Plane Swap

The situation when I joined

I joined in January 2022, ahead of the April 24 live broadcast. Testing and development had been underway for about two years, but the project still lacked a venue and an integrated plan. Cancellation was being considered. My task was to establish whether we could be ready by the broadcast date and organize the work required.

Securing the venue and organizing the team

I met with the core team to establish what was in place and what was missing. I prioritized the decisions that had to happen first so the other teams could begin detailed planning.

I identified a venue I knew from a previous event that met the aviation, broadcast, crew, and hospitality requirements within the budget. I then hosted a site visit with the aviation, television, and ground operations leads so they could assess it and start planning around the confirmed location.

I brought in team members, built an organization chart with defined responsibilities, and set up check-ins, communication channels, and approval processes. Those arrangements gave team leads a way to share updates and keep leadership informed. They depended on the relevant information being shared.

Adding dedicated ground security

As the number of people expected on site grew, I hired an additional ground security team. Aviation fire and rescue had a different responsibility; I wanted support for the crowd and site that would remain available during an aviation emergency.

The live attempt ended with a plane crash. The additional team managed the crowd at the hangar and helped secure the crash site during the response and recovery. My role was ground coordination; aviation operations and technical decisions belonged to the relevant specialists.

Why I prefer to get involved earlier

This project reinforced the value of addressing responsibilities, approvals, and contingency plans before time becomes the main constraint. It’s a reason I now seek work where I can help establish those conditions early.