World of Aviation Podcast Network

Well, of course! European budget airline Ryanair has ordered an additional 75 MAX jets in a deal worth more than $9 billion. But what does it mean?

In this week’s Inside Aviation catch-up, Phil and Adam discuss whether this is the breakthrough Boeing needs to end two years of hell, or if Ryanair has just smelt a bargain?

And as vaccines start to increase the positivity in the industry, the team discusses what the effect will be on those trying to start a career.

Will our much-discussed pilot shortage continue now many older pilots have taken early retirement?

With a vaccine weeks – or maybe days – from being rolled out, international airlines have dispensed with the pleasantries and are preparing to try to reclaim market share.

On this week’s Inside Aviation catch-up, Phil and Adam discuss the recent skirmish over airport slot waivers.

Should big airlines be able to keep their places at airports if budget carriers want to get planes in the air?

Finally, the team discuss the long, long goodbye of the 747. Can you still spot one if you really want?

It’s fair to say 2020 has been a tough year for many in the aviation industry, who have been stood down, made redundant or simply forced to take on much worse working terms.

It’s easy to forget, however, how well trained and well thought of most aviation employees are. In this special episode of the World of Aviation podcast, we interview Jim Murphy, the founder of Afterburner.

Murphy transformed himself from an instructor pilot who clocked 1,200 hours in an F-15 into an entrepreneur who teaches businesses how to succeed by thinking like a pilot.

He’ll speak about how he made the difficult switch and what he’s learned along the way. 

It should have been the biggest story of the year. But after a 20-month flight ban – the longest in aviation history – the US Federal Aviation Administration has finally cleared the 737 MAX to fly again.

Now what?

In this week’s Inside Aviation, Phil and Adam discuss this and other stories breaking around the world. Will the industry be welcoming the Max back now it’s got bigger problems to deal with?

Plus, the team also discuss how the COVID vaccine will open up borders and the industry. Will a jab answer our prayers, or be the start of a tricky route out of international lockdown?

Last week, the world heard the news it was waiting for when global pharmaceutical giant Pfizer said its vaccine was “90 per cent effective”. Which means we can all go back to normal, right? Well maybe.

This week on the World of Aviation podcast, Adam and Boo discuss what’s next? Will countries only open up to nations that have been vaccinated? Will there be a premier league of jabs of different potency? And will countries continue to shut their borders until COVID is totally eradicated?

The team also discuss the latest shoot-from-the-hip comments by Ryanair chief Michael O’Leary, the continuing pilot shortage and shifting global politics now The Donald is done?

Finally, it wouldn’t be a podcast without a chat about drones and eVTOLs, and the boys geek out on the latest developments in Florida.

Last week, the world celebrated as we edged closer to having a coronavirus vaccine.

But the good news also raises questions for international border openings.

In our Inside Aviation catch-up, Phil Tarrant, Adam Thorn and a returning Boo chat about what this means for removing restrictions. Is it as simple as a ‘shot in the arm’ solving our problems?

Plus, the team discuss Emirates posting huge losses, the endless demise of the unloved A380 and yet another ‘vertiport’.

Since the COVID crisis, airlines and unions have been at loggerheads as huge cuts are made and working terms are reduced.

But the situation at Cathay Pacific seems particularly toxic, with reports of ultimatums and 60 per cent salary cuts. In this week’s Inside Aviation, Phil and Adam discuss the fallout, and what it means for the airline.

They also discuss a precarious situation within the industry as a whole. The IATA says aviation’s recovery has “hit a wall”, but why?

Finally, the team chat about the situation closer to home. Could flights from Tasmania to New Zealand be a gamechanger? 

Since the start of the pandemic, Qatar Airways has won plaudits for being one of the few carriers to soldier on during the crisis, helping stranded passengers return “home”.

But that goodwill has seemingly evaporated after it was revealed up to 18 female passengers from Australia, the UK and France were invasively searched, apparently to find the mother of an abandoned premature baby.

This week, host Adam Thorn and regular guest Christian “Boo” Boucousis discuss the fallout and whether Qatar can recover.

Plus, the team also chat about the smart ‘new’ A321 Passenger-to-Freighter Conversion, Cathay’s new pilot dispute and whether it’s time to stop searching for MH370.  

The story that 18 women from Australia, the UK and France were invasively searched by Qatari authorities at Hamad Airport this month has refused to go away.

In the last few days, the Qatar government has finally issued an apology – but it seems to be more concerned with shifting the emphasis onto the missing baby.

On this week’s Inside Aviation, Phil and Adam discuss the impact on the industry, and whether Qatar will ever be able to regain passengers’ trust.

They also discuss the continual struggle to get passengers back home as border closures continue to bite, and why critics should be more understanding of under-fire airlines. 

Last month, World of Aviation reported on multiple flight crews recording the unique sight of a man in a jet pack flying alongside their aircraft on approach to LAX.

This week, host Adam Thorn and regular guest Christian “Boo” Boucousis speculate just what might have happened to him as new sightings emerge.

It doesn’t take long though, for the team to meander off onto drones, flying cars and why anyone would go for a meal on a grounded A380. In economy.

Finally, as countries tentatively begin to open to each other, Adam and Boo discuss the challenges for aviation in a, hopefully, just pre-vaccine world.

Last week, a French fighter jet broke the sound barrier above Paris, causing a sonic boom that wreaked havoc across the city while the French Open was in play.

This week, the World of Aviation’s resident fighter pilot, Christian “Boo” Boucousis, tells host Adam Thorn exactly how it works – and its implications for commercial supersonic travel.

Plus, with the A380 now all-but retired, the team discuss Singapore’s plan to turn the aircraft into a restaurant where aviation enthusiasts can enjoy a nostalgic meal. Will anyone choose to dine in economy?

