00:00So today we're here with Cran. You said your name is Cran like Cranberry.
00:05That's it. Without the berry.
00:07Without the berry. And it's such an honour to meet you.
00:09So you are, I'm going to just come in on this brochure here.
00:12That is you in all your flying gear. You are a pilot.
00:17I am.
00:17That is so exciting to actually meet a pilot because I have done a lot of flying and pilots are
00:23like heroes for me.
00:25We just love what we do. We just love flying aeroplanes. That's why we do it.
00:28You've got the best job. So what planes do you actually fly?
00:32At the moment I'm in between flying, but I've flown the Boeing 787, the Airbus A320, the Airbus A330.
00:38I've got 32 other different aeroplane, helicopter types throughout my career.
00:42That is, and how long have you been flying for?
00:461932 years this year. So I had a problem.
00:50See, I had my pilot's licence when I was 16.
00:53Yeah.
00:53And I took my teachers from school flying.
00:56You see, I needed someone with a car and a driver's licence to get me to the airport.
01:00I was allowed to fly aeroplanes. I was not allowed to drive cars.
01:03That's amazing. And what drew you to flying?
01:07I had nothing to do. My dad was a pilot. My granddad was a pilot.
01:11And we just love this thing that we do.
01:13Oh, that's wild. Okay, what's the best part about it then?
01:16I mean, apart from the obvious, it's just so cool, isn't it?
01:18The best part is you sit at the end of the runway, you push open those thrust levers, you get
01:24pushed back in the seat.
01:25We're still on the ground at 300 kilometres an hour.
01:27We get to take off safety speed. We pull back and aim for the blue. It's just the best job
01:31in the world.
01:32Oh, that is so cool. I think it's like everyone's dream job.
01:35It's like, you know, you'd love to... So what entails becoming a pilot these days, though? It's very hard, isn't
01:42it?
01:42The most important thing is determination.
01:44Right.
01:45That is the most important. You've got to be determined.
01:47Yes, it's hard, it's expensive, but anything that you really want to do, if you really want it bad enough,
01:51you'll find a way.
01:52That's why you seem to come and see our friends at Pacific Air Show.
01:56We're going down here on the 14th and 16th August this year.
01:59Yeah, that's going to be an amazing day, especially on the school's day, STEM day on the Friday.
02:03Yeah.
02:04That's going to be an amazing day. And that's where we go and we interact with these young people.
02:08And making these young people believe in themselves, that they've got a smart device right between their ears.
02:12Yeah.
02:12And they can do amazing things with skill sets they already have.
02:15So tell me a bit about the Pacific Air Show. Obviously, we're very excited that it's coming.
02:19And tell me about your role with the STEM program. So what does STEM actually stand for?
02:24Oh, STEM there. Good old acronym. Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths.
02:28Excellent.
02:28And so we love getting hands on.
02:31Yeah.
02:31So our STEM outreach, you can see we're doing our rockets here today.
02:34Yeah.
02:34We'll be doing that on the air show as well.
02:36We're also going to be engaging with the students, going in and getting face to face and talking
02:40this year, getting up close to real aeroplanes.
02:42Yes.
02:42And actually talking to these young people.
02:45And showing that, yes, you absolutely can be a pilot.
02:50There's no reason why you're coming.
02:52Girls, we need more of you in the flight deck.
02:54And just the other thing, it doesn't matter if you wear glasses.
02:57That's not a problem.
02:58You can still be a pilot.
02:59But it's not just pilots.
03:00It's engineers.
03:01It's air traffic controllers, avionics technicians.
03:04Then you've got all the airport firefighter.
03:07There are so many jobs.
03:08And aviation, it's an adventure.
03:10It's not just a job.
03:11It's an adventure.
03:12And we have an awesome time doing it.
03:14I 100% believe you.
03:16Like, everyone can see that, you know, that your job every day is like something really
03:20exciting.
03:21Have you been in any hairy positions yourself, like up in the air?
03:24Oh, there's been a couple.
03:26Yeah.
03:26There's been a couple.
03:28One morning I was flying the Airbus out of Cairns and a hydraulic system failed.
03:33Oh.
03:33And that wasn't an emergency.
03:35It was an urgency.
03:37So that's what we call a pan.
03:38We make a pan for.
03:38And we had to get below maximum landing weight.
03:41It was pretty cool.
03:42We had the firetrucks chasing down the runway.
03:45But we were absolutely fine.
03:47The captain and I got on top of it, got the aeroplane down safely and everything was fine.
03:51Wow.
03:51But we're trained to deal with that.
03:53And that's exactly what we do.
03:55Our training kicked in and we did what we had to do, cleared the checklist and everyone
03:59was safe.
04:00That's what makes flying so safe.
04:01What else has happened?
04:03Like anything else, Harry, has happened?
04:04Oh, very early on in my career when I was flying by myself a little four-seat aeroplane out
04:08in northwestern Queensland.
04:10Hit a bit of wind shear and the aeroplane, when I went to take off and climb away, went
04:14along like this when I hit the wind shear and that affected my climb performance.
