This picture is chilling: these three Vickers Viscounts that once flew for Trans Australian Airlines would all crash in Australia killing a total of 45.

The first was VH-TVA, called John Batman, after the founder of Melbourne, which would crash in a training accident at Mangalore just 18 days after delivery on October 31, 1954, killing all three crew.

The second was VH-TVB, delivered in late 1954 and named Gregory Blaxland, after the man who conquered the Blue Mountains.

In 1962, it was leased to Ansett-ANA and then purchased by the airline and then leased to MacRobertson Miller Airlines on September 10, 1968, and renamed Quininup.

It crashed on December 31, 1968, killing all 26 aboard.

READ: Faulty repair work doomed Viscount 50 years ago

The third in the picture is VH-TVC which was named John Oxley, after another Australian explorer.

This Viscount was also leased to Ansett-ANA in 1960.

It crashed into Botany Bay in November 1961 when it encountered gust loads from a severe thunderstorm well in excess of the design limits of the aircraft. All 15 aboard were killed.

After the loss of Quininup, the Australian government grounded Viscount 700s in Australia, although the type was being phased out as DC-9-30s from the Douglas Aircraft Company were being delivered.

On the fiftieth anniversary of Australia’s second worst airliner crash, a Vickers Viscount that claimed 26, the thoughts of Jane Rushton, the daughter of Captain Brian Bayly,  are with others impacted by the tragedy.

“My thoughts are with everyone who was affected by the crash,” said Mrs. Rushton.

There were many families devastated by the crash such as the wife and eight children of 34-year old Gordon Collins, who told his wife just before he boarded that he didn’t want to go.

And there was Dorothy Weir, whose husband, Gordon, was a passenger, who told researcher Anthony James that she “had a strange sensation” about the flight.

“My legs suddenly buckled under me and I could not walk. I just sat there and watched the plane until it disappeared,” she told Mr. Jones.

READ: Faulty repair work doomed Viscount fifty years ago

There were many families left without a breadwinner and there was no formal investigation to prosecute those Ansett-ANA staff responsible for the damaged repair to the Viscount, so relatives could get compensation.

In 2005, the widow of the first officer Michael Nelson, Jeanette tried unsuccessfully to have a formal inquest conducted by the Coroner but it was rejected.

In a Sunday Times article at the time, Mrs. Nelson lamented the tremendous hardship of those left behind.

“The personal hardship and tragedies would make you weep,” she said.

For Mrs. Rushton and her two older brothers, Tony and Ian the anniversary brings back memories of a father who was a “gentle giant” who would regale them with stories of flying around the Northwest.

“Dad loved flying and he loved the Northwest,” said Mrs. Rushton.”

Captain Bayly’s widow Joan died in June last year aged 94.

“Mum was always positive despite everything and she said that she had a good life.”

When the tragedy occurred Mrs. Rushton, then 14, and her mother were at home in Nedlands.

“As I recall, Captain Jack Murray was actually rostered on for the flight and he came to the house to tell us,” said Mrs. Rushton.

“My brother Tony heard the news on the radio of the Viscount crash and Ian was overseas at the time,” said Mrs. Rushton.

Two drones found near Gatwick Airport have been ruled out as responsible for pre-Christmas travel chaos as Sussex Police say they are continuing throw “all available resources” at the investigation.

Sussex Police Chief Constable Giles York issued a statement Saturday emphasizing the push to identify and bring to justice those involved in the illegal drone activity and calling for more information from the public.

The airport was shut down over three days and the travel plans of 140,000 people were disrupted after reports of illegal drones.

Saturday’s statement, issued after York had early admitted some sightings could have been of police drones, said it was established that the incident, which led to widespread travel disruption, was caused “by numerous instances of illegal drone activity”.

This was not a police drone, it said.

However, the police confirmed that two drones recovered from an intensive search of the area had now been ruled out of the inquiry.

They said they were currently examining relevant sightings by 115 witnesses – 93 from credible witnesses, people used to working in the busy airport environment, including a pilot, airport staff and police officers.

This included further information generated as a result of a public appeal for information and more than 1,000 house-to-house inquiries.

READ BA joins airline push towards virtual reality.

“Public safety remains a priority and what we are dealing with is both unprecedented and challenging,’’ York said.

“There will be information relevant to this enquiry within the community and, with a £50,000 reward on offer for information from Gatwick Airport Limited, it is vital that people come forward so we can bring to justice the person responsible for this criminal act.”

The Chief Constable had earlier told the BBC some of the sightings could have been police drones investigating the incident but added that he was “absolutely certain that there was a drone flying throughout the period that the airport was closed.”

York said a Sussex officer who suggested last week that police were not sure whether there was a drone flying at Gatwick at all was simply trying to explain the investigative approach taken by the force.

He also defended the move to arrest a middle-aged couple who were held for questioning for 36 hours before being released without charge.

Paul Gait and Elaine Kirk said they felt “violated” after their home was searched and their identities exposed.

“I’m really sorry for what [Gait] has experienced and the feeling of violation around it,” the BBC quoted York as saying.

“[But] what might have been worse as an experience for him would have been to be released under investigation still.