This week, the UK announced it's on the brink of creating the world’s first designated drone corridor, to speed up trials of UAVs delivering packages. It’s significant because it has the potential to temporarily solve the conundrum of how air traffic control can safely move so many automated aircraft.

In this episode, Adam and Boo discuss how the industry will transition from pre to post coronavirus, and what the upcoming UAV revolution could look like.

They’ll also talk about why the 747 has departed the industry to tearful tributes, while the unloved A380 exits unceremoniously stage-left. Was the aircraft ever a viable idea, or just a PR push from Airbus?

Finally, they’ll ask whether hydrogen could actually power planes in ten years, or if it’s still the stuff of wishful science fiction. 

In this special episode of the World of Aviation podcast, Adam and Boo speak to a man who taught US Navy pilots on the very same TOPGUN course that the movie was based on.

Backseater Dave Baranek enjoyed a 20-year career in the US Navy, rising up the ranks to command an F-14 fighter squadron of more than 300 people, with 2500 flight hours in an F-14 Tomcat and 450 hours in the F-5F Tiger II.

So accomplished was his experience, he was even on hand to advise the crew of the movie while they were filming the iconic original.

Adam and Boo ask him about the pressure of being a backseater, the struggle to make it to the top, the mentality of fighter pilots and how he coped with finally retiring.

Enjoy the episode,

The WOA team

The Rock of Gibraltar might be unassuming, but it became the latest example of how border closures are causing chaos for international aviation when a delayed flight caused Brits kipping in nearby Spain to face a costly 14-day quarantine.

In this episode of the World of Australian podcast, host Adam Thorn and regular guest Christian ‘Boo’ Boucousis come to the mad conclusion that the best way to save aviation might be to stop flying at all.

They also discuss Virgin Atlantic’s Emirates-beating coronavirus insurance that promises to cover just about any problem that the pandemic might throw at passengers, as well as the dreaded second wave of more job cuts.

But, on a more upbeat note, they also ponder whether Boeing might have cracked it with a UV magic wand. Yes, really…

With air bridges opening and closing causing travel chaos for the industry, could the solution be… sniffer dogs? It sounds bizarre, but the UAE certainly thinks so, and research in both the UK and France supports claims hounds have a 90 per cent accuracy in whiffing out COVID-19.

In this episode of the World of Aviation podcast, host Adam Thorn and Christian “Boo” Boucousis continue to discuss the most chaotic period in the history of our industry. In particular, they’ll look at other plans – mutts aside – to get customers flying again, which this week has also included a planned fly-before-you-pay deal set to go live in the US.

They also dissect two major Boeing announcements, including the start of British Airways sending its 747s to the Spanish scrapyard as well as a possible rebranding of the grounded MAX. Will customers and the industry really get behind the plane with a new name?

Finally, they’ll ask just how Singapore Airlines burnt through so much of its bailout so quickly, and reveal the results of the US Airforce’s man vs AI fighter pilot competition. Spoiler alert: it’s bad news for Boo.  

As investigations into the legitimacy of Pakistani pilot licenses continue, a simultaneously conducted internal audit report has found that its pilots are being overpaid, underproductive and spending far too much on luxurious hotels.

In this episode of the World of Aviation Podcast, host Adam thorn and Christian "Boo" Boucousis discuss whether the "luxury pilot life" stereotype is founded in truth, the differences between flying for a low-cost or domestic carrier and a prestigious national airline, and the hierarchy in the cockpit for a major international carrier.

Adam and Boo delve into the endless saga of airbridges in Europe opening and closing at short notice, the fraught relationship between Boeing and Airbus, cracks being found in Rolls Royce engines, and an upcoming battle between an AI-controlled fighter jet and a US Air Force pilot.

Virgin Galactic are in the headlines this week for unveiling concept plans for an extraordinary new supersonic jet, despite Virgin Atlantic only recently filing for bankruptcy protection. In the age of COVID-19 in which most airlines are barely surviving, is it possible to consider a future for supersonic travel?

Adam Thorn and Christian "Boo" Boucousis are back for another episode of the World of Aviation to discuss the driving force behind Concorde's demise, and whether Virgin's strategy of appealing to a luxury market is a wise commercial decision.

Hear Adam and Boo reflect on the spectrum of COVID-19 safe policies across different airlines, from South West Airlines to Qatar Airways, and how the lack of border closure consistency is affecting the aviation industry.

They also delve into the recent surge in "flights to nowhere", what's involved in keeping an aircraft active while grounded, and how accurately sims can simulate the experience of encountering unexpected hurdles.

Emirates is offering to cover customers' coronavirus related health expenses and quarantine costs in its latest bid to get people on planes, but will this move actually incentivise travel?

In this episode of World of Aviation, Adam Thorn and Christian "Boo" Boucousis reflect on the inconsistencies across the industry in the current state of the world, whereby some airlines and countries are focusing solely on repatriation while others are promoting holidays and business trips.

Adam and Boo also discuss Boeing 747's final demise, Ryanair's attempts to avoid staff cuts by trying to enforce pay cuts, success for private jets during COVID-19, and an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 777F catching fire in Shanghai.

Airlines around the world are tackling the tricky challenge of saving costs by hibernating, whilst also maintaining a workforce that's viable on the other side of this crisis.

In this episode of the Australian Aviation Podcast, hear about the carnage over airbridges in the EU, from the UK's closure to Spain and Ireland's fundamentally flawed "green lists".

Hosts Adam Thorn and Christian "Boo" Boucousis also discuss the potential return of the 737 MAX, the latest on the Pakistani pilot controversy, a bold call from Iceland Air, and a cyber attack on Garmin.