Latest news with #AvalonInternationalAirshow
News.com.au
05-05-2025
- Health
- News.com.au
‘Nothing short of extraordinary': Pilot Glenn Collins gives update after horror Avalon Airshow crash
A pilot who was critically injured in a horror crash at the Avalon International Airshow says he is 'giving his all' as he continues his recovery. Glenn Collins, a pilot from the Paul Bennet Airshows, was performing a four-plane stunt with the SkyAces Formation Aerobics Team at the event between Geelong and Melbourne on March 28 when his plane, the Pitts Special, crashed in front of a crowd. Mr Collins, the sole occupant of the plane, suffered critical injuries to his upper and lower body as a result of the crash, and underwent several surgeries. Giving an update on his condition five weeks after the horror crash, the pilot said it was a 'great comfort' to be closer to home and his family after being transferred from Melbourne to Sydney. 'Recovery is ongoing and still uncertain in many ways, though I'm thankful for every step forward,' he wrote online. The pilot said while most of his 'general' injuries were healing well, he had also suffered spinal damage. 'I've been lucky to be in the care of amazing medical teams in both (Melbourne and Sydney). Their skill, compassion, and dedication have been nothing short of extraordinary,' he said. 'While I can move my legs – which I'm incredibly grateful for – I don't yet have full feeling in my legs or waist,' he said, 'Ongoing rehabilitation will be key, and I'm giving it my all.' Mr Collins thanked his wife, family and the medical professionals who aided in his recovery, as well as those at the Avalon Airshow who 'acted so quickly and bravely to get me out of the wreckage'. 'This road I'm on is one many have travelled before – waking up to a new reality after life-changing injuries,' he said. 'While my future is still uncertain, I remain hopeful and grounded in gratitude, surrounded by care and love.'
Perth Now
05-05-2025
- Health
- Perth Now
‘Giving my all': Pilot speaks after horror crash
A pilot who was critically injured in a horror crash at the Avalon International Airshow says he is 'giving his all' as he continues his recovery. Glenn Collins, a pilot from the Paul Bennet Airshows, was performing a four-plane stunt with the SkyAces Formation Aerobics Team at the event between Geelong and Melbourne on March 28 when his plane, the Pitts Special, crashed in front of a crowd. Pilot Glenn Collins' plane crashed at the Avalon Airshow in March. NewsWire / David Caird Credit: News Corp Australia Mr Collins, the sole occupant of the plane, suffered critical injuries to his upper and lower body as a result of the crash, and underwent several surgeries. Giving an update on his condition five weeks after the horror crash, the pilot said it was a 'great comfort' to be closer to home and his family after being transferred from Melbourne to Sydney. 'Recovery is ongoing and still uncertain in many ways, though I'm thankful for every step forward,' he wrote online. He was the sole occupant of the plane, and was critically injured during the crash,. Credit: Supplied The pilot said while most of his 'general' injuries were healing well, he had also suffered spinal damage. 'I've been lucky to be in the care of amazing medical teams in both (Melbourne and Sydney). Their skill, compassion, and dedication have been nothing short of extraordinary,' he said. 'While I can move my legs – which I'm incredibly grateful for – I don't yet have full feeling in my legs or waist,' he said, 'Ongoing rehabilitation will be key, and I'm giving it my all.' The pilot has returned to Sydney for further treatment. NewsWire / David Caird Credit: News Corp Australia Mr Collins thanked his wife, family and the medical professionals who aided in his recovery, as well as those at the Avalon Airshow who 'acted so quickly and bravely to get me out of the wreckage'. 'This road I'm on is one many have travelled before – waking up to a new reality after life-changing injuries,' he said. 'While my future is still uncertain, I remain hopeful and grounded in gratitude, surrounded by care and love.'
