Happy New Year

Happy New Year, everyone!

As we reflect on the past year and look ahead to the year to come, let's remember the words of aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart: "The most effective way to do it, is to do it."

In the world of aviation, we are constantly striving to push ourselves and our industry to new heights. Whether we're working on a new aircraft design, developing more efficient engines, or simply trying to improve the way we fly, we are always looking for ways to do things better.

So as we enter the new year, let's remember to take on each challenge with determination and a can-do attitude. Let's continue to inspire each other and those around us to reach for the sky and soar to new heights.

Here's to a great new year for all of us in the aviation community!

Monday Briefing #1

Bryan Air Live (8 Jun-21) - With Jason Northwood

Jason is the founder of GoAviate-The Pilot Network

he was a "soon to be skipper" on the Airbus A380 at Emirates before the pandemic struck, an aviator and gentlemen through and through.

Expect to hear Jason chat about his time operating the A380 in a multicultural high performance environment. What it was like packing up the dreams of flying on such short notice, moving his family back to South Africa and shifting his learned skills toward a totally new industry.

Jason is a fine example of someone using his existing skill sets acquired in the flight-deck to pivot and thrive in another industry.

Bryan Air Podcast #57

We hope and pray to be back in the studio before Thursday when we broadcast the show. Our studio is situated at the Denel facility which has been without electricity affecting all tenants of the entire complex including ourselves.

There is a lot of news for this weeks broadcast including:

• Worldwide travel updates

• 90 new airlines plan for launch in 2021

• Qatar becomes worlds largest cargo operator

• Betting on supersonic travel

• Apple podcast news

Special shout out and thanks to a new {Patreon} pledge from Imre Kurucz.

Tip For The Week

1. Notion note taking application. It is excellent, your productivity will improve by a guaranteed 10%.

2. Learn how to create, buy and sell NFT. I will be creating an online course for this in the very near future.

Listen to last weeks podcast On Spotify:

Last weeks Youtube Video:

Thanks friends for your crazy on-going support.

Kindest regards

Bryan Roseveare

Podcast Notes Q2 2021

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. 

Taking Things To A New Flight Level

With 2021 well under way it is evident that things aren't going to be getting any easier. There is a growing sense of concern from certain people in my own network that prospects of a flying job are diminishing the further into this pandemic we get. I don't pretend to be a wizard at offering advice, yet my opinions in this area remain the same now as they did early in 2020. You have to market yourself and your skills a little better to have a chance of being noticed.

Last week an ex-colleague asked me to please hold on to his CV in the hope that I can pass it on to a few more people widening the scope of his job search. It just doesn't work like that anymore, personal marketing is on the web and preferably attached to a personal brand. The brand doesn't have to be anything ground-breaking but how can anybody employ you if they don't know who you are? Someone with the reach of 500 people on Linkedin in your preferred industry vs 3 people in the neighbourhood you live. The guy with the reach will get the job - simple as that.

I was incredibly fortunate to have my Bryan Air Podcast in full swing last year, it offered so much to me on a personal level and allowed me the opportunity to build a personal brand all-be-it on a very small scale in the aviation industry. The most important part of that journey was the learning process in content creation and being able to unapologetically promote myself on video and social media. I think it's only human to feel self-conscious about these things at the start but it certainly did get a lot easier particularly when I started to see the results and shed the inhibitions of that age old question - What will my friends and colleagues think?

Conscious of standing still and not pushing myself and the podcast. Simon Sinek's "Infinite Game" comes to mind, I plan on expanding the scope of the show this year into a few other areas of interest. I benefitted tremendously last year by upping my productivity - I started using various apps and platforms to do this and got a big kick out of seeing positive results. A lot of these may be obvious to some people but foreign to others. I benefited by listening to other podcasts like Modern Wisdom with Chris Williamson. Chris started a segment called Life Hacks offering advice on everything from using the correct training shoes to breathing techniques. Things that are obvious to me now weren't so obvious twelve months ago.

I plan on expanding the YouTube channel to offer a few tips and tricks of my own. Not all of the things we learnt on the podcast were success stories, some of the ideas were total disasters and not to be used again. I cant even bring myself to watch or listen to some of the earlier shows, the sound and video quality makes me cringe but I guess most podcasters have the some opinions about their earlier shows.

