Keeping operational manuals up-to-date is a vital part of ensuring that any aviation company is maintaining regulatory compliance and that staff are aware of the latest policies and procedures.

Many businesses, however, are still using outdated and clunky methods such as Word documents and PDFs to distribute their manuals – a time-consuming and error-prone process that presents significant operational risks.

Web Manuals, an all-in-one document management system, has recently arrived in Australia and is offering flexible, adaptable, AI-enabled editing, review, distribution and monitoring of operational manuals and other important documents.

On this week's Australian Aviation Podcast, Jake Nelson speaks to Web Manuals CEO Martin Lidgard on the company's Australian expansion and the importance of streamlining compliance management of operational manuals.

It could have been Australia's worst-ever airline disaster – but it wasn't. When an engine exploded aboard Qantas flight 32 in 2010, its crew were faced with a "black swan" event, one so unthinkable they could not possibly prepare for it.

With critical systems in chaos and hundreds of lives at stake, the A380's crew, led by Captain Richard de Crespigny, had to figure out how to get the plane safely back on the ground … and over the course of several harrowing hours, they succeeded.

Not only did the team save the aircraft with the odds stacked against them, but they got every single soul off the aircraft without even one injury, cementing QF32's place in the aviation history books for all the right reasons.

In this week's Australian Aviation Podcast, Captain de Crespigny tells Jake Nelson the story of QF32, 15 years on – and what it taught him about the value of resilience.

A year is a long time in aviation, and 2025 has seemed a longer year than most – what with the long-running Rex administration; Qantas' ongoing travails; Virgin Australia's tie-up with Qatar Airways and subsequent IPO; fleet renewals aplenty; and a deluge of other news.

Looking ahead, 2026 looms as what will doubtless be another huge year for the sector, including the opening of Western Sydney International Airport, the delivery of Qantas' first Project Sunrise jets, and the potential entry of new airlines to Australia's skies.

On the final regular Australian Aviation Podcast for this year, Jake and David reflect on what 2025 brought and what 2026 is set to bring – and wish you all the best for the holiday season.

Plus, a truly astonishing escape for a Queensland skydiver, and Qantas' newly-returned A380 is grounded again.