In this episode, Tim talks to Award-winning aviation historian Victoria Taylor about her new book ‘Eagle Days: Life and Death for the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain’. Recorded 9th April 2025 For full show notes and imagery please visit https://aviation-xtended.co.uk/
In this episode we have Mike Napier back to talk about his latest book ‘ Over Cold War Seas - NATO and Soviet Naval Aviation, 1949–89’ - a fascinating review of Cold War naval aviation. Mike shares his approach to the topic, explains the evolution of naval technology and how the conflicting cold war scenario’s lead to new evolving aviation developments. And, of course there are aircraft galore. Some new, some well known and some not so well known or successful! predominantly in the northern hemi...
In this episode, we look at how aviation and aerospace items are converted to art and furniture pieces, and we welcome Stuart Abbot, the founder of Stu Art Furniture. Stuart trained as an Airframe Engineer in the RAF working on the Tornado F3. After leaving the RAF he continued as an airframe engineer with several international airlines and started Stu Art Furniture in 2012. His products are all hand-made and original and more affordable than some recent market entrants copying the model. His pi...
First flying in 1954, some 71 years ago, the Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules has become a iconic aviation legend. Beginning as a military transport, it has evolved into otherroles, including gunship, weather research, special operations, firefighting and more – and it is still in production today. We talk to former RAF C-130 pilot Scott Bateman about ‘Hercules – First in, Last Out’ and the men and womenof the tightly knit Herc Force and its incredible history. Scott Bateman MBE is an aviation pro...
Since its formation in 1957 the Army Air Corps has played a prominent role in almost every British Army operation. We get to talk to the authors of ‘Ops Normal Volume 1, The Authorised Operational History of the Army Air Corps, 1957-2017’ and they take us through the evolution of the Corps, how it was founded and its theatres of operations during this time. Mike Peters is a former Army Air Corps soldier and officer, serving both as Groundcrew and as an Air Door Gunner. During his 34 years in the...
Air Marshal ‘Black’ Robertson CBE BA FRAeS FRSA flew all the RAF’s front-line fast jets and also qualified as a helicopter pilot. Now retired, he also completed five tours in Whitehall, which he describes as his time as a ‘Whitehall Warrior’. He is a well published author, including ’Fighters in the Blood’, ‘A Spitfire Named Connie’ and ‘From Spitfires to Vampires and Beyond’. Today ‘Black’ joins us to talk about his latest book, ‘Flying through the Ranks: The Extraordinary Experiences of Airmen...
Garth Barnard joins us to talk about his work cataloguing Bomber Command OTUs during WWII around central England. Aerodromes such as RAF Barford St John, RAF Bicester, RAF Chipping Warden, RAF Croughton, RAF Finmere, RAF Hinton-in-the-Hedges, RAF Silverstone, RAF Turweston and RAF Upper Heyford. Training crews flew aircraft such as the Hampden, Blenheim, Wellington, Mosquito and Boston. Sadly, there were over 400 aircraft losses within a 15-mile radius of Brackley. Recorded 3rd September 2024 Fo...
A new biography is being written on Claude Grahame-White. One that this will give more depth to the story behind the man who was a British aviation legend in his time and one who was sadly downtrodden and outcast by the government of the day. Joining us is Alison White who has taken on the task of correcting the historical record and resetting our perception of the man Recorded 7th August 2024 Contact Us: GetInvolved@aviation-Xtended.co.uk For full show notes please visit www.aviation-xtended.co...
Although we finished the main content of the Cold War Coastal Command series in the last chapter, a story emerged that we just couldn’t resist. Stephen Bridgewater, Deputy Editor for Aerospace Magazine and good friend of the show mentioned that he had in fact purchased an RAF Nimrod directly from the RAF back in 2010. After Steve’s story, Gareth joins the feature as he was there the day XV232 arrived in Coventry. Recorded 29th July 2024 Contact Us: GetInvolved@aviation-Xtended.co.uk For full sho...
In our final Chapter of the Cold War Coastal Command series, we are honoured to speak to Air Chief Marshal Sir Brian Burridge, KCB, CBE, ADC, FCMI, FRAeS . Sir Brian takes us not only through flying the Nimrod and Nimrod operations in the Cold War period, but also explains how the Nimrod was used strategically in theatres such as the Falklands War, Operation Telic and the Iraq War, as well as drug running in the Caribbean. This feature is a fitting conclusion to the Cold War Coastal Command seri...
Nimrod XV250 is based at the Yorkshire Air Museum in Elvington near York. She was dedicated by the Archbishop of York to stand as a permanent tribute to the 14 British servicemen killed in Afghanistan when Nimrod XV230 crashed near Kandahar in September 2006. Her team of volunteers keep her in a ground running condition to remember all Aircrew and Groundcrew who served on "The Kipper Fleet". Ken Bannister joins me today to talk about The Maid of Moray, his RAF career with the Nimrod and to help ...