One area that I will be taking seriously is the ability to connect with people a bit better. I am leaving a link in the show notes each week that will allow anyone to schedule a zoom call with me. Podcasting advice, aviation questions, productivity hacks or just to make a connection. Collaboration and connections are going to be critical moving forward and I am jumping on this train.

Thanks for indulging me and look forward to a year of new connections.

Bryan Air News - #Episode27

The Bryan Air crew has committed to 3 more episodes in this the second season of the Podcast. We will host the 30th and last episode of the season on 11th of December 2020. We have managed to complete a podcast every week for the past 6 and a bit months, something we are incredibly proud of amidst the turmoil of the pandemic. We will of course be back for Season 3 in January 2021 with further improvements and ideas. 

This weeks news: New South African LCC Lift announces a public poll to choose the livery that will grace their A320’s. This after a successful competition to name the new carrier which resulted in a huge number of suggestions from the public. Lift will begin operating on the 10th of December 2020, the cabin crew and ground staff are going to be kitted out with uniforms courtesy of Superbalist. Morning travellers will be treated to a Vida coffee hopefully without the singing barista. Passengers on afternoon flights can expect wine tasting from some of South Africa’s top wine farms. Note to self: choose an afternoon flight.

FlySafair has entered into an interline agreement with Emirates, further expanding the reach of South Africa's premier domestic carrier. These agreements are critical for South Africans who want to remain connected to the rest of the world. Consider visiting family and friends in Australia may soon be accomplished straight from the FlySafair or Airlink website with a via Dubai option. The need for the additional long haul sector comes after Qantas suspends South African flights until October 2021. Etihad will follow the Qantas lead and suspend operations in South Africa until further notice. 

Innovation is the name of the game in the aviation sector right now, offering a reasonable product without strong branding or value-add-ons is commercial suicide. Passengers want to fly with a company they identify with, a company with morals, tech, new ideas and of course the cheapest prices. Lift has taken the lead with innovation so far, Gidon Novick has been prominent in the media promoting the ‘flexible’ tickets and engaging with the public on names and branding. Lift’s new website is clean with a very simple booking sequence, the yellow webpage is the best I have seen so far from a South African operator. I am a sucker for yellow and blue, it reminds me of the Williams Renault Formula One cars of the 90's. FlySafair has traditionally been the leaders in the local marketing sphere with their ‘almost free’ annual ticket sales taking down internet servers across the world with its mad rush of popularity. It will be interesting to see whether Comair remains the conservative airline in terms of their branding and marketing strategy or whether they have identified the need to be a bit more social media savvy in this regard. Airlink are free from the shackles of the South African flag, the new branding is even more striking in real life particularly painted on the ideally sized E190’s.

Sticking with innovation, Air New Zealand leak details about a possible “Business Class Plus” or “First Class Lite” depending hoe you wish to view it. BA chose to not offer First class at all on their new A350’s. For long haul operations direct aisle access will be a must. Expect to see new cabins with private pod like divisions and improved privacy overall, only in the higher class cabins of course. Economy cabins may see a downgrade in terms of comfort, don’t expect a ‘free’ meal anymore. On the shorter haul LCC flights, Ryanair have decided on a reduced seat pitch on the new Max 200’s, Vietjet has followed their lead. The MAX-200 is a higher seat capacity variant of aircraft usually specked with 175 seats. Lufthansa has already dropped its premium service short haul flights now offering the same service as Ryanair, Wizz and Easy Jet. Expect to see more airlines cram as many Covid tested passengers they can in the no frills cabins with food and beverage services a pre covid luxury. 

Aviation share prices experienced another surge with the announcement of the Moderna vaccine. Boeing shares rose by 4.1%, GE, IAG and Easy Jet all up by decent margins. Expect more airline take-overs in the coming months, Korean announced a hefty 1.6B USD for the purchase of Asiana, the combined airline will become one of the top 10 airlines in the world by size. 

Staying with financial news, Emirates announce a half year loss for the first time in 30 years. This is quite a remarkable feat in itself. Amazingly there are 2 brand new A380’s planned for delivery next month. The disappearance of the ’super jumbos’ from rival airlines is going to make them even more important according to the outgoing Emirates CEO Tim Clark, who continues to praise the A380 and highlight its importance in terms of branding and the business model. If I recall it was Sir Tim Clark himself who was quoted as saying the “A380 is over, the 747 is over”. A shift of insight perhaps. Interestingly Emirates will be operating a somewhat outdated fleet in terms of technology if you consider rival medium to long haul airlines operating A350’s and 787’s exclusively. 