“We were able to exhaust all our lines of inquiry on that first instance and were able to release him from police custody saying he was no longer a suspect.”

The aviation alert for the erupting volcano at Anak Krakatoa has been upgraded to red and Indonesia is rerouting flights amid fears of another eruption.

A tsunami triggered by the collapse of the crater on Saturday killed at least 430 people and cuased widespread damage.

Residents have been urged to stay away from the coast after authorities raised the fears of another collapse and resultant tsunami.

Indonesia ’s national geographic agency raised the alert level to the second highest and has ordered a 5km exclusion zone around the island.

An official said activity at the crater had not sopped since December 23 and anticipated “a further escalation”.

The nation’s air traffic controller, AirNav, said it was rerouting aircraft around the ash cloud.

No airports have been affected but some flights could take longer because of the changes.

Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, is about 155kms to the east of the island.

A Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation (VONA) issued Thursday upgraded the warning from orange to red.

It said the best estimate of the height of the ash cloud was 23, 482ft above sea level but warned it may be higher than could be observed clearly.

The cloud was moving to the northeast, it said.

Anak Krakatoa (Child of Krakatoa) emerged in 1927 from the remnants of Krakatoa which, in 1883, underwent the most violent volcanic eruption in recorded history.

That eruption, which was heard thousands of miles away, killed more than 30,000.

Air New Zealand is expecting 2019 to be its biggest year yet after serving over 6.3 million meals and pouring more than seven million glasses of wine in 2018.

The airline is expecting to fly 18 million customers in 2019 after accommodating about 17 million in 2018.

It operated about 188, 000 flights during the past year and its customers collectively flew 29.85 billion kilomteres since January 1.

These included flights to new destinations such as Chicago and Taipei.

One Auckland-based frequent flyer flew 639,000 of those kilometres, the equivalent of 15 times around the world, while its most frequent flyer clocked up a whopping 371 flights.

The airline kept a close eye on customer preferences, rolling out a string of statistics of what they ate, drank and watched in 2018.

Of the 6.3 million-plus meals served, Malay chicken with steamed rice was the most popular in economy class with 294,000 portions served.

The most popular dish in the airline’s premium cabins was chef Peter Gordon’s blackened King Salmon with saffron potato mash and edamame.

READ BA joins push towards virtual reality.

Surprisingly, Beef Osso Bucco with caramelized onions was the most popular of the 1.3 million New Zealand beef and lamb meals served in the air.

The airline’s excellent New Zealand wines proved a popular attraction with more than seven million glasses served on planes and in its lounges. New Zealand’s signature sauvignon blancs topped the list of the most popular wines.

An expanded Kiwi beer selection also attracted interest with 512,000 cans served inflight, up 7.5 percent on the previous year.

Air New Zealand still offers customers lollies (sweets) prior to landing and passengers munched through 15.3 million of those.

The Greatest Showman proved the most viewed film on Air New Zealand flights with almost 168,500 views and a track by Kiwi band Six60, Closer, was listened to most at 6500 hits a month.

“Air New Zealand prides itself on our warm Kiwi service on the ground and in the air,’’ AirNZ chief marketing and customer officer Mike Tod said.

“And customers continue to appreciate the taste of the nation when they are with us, whether it be the selection of our outstanding New Zealand wines or menus created by our award-winning chefs Peter Gordon and Michael Meredith.”

Tod acknowledged the airline also had its fair share of challenges in 2018, including schedule disruptions due to issues with Rolls Royce engines powering some of its 787s and significant weather events across New Zealand.

British Airways has deployed a new tool to sell customers on the pointy end of its aircraft — or at least make them even more envious.

The airline is trialing virtual technology reality at check-in desks at its London Heathrow Terminal  5 home base.

It allows customers to take a 360-degree tour of its Club World cabin that includes the additional space of its lie-flat seat, the up-market bedding, and restaurant-style dining.

It is the first UK airline to use the technology from tech start-up SkyLights and hopes it will entice passengers to upgrade.

The airline’s head of customer service at Heathrow, Tom Stevens, said the feedback from customers had been “incredibly positive”.

“We are always looking at new and innovative ways to engage with our customers and virtual reality is the latest way we are using a rapidly evolving area of technology to further improve the airport experience,’’’ he said.

Airlines and airports are increasingly looking at virtual reality and augmented reality as a useful tool for training, productivity or passenger experience.

Lufthansa is another airline that has used VR to sell upgrades by building a model of their premium experience and Qantas developed a virtual reality app that shows off Australian scenery.

Air France has tested virtual reality entertainment for premium passengers and was this year joined by Alaska Airlines which offered virtual reality headsets to first class passengers on two routes as part of a trial of VR in-flight entertainment programming.

Also using SkyLights technology, Alaska offered two films — Ready Player One and Ferdinand — as part of the trial in immersive 3D.

Air New Zealand has trialed augmented reality for cabin crew, equipping them Microsoft HoloLens goggles that could provide information such as a passengers’ destination, allergies and when they got their last beverage. It also talked about facial recognition software able to indicate the mood of a passenger.

