Summary: Guest Dan Hampton is the author of Viper Pilot: A Memoir of Air Combat. He served in the United States Air Force for twenty years (1986–2006) and is a graduate of the elite USAF Fighter Weapons School, USN Top Gun School (TOGS), and USAF Special Operations School. Dan has flown many combat missions in the F-16 as a Wild Weasel. These are elite Air Force fighter squadrons whose mission is to fly behind enemy lines to draw fire from surface-to-air missiles and artillery. Without being shot down, they destroy the threats and make the skies safe for the aircraft that follow. Stephen Trimble from Flight Global’s The DEW Line joins us for a bit as a guest co-host. Follow him on Twitter as @thedewline. The week’s aviation news: Hawker Beechcraft sale to Chinese firm collapses. USAF $AVE Vortex Surfing Flights Cut Fuel Use 10%. USAF remembers birds exist, tests ‘vortex surfing’ for aircraft. CAE & APS Partner to Deliver Upset Training to ab initio students. In this week’s Australia Desk report: Grant tells us about his latest hot air balloon pilot-in-command adventures, a kangaroo causes havoc at Melbourne Airport’s high rise parking lot, Qantas spends $A30million on further upgrades to its new Brisbane maintenance centre (which all but confirms the demise of their facility at Avalon in Victoria), Flight Centre is in hot water with the Government over alleged anti competitive behaviour towards Singapore Airlines, the New South Wales Police Force team are victorious in a charity “Haul A Herc” competition at RAAF Base Richmond near Sydney, the New Zealand Defence Force signs a five year deal with Hawker Pacific for four B200 aircraft, and we make a correction to last week’s article regarding Fiji Airways. Find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124. Australia Desk archives can be found at www.australiadesk.net. In this week’s Across the Pond segment: In the last of the Royal Navy Historic Flight mini series, we talk to Lt Commander Glen Allison, the pilot of the Fairey Swordfish display aircraft. We find out what its like to fly an 80 knot bi plane versus his day job of Commanding a Lynx unit. For more see Royal Navy Historic Flight and Fly Navy Heritage Trust. Find Pieter on Twitter as @Nascothornet, on his blog Alpha Tango Papa, on Facebook at XTPMedia, and at the Aviation Xtended podcast. Mentions: The Plane Crash. British Explorer Prepares To Dig Up 140 Mint Condition Spitfires That Were Buried In 1945. Opening and closing music courtesy Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at www.brotherloverocks.com.