Cathay Pacific has cut key routes to the US and Europe to stay afloat. The route cutting a ruthless step to curb the losses experienced by the Asian operator. Cathay suffering a double blow as tourism was already severely affected prior to the global pandemic with widespread riots across HK. 21 Boeing 777X deliveries have subsequently been delayed until 2025 and beyond. 

The FAA finally reinstate the 737 MAX operating certificate after it was pulled way back March 2019. This approval allows airlines to operate the aircraft once they have actioned the airworthiness directive and completed the much publicised crew training requirements. The green light is only applicable to American operators with N registered aircraft, expect to see EASA follow the FAA’s lead shortly. I hope Comair have made all necessary applications to the SACAA to allow MAX operations. If South African pilot license renewal delays is anything to go-by it may still be a long time before we see Comair’s MAX in the sky. I mention this tongue in cheek. 

Our main sponsor Simaero has welcomed crew from Mozambique Express at the Johannesburg facility. MEX continue recurrent training on the ERJ. Their new management team is optimistic about the future and hoping to take advantage of the shifting industry. Egyptian operator Petroleum Air Services also visits the facility for the first time. It has been very evident that the African operators are ready to get going, the demand for crew training is up particularly for the regional smaller gauge operators. It’s not all doom and gloom here in Africa, airlines are quietly optimistic and ready to take advantage of the African skies without the usual competition from abroad. The pandemic could be the catalyst for the African aviation industry. There is no room for corruption with so many prying eyes peering at the balance sheets. Better more conservative decisions, streamlined networks, stronger agreements and the freedom to innovate in a truly African way. 

I am a devout supporter of the African aviation sector and I’m excited about the future on the continent. Aviation is quietly getting on with business and ticking all the right boxes. Relationships are being formed with legacy carriers across the globe, new routes and areas of potential are starting to emerge. Watch this sector closely, there’s room for growth everywhere. 

A nugget of wisdom from Seth Godin on the Tim Ferris Show about creativity. “It’s all about the process and not about the outcome, learning to swim requires drowning for at least an hour an a half which is why most people don’t get to the other side.” If you want to learn how to juggle you have to drop an enormous number of balls, if you want to learn to swim you have to sort of drown. If you want to learn to be creative you have to show me an enormous number of bad ideas. Pick the smallest region, domain, any segment you want, keep listing your bad ideas, prove your bad ideas are not fatal. Part 2 domain knowledge and genre, it is true that once in a while an outsider shows up with something that nobody on the inside ever thought of but that’s not usually what happens, what usually happens is that someone with good taste decides to be willing to be creative and good taste means you know what your audience wants 10 minutes before they do. You can’t have good taste unless you have domain knowledge and understand genre.” (Genre means what am I expecting when I encounter your work.)

The full episode is available on various platforms. Audio versions can be accessed through all major podcast applications, the video version is available on YouTube. Craig Wood from AVIATION4SA joined us on the show this week to discuss some exciting new ideas about developing aviation in South Africa. Craig offers valuable insight and plenty words of wisdom for anyone in need of some motivation in this difficult period.

Bryan Air News - #Episode26

The Bryan Air Podcast has become a crucial part of my everyday life. The show itself is broadcast over a 40 minute segment once a week however the lifestyle behind the show requires constant attention to the news and trends of the week.   Being able to articulate an idea or trend is an art that needs to be learnt. I spend my time piecing together existing newsworthy stories, reading articles, watching online videos and viewing countless WhatsApp messages from friends and family sending me content for the upcoming show.

Reading the aviation news is one thing, having an opinion or identifying a gap in the market is something totally different. I would rather attempt to articulate my own thoughts and do it badly than read somebody else’s with confidence and clarity.  The research has become an integral part of my daily workflow that I have become reliant on. For the sake of these notes not dying a slow death on a hidden Bryan Air Version 2.0 folder buried somewhere on my computer, I will endeavour to write these notes into a readable format and publish as a condensed weekly highlight reel.  This is part of the promise to myself and the podcast crew to improve each episode by making small incremental gains. If we can add value no matter how small we are compelled to add that value and to keep on doing it. 