9 News
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- 9 News
Pilot speaks after suffering 'life-changing' injuries in airshow crash
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here Experienced pilot Glenn Collins was performing a multi-plane stunt when his aircraft crashed just a few hundred metres from crowds in Victoria on March 28. Collins was left with spinal damage but said he is now "healing well" after spending over a month in hospital, he shared in a message on Facebook. Pilot Glenn Collins shared an update on his long recovery with a photo alongside his wife. (Facebook/Paul Bennet Airshows) "Recovery is ongoing and still uncertain in many ways, though I'm thankful for every step forward," he said in a long message posted to Paul Bennet Airshows' Facebook page. "After five weeks in Melbourne, I've now been transferred to Sydney – closer to home and family, which is a huge comfort." Collins said that he can still move his legs despite the spinal injury but he hasn't regained full feeling in his legs or waist yet. He will continue rehabilitation said he remains positive about his long recovery. "There are so many people I'd like to thank. To the pyrotechnic team who acted so quickly and bravely to get me out of the wreckage – thank you for your courage," Collins added. "To the healthcare professionals who continue to care for me with such skill and kindness – your dedication is deeply appreciated." Collins went on to thank his children, grandson, extended family and his wife. Collins crashed during a demonstration flight at Avalon International Airshow in Victoria (9News) He described his wife as the "most remarkable person I've ever known". "This road I'm on is one many have travelled before - waking up to a new reality after life-changing injuries," Collins added. "While my future is still uncertain, I remain hopeful and grounded in gratitude, surrounded by care and love." Collins' accident played out in front of thousands at Australia's biggest airshow at Avalon Airport, when a performance involving four aerobatic planes took a terrifying turn. Collins, a member of the Paul Bennet Airshows team with decades of experience, is also champion of multiple competitions. The experienced pilot was left with life-altering injuries. (Paul Bennets Airshows) He has more than 2700 hours of flying experience and has previously won aerobatics competitions throughout his career, according to a biography on the Paul Bennet Airshows website. Paul Bennet Airshows said in a statement following the crash that it will "no longer be performing at the Avalon Australian International Airshow but we hope the public continue to enjoy the world class event". Victoria Plane Crash plane accident Australia Melbourne national CONTACT US
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Australia sizes up a continent-size gap in air defenses
MELBOURNE, Australia — Australian military leaders are scrambling to cobble together fresh air defense capabilities, as China's missile arsenal is growing and Beijing's warships have started showing up in Australasia. Global companies offered weaponry to that end at the recent Avalon International Airshow, held near Melbourne in late March. For now it appears that military leaders are prizing sensors over interceptors in what will be Australia's future network of weapons for defending would-be targets in a conflict. Air Vice-Marshal Nick Hogan, head of Air Force Capability, acknowledged that an integrated, medium-range air defense capability has been delayed. 'What's most important to us is seeing and sensing first, so getting the command and control right first, and then getting the kinetics that might be required to effect anything coming towards us,' he told Defense News at the Avalon event. Hogan was referring primarily to Project Air 6500, which is slowly delivering an integrated air battle management system. One lesson from Ukraine is the need for air defense, and Hogan said Australia was learning from evolutions seen globally. However, Australia currently owns only NASAMS batteries and three air-warfare destroyers. While major Australian cities and military bases are often on coasts, there are simply not enough ships to protect them all. Furthermore, it is likely the U.S. will demand an air defense umbrella to protect a nuclear submarine base being established in Western Australia. The Defence Strategic Review of 2023 urged acceleration of medium-range and high-speed missile defenses, with authors lamenting the low priority placed on integrated air and missile defense. Instead of 'pursuing a long-term, near-perfect solution at unaffordable cost,' the review said the government must allocate 'sufficient resources to the Chief of Air Force to deliver the initial capability in a timely way'. According to Hogan, ground-based defenses may not be the ideal solution for Australia. 'When you have a limited inventory, you want to be able to be as flexible as possible, so that might be using maritime stocks on land, it might be using land stocks in the maritime domain,' he said. 'There are many options to go forward. What we're trying to do is make sure, where possible, we can get the biggest return on investment using sovereign capabilities.' Asked about a timeline for implementation, Hogan said: 'As soon as we can practically make it happen.' Potential solutions, such as Raytheon's Patriot and systems from Israel and South Korea, were being promoted at Avalon Airshow 2025. Officials have also begun addressing an Australian weakness in countering drones, albeit at a limited level. Last year, Anduril Australia signed a three-year deal to trial a counter-drone capability at RAAF Base Darwin in the north, but this is an isolated step forward. Nonetheless, Air Marshal Stephen Chappell, Chief of Air Force, said: 'We're investing in our northern base infrastructure,' including 'the ability to passively defend, use deception, be able to recover, be able to agilely move forces around'. Hardened aircraft shelters are no longer part of the equation. 'That was a fantastic concept for its day, but probably its day has passed,' Chappell said. 'We're already working with our civilian sector and our industry sectors in the northern half of Australia using non-military airfields to land, refuel and, in the future, rearm, combat aircraft or other aircraft in order to regenerate airpower from non-military bases.' A recent report by the U.S.-based Hudson Institute think tank assessed that as few as ten missiles, each with a warhead spraying cluster munitions over a 450-foot diameter, could neutralize all aircraft parked in the open at various key U.S. bases. Australia's situation is no different. Likewise, loitering munitions could easily penetrate regular aircraft shelters. Air Vice-Marshal Glen Braz, Air Commander Australia, argued the air service is 'very deliberate about our passive efforts' to protect bases. 'As threats evolve, and warfare evolves, we'd seek to have layers of defense systems that we'd want to have in place,' Braz said. 