AvTalk Episode 372: Just because You Can, Doesn’t Mean You Should

The episode opens with a preview of ILA Berlin, the premier European aerospace exhibition scheduled for June 10‑14. With 750 exhibitors from 37 countries, the show will feature Lufthansa’s A320neo in a centennial livery, an A350 display, the Airbus Racer demonstrator, and the debut of Leonardo’s AW249. Organizers also highlighted a drone cage and the iconic Airbus Beluga, prompting the hosts to send their Beluga‑enthusiast colleague Sophia to the trade days. Listeners receive a 10 % discount on trade‑visitor tickets using the code ILA26_Flightradar, turning the event into a must‑see for aviation professionals and enthusiasts alike.

The conversation then shifts to a controversial online experiment: a YouTuber reconstructed cockpit‑voice‑recorder audio from the NTSB’s publicly released spectral analysis of the UPS MD‑11 crash. Although the NTSB never releases raw CVR recordings, the spectral data allowed a reverse‑engineered audio that was quickly taken down, forcing the agency to strip future dockets of similar information. The hosts condemn the practice as ethically dubious and potentially harmful to accident investigations. They also dissect a recent China Eastern A350‑900 incident in Shanghai, where a complete brake failure forced the crew to rely heavily on reverse thrust, raising questions about aircraft redundancy and emergency procedures.

Finally, the hosts discuss Airbus’s latest supply‑chain setbacks, pushing the first delivery of the A350‑1000 Ultra‑Long‑Range for Qantas to early 2027, well beyond the original 2024 timeline. The delay impacts the ambitious Project Sunrise routes, which would see non‑stop flights of up to 22 hours between Australia and Europe. On a lighter note, the team recounts a hands‑on experience with Sweden’s historic aviation community, flying a vintage DC‑3, a SK‑16 Texan trainer, and a Convair 340 simulator. These public‑access flights illustrate how enthusiasts can engage directly with aviation heritage, reinforcing the podcast’s message that passion should be balanced with responsibility.