04:18I nearly hit the trees at the end of the runway.
04:20But some divine intervention that day got me through and I cleared the trees and got off
04:25flying.
04:25But that's where you learn.
04:26I learn a lot that day.
04:27And what is your training like in between?
04:30Like you do very regular training, don't you?
04:32We absolutely do.
04:33Yeah.
04:34So we have four days a year in the simulator.
04:37Yeah.
04:38Two lots of two days.
04:39So we do a training day and we do a check day.
04:42Yeah.
04:42And we do that twice a year along with our emergency procedures renewals.
04:46And also we do a line check where we actually have a check captain flying with us actually
04:50in the aeroplane.
04:51Yeah.
04:51Checking all our normal procedures.
04:53So we're constantly being checked.
04:55But that's exactly what we should be doing.
04:57That's why you, the fair paying public, entrust us to make sure you're safe.
05:01So we need to be checked.
05:02And there is a standard and we have to meet it.
05:04Yeah.
05:04Are there any nerves for your job?
05:07Like surely.
05:08Like it's because there's so many.
05:10I mean, if a plane comes down, you're dead, basically.
05:13You must know that, obviously.
05:14You know, that's why we're trained.
05:17So if something does go wrong.
05:19You can bring it down.
05:20Yeah.
05:20Buy the aeroplane first and having all those procedures and know them really well.
05:25I memorise.
05:26You have all your memory items.
05:27I voice record them on my phone.
05:29As I drive to work, I listen to the emergency procedures.
05:32That way, I've always got them at the forefront of my mind.
05:35Oh.
05:35And has it changed a bit now?
05:37Like evolved?
05:38Like, you know, with the use of AI?
05:40And how does that come into your role?
05:42AI, not so much at the moment.
05:44That might play a bigger part.
05:45The best part is, we used to have a stack of manuals like this in the aeroplane.
05:49Now it's all on an iPad.
05:50That is so good.
05:52We used to have to have bags with wheels on them to carry all the manuals we needed.
05:56Now it's all on an iPad.
05:57It's so good.
05:58So that's the technology that's evolved over the past decade, which is really, really great.
06:02Because every time I fly, there's that little niggle of fear at the back of my mind.
06:05Like, obviously, I'm nervous.
06:06So no nerves for you?
06:08Like, is it really just excitement and happiness?
06:10I just love what I do.
06:12I love getting an aeroplane.
06:13I love sitting at the end of the runway, pushing open those thrust levers and aiming for the blue.
06:17It's the best job in the world.
06:18What about landing?
06:19Oh, that's so much fun.
06:20Yeah, fun.
06:21Yeah, I reckon landings.
06:23Takeoff and landing are always the most dangerous bits that are flying out there.
06:26Only because that's the part where we're closest to the ground.
06:29We're up high.
06:30You've got plenty of time when you're up high.
06:32And down to the ground, yes, that's also where you have the hazards of birds.
06:35I've hit a few birds in my time.
06:37Oh.
06:37You always know, generally with most aeroplanes, a bit different with the 787.
06:41You know you've taken a bird down the engine, and the whole aeroplane starts to smell like roast chicken.
06:46Oh, no.
06:47The engines get very hot.
06:48That's where the air for the air conditioning comes from.
06:51And you get a nice roast chicken smell wafting through the cabin.
06:53Oh, no.
06:54You know you've probably taken a bird down the engine.
06:56Oh, no.
06:56And obviously, they're designed to, you know, withstand that sort of stuff.
07:00If you understand it, or if it gets to the vibrations or imbalance gets too hot, we shut the engine
07:04down.
07:04Yeah.
07:05Oh, look, it's so wonderful.
07:06Thanks for talking to us.
07:08Do you have any advice, then, for passengers that might be a little bit scared about flying?
07:12What would you tell them?
07:14I've had nervous passengers.
07:16I've had one poor man, had a panic attack, locked himself in the toilet before he even started the engines.
07:20Oh, yeah.
07:20So, it does happen, and I do empathise, but we're very, very well trained.
07:24Okay.
07:24And if you really want to be sure how strong an aeroplane is, go onto YouTube and look at all
07:29the wing testing.
07:30They do at Boeing with the new aircraft, where they bend wings up to the point where they break.
07:34It's just, and it's way beyond anything that nature could really throw at the aeroplane.
07:38And that reassures you that these aeroplanes are really built tough.
07:43Yeah.
07:44And so, you're going to be there at the Pacific Air Show?
07:47Absolutely.
07:48We'll be there with our friends at Pacific Air Show.
07:50Fantastic Air Show.
07:51Oh, it is a fantastic.
07:53And what day is the students' day?
07:55It's the Friday.
07:56It's the Friday.
07:57Okay, yeah.
07:57So, yeah, Gold Coast Schools, heads of department, principals, get those excursion request forms in.
08:04Yep.
08:04It's going to be an awesome day.
08:05Our friends at Pacific Air Show are absolutely fantastic.
08:08We can't wait to see you all there.
08:10Thanks for talking to us.
08:11My pleasure.
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