Pre-Flight Brief 25th April 2020 EP 177 (website text)

Australia’s ‘independent’ military aviation Anzac Day is a time to look back and honour the efforts of Australians, including a little known Army aviation unit that served as an ‘independent’ squadron alongside several different nations, including the USA – 161 Recce Flight went by the call sign ‘Possum’ flying helicopters and fixed wing aircraft. In many ways they ran their own show, especially in Vietnam where they made their makeshift base near a sandy beach next to a US facility. While they were recognised for their military service, it was their humanitarian work and resourcefulness that earned them most acclaim – including rigging up a flying music-playing PA system and painting a helicopter bright red with a massive beard made of reinforced cotton wool to do ‘Santa-runs’ to many remote orphanages and villages.

Airline caterers ensuring virus safety Even though passenger numbers are small, airline caterers are still operating with most airlines opting for simpler, pre-packaged meals and foods rather than the traditional inflight offerings. Onboard meals, particularly for pilots are listed in most manuals as ‘no-go’ items and inflight, pilots are provided with different meals in order to minimise food poisoning risks. Such precautions are also extending to airline caterers at major airports who typically service many airlines and freight operators. Large caterers, including SATS and , have created systems which use two or three separate kitchen facilities and separated staff and suppliers so that if one site is required to quarantine, the others can continue to supply the aircraft. INSIDER FACT: Last year, members of the World Airline Catering Association produced a staggering 2.7billion inflight meals!

Air Force One manual Airline Insider recently reported on the work that is underway to build two new “Air Force One’ aircraft. Everything in aviation comes with a large price tag, but the new 747-200B jets will come with specialist manuals that are the subject of a separate contract with aircraft manufacturer Boeing. The price tag to produce the new aircraft manuals is an eye watering $84 million dollars!

Indonesia flight stop until June Indonesia has placed a ground stop on all air traffic until 1 June following a massive spike in coronavirus cases. The restrictions come alongside other moves which the country has been slow to implement.

Big Birds to Alice Springs on Sunday The side taxiways at Alice Springs used to be empty but with the airport’s dry conditions, more planes are being parked awaiting the recovery from the covid crisis. This weekend, the airport is about receive two large A380’s and several smaller aircraft which are being ‘put to bed’ by Singapore Airlines.

Catering carts – wheelie good ideas? First produced in the late 1970’s inflight trolleys or carts have come a long way and even though airlines are in hibernation, designers are hard at work at preparing the next generation of onboard carts to be unveiled at the inflight catering expo scheduled for late November in Singapore. The new designs are even lighter than before and are temperature controlled maintaining 4 degrees Celsius for 20 hours. This means that airlines can cut costs and turnarounds by ‘double or triple catering’ the aircraft. Other innovations to be revealed include a ‘aisle barista’ cart that dispenses real coffee and contact-less, self-serve versions that link to your smartphone for payment. Productivity and food security are also covered with Wi-Fi monitored versions. FACT: The first carts and boxes were called ATLAS – an acronym of the five airlines that first adopted the storage system.

Ground handing agent threatens shutdown International ground handling agency Swissport has called on the government for $125 million in assistance saying without the handout, it will be forced to stand down 80% of its Australian workers affecting flights at many airports. The company is owned by China’s already cash strapped HNA Group which also has a large stake in Virgin Australia. Swissport’s controversial work practices has not won it many fans in aviation circles and the offshore ownership means that a taxpayer funded handout is unlikely.

Antonov breaks two world records It’s the world’s biggest aircraft and holds 242 aviation records and this week added two more. The six-engined Antinov is the serious end of the airfreight business and the aircraft even has its own onboard telescopic crane capable of lifting 33 tonne loads into its huge cargo belly. The aircraft set a volume record by flying 1000 cubic metres of PPE from China’s Tianjin to Warsaw in Poland then backing for another record flying 150 tonnes of PPE from China to .

South America repat flights are big business More rescue flights out of South America will happen this weekend with the Australian government reaching an agreement with LATA to fly stranded Aussies from Ecuador to Santiago then onto Sydney. Those travellers wanting to get home will have to pay a hefty $2,550 for their economy seat, done a mask and enjoy limited pre-packaged meals. WALLET REMORSE: The one-way fare is about half the cost of pre-covid-19 round the world flight in business class!

Seventh batch of 60 satellites take flight SpaceX launched its seventh mission for internet and communications provider, Starlink this week, adding another 60 satellites to the increasingly crowded earth orbit. More than 150,000 ppl watched the launch live on social media

Qatar shows it’s the Middle East’s ‘can-do’ country Qatar has proven to be the last airline standing flying more than 1 million passengers home around the world since mid-February. Around 4,500 Aussies flew home on Qatar in the past three weeks with the turnaround flights taking some 32,000 people back home via Doha.

Emirates joins others in full PPE for crew and masks for pax Last week Emirates imposed finger-prick blood test on passengers and this week increased the onboard PPE protocols as the airline slowly resumes flying. Crew will wear gloves, masks, eye shields and disposable gowns while passengers must wear masks and comply with strict protocols limiting movement around the aircraft.

Rex flying with government support Rex has been included in the Australian government’s $298million regional aviation support package. The carrier is an important lifeline for many regional areas flying passengers, freight and medical supplies.

Qantas considering temporarily removing seating from A330 is conducting assessments of temporarily removing seats from some A330 aircraft to boost freight capacity. It’s understood that the airline has ruled out a flight attendant in the cabin for firefighting purposes. Cargo holds have an automated fire suppression system, but in the cabin, fire safety is management by the cabin crew. The omission is expected to challenge air safety regulator CASA who in recent times has been pressured by the airline to endorse its decisions.

Virgin debate needs a reality check Lots has been written this week following the Board of Virgin Australia calling in Deloittes as Administrators. In short, the airline will continue to fly most likely as a domestic carrier. The airline’s loyalty scheme, Velocity, is a separate company. The issue for the airline is historical debt and major shareholders who have little or no propensity to meet the more than $6 billion in liabilities.