The Shackleton replacement now started to become more urgent. For years the Air Staff and Ministries had argued over what type should replace the Shackleton, including variants of the Vulcan, Britannia, VC10 and Trident, before settling for the Nimrod in 1964 We return to Chris Gibson, author of the brilliant book 'Nimrod’s Genesis' to learn how the process unfolded. Recorded 19th June 2024 Contact Us: GetInvolved@aviation-Xtended.co.uk You can buy a copy of 'Nimrod's Genesis' and help both Xten...
There is a Shackleton that still ‘Growls’ and this chapter features Shackleton MR2 WR963, currently based at Coventry but with a major project underway to move her to Elvington and the Yorkshire Air Museum. We speak to Richard Woods the driving force behind the project all about the aircraft and how to engineer the airframe when very few original engineers are still with us. Recorded 25th July 2024 Contact Us: GetInvolved@aviation-Xtended.co.uk Shackleton WR693 · Facebook https://www.facebook.co...
In this feature we talk to Ian Chisolm, Secretary of the Coastal Command and Maritime Air Association, about the RAF’s Avro Shackleton. Ian logged over 3,000 hours as an Air Electronics Officer (AEO) in charge of a team of five SNCO Air Electronics Operators who manned the Radio, Radar and Underwater Acoustics systems as well as the 20mm Hispano cannons fitted in the nose turret and the pyrotechnics launchers for the night illumination system. Hear what it was like on those long, arduous, noisy ...
At the end of World War Two RAF Coastal Command faced the same challenges of all the British military services, one of reduction, cutbacks and a return to a peaceful world. The threat from the axis powers had been effectively squashed but there was a new threat emerging, in the form of the Soviet Union. Coastal Command had to start learning about new adversaries once again, adapting and performing immediately, to protect British interests initially in the northern Atlantic, but rapidly elsewhere...
Ever wondered how you go about marketing one of the worlds premier airshows, an air display act, or an airport? Helen Webb, Founder and Director at International Airshow Marketing, joins us to tell us how it all fits together. Recorded 30th July 2024 Contact Us: GetInvolved@aviation-Xtended.co.uk Xtended Link Tree https://linktr.ee/aviationxtended Contact Xtended: GetInvolved@aviation-Xtended.co.uk International Airshow Marketing Web http://www.airshow.marketing/ LinkedIn https://www.linkedi...
We speak to the inspirational founder of Elevate(Her), Katherine Maloney. Katherine eloquently speaks up for a more diverse workforce across the aviation sector. Elevate(Her) is growing exponentially due to the demand for the work they do, encouraging, nurturing and assisting the future generations of aviation employees. Recorded 18th July 2024 Contact Us: GetInvolved@aviation-Xtended.co.uk Xtended Link Tree https://linktr.ee/aviationxtended Contact Xtended: GetInvolved@aviation-Xtended.co.u...
We talk to Chris Wroblewski and Garth Barnard about their in depth investigation of the 1943 B-24 Liberator crash, that killed Polish General Sikorski and dispel the myths and conspiracies around assassination or accident being the cause. Recorded 4th June 2024 Contact Us: GetInvolved@aviation-Xtended.co.uk You can buy a copy of the book at our bookshop making a small donation to local bookshops and helping out Xtended https://uk.bookshop.org/a/11161/9781911667902 Sabotage Grubstreet Book https:...
The Xtended team finally all assemble to talk about 200 episodes of the podcast, recent sad news from the aviation world, Ellie's trip to Normandy for the D-Day 80th commemorations and more. Believe it or not, this is the first time all four members of the team have managed to record together - hopefully we will do it again soon! Recorded 3rd June 2024 Contact Us: GetInvolved@aviation-Xtended.co.uk Xtended Link Tree https://linktr.ee/aviationxtended Contact Xtended: GetInvolved@aviation-Xten...
Amanda Harrison has always wanted to recreate the footsteps of Amy Johnson, flying solo in a Tiger Moth from the UK to Darwin, Australia in just 20 Days. Listen in as she tells us the tale of the attempt and how things unfolded. From Dracula’s Castle to Mediterranean wonders! Although a professional pilot, Amanda is also dyslexic, an additional challenge in planning and executing this journey. Recorded 24th May 2024 Contact Us: GetInvolved@aviation-Xtended.co.uk Please leave us a review on Spoti...
Mick Oakey, Robert Forsyth and Chris Gibson come back to the History Round Table to answer listener questions. We discuss what books do not get written, what they would love to read, their proudest work and what do they think about graphics and photos in books and articles. Along with advice for budding aviation authors this is an enjoyable roundtable that book enthusiasts and those interested in