Phil Derner, Jr. from NYCAviation joins us to talk about his job as a Flight Dispatcher for a major airline. We talk about Flight Dispatcher roles and responsibilities: building a safe and legal flight plan, monitoring the flight, communicating with the pilots, making routing and fueling decisions, and more.

We have an interview with Mike Karrels, also a Flight Dispatcher for a major US airline. He calls it “the greatest job in the world.” We get some additional insights into the profession from Mike, who writes the My Fifty Percent blog, “A flight dispatcher’s view of the airline industry.”

On Twitter, find Phil at @NYCAviation and Mike at @my50pct.

The Week’s Aviation News:

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• Winners and Losers in American–US Airways Merger Settlement
  

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• Deal to drop airline merger suit said to turn on meeting U.S. number
  

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• Union’s Rejection Puts Future Home of Boeing 777X in Doubt
  

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• Army pursuing family of Osprey-like aircraft
  

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• Textron Scorpion Aims For December First Flight
  

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• Hybrid ESTOLAS aircraft combines aspects of a plane, helicopter, hovercraft and airship
  

David Vanderhoof’s Aircraft of the Week: The Convair B-58 Hustler, Part II.

In This Week’s Australia Desk:

Steve and Grant are introduced to a whole new term this week: “Drip Pricing†– it seems the ACCC are using the term to cover all the various additional charges that most airlines (especially the “low cost†ones) are using. Apparently they may be considered “false representation†or “misleading or deceptive conduct.â€

Meanwhile, in other news:

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• The newly elected Australian Federal government has launched their Aviation Safety Review as they promised in the election (a kept promise? Grant is amazed!)
  

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• Virgin Australia are raising an extra $350 million via a “rights issue†which could be an indication that they *might* go private (despite Air New Zealand denying it strongly).
  

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• Air New Zealand are themselves suspending trade of their shares as the Kiwi government looks to sell down their share to 53%
  

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• The Australian Defence Force provides heavy lift assistance to help get emergency equipment, supplies & medical teams to the Phillipines.
  

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.

Tecnam P2002JF Sierra

In this week’s Across the Pond segment:

We talk to Etienne Maillard an Air Traffic Controller in the Geneva Tower about the new wake turbulence rules at the airport, changing flying school, flying the Tecnam and Robin DR400 and the oncoming winter season.

If you visit Etienne’s Flicker Account you will see some of the most amazing aerial shots he has taken whilst flying in the Alps, as well as some great shots from Geneva Tower.

Find Pieter on Twitter as @Nascothornet, on Facebook at XTPMedia, and at the Aviation Xtended podcast.

F4U Corsair

Mentioned:

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• India’s Martian MOM lays another perfect orbital egg
  
• Arrowhead Stadium, 49 Plane Flyover, Chiefs vs Raiders
  
• Boeing tests second 787-9 Dreamliner in United States
  
• Digital bag tags could make paper luggage tags obsolete
  
• Top 100 Airplanes: Platinum Edition
  

And Flying Heavy Metal with Bruce Dickinson via Mick in Perth:

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• Episode 1 – Jet Race
  
• Episode 2 – Jet Set
  
• Episode 3 – Size Matters
  
• Episode 4 – Safer Skies
  
• Episode 5 – Watch This Space
  

Opening and closing music courtesy Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at www.brotherloverocks.com.