Episode 2: Andy Thorley, Kirsty Ferguson, Mary Kirby & Chris Williams
Show Notes
Thanks for listening! In between the schedules of four international airline rosters, the production of enormous amounts of video (including the production of an Australian TV program) and lots of recording, we let number two slip a little. Number three, titled Janine Shepherd, should follow very shortly. We’ve recorded some audio with some incredible personalities and we look forward to bringing their stories to you.
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Episode 2
Andrew Thorley
Almost 10 years ago to the day, Andrew Thorley was ferrying a Lightwing ‘sport’ ultralight from Ballina (on the far north coast of NSW) to the Oaks west of Sydney. There were a number of circumstances that found Andy over the suburbs of Sydney with low fuel… at night. Andy suffered fuel starvation and was forced to make a landing in a suburban soccer field. This is the first time Andy has spoken of the incident.
Andy is quite candid with the mistakes he made for the betterment of aviation safety. Ken, Marty and Adam finish up with a 10-minute chat with regard to some of the specifics of the incident. This is no doubt a conversation we’ll have to re-visit in the future.
Below are some images of the field that Andy landed in.
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If you want access to the first interview we recorded, please sign up the mailing list and we’ll advise you when we make that available. The first recording was nearly two hours in length and areas were covered in quite a lot of depth so, sadly, was unsuitable for inclusion.
Kirsty Ferguson
Kirsty is recognised worldwide as one of the leading interview coaches. We commence the discussion with Adam talking to Kirsty about transfers internally in an organisation (upgrades, lateral transfers etc) and move onto some of the more specifics of the behavioural interview process. Kirsty will be a regular on the program.
Mary Kirby
Mary Kirby (best known as Runway Girl) is a senior editor at Flight International and aviation blogger at FlightGlobal.com with a focus on in-flight entertainment, connectivity, regional aircraft programs and aircraft interiors. Mary will talk to us regularly about both the passenger experience and regional airline news.
Chris Williams
Chris Williams is the director and technical lead at Command Software Pty Ltd. Command Software are best known for the popular flight planning software, Command Flight Planner. We have a 5-minute chat to Chris about the future of the Australian product. We have a copy of Command Flight Planner to give away to the value of $400. Follow us on Faceboook or Twitter to be advised of details. If you’re not an Australian listener you may want to skip over this brief chat.
Audio Index
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00:00:00 Introduction & chat
00:04:52 Interview with Andrew Thorley
00:27:55 Post Andrew Thorley discussion (Marty, Ken & Adam)
00:37:04 Kirsty Ferguson Interview (with Marty, Ken, Adam & Karlene)
01:04:08 Interview with Mary Kirby (Runway Girl) (Ken, Marty & Adam)
01:19:04 Interview with Chris Williams of Command Software (Ken & Marty)
01:24:22 Close & Introduction to episode 3 – “Janine Shepherd”
01:25:05 Disclaimer
01:25:26 Bloopers (lots of them!)
01:37:04 End
Kirsty’s Interview Checklist
We mentioned that you would be able to download Kirsty’s “Interview Checklist”. It’s a valuable tool that we recommend you download while Kirsty is prepared to make it available. Download it below.
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Category: Podcast Episodes
Interesting discussion re Threat&Error Management and GA. At my workplace we teach TEM from the first flight.
Better keep listening. Nice work.
Hi Dan. I’m going to email you to get an idea of how your T&E management strategies are employed from the first lesson. Good on you for doing what so many schools seemingly ignore. I’ll be in touch shortly. Thanks for the comment.
Many pilots of larger aircraft have been caught out by “I can fly this little thing” syndrome, causing bent aircraft, injuries and worse. Every aircraft needs to be treated with respect at any time.
It also goes to show that the myth of recreational/ultralight pilots not being of the standard expected for GA PPLs simply can not be true; if it were, we’d kill ourselves much more frequently than other light-GA pilots, and we don’t…
Hi Bas. You’re absolutely right. Like we mentioned to Andy (and mentioned in the post discussion), it’s never appropriate to lower your guard or compromise on the professionalism that applies simply because of the particular category of operation or type of aircraft. Aviation can be unforgiving if we don’t apply appropriate vigilance at all times… regardless of what we’re flying.
Thanks for the comment – you’re spot on.
Hi guys! I’m a future GA pilot (ie, am not yet a pilot of any sort) and I love listening to your podcasts. I am learning an enormous amount (particularly about the right attitude to have when it comes to flying) and am storing it in the memory banks for that day when I launch my GA/PPL “career”/adventure.
A couple of additional things I’d like to say about the speakers. I take my hat off to Andrew Thorley for sharing so openly his experiences about that challenging day over 10 years ago. A sign a great person is one who openly admits their faults and learns from them AND, most importantly, lets other learn from them too. I’m sure he already realises this, but I wanted to mention it anyway – his reputation as an outstanding pilot in the aviation community has risen a number of notches as a result of his selfless sharing.
The other guests were also outstanding and I’ve collected lots of little “golden nuggets” that I can use in non-aviation circles (eg, Kirsty Ferguson’s tips on interviewing techiques – simple yet brilliant!).
Thanks guys!! Look forward to the next one.
Thanks as always for your comments Mike. We’ll be including a number of people involved in both the professional and elementary ends of flight training in coming episodes so I hope this is also of value to you. If you have any ideas, or want to hear anything in particular, please let us know.
I’ve listened to a few podcasts over the last week that has reinforced my belief that there’s a need for this kind of information from those that do it or have done it for a living.
Thanks again.
The story from Andrew was really quite interesting and is very usefull for classroom type discussion. Although I enjoyed the entire program I will unquestionably have my students listen to this as part of their training.