My hope is that this self-authoring will improve my ability to articulate my thoughts more clearly during the podcast creating a more refined product. Thanks for indulging me. 

News: This week the aviation market witnessed serious action, airline shares are up in the US and Europe by considerable margins, pilot shortage forecasts have drowned out my news feed. There is a possible vaccine on the cards earlier than expected and cargo carriers advertise their ability for “cold chain storage and distribution” to deliver 8000 Boeing 747’s worth of vaccine.

The pilot shortage forecast is an interesting story worth further thought. Pilots with long term involvement in the industry will tell you about these pilot shortage forecasts dating back many a year, its become a “click-bait” title and a dangerous one at that. The Bryan Air Podcast is all about positivity, I wont dismiss the possibility of a pilot shortage sometime in the future but will caution against a fixed mindset whilst waiting for the Zoom call from the airline recruitment department. There is still a very good chance you wont find yourself in the pointy end of an aircraft for a few years. I worry about pilots loosing any hard earned momentum whilst dealing with these unprecedented circumstances. It may have taken the past 6 months to start moving - don’t stop now, keep the discipline and keep on hustling. “That’s my advice”.

South African aviation is not immune to this weeks positive news, the borders are open to anyone and everyone wishing to visit our beautiful country provided you enter with the necessary negative PCR test. The beloved green machines in Kulula livery will be seen in the skies very soon. Airlink receive some beautiful new branding distancing themselves from carrying the heavy South African flag.

Lift will be competing with Kulula and FlySafair in the low cost market but will not be entering into a price war according to joint founder Gidon Novick. Lift is the cheapest of the LCC’s by a considerable margin so I wont buy into Gidon’s statement without a decent pinch of salt. Lift is a joint venture between Global Aviation, Gidon Novick and ex Uber executive Jonathan Ayache. Gidon has been the go to person for most of the media commitments. Mismanagement of airlines in South Africa is a hot topic right now, when we witness someone with a pedigree and strong aviation business acumen we get excited about the prospects of the future and rightly so. 

An interesting observation the past few weeks is the omission of Mango from any genuine aviation news. I feel for the employees bumbling along week to week waiting for a damning story on the Fear24 network hinting at the possible demise of the airline. Moneyweb chose to ignore Mango’s pricing altogether in an article when comparing LCC pricing in SA. I wander if Conradie or Novick consider Mango a genuine threat in the market? I doubt it, not without a competent CEO or any CEO for that matter and continued government involvement. 

Moving into Africa, Ethiopian receive 2 A350 deliveries on the same day bringing the total to 15 for the African flagship airline, The delivery flights were loaded with humanitarian aid which was a great PR move for both Airbus and Ethiopian. I couldn’t verify this news but rumours are floating around about A220’s being prepared in Ethiopian colours, possible replacements for the Q400’s perhaps? Ethiopian is also linked to a managerial and operational take-over of SAA. I say “take over” because providing aircraft, pilots and management is exactly that. FYI - there is no shortage of experienced South African pilots and operational personnel desperately in need of work, this after two State Owned Enterprises corrupted their way to bankruptcy leaving thousands unemployed, just another all to common DPE "success" story. 

The Asian carriers consume most of the global airline news, the retiring of aircraft at Singapore Airlines and a major fleet review in progress at the carrier. 26 aircraft will be retired, ranging from A319’s to A380’s and everything in between. 11 737-800’s have been added to the balance sheet however this comes with the announcement of the Silk Air merger. The Silk Air name is no longer, even the old website has a redirect to the Singapore Airlines webpage. Scoot returns to Melbourne and Thai offloads 10 Boeing 747’s with the early retirement of some 5000 staff as part of their restructuring program. 

