian trip for family purposes, starting in Sydney and then to Brisbane, both far north of Mebourne. Well, if he’s not going to Melbourne, Grant’s going to use the excuse to blow some frequent flyer points to visit Brian in Brisbane and was sitting beside Brian when they called Steve who was driving his shiny new Tesla. Of course, this by pure chance just happened to be right before Brisbane’s Riverfire event meaning Grant & Brian would be able to watch the RAAF C-17 and F-18 do their practice flights before the event. Woo hoo :)

  • Speaking of RAAF C-17s, Steve reports that a RAAF C-17 was recently spotted at Tinker AFB. We think it was taking Defence Minister Marles with pallets of cash for AUKUS meetings.
  • Virgin Australia has some treats for Brian and it seems they’ve figured out he’s a fan of wine as well as beer…
  • The RAAF’s P-8A Poseidon reaches its full fleet size of 14 and is flying maritime patrols in Australia’s areas of interest and also into the South China Sea. It seems the RAAF’s shiny new MC-55A Peregrine electronic warfare aircraft are also going there.
  • Grant’s produced two short videos of the practice sessions produced for the Australian Defence Magazine’s YouTube feed (aka ADM), covering the C-17 and the F/A-18F.
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Episode 894: Vale Gary Bittle

Posted on May 26, 2026 by admin


Steve gives a tribute to Gary Bittle, his flight instructor and friend, who recently passed away.

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Episode 813: Pacific Airshow Gold Coast with Brian Coleman

Posted on August 28, 2024 by admin


The Pacific Airshow Gold Coast was held over the beautiful beaches of Surfers Paradise, Queensland from August 16-18, and Steve, Grant AND Brian Coleman were there to capture all the action.

It was the second year of the event, and crowds were noticeably larger than 2023, with an enhanced and fully loaded flying program comprising local aerobatic performers, military contingents from Australia, the USA and UK, emergency services displays and much more.

With Micah also on the line, we quiz Brian on his experience travelling to Australia, flying domestic sectors here with Virgin Australia, and the reaction of local flight crews to his custom made gifts, presented as he boarded each flight.


RAAF 1SQN F-18F Super Hornet displaying at the Pacific Airshow Gold Coast (G.E.G Aviation Photography)
Brian Coleman interviewing members of the Freedom Formation at Southport Flying Club, Queensland, Australia (Steve Visscher)
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Episode 811: Ummm, about Rex…

Posted on August 14, 2024 by admin


What a difference a few weeks makes….

In our last report, we spoke of the difficulties new entrants to the Australian airline market face, and how it almost always ends in tears. With startup LCC Bonza Air exiting the scene earlier this year, we were full of praise for Regional Express (Rex), who seemed at least on the surface of things to really be kicking some goals.

So imagine our surprise when it was announced on July 30th that Rex had been placed into voluntary administration; its 737 fleet grounded and their associated flights cancelled. It was news that blindsides many in the industry and media alike, and appears to have come in the wake of a board level stoush that’s left the carrier starved of funding.

News out today suggests Rex’s deficit may be as high at $A500million.

Affected passengers (including Steve and his wife) were re-booked on Virgin Australia flights – a process which has so far been flawless, with VA taking leases on three of Rex’s 10 737-800’s (jets which ironically had come from VA in the first place) to bolster capacity.

Rex’s regional SAAB 340 services remain operational at present, as administrators Ernst & Young seek to find a buyer for the airline.

In defence news, the USAF have parked a handful of F-22’s at RAAF Base Williamtown in New South Wales, allowing joint training exercises with local F-35A’s from 3SQN and 77SQN. Two of these Hickam based Raptors will be making their way north to Queensland for the upcoming Pacific Airshow Gold Coast. Raptors are not often seen in this part of the world, so it’ll be a treat to see them perform at the event.

And speaking of the Pacific Airshow Gold Coast, Steve and Grant will be there for all the action, along with the Airplane Geeks’ very own Brian Coleman. Be sure to let us know if you’ll be there too!

F-22 Taxying at Williamtown
F-22 Taxying at Williamtown (G.E.G Aviation Photography)

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Episode 804: Bye Bye Bonza, Hello Triton!

