IMAGE©MarkSmith2010
Australia’s top Aviation Photographer, Mark Smith was killed in a motor accident in 2019.
IMAGE©MarkSmith2010 
The 3AW Breakfast Show, with Ross Stevenson and John Burns, is the number one show in Melbourne Australia with 20.4% of the listening audience*. On Melbourne Cup Day 2010 they conducted a light-hearted interview about the planned Emirates A380 flypast of the event.
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Listen to the radio interview
HERE
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The flypast was also covered by Channel Seven television, with 12 million viewers in Australia, as well as a huge international audience.
The Melbourne Cup was celebrating its 150th, whilst Emirates Airlines was also celebrating its 25th anniversary. It’s also 25 years since James Nixon did his first flight, with Instructor Robert Maslen, over the same racecourse, in a Cessna 172.
For the A380 flypast he was with Captain Eric Trotter (from Brisbane), and Senior First Officer Sayed Al Hashimi, (from the UAE).
In the cabin with Channel Seven Reporter Monique Wright, and her crew, was renown still- photographer James Morgan (see his website HERE).
They were attended by Melbournian Purser Amandah Cotchin, and her Cabin Crew: Paul Eddy (SYD) and Nichola Knudsen (BNE).
IMAGE©JamesMorgan2010
IMAGE©SteveAshton2010
'After we left the holding pattern over Mt.Dandenong, we flew
down the Eastern Freeway, past my sister's place where my
Brother-In-Law, Steve Ashton, took this photo.' 
'During the flypast, thousands of photos were taken using
flashes, it was incredible.The flashes sparkled like diamonds!' 
IMAGE©MarkSmith2010
The flight plan for the event.
CASA required that the crew practiced the event twice in the simulator, being overseen by an Examiner from the GCAA (UAE). The second practice-run included failing two engines approaching the course, requiring no loss of altitude, and an emergency diversion to Melbourne Airport.
Channel Seven Reporter Monique Wright, with the pilots.
After completing the mission, timed to the second,
an ACARS message was sent to head office in Dubai.
The Emirates involvement in the Melbourne Cup was widely-
covered in Dubai, and in the company newspaper, SAFAR.
*Final listener survey 2010