The hub and spoke concept in the UAE has received slight criticism. The inconvenience of moving through airports is more evident now than ever before. Covid testing, fewer connecting flights and bigger consequences too missing those connections are all adding to the stress and unhappiness amongst a few Covid era passengers. The hub and spoke airports are no doubt best suited to continue as per usual post pandemic, the A321XLR adds a new option with the aircrafts incredible range. Expect to see some innovation from the hub and spoke operators in the near future using narrow bodies in the fleet arsenal more commonly. Qatar has benefited tremendously with having narrow body options. Digital airports and terminals with contactless check-in and passport control can’t arrive soon enough. Interestingly VFR travel (Visiting Friends, Relatives) is predicted to start relatively soon and will be the leading form of travel as opposed to leisure. The expanding VFR segment driven by globalisation will be crucial to the hub concept and international travel in general for the first quarter of 2021.

Tim Clarke made an interesting statement regarding the 115 Emirates owned A380’s. According to the CEO they are an essential part of the Emirates brand, grounding these Super Jumbos will damage the brand they have built which in the era of brand awareness is not an option. We can fortunately expect to see Emirates A380’s in the sky for the foreseeable future. Emirates has received criticism from other airlines stating that operating the A380’s is irresponsible in the current low demand climate. 

To the exciting freighter market which is fast becoming the lifeline for unemployed pilots. Job adverts, news of freight demand, vaccine deliveries and the booming e-commerce sector are feeding fuel to the fire of optimism in this sector. Amazon Air, formally Prime Air expands operations in Europe by adding two more leased 737-800 freighters. Amazon intends to bring its freight operation in-house. This statement alone will get most pilots dusting off their cobwebbed flight bags. Amazon is currently taking advantage of the depressed market, they have 65 aircraft in total, all leased from various leasing companies. The Prime Air name was dropped to differentiate the airline from its drone delivery service currently in its testing phase. The e-commerce market is quietly making waves in the airline and freighter market, e-commerce is growing rapidly with delivery timeline options an important marker when it comes to choosing your online goods supplier. Watch this space.

The delivery of the Covid vaccine around the world is the story of the week, it will be an extremely complicated process with major cargo and passenger airlines planning ahead for this challenge of the century. I can only hope this mammoth operation is monitored by American ATC, has crew meals provided by Air France, maintenance signed off by Lufthansa, has the resilience of Alitalia and it all gets organised by ANA.

Find us on all major podcast platforms and don't forget to subscribe to our Youtube channel.

Documenting A Creative Journey! Part 1

The past week has given me ample time to reflect on this Covid affected journey so far. Prior to the government lockdown it was clear that my final pay check as an airline captain had come and gone. I began the period of isolation knowing a difficult phase looms.

I always had a tremendous respect for people that managed to combine creativity and passion. I started the Bryan Air Podcast series a year or so prior to the Covid crisis. I was learning a new skill set, not how to be a good podcaster necessarily, I hope that will come with time but instead the right microphone to buy, sound mixing software, unlicensed music for the intro, how to create an RSS feed, hosting, posting and advertising amongst other things. The entire learning process was one of the most rewarding things I had ever done in my life, taking determined action is an addictive drug.

The Covid crisis offered up a new set of difficulties or opportunities whichever way you want to look at it and believe me I looked at it both ways. I decided to do a second season of the show with a sequel take on the original interview style format. I invited my two good friends on the podcast as guest hosts, Brett “the business guy” and Ryan “the pilot”. The motivation to change things up other than them both offering tremendous value, were Simon Sinek’s book “The Infinite Game” and Nasim Taleb’s “Skin In The Game”. Without going deep into either of these I was influenced enough to know that I needed to adopt ever changing forms of insight and more importantly I had to be intrinsically involved without that safety net of an airline pilot career. The Covid crisis had taken care of both these things for me.

I saw an opportunity to do something fun, creative, uncomfortable and important. We championed the idea of supporting people in the aviation sector that have been forced into doing something else, be it starting a new business as an entrepreneur or applying to a new industry all-together. The limit of that support was motivational and directional guidance.

It’s quite clear to me that having an online presence has become and will be undeniably even more crucial in the post Covid world. It was an eye opener to see and hear new creative ideas from my fellow ex aviators but witness a lack of knowledge when it came to leveraging social media for self promotion.

I have very carefully documented the Bryan Air Podcast journey, websites, social accounts, linked accounts, groups, friends, green-screens, connections, follows and subscriptions to name a few items. Now don’t get me wrong, I haven’t got this right, not even close but I’m learning every day and creating a playbook as I go. I’ve got skin in the game because its me in the game and it’s my brand I’m trying to build, hell - the podcast has even got my name attached to it, I’m leveraging everything I can.