Congratulations on starting what I consider to be the best aviation podcast on the interweb. It’s a true joy to listen to people that have a solid background and knowledge in the industry. I have included a link to your program in our flying school mailing list.
Thanks for the comment, Mick. We’ve had a lot of feedback regarding Andrew so we’ve decided to include a number of pilots in future episodes that were involved in various types of incidents and accidents. We’re talking to two pilots with similar stories this week; sadly, one that resulted in a fatality… and they’re all talking about it for the first time. This isn’t to say we’ll neglect the airline end of the spectrum because we have a lot planned at the airliner end of the industry as well.
Great stuff & can’t wait for number three.
I have to say…. I don’t listen to aviation podcasts, despite the fact I work in media and have a history in aviation. I worked for Ansett as a flight attendant in my early 20′s then later as flight crew with my career ending with a command on a B767. I ended up at Singapore after the collapse before returning to Australia to work in the TV and media industry. I own my own Cherokee and fly as often as I can but no longer work commercially.
I’ve always found that aviation podcasts weren’t tailored to those that know the industry. I do listen to the IAG program every now and again and I’ll download a copy of AVWEB’s audio once in a blue moon. I can’t stand listening to podcast presenters that have no experience talking with a false sense of authority; and it’s the one downside to new media – anybody can do it. A microphone will give you an inflated sense of self-knowledge and I find myself doing it every now and again as well.
Having now written all of that above, I can’t get enough of you guys. I’ve just listened to number two twice and I think you’re all wonderful. You speak with authority, you absolutely know what you’re saying, and unlike many other programs of your kind you’re not afraid to be a little controversial or disagree amongst yourselves. Your group dynamic is wonderful and after listening to your bloopers I really get a feel for the closeness of your group. After a couple of years our own ensemble still doesn’t have the energy and personality that you guys have already established.
I’ve sent you an email and I hope to get a reply. Perhaps I can talk to you about a serious incident I had with Ansett many years ago (it still gets a mention in safety magazines every now and again). I’ve given you guys a plug in our marketing podcast simply because many of our audience members are connected to aviation through the large amounts of travel we do. That regular exposure tends to create an interest.
Runway Girl – fantastic. Andrew’s story – fascinating. Kirsty – intriguing and insightful. If this is the kind of content you plan on delivering you have yourself an avid fan.
I think I’ve made my point clear. Thanks to all of you for finally creating an aviation podcast that I can listen to. It’s reconnected me with the business end of the industry after many years in an unrealted field and for that I thank you. I would love to lend my support to your continued success as a media professional whenever able.
I listened to this program after hearing bad things from other Aussie podcasters, so I wanted to see what their problem was. Now I know. Jelousy. You guys ROCK! Can’t wait for number three.
Just followed you on Twitter, Facebook and joined your mailing list. LOVED your show. Best aviation podcast EVER!!!!!!!
Hi all..I finally found some time this morning to sit back and listen to Episode 2 and it was very entertaining! I was honoured to receive a mention during your introduction…But i would like to disagree with Marty a little.(Its OK, he is used to it from me). He said I was possibly the “furthest thing in the world from an aviation fan” But i dont think that is true at all. Its true I dont know my ‘little planes’ from my ‘big planes’..and I dont understand a lot of the technical terms that you use But I am VERY enthusiastic about being a passenger. I have flown in a wide range of aircraft, from helicopters to those ‘jumbo thingies’ ;) and each time I regard the trip as the very beginning of my travel adventure. Every flight involves some kind of aspect or story that has widened my interests in the world around me. I love the rush of airports and love flying to my destination as much as I love being flown home to my beloved Sydney. I enjoy your podcast, as it allows me into your world ever so slightly. I like that you all have different opinions to the topics that you discuss. I found your chat with Kirsty informative and actually wrote down some of her points to think about later. I was happy to hear more on IFE and the directions it is going, and what airlines are doing to enhance the ride. However, I think the bloopers are my favourite part. Its true I live in the next street as Marty and if our conflicting schedules ever overlap, we may be able to have that beer we have been talking about having for years. Good job and I look forward to Episode 3.
WOW. It’s so refrshing to hear an aviation podcast from people that actually know what they’re talking about.
I had an incident 14 years ago where my wing came off while performing aerobatics. My fault due to over stressing the airframe. I’ve never spoken about it before but be happy to talk to you all and finally help others learn from my silly mistakes. Please email me with the email I supplied in this comment.
I can tell that you all have fun while recording this. Thank you all for taking the time out of your busy lives to make a great podcast.
Number two was fantastic. I’m really looking forward to number three with JS.
excellent points and the details are more specific than elsewhere, thanks.
- Thomas
Very enlightening and beneficial to someone whose been out of the circuit for a long time.
Kris
I really enjoyed your aviation show. I would like to thank you for making it for student pilots.
I found the interview with Andy Torley to be very interesting. You all did a wonderful job of presenting the story in a captivating way. I also learned a lot from Kirst – so much I didn’t know. Now onto episode three…
[...] the skills to get there despite weather and circumstances potentially conspiring against us. In episode 2 of Flight Podcast we spoke to Andy Thorley who planned to fly an ultralight from northern New South [...]
Great work on a great podcast. I would love to share an experience I had many years ago while flying a Bonanza in an airshow. Needless to say, it ended in tears for my insurance company. Email me with the details I left up the top.
You only ever hear about this sort of stuff in magazines so it was great to hear a story first hand.
[...] the second recording session on Flight Podcast, our first guest was Andy Thorley. Andy has been a friend of mine since we undertook instructor training together back in the mid [...]