Posted on June 26, 2024 by admin


Grant & Steve return for an Australia Desk report; the first for 2024, and much has happened in the first half of the year on the Australian aviation scene.

Sadly, in a case of “we told you so”, new LCC entrant Bonza Airlines has ceased operations after 15 months, entering into voluntary administration on April 30th. Despite numerous reports of a buyer being found for the group, lessors had repossessed all of the company’s 737 MAX8 aircraft, the last of which departed Australia on June 5th.

Bonza joins a long list of failed operators who’ve tried to enter the local airline market, only to find that hype, spin and fancy PR only go so far before the financial realities of operating in an ultra-competitive aviation environment begin to take their toll. Previous entrants include Compass, Air Australia, JetGo, Impulse (which morphed eventually into Jetstar), OzJet, and most notably (but for perhaps a wider range of issues) Ansett.

But fear not! As cringeworthy as the infantile branding of Bonza was, Grant shakes Steve to his boots with news of a possible new contender under the name Koala Airlines. Oh dear….

In defence news, the RAAF has taken delivery of its first MQ-4C Triton aircraft; the first of four on order which will be based in northern Australia at RAAF Base Tindal, and operated remotely from RAAF Base Edinburgh in South Australia by 9 Squadron.

9SQN had been stood down since 1989, following the transfer of Australia’s Blackhawk fleet to the Army, and has now been reactivated in this new RPAS role. The squadron enjoys a rich history however, dating back to its inception in 1939.

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Episode 777: GippsAero is Aussie again but some of Bonza’s pax aren’t happy

Posted on December 6, 2023 by admin


It’s an auspicious episode given it’s aligned to the mighty Boeing Triple-7 aircraft (the originals, not the -X :) ) but the main news is that the boys are very happy to report that George Morgan, the surviving co-founder of GippsAero, has purchased the company back from Mahindra Aerospace. His plans are to re-activate refurbishments and rebuilds of the GA-8 Airvan fleet with a goal of reviving production. Great news indeed!

Sadly, it’s not so great news for Bonza’s passengers in Darwin who were expecting to fly to the Gold Coast, only to discover that their flight was cancelled at the last minute and, in fact, the commencement of the Darwin to Gold Coast route has been pushed back to January. Fuming passengers report less than stellar responses from Bonza’s only way of getting customer service: via the Bonza app. Is this an indication of general troubles ahead for Bonza? Are they repeating Tiger Airways Australia‘s mistakes of trying to grow too quickly? We sure hope not.

Meanwhile, Virgin Australia are increasing their 737 MAX-8 order up to 14 airframes. Announced on the day their third MAX-8 arrived, VA joins Bonza as the only two domestic operators of the MAX-8 in Australia, as Qantas is planning to replace their 737 fleet with A320s.

Staying with Virgin Australia, they’ve rekindled their relationship with Air New Zealand through a new codeshare agreement that will allow VA pax to cross the Tasman on AirNZ aircraft. This will bring more passengers to AirNZ and give VA frequent flyers the opportunity to earn those all important Status Credits as they cross the ditch. Grant just wants to know where the hell was this agreement five months ago when he was booking his flights to NZ for September and had to fly Qantas.

The boys wrap the episode with Steve possibly offending our Kiwi audience, much to Grant’s dismay. Remember, you can always use IamReallyOffended@Yahoo.com if you want to tell Steve how annoying and/or wrong he was…

GippsAero GA-8 AirVan

GippsAero GA-8 AirVan

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Episode 774: Indo Pacific 2023 had helicopters, drones, and … Grant

Posted on November 15, 2023 by admin


Despite saying they’d be back next week, reality got in the way and the boys are back this week instead. They’re from Down Under and you know time works differently down here, right?

The Indo Pacific International Maritime Exposition (IndoPac 2023) was held between November 7th & 9th in Sydney, and Grant was in attendance, gathering content for Australian Defence Magazine. We take a brief look at the expo, particularly in terms of a focus on maritime aviation and defence.

