Latest news with #NicholasWilson
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Michael Usher overthinks everything except when he said yes
If Michael Usher had given himself a chance to really think about joining the cast of Dancing with the Stars, he probably would've said no. 'It was such a rapid left or right turn out of my lane, and I kind of figured, 'what did I have to lose?',' he told The Nightly. 'Some people might look at it and think, 'What's he doing, that's not him at all'. If I asked all my serious mates in the newsroom, they would've thought I was mad, but I wasn't doing it for them.' Usher has been a TV journalist for 35 years and you've seen him reporting from Iraq, from the Olympics and from behind the news desk. You had never before seen him in a sequined waistcoat while moving his hips under a mirrored ball. When the call came, luckily, it wasn't for SAS Australia. That would've been an outright no. 'I would've had a heart attack in the first run up the hill, I think it would've killed me,' Usher speculated. But Dancing with the Stars was different. 'I asked the kids and they said yes, partly because I think they thought it would be new material for them to laugh at me a lot. They've got wicked senses of humour, those kids. 'At my age, when you get a chance to do something different and learn something new, why not? Even if it's very publicly. It's a great way to get on top of nerves and fears. I've done lots of serious things for a long time, and I know the temptation of just having a bit of fun, and learning something new was too good to pass up.' The Dancing With The Stars 2025 cast. Nicholas Wilson Credit: Nicholas Wilson / Nicholas Wilson Usher may not have overthought the decision, but he did every step of the process. 'Even since doing (the show), I've danced every dance in my dreams, I've woken up thinking about it, I've danced the steps 10 million times over, (thought) about what I would've done differently, and how I might've looked differently,' Usher confessed. His dance partner, Natalie Lowe, had to pull him from his natural inclination to overthink it. 'She said, 'I really need you to stop using your brain, just feel it, I need you to stop thinking and being a journalist and asking questions, otherwise, we're not going to get these steps learned',' Usher recalled. 'It was good advice. Just shutting up and not asking questions is really hard.' Lowe wasn't the only one who had set Usher straight about his role in the show. His fascination with how Dancing with the Stars was put together – the editing, the music, the crews – prompted the producers to remind him that it was their show, and that he should just chill. For perhaps the first time, he was the subject. Usher is used to telling the story, not being the one answering the questions, something he's had to do a lot of due to the publicity demands of the competition series and now that he's up for a Logie in a new category, the Ray Martin Award for Most Popular News or Public Affairs Presenter. It's not a 'super comfortable' space for Usher, but he doesn't hate it. 'We all like to see people do something different and learn something new about the people we think we know,' he explained. 'I don't like that celebrity stuff, but I think people do like to see other sides of people, and that's not a bad thing. That's human life, that's just curiosity. 'I'd be pretty cynical if, after all these years of asking a lot of people to come and sit down with me and share their life story, if the opportunity then came my way and I said 'no way am I going to expose myself'.' Michael Usher with dance partner Natalie Lowe. Credit: Seven Which is not to say he didn't consider the implications of how audience perception of him as a serious news man might change. 'You don't have to be a two-dimensional person,' he said. 'We live in a different era now and you can be a few different things. I've got a life, I've got a personality of my own, but I don't show it very much. I didn't mind showing that. I probably showed a little bit too much! 'The anxious side of it, maybe the daggy side of it, less sitched-up, buttoned-up, neat hair and curated. This was a bit more loose and freeform. But as the kids said, 'Just go and show everyone else what we see at home, people will either die laughing or just die for you'.' He didn't just learn a few extra steps on the floor, being the subject gave him a more mindful appreciation of the people he's usually asking questions of. And there are things he didn't give away – and is adamant should never give away as a journalist. He said that anyone who has ever balled up him for having an opinion about something political, they've been wrong. If you'd like to view this content, please adjust your . To find out more about how we use cookies, please see our Cookie Guide. 'People want your personal opinion drawn out of you all the time. Fine, go and be a commentator or be an opinion maker. But if you want to have those views, there's no room for it in the 6pm news bulletin or Spotlight.' The public might know his thoughts on mastering a pasodoble, but they don't know how he votes. 'If they do, they're wrong,' he said. Some things are sacred but others – like how he and his kids have a deeper relationship now because of his jaunt on the dance floor, his daughter cried at every taping she went to, or that he's taking lessons with his partner – he's OK to share. What he took from the wild six months of pulling double duty as a news man and a dance man is the joy in giving it go. 'I love seeing my kids do that. I don't expect them to excel, but just give it a go. So, I took the same advice that I've given to my children.' The Logie Awards are on Channel 7 on August 3 at 7.30pm
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Fatal lessons: World's worst midair collisions changed the course of aviation history