My playbook doesn’t have winning lotto numbers or a “heavies” momentum from the pre Covid world, It’s got evidence based information squeezed out of a desire to win in the post Covid era.

I’m not necessarily leveraging social media, I’m leveraging the evidence of this creative journey on social media. I want to build you an SOP, I want to help you transition to the new normal. I want to give you live toe crushing analytics born out of real-time trial, error and commitment to success. I can’t do this by myself, my crew Brett and Ryan are fully invested in this journey and the hour building that comes with it. Like most good things, an adventure is best enjoyed with a couple of good mates.

Standby for updates ..

Elon's Positivity Pandemic

Listen to Elon’s Positivity Pandemic on your favourite app or on our website. The world needed an adventurer, a technological explorer to stand up and make the human race proud. There has been much to be embarrassed about of late. This feat of engineering, vision and sheer determination is a stark reminder of what we are capable of.

Thank you Elon, thanks for making us proud.

The Podcast Crew

As usual we had a great time recording this weeks show.. This episode was just the third instalment with the new crew. I started the podcast journey a year ago but it’s only now with my two great friends that we have started to hold the microphone with a bit of confidence.

We look forward to Thursday mornings when we record, we have a chat before-hand, go over any new important stories and then press the round red button. It’s our way of adding a small but not insignificant bit of energy to an industry that needs some fuel. We have made a commitment to involve ourselves in the aviation turn around, a combined voice promoting positivity can’t be a bad thing.

Our show relies on finding high energy positive trends inside the aviation sector, we designed the template around it and made a commitment to continue doing it. There's a mission statement, a responsibility to each other and a purpose in what we do. We are taking massive determined action toward being better, more resilient human beings.

The real benefit of show has been the commitment to positivity, it has helped in every other aspect of life. I’m not an idiot, things right now are shit, but man if you can find things to be happy, high energy and proud of right now then it’s going to place you in a good setting for when things do improve. Anyone can be positive when things are good.

We are keeping our passion alive. Thanks for all the unwavering support from my LinkedIn friends. You guys have made a lockdown, a job loss and a career shift easier than it ought to have been. It’s by no means over, this is just the start but don’t intend on giving up.

South African Aviation performs its pre-flight checks

As we approach the slightly more relaxed level 3 lockdown restrictions we can start to get excited about passenger air travel in our skies once more. The restrictions have been lifted to allow business only travel within our domestic borders, one hopes that the business travel restriction gets relaxed sooner rather than later to allow for anybody willing and medically able to travel.

The airline industry is going to need the support of the government going forward, it will also rely heavily on support from the public. The CEO of Fly Safair, Elmar Conradie spoke openly this week about his thoughts as the industry performs its “pre flight checks”. He appears to be a dynamic CEO with a clear vision of what needs to happen for a recovery to take place. Three important points that are worth mention, firstly against what other leaders originally suggested is the opinion that ticket prices will reduce significantly until the demand for seats is increased. His second point relates to alternate government support by the possibility of reducing or scrapping the high cost of regulatory costs imposed upon the South African airlines. A large portion of any airline’s expenses come from these regulatory costs, direct government support in terms of funding may not be a possibility but there are certainly other ways for government to support the industry that could be entertained. This would give much needed breathing space to all the airlines including the smaller but just as important private charter companies. Lastly and most importantly were his thoughts regarding his current employees. Layoffs had not taken place, although Fly Safair will undoubtably be over-staffed across the board as South Africa starts its level 3 restrictions, his vision is for a recovery to take place and for full use of their staff compliment once more. As a CEO he is ultimately hired to provide that vision, I hope he gets the support from his board, our government and future passengers.

A thought for all the pilots that can start dusting off their flight bags and Ray Ban’s again. The Covid-19 pandemic has certainly brought us closer together as a pilot fraternity in South Africa and long may it continue. I received a large amount of support for our new look Bryan Air Podcast last week. Pilots from all over South Africa have sent us messages of support, we are truly grateful. For the pilots that will take to the skies from the 1st June, spare a thought for your fellow aviators across the globe that have lost their jobs during this lockdown window. On those foggy winter mornings at FAOR there might not be that long traffic jam made up of 737’s; 330’s; ERJ’s ; E-Jets; Q400’s and CRJ’s but they will certainly be there in spirit.

