Author Archives: Richard de Crespigny
In Honour of SpaceX and Elon Musk
I don’t have sufficient words to describe the respect I feel for an individual and the 5000+ workers in the SpaceX (16 year old private) company who are disrupting the established space industry. Never has high tech been so emotional. Tears filled my eyes when I watched two of the three boosters return and […]
Technical – ATSB Report – “QF32 – The story behind the story”
My book “QF32” was published in July 2012, about one year before the ATSB published its report into QF32. Because of this mismatch in time, I was not permitted to publish information discovered by the ATSB that was not already available in the public domain. Information I included in the “Stub Pipe” chapter was therefore limited […]
Rest In Peace – Gene Cernan
I am very sad to hear of Gene Cernan‘s passing. Gene was the last of the (just) twelve humans that walked on the moon.. He was also a close friend of Neil Armstrong. Coral and I attended Neil Armstrong’s memorial service on 13 Sep 2012 at the National Cathedral in Washington where Gene presented Neil’s […]
Happy New Year
My last day of 2016 ended with a twenty four hour long tour of duty flying from Melbourne to Dubai International Airport on board my favorite Airbus A380 named “Nancy-Bird Walton“. Dubai International Airport became choked when visibility at three of the five available airports reduced to just 100 metres. Scores of aircraft arriving from […]
Decision Making (…..& ptsd)
Below find a link to the High Stakes video, a one hour SBS Insight program in which I join many people discussing how people make high-stakes decisions in the face of life and death. Decision Making is an extremely complex topic. Jenny Brockie hosts the discussion, surfacing decisions that many people made and how these decisions changed their lives […]
Buzz Aldrin in Australia
Buzz Aldrin visited Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra in November as the guest of “National Geographic Live”. Mars is no longer Science fiction.… it’s now science fact (Ron Howard) Jason Crusan, Dr Katherine Mack, Prof Mark McCaughrean, Ray Martin and Buzz prior to the Canberra performance 7th November 2016. During the evening: Ray Martin interviewed Buzz Aldrin […]
The Uiver: A Photographic History
Summary “The Uiver: A Photographic History” is the title of a forthcoming exhibition of photographs to be held from Saturday, 1st October to Sunday 13th November 2016 at the Albury Library – Museum, Albury, New South Wales, Australia. A .- L .-.. B -… U ..- R .-. Y -.- – The Flight of the Uiver is […]
Review “Sully” Movie
Summary “Sully” is a story of personal and team resilience. Sully made a difference for his passengers, crew, company and their friends. The real Sully Sullenberger and Jeff Skiles are larger in life than their characters in the movie. Their values, words and actions provide life lessons for us all. Islands of human resilience like the […]
Aviation Pathways for Aspiring Aviators
I urge not just aspiring pilots, but all people working towards a dream to read this article (Brandon Bullhorn) Version 119 – October 2024 (latest update: Pilot-Less Aircraft) Contents Aviation Pathways Constraints Training Options Employment Options Employment Tests & Interviews Career Development Alternate Career Aviation Industry Aircraft Life Plan Money Where From Here? Summary For […]
Vale one of the world’s greatest pilots
With a sad and heavy heart I learned that aviator and test pilot Captain Eric Melrose ‘Winkle’ Brown CBE DSC AFC HonFRAeS Royal Navy died on 21 February 2016. “Winkle” Brown was to British aviation what Chuck Yeager is to the USA aviation. When you read his life story, it makes James Bond seem like a bit […]
QF32 
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