Each brought world press coverage of tragedies in the sky that left hundreds dead, mysteries swirling and quantum shifts in aviation safety. But sadly, despite decades of improvements in air-traffic control systems and jet safety, midair collisions are still a rare but unavoidable part of aviation history. Wednesday's collision between a commercial airplane and an Army helicopter near Ronald Reagan National Airport that killed 67 became the latest in a list of midair disasters that have haunted travelers, investigators and researchers for nearly a century. "It's the combination of the rarity as well as the almost immediacy of the tragedy, that's why it's so shocking," said University of North Dakota aviation professor Nicholas Wilson. Several experts told USA TODAY that the crash Thursday was the worst on U.S. soil since the late 80s, although there have been other notable collisions worldwide. The tragedies often galvanize sweeping changes in the industry to ensure nothing similar happens again. 'Our history has been riddled with aviation accidents since the Wright brothers,' said Air Force veteran and Western Michigan University professor Nicholas Rowe, 'and each one results in something we can learn.' Here are some of the worst, what caused them, and what changes happened after the tragedies: The last time America saw a midair disaster comparable to Wednesday's collision, it was so horrifying that it caused the entire industry to change, according to Wilson, the North Dakota aviation expert. Aeroméxico Flight 498 collided with a private plane over Los Angeles in 1986. The Piper PA-28 Cherokee clipped the tail of the commercial plane but it spelled disaster for everyone on board the two planes and many on the ground below. A total of 82 people died. The three people aboard the Cherokee were decapitated as the tail of the Aeroméxico plane tore through its cockpit, according to a National Transportation Safety Board investigation. The Cherokee slammed into a - mercifully - empty playground. Suburbanites living below the path of the Aeroméxico plane weren't so lucky. Flight 498 plummeted into a residential neighborhood, killing all 64 people on board, 15 people on the ground and injuring many others. An investigation by the transportation agency laid the blame on the Piper for entering the airspace without required clearance. The Federal Aviation Administration responded by requiring all commercial aircraft be equipped with a traffic collision avoidance system that monitors the air for other aircraft and warns pilots to either descend or ascend if another plane is nearby. The traffic collision avoidance systems have become so adept they are often more reliable than actual air traffic controllers. And crews ignoring the system's directions can lead their passengers into disaster. That's exactly what happened with BAL Bashkirian Airlines Flight 2937 when it collided with DHL International Aviation ME Flight 611 near the German-Swiss border in 2002, resulting in the death of all 71 aboard the two planes. The Bashkirian crew failed to follow the plane's traffic collision avoidance system, a German Federal Bureau of Aircraft investigation found, leading it to collide with the cargo airline. German investigators also laid blame on Swiss air traffic control for their management of the airspace. A distraught Russian man hunted down and killed the controller on duty in the wake of the tragedy that left the man's family dead. The collision led to a redesign of traffic collision avoidance systems to ensure directions were clear to pilots and highlighted the importance of following the traffic collision systems' directives even over conflicting orders from air traffic controllers. Aviation's first major midair collision happened when the industry was still in its Wild West days. Airspaces went unregulated, controllers left pilots responsible for keeping their distance from other aircraft and terrible tragedy ensued. The 'big one,' as Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University professor Robert Joslin calls it, happened over the Grand Canyon in 1956 when United Airlines Flight 718 collided with Trans World Airlines Flight 2. All 128 people on both planes died, making it the first commercial airline collision with over 100 deaths. The two planes were headed from Los Angeles to the Midwest when they collided over Arizona. Authorities responded by heightening air traffic control regulations to ensure pilots wouldn't be left to fend for themselves. 'Sometimes things like this have to happen to get things moving along,' Joslin said. 'It's very unfortunate.' The paramount need for aircraft vigilance even extends to when planes are on the ground. The worst collision of all time happened on a crowded tarmac on the Spanish island of Tenerife in 1977. KLM Flight 4805 was taking off when it ran broadside into Pan Am Flight 1736. All 248 people on board the KLM plane died; 335 of the 396 people on the Pan Am plane died. 583 died in total. The disaster happened amid a crowded day at the airport. Many aircraft had been diverted to Tenerife because of a bomb threat at another nearby destination. Visibility was poor due to fog. Spanish authorities concluded the KLM captain mistakenly believed air traffic control signaled the plane to take off. The disaster highlighted the importance of developing a standardized language for aeronautical communications and instilling exact compliance with air traffic control instructions. The world's deadliest midair collision also happened amid mistaken commands from air traffic control when Kazakhstan Airlines Flight 1907 collided with Saudia Flight 763 over the northern Indian city of Charkhi Dadri in 1996. All 349 people on board both planes died, making it the deadliest midair collision ever. Investigators found poor English language skills among the crew led them to misinterpret directions from air traffic control. They also found the crew aboard the Kazakhstan Airlines plane failed to maintain the proper altitude. India's aviation agency mandated all aircraft flying in and out of the country have a system to help avoid collisions. The mandates paved the way for traffic collision avoidance systems to be used worldwide. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fatal lessons: World's worst midair tragedies changed aviation history
USA Today
31-01-2025
- General
- USA Today
Fatal lessons: World's worst midair collisions changed the course of aviation history
