I realise we haven't quite completed the second quarter of 2021 yet however I feel it's the right time to review the stories and happenings of 2021.
We have made a few changes to the Bryan Air show this year, I like to think we have streamlined the way the show is presented, we try hit the ground running and get through the points of interest quicker than we have in the past. There is also a definite synergy amongst the podcast crew that can only be achieved with "time in the seat." Brett and Ryan bring totally different angles to each show, it has been a privilege to watch their own personal improvement over the past 50 or so episodes.
The studio based weekly show continues to perform well on the podcast circuit. The real satisfaction comes from all the emails and messages of support from the mostly ex-South African aviators from across the globe. The connections we have made from the show are plentiful, the highlight of my week is reading the email reviews on a Sunday morning whilst relaxing in bed with my wife and brand new bambino, Capri ❤️.
The milestone of the year from a podcast perspective was achieving "1000" subscribers on YouTube. This was eerily similar in both the way is felt and in the way it was celebrated to my 1000th flight hour achievement way back in 2004. I had no idea how hard it would be to achieve the "1000" subscriber milestone, the YouTube channel has continued to grow and I look forward to adding additional airline training content through the year. I have a real interest in the "aviators mindset" and the importance of operating an aircraft with clarity of thought. I have researched the topic extensively and enjoy talking about this in the classroom during Simaero ground school lectures. I believe if you can maintain a healthy mindset then the possibilities are actually limitless.
Atem Mini Pro
The video version of our show was certainly boosted by adding multiple camera angles to the broadcast. The video switcher is an incredible device that we cannot do without. The Atem mini connects 4 separate cameras and has the ability to show a program out function making sure I am not recording from the wrong angle. It is great fun to use and makes me feel like I am the TV Director of my very own series.
We also added a sound mixer to improve the audio quality of the show. How we managed without the mixer to begin with I still don't know. It is a must for any serious podcast, it certainly has improved the audio quality. The loud background noise of the simulator centre has always been our weakness but the positives of being in the Simaero facility during the broadcasts outweighs the negatives ten-fold. The introduction of our Shure microphones has also improved the audio quality, they also look the business.
The preparation for each show requires a significant amount of dedication from each of us. The stories of interest have to be collected, read and understood before we introduce the topic on the show. We don't rehearse, nor do we divide up any talking points. The only goal has always been to make incremental gains along the way. Executing the podcast with the correct phrases and quotes is more difficult that one might think, there is no time to stop and think about what to say next, you start talking and hope the frontal lobe takes over. We were criticised by someone on Facebook the other day for not doing enough research to which I was highly pissed off. I realise however that criticism is par for the course and sometimes needs to be taken with a pinch of salt and other times we can actually learn a thing or two. This time it was from a "team leader" at SAA, so middle finger emoji on that one.
I collect my stories of interest in a standard format each week which is working great, my teacher from primary school would be proud. I added a few small visual cues to trigger certain stories, a work in progress.
A game changer for us has been the addition of the Tuesday evening Livestream. We host the show at 7pm (SAST) on Youtube and Facebook, the live show offers us the opportunity to connect with the aviators from across the globe in a slightly more informal setting. The show has been called the TWT (Tuesday Whisky Club) by certain circles. We are doing our best to create a crew room banter like atmosphere. I was very conscious of not hosting a watered down version of our Studio based show. We have an aviation news ticket tape stream and bring in comments from the live audience without delay. I think we will see more of these informal shows from other podcasts in the future, I don't see the need to stick to the standard format anymore. Today it's all about innovation.
From an aviation perspective there has been a massive shift in the USA. Aviation is kicking into gear and a full air transport recovery is imminent. There are new airlines emerging from the pandemic, pilots and cabin crew are being recalled to mainline carriers and demand for family visit travel is at an all time high. It is always good to keep a close eye on the States, despite the growth in China, the USA is far and away the heavyweight champion of the world in aviation circles.
Europe has lagged behind badly, mainly due to slow vaccine rollouts, over-conservative travel restrictions and Covid testing requirements. The recovery will surely happen rather suddenly in this region, the demand for travel is high and the majority of the main carriers have survived. The uncertainty amongst rapidly changing travel restrictions and health passport requirements has not paved the way for a resurgence of travel like the USA however there is no doubt that a full recovery is on the horizon.
A sad story that we have reported on weekly is the state of the industry in India. India was affected terribly by the different Covid strain found in this region. The airlines in India were models of resilience at the beginning of the year but have succumbed badly to the travel restrictions and state of emergency for the entire country. Even the big carriers are looking at external funding, I am a huge fan of Indian aviation, we will keep following this sector very closely.
Cargo has been the shining light of the aviation sector, the cargo carriers continue to see growth and remain critical for pilot employment programs. The rise of e-commerce in Africa has been the catalyst for growth in this region. Amazon Air is starting to flex its muscles and the technology being used by the big 3 DHL, UPS and FedEx have improved profit margins significantly over the past 18 months. Keep a close eye on Amazon, a new giant in the aerospace market.
The big stories in South Africa have unfortunately revolved around the proposed restart of SAA version 2.0 and the continued operation of Mango whose undercutting of ticket prices is nothing short of criminal. The airline is openly making a loss on these reduced cost flights at the expense of the South African taxpayer and the detriment of the existing South African carriers who have done an excellent job in keeping planes in the air and continued employment of their staff. This has all been achieved whilst handcuffed to their existing routes without the option of expanding into lucrative markets currently ring-fenced by the Air Service License council.
Airlink and Safair are airlines that all South Africans can be extremely proud of. We are watching the innovation among these carriers closely. All we ask the government for is a fair playing field once and for all.
We look forward to improving the product through the year, we have a few new ideas and plans for the podcast. We will also continue collaboration with AviDev Africa, Aviation4SA, GoAviate and Simaero whom without, this show would simply not be possible.
If you would like to support the show you can give us a subscribe on YouTube by typing bit.ly/bryanairlive into your browser or by scanning the QR code below and clicking subscribe. Thank you to everyone for the post shares, the likes, follows and subscribers.