Once again thanks for supporting us on this journey and for all your positive feedback. We will be back each week with the latest news, events and trends in the aviation industry. To keep up to date with what we have been up to, please check www.e-aerospace.com for my latest blog and podcast episodes. Help us by sharing, liking and commenting on the published media. All the podcast episodes are available on the website, you can also follow the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any other major streaming service. Don’t forget to tell your friends, families and colleagues about us.

Like I have said many time before flying is a passion but as these travel restrictions have made so evident, it is also a great privilege. Fly safe and keep our South African skies the safest in the world. If you would like to get in touch with me or even be on our show, my email is bryan@e-aerospace.com

Thanks for your time. Fly with passion!

Bryan Roseveare

ZS-LVK

I came across this picture of my old man standing next to ZS-LVK. The picture was taken outside the Executive Aerospace hangar at the old Louis Botha Airport in Durban around 1990.

Some of my happiest memories as a youngster were on that apron riding my bicycle amongst the King Air's and Hawker Sidleys.

My dad has always and will always be the biggest influence in my life. A true aviator and my best friend.

Flying Miss Universe

Today we had the privilege of flying the newly crowned Miss Universe, Miss Zozibini Tunzi, back to her home town of Umtata. 

As a company we were so proud and humbled by the opportunity to reconnect her with her with one of the smaller communities in South Africa. 

For nearly 26 years, the brand has been focussed on doing just that, connecting people from all over the world with communities that might otherwise not get to share in special occasions like today. 

It was a truly humbling experience and an honour to be part of. 

Thank you Zozibini and Thank you SA Express.

The Quality Of Your Life Is The Quality Of Your Relationships

The luckiest break I ever had In my career was when I got partnered for simulator training with a man that had the same values and commitment as myself.

A successful month long simulator course in Berlin, thousands of mock flights visualising countless emergencies and procedures, family holidays, best man speeches, motorbike adventures and many a cold beer….

Ten years later, we share the flight deck for the first time. Our commitment to excellence as crew members during our initial training morphed into an excellent uncompromising friendship outside the flight deck.

As Tony Robbins suggests “The quality of your life, is the quality of your relationships”.

Be a useful member in the flight deck

I love this advice from my dad. “Be a useful member in the flight deck even if you don’t have much experience on the aircraft. Learn your SOP’s, be as accurate as you can and build up your knowledge.”

Building up knowledge is a critical aspect in any aviators development. It is critical in any aspect of your life, read books, listen to informative podcasts, watch YouTube in the categories that interest you and most importantly listen to what your peers have to say, they might know something that you absolutely need to know!

I always think that we as aviators have an added advantage, we are often confined to a very small space with someone we may not ordinarily spend much time with had it not been for being rostered as combined crew. I have had the privilege of sharing that space with many great aviators and wonderful human beings and am excited at the prospect of learning from a new group of pilots since been granted the opportunity of moving into the left seat.

Love what you do.

The things we do not yet know are more important than the things we already know.

At the beginning of my aviation career it became quite evident to me that in order to find success in the flight deck it was going to be important to learn from my shortfalls and use those small mistakes to develop my skills.

I am sure that all of us have events in our minds that have stuck with us throughout and used those events to strengthen our subsequent performances and make ourselves better pilots. Aviation safety relies significantly on the ability to asses our own performances, own up to our shortfalls and work hard at eliminating them. The most satisfying and beneficial way for me to learn has always been through my peers and their desire to share information and knowledge.

I think we can all learn much more from each other particularly in the small confines of the flight deck. I got great pleasure in interviewing one of my mentors and colleagues on my podcast. This platform is proving to be invaluable in my learning process.

As written by Jordan Peterson in 12 rules for life "The things we do not yet know are far important than the things we already know."

Aviation, flying is in my blood.

I have had many happy experiences in the flight deck but none more so than on this day when I was handed my 4th stripe. To steal a famous quote from the great Ayrton Senna and replace his use of the words "racing and competing" with my words "aviation and flying".

"Aviation, flying it's in my blood, it's a part of me, it's part of my life; I have been doing it all of my life and it stands out above everything else." I feel incredibly lucky and grateful to be part of this wonderful aviation machine. This is not a job, this is my life