Each brought world press coverage of tragedies in the sky that left hundreds dead, mysteries swirling and quantum shifts in aviation safety. But sadly, despite decades of improvements in air-traffic control systems and jet safety, midair collisions are still a rare but unavoidable part of aviation history. Wednesday's collision between a commercial airplane and an Army helicopter near Ronald Reagan National Airport that killed 67 became the latest in a list of midair disasters that have haunted travelers, investigators and researchers for nearly a century. "It's the combination of the rarity as well as the almost immediacy of the tragedy, that's why it's so shocking," said University of North Dakota aviation professor Nicholas Wilson. Several experts told USA TODAY that the crash Thursday was the worst on U.S. soil since the late 80s, although there have been other notable collisions worldwide. The tragedies often galvanize sweeping changes in the industry to ensure nothing similar happens again. 'Our history has been riddled with aviation accidents since the Wright brothers,' said Air Force veteran and Western Michigan University professor Nicholas Rowe, 'and each one results in something we can learn.' Here are some of the worst, what caused them, and what changes happened after the tragedies: Disaster over LA The last time America saw a midair disaster comparable to Wednesday's collision, it was so horrifying that it caused the entire industry to change, according to Wilson, the North Dakota aviation expert. Aeroméxico Flight 498 collided with a private plane over Los Angeles in 1986. The Piper PA-28 Cherokee clipped the tail of the commercial plane but it spelled disaster for everyone on board the two planes and many on the ground below. A total of 82 people died. The three people aboard the Cherokee were decapitated as the tail of the Aeroméxico plane tore through its cockpit, according to a National Transportation Safety Board investigation. The Cherokee slammed into a - mercifully - empty playground. Suburbanites living below the path of the Aeroméxico plane weren't so lucky. Flight 498 plummeted into a residential neighborhood, killing all 64 people on board, 15 people on the ground and injuring many others. An investigation by the transportation agency laid the blame on the Piper for entering the airspace without required clearance. The Federal Aviation Administration responded by requiring all commercial aircraft be equipped with a traffic collision avoidance system that monitors the air for other aircraft and warns pilots to either descend or ascend if another plane is nearby. European disaster in 2002 The traffic collision avoidance systems have become so adept they are often more reliable than actual air traffic controllers. And crews ignoring the system's directions can lead their passengers into disaster. That's exactly what happened with BAL Bashkirian Airlines Flight 2937 when it collided with DHL International Aviation ME Flight 611 near the German-Swiss border in 2002, resulting in the death of all 71 aboard the two planes. The Bashkirian crew failed to follow the plane's traffic collision avoidance system, a German Federal Bureau of Aircraft investigation found, leading it to collide with the cargo airline. German investigators also laid blame on Swiss air traffic control for their management of the airspace. A distraught Russian man hunted down and killed the controller on duty in the wake of the tragedy that left the man's family dead. The collision led to a redesign of traffic collision avoidance systems to ensure directions were clear to pilots and highlighted the importance of following the traffic collision systems' directives even over conflicting orders from air traffic controllers. Grand Canyon midair collision Aviation's first major midair collision happened when the industry was still in its Wild West days. Airspaces went unregulated, controllers left pilots responsible for keeping their distance from other aircraft and terrible tragedy ensued. The 'big one,' as Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University professor Robert Joslin calls it, happened over the Grand Canyon in 1956 when United Airlines Flight 718 collided with Trans World Airlines Flight 2. All 128 people on both planes died, making it the first commercial airline collision with over 100 deaths. The two planes were headed from Los Angeles to the Midwest when they collided over Arizona. Authorities responded by heightening air traffic control regulations to ensure pilots wouldn't be left to fend for themselves. 'Sometimes things like this have to happen to get things moving along,' Joslin said. 'It's very unfortunate.' Deadliest collision happened on the ground The paramount need for aircraft vigilance even extends to when planes are on the ground. The worst collision of all time happened on a crowded tarmac on the Spanish island of Tenerife in 1977. KLM Flight 4805 was taking off when it ran broadside into Pan Am Flight 1736. All 248 people on board the KLM plane died; 335 of the 396 people on the Pan Am plane died. 583 died in total. The disaster happened amid a crowded day at the airport. Many aircraft had been diverted to Tenerife because of a bomb threat at another nearby destination. Visibility was poor due to fog. Spanish authorities concluded the KLM captain mistakenly believed air traffic control signaled the plane to take off. The disaster highlighted the importance of developing a standardized language for aeronautical communications and instilling exact compliance with air traffic control instructions. World's deadliest midair collision The world's deadliest midair collision also happened amid mistaken commands from air traffic control when Kazakhstan Airlines Flight 1907 collided with Saudia Flight 763 over the northern Indian city of Charkhi Dadri in 1996. All 349 people on board both planes died, making it the deadliest midair collision ever. Investigators found poor English language skills among the crew led them to misinterpret directions from air traffic control. They also found the crew aboard the Kazakhstan Airlines plane failed to maintain the proper altitude. India's aviation agency mandated all aircraft flying in and out of the country have a system to help avoid collisions. The mandates paved the way for traffic collision avoidance systems to be used worldwide.
