Jotore Aviation Posts

I bought a watch. I didn't expect it to lead me to Australia's most decorated — and most forgotten — Battle of Britain ace. The watch is a REC X4009. Made from components of a real Spitfire. Not a replica. Actual aircraft material. That Spitfire — X4009 — was flown by Flight Lieutenant Paterson Clarence Hughes DFC. A boy from Numeralla near Cooma. Trained at RAAF Point Cook, a few kilometres from where I live in Melbourne's west.

The Black Box Australia is not a country that spends much time congratulating itself on its contributions to global aviation. But it probably should. Two inventions that are now mandatory on every commercial aircraft in the world, the flight data recorder and the inflatable escape slide, were conceived, developed, and proven by Australians working in relative obscurity, met with institutional indifference at home, and eventually adopted everywhere else before Australia got ar

Every aircraft engineer over 50 knows this conversation. The chemicals were real. The exposures were real. The long-term consequences are still being understood. A look at aviation maintenance, the F-111 legacy, and the lessons the industry learned the hard way. Full article in the comments.

After 36 years in aviation maintenance, I'm a worse passenger than I was as an apprentice. Not because I think flying is unsafe. Because I know too much. Every strange noise has a possible explanation. Every bump has a mental checklist. Every unusual vibration gets assessed whether I want it to or not. The funny thing is that most aviation people I know are exactly the same. The longer you work around aircraft, the harder it becomes to completely switch your brain off

AI can predict a fault. AI can order the part. AI can optimise the maintenance schedule. But at 2am, on a cold ramp, with an aircraft grounded and passengers due to board in four hours, somebody still has to fix it. My latest article looks at where AI is genuinely transforming aviation maintenance — and where the industry still depends on experience, judgement and licensed engineers.

Another Australian airline announcement. Another promise of cheap fares. Another founder with impressive credentials. Peter Kelly built Qantas Frequent Flyer. He helped launch Jetstar. He also founded Cobalt Air in Cyprus — which collapsed overnight in 2018, stranding hundreds of passengers after its investor pulled out. Now he wants $200 million and an AOC to take on Qantas and Virgin on the golden triangle out of Western Sydney. The model is smarter than Bonza's. The fleet