Closer to home, local company Rosebank Engineering has secured a contract for RAAF F-35 component maintenance, activating their wheel & brake repair depot in an outer eastern suburb of Melbourne. Could this be the same Rosebank that produced the infamous Stackhat, the all Australian crash helmet from back in the 80s?

Over in Perth, the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) this week celebrated 30 years of operations at RAAF Base Pearce in Western Australia, conducting lead-in and advanced training for their military pilots. The Australian Defence Force enjoys a close working relationship with the Singaporeans not only at Pearce, but in several other aspects of training including CH-47 Chinook training at the Army Aviation Regiment’s base at Oakey in Queensland.

We also look at new, deployable hangars from DomeShelter, that use 40′ shipping containers and an inflatable cover. Pretty amazing stuff that also has potential for use as a deployable studio for the boys…

Finally, to bring us back to the maritime start, what exactly was Steve eating for lunch that has Grant so concerned? Tune in to find out! Anchors (or stomach contents) away….

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Episode 772: Qantas’ reputation drops as passenger annoyance (& fares) go up

Posted on November 1, 2023 by admin


Steve’s recovery continues so the boys dive into the latest stories, kicking off with the realisation that the RAAF (or maybe the government) were listening to Episode 770 as the RAAF have been sent into Israel to provide repatriation flights for Australian citizens wishing to return home.

Meanwhile, back at home, Qantas hasn’t had the best of years, especially when it comes to reputational damage, and the latest Roy Morgan Trusted Brands Awards bear this out following a year long survey which shows Virgin Australia has now replaced their larger rival as the most trusted airline brand in the land. Further helping the reputational damage, Qantas has found another way to annoy customers (and they likely won’t be the only airline doing it), announcing fare increases of 3.5% for their mainline network, and 3% for Jetstar flights, thanks mainly to the rising cost of fuel

Closer to Melbourne, a local Member of Parliament has had a lucky escape, when a skydive aircraft he was on-board lost power soon after takeoff and returned to Earth with a thud. Everyone walked away, with only two people requiring first aid…which was lucky because this MP just happens to be a former professional firefighter.

We close out with Steve wondering if Australia is planning to start its very own Space Force?? Well… probably not, but a recent agreement signed by the US and Australia will unlock the potential for both countries to move ahead with space launch from Down Under in the near to medium future.

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Episode 770: Downunder news of Hearts and Aviation… we’re back!

Posted on October 18, 2023 by admin

It’s been a rather eventful couple of months here in Australia for aviation news and a little closer to home.

Steve returns to the microphone following his recent journey with open heart surgery, the result of a heart attack in early September.  The aviation podcast community was so generous in their support during this time, and we take a moment to speak to that and express our appreciation. For more information on the experience, check out Steve’s “Proceed Aspect” blog.

In aviation news this week, Qantas has been involved in transporting Australian citizens out of Israel, on behalf of the federal government, due to the escalating conflict there.  At the time of recording, one 787 flight had been completed, while a second was aborted due to security concerns.  That flight was rescheduled for Tuesday.  The 787’s are taking passengers first to London where they are then returned to Australia using A380’s.

Former Air New Zealand CEO Christopher Luxon shifted into politics in recent times and is now Prime Minister of New Zealand following the recent elections.  The news comes as the nation’s flag carrier experiences financial stresses due largely to the escalating price of fuel, exacerbated by ongoing wranglings with Pratt & Whitney over engine issues, and a post-covid travel credit hangover.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority is on a recruitment drive, offering multiple aircrew roles on their Dash 8 and Challenger 604 fleet.  Find out more at this recruitment site.

An Australian man is at the centre of a recent incident which resulted in a Scoot 787 flight from Singapore to Perth being turned around & given an RSAF F-15 escort back to Changi

And the team at Paul Bennet Airshows have had a grand time at the recent Australian Aerobatic Championships, held at Narromine in New South Wales.  Paul took out the Freestyle Championship, while many other members of them team swept the awards categories as well.

Steve departing the cardiac ward

Steve very happy to walk out of the cardiac ward
Paul Bennet in the cockpit

Paul Bennet in the cockpit of his Pitts S1-11X
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