'But we're very much training our teams to fight the network of bases as a system.' Meanwhile, officials used the the Avalon airshow to provide an assessment of key aerial platforms in the pipeline. They had good things to say about the influx of F-35s, the fifth-generation warplane made by Lockheed Martin. 'We had the last nine aircraft arrive in December, so we're thrilled to have our 72 F-35s with us in Australia across our three operational squadrons, the training unit and integrated training center,' Chappell told Defense News. Elsewhere, the RAAF continues testing of Boeing Defence Australia's MQ-28A Ghost Bat unmanned aircraft. Hogan said he is 'very pleased' with progress. 'This year we're going to demonstrate the capabilities of the platform over a number of activities,' Hogan said. 'We'll test all of the payloads we've planned for potential use on the platform, with the exception of it being armed. That's one that remains in our thinking, but we're going to focus on other payloads first.' Competition for the Ghost Bat is brewing under Project Air 6015, where the RAAF will make recommendations to government on the way forward for collaborative combat aircraft, probably by year's end. Hogan said the MQ-28A will be a 'very strong contender in any options we take forward to government.' Regardless, Anduril believes its YFQ-44A Fury stands a chance. The American company displayed a full-sized model of the aircraft at the Avalon show.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Li-S Energy collaborates with Kea Aerospace to power high altitude UAV flights
SYDNEY, March 31, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Li-S Energy (ASX:LIS) ('Li-S' or 'the Company') has signed a collaboration agreement with Kea Aerospace (Kea) to integrate Li-S' advanced lithium sulfur battery technology into Kea's high altitude UAVs targeting multi-month flight times. The partnership was signed and unveiled at the Avalon International Airshow outside of Melbourne, where Li-S is an exhibitor. The collaboration will see Li-S' battery technology integrated into Kea's high-altitude UAVs, significantly enhancing flight endurance and operational efficiency. The Kea Aerospace media release is attached to this announcement. Li-S' collaboration with Kea is consistent with the Company's strategy to target the rapidly growing markets of drones, defence and electric aviation. Kea has partnered with Li-S because its cutting-edge lithium sulfur battery technology offers significant weight savings and energy density, which are both critical to maximise UAV flight times and payload. Kea High Altitude UAVs Founded in New Zealand in 2018, Kea is currently flight-testing its aircraft in the stratosphere, between 55,000 and 65,000 feet. Its solar-powered Kea 'ATMOS' aircraft operates as a High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) and High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) aircraft. The drone gathers high-resolution aerial imagery and persistent video data for applications such as maritime awareness, environmental monitoring and disaster response, plus a broad range of other commercial use cases such as supporting telecommunications services. The potential for stratospheric HAPS aircraft capable of multi-month flight durations is substantial with Kea at the cutting edge of this global industry. The competitive benefits are compelling as HAPS offer far lower costs than satellites, greater persistence than conventional aircraft, and far greater control compared to un-steerable balloons. Li-S collaboration Li-S' collaboration with Kea will focus on incorporating the Company's ultra-light lithium sulfur battery cells and Li-S BMS technology into a Kea battery pack design, with ground testing expected in 2025 followed by flight testing. The program objective will be to demonstrate the technology and integration in the 12.5 metre wingspan ATMOS Mk1 aircraft, followed by integration into the ATMOS Mk2 design, which will be capable of continuous flight for several months. In ATMOS Mk2 the aircraft motors will cycle between power from the battery at night and solar cells during the day (with excess solar power also recharging the battery). Weight is absolutely critical for HAPS platforms. Having a battery with higher energy density prolongs flight time, improves payload capacity and can increase the geographic extent of operations, both in latitude and for operation in seasons with less daylight hours. Dr Lee Finniear, CEO, commented: "Our initial focus on the drone, defence and electric aviation markets is producing incredible opportunities for Li-S Energy. The stratospheric UAV market is a key sector of interest with enormous commercial potential. Partnering with Kea Aerospace positions us to engage at the cutting edge of this sector. Given the paramount importance of weight and reliability to Kea's ATMOS line of stratospheric UAVs, their decision to collaborate with Li-S highlights how far advanced our battery technology is ahead of many of our competitors. We look forward to the testing program being undertaken in 2025, and to becoming a key technology partner of Kea's as it delivers high performance, multi-month HAPS aircraft platforms to the global market." Dr Mark Rocket, Kea's CEO noted: "This announcement of our collaboration with Li-S at the Avalon International Airshow, one of the most prestigious airshows globally, speaks to how significantly we view our new partnership. Li-S' next generation lithium-sulfur battery offers more than twice the energy density of conventional lithium-ion batteries, while being greener due to the absence of key materials such as cobalt. This year promises to be a pivotal year for Kea as we develop our ATMOS Mk2 aircraft and the successful integration of Li-S battery technology into our ATMOS UAVs would give us an incredible competitive advantage in an industry where the commercial applications are vast." About Li-S Energy Li-S Energy is an Australian company at the forefront of next-generation battery innovation, developing lithium-sulfur and lithium-metal cells that offer more than twice the energy density of conventional lithium-ion. With a strong research foundation and a commitment to sustainability, the company leverages cutting-edge IP and nanomaterials like BNNTs and Li-Nanomesh™ to enhance performance, safety, and longevity. Li-S Energy aims to revolutionise energy storage for aviation, drones, defence, and beyond - delivering lighter, more efficient energy solutions for advanced applications where weight is critical. About Kea Aerospace The company is based in Christchurch, New Zealand. Our vision is to be the world-leader in stratospheric flight operation and data collection and we're on a mission to create insights from the stratosphere that will improve life on our planet. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Li-S Energy Sign in to access your portfolio
