I am happy, honoured and surprised to have been appointed as a Member in the General Division of the Order of Australia, by the Governor-General His Excellency General the Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove AK MC (Retd) for “significant service to the aviation industry both nationally and internationally, particularly for flight safety, and to the community”. Five […]

Update – 4 March 2019 I feel both surprised and proud. Today it was announced that the $5.3 billion Western Sydney Airport will officially become the Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport. The campaign to rename the airport started when I presented the inaugural Nancy-Bird Walton Lecture on behalf of the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS)  at the International […]

Merry Christmas / Happy Holidays / Happy Days where ever you are … Enjoy these two  photos taken from my office.  Here is a photos from the flight today over Turkey,     The world is indeed a small place when at just 40,000 feet we fly above 75% of the Earth’s atmosphere.  At a […]

Today, 4th November 2015 marks the 5th Anniversary of the QF32 event. Good News QF32 is a story of team excellence, where eight teams pooled their knowledge, training, experience working in intrepid teams to overcome a black swan event. I again wish to thank the 8 teams of more than 1,000 people who helped deliver […]

Update – December 2015 Many great airports are named after famous people. I propose that Sydney Badgerys Creek airport be named “Sydney Nancy-Bird Walton International Airport” in honour of Australia’s greatest aviatrix. Her airport would sit beside “Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport”, named after Australia’s greatest aviator. Click here to read more … Original Post […]

With my suggestions for the Industry Jaanus Torp writes: Hello Richard, I just finished your book and I might say that it is not suitable for before bed reading.  Even though I had read the final report and knew the outcome, I was still quite wired by the masterfully written gripping drama. I have a […]

Mike asks: Hi Richard, Having read your book QF32 and a number of resources available online, please let me ask one question regarding  your video interview on youtube. During the interview, you talk about the decision whether to follow the ECAM instructions to switch off the ENG 4 hydraulic pumps (“5 and 6″), and how you […]

Report on Resilience “Resilience – Recovering pilots’ lost flying skills” The Royal Aeronautical Society, London has published the report that I produced after I opened the Flight Simulation Conference at the RAeS in London in November 2014. My report studies the flight safety statistics from 1942 until 2014 and the implications for flight simulation industry. The future […]

I enjoyed being interviewed by Mark Bouris this week about “Resilience at the edge of chaos”.   We discussed issues ranging from the neuroscience of leadership to survive ‘Black Swan events’, to future technologies  and how robots will impact business and employment.  markbouris.com.au/episode-14-mark-bouris-podcast Mark’s Podcasts Mark’s fascinating podcasts are downloaded by about 275,000 listeners every […]

Nerd Alert! I compiled this blog in early 2008 for Airbus pilots and ground staff who need to access the Airbus FOCT manuals.   It is written for those who wish to learn more about how to make full use of the impressive (but undocumented) search features in the Airbus FOCT. This blog has NO relevance […]