The Kiwis are also working with MagicLeapOne on a “multiplayer spatial computer gaming experience”  that uses the technology introduces players to a “magical” New Zealand complete with whales, Hobbits, and bungy jumping.

On the more serious side of the industry, aircraft manufacturers are developing virtual reality training tools that place trainee pilots inside a virtual cockpit while augmented reality is seen as a valuable aid to maintenance.

Air Canada has received regulatory approval for its proposed take-over of Aimia’s Aeroplan loyalty program as the points scheme comes full circle.

Aeroplan began in the 1980s as Air Canada’s frequent flyer program but was spun off as a wholly-owned subsidiary in 2002.

Air Canada’s parent company, ACE Aviation Holdings, launched an initial public offering for a 12.5 percent stake in the company in 2005 to create Aeroplan Income Fund, the world’s first publicly traded loyalty program.

Airlines to use big data to avoid dangerous turbulence.

ACE divested its remaining holdings in 2008, ceding direct control, and the name was subsequently changed to Aima.

Air Canada announced in 2017 it would part ways with Aeroplan in 2020 but moved to reassure customers they would still be able to redeem Aeroplan miles on the carrier.

It said Air Canada Altitude privileges, Star Alliance recognition and Million Mile status would also be unaffected.

The announcement described its upcoming loyalty program as offering “additional earning and redemption opportunities, more personalized service and a better digital experience’’ for its customers.

Air Canada signed a definitive share purchase agreement with Aimia earlier this year to buy the loyalty program for $C450m in cash and also to assume $C1.9 billion of Aeroplan miles liability.

Deals were also signed with  Toronto-Dominion Bank, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, and Visa Canada Corporation relating to the acquisition, including credit card loyalty program and network agreements for future participation in Air Canada’s new loyalty program,

The airline announced in a December 24 statement that the deal had cleared regulatory requirements under the Canada Transportation Act and had a resulted in a “no action letter” from the Canada Competition Bureau.

The deal will see the Toronto-Dominion and Commercial Imperial banks pay a total of $C882m to Air Canada as well as a total of $C400 m on closing to be applied to future monthly payments for Aeroplan miles.

Visa will also be making a payment to the airline but It said it remained in negotiations with  American Express, which also issues Aeroplan co-branded products, to secure its continued participation in the Aeroplan program after 2020.

“The closing of the acquisition, expected to occur in January 2019, remains subject to the satisfaction of customary conditions as well as Aimia shareholder approval which will be sought by Aimia at its special meeting of shareholders scheduled for January 8, 2019,’’ Air Canada said.

Air Canada is Canada’s largest domestic and international airline serving more than 200 airports on six continents.

Airlines are working together to achieve smoother flights and offset a predicted climate-driven increase in dangerous severe turbulence.

Scientists have warned passengers to expect more bone-jarring encounters with rough weather due to changes in the climate.

A 2017 study by University of Reading researcher Dr Paul Williams predicted the chances of being tossed around an aircraft cabin by severe turbulence could triple in coming years.

READ: Severe air turbulence could triple due to climate change.

Although technology allowing aircraft to detect the phenomenon has improved, clear air turbulence remains difficult to distinguish and there are still incidents where passengers and cabin crew are injured.

It already costs US carriers an estimated $US200 million annually and the US Federal Aviation Administration has identified it as the leading cause of injuries to passengers and crew in non-fatal accidents.

As recently December 8, two passengers and three cabin crew were injured when a Thai Smile Airbus A320 flying from Penang, Malaysia, to Bangkok encountered unexpected severe turbulence.

Now the International Air Transport Association has launched a global database aimed at helping airlines avoid turbulent conditions when route planning.

IATA says the availability of accurate turbulence data will enable pilots will be able to make more informed decisions about higher flight levels with smoother air. It also expects to produce more optimal fuel burn and lower C02 emissions.

Carriers to have already signed up include Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and Aer Lingus and IATA will conduct operational trials in 2019. The final product is due to be launched in 2020.

Delta is already contributing its data and says the use of the database in conjunction with its Flight Weather Viewer is expected to build on the significant reduction already seen in turbulence-related crew injuries and carbon emissions.

IATA says the program augments an airline’s ability to forecast and avoid turbulence by pooling and sharing real-time data generated by participating airlines.

The association says the current system of airlines relying on pilot reports and weather advisories to help them avoid turbulence is effective but has limitations.

These include the fragmentation of the data sources, inconsistencies in the level and quality of information available as well as problems with defining precise locations.

There is, for example, no standardized scale pilots can use to report turbulence other than  “light, moderate or severe”.

The airline association says this becomes subjective due to different-sized aircraft and pilot experience.

It says Turbulence Aware improves the industry’s capabilities by collecting data from multiple contributing airlines and introducing rigorous quality control.

The data is consolidated into a single, anonymized, objective source database which is accessible to participants and can be turned into actionable information when fed into an airline’s dispatch or airborne alerting systems.

IATA director general Alexandre de Juniac hailed the database as a great example of the use of big data and the potential digital transformation of the industry.

“In the case of Turbulence Aware, the more precise forecasting of turbulence will provide a real improvement for passengers, whose journeys will be even safer and more comfortable,”  he said.