When the pilot is the problem

While aviation has plenty of security safeguards in place to keep passengers with sinister intent away from the cockpit, last month's attempted flydubai hijack – by one of the pilots – was a sobering reminder that sometimes, the sinister intent is already in the flight deck. While the aircraft and its passengers escaped unscathed this time, the incident raised the spectre of disasters like Germanwings Flight 9525 and LAM Mozambique Airlines Flight 470, which both saw the aircraft's own pilots bring down their planes in horrific murder-suicides. On this week's Australian Aviation Podcast, Jake, David and Hannah examine the dangers that can arise when the pilots – the people we entrust with our lives in the air – are also the people posing the biggest risk to passenger safety. Plus, a rocky few weeks for industrial relations as Jetstar, Virgin, Qantas, and Sydney Airport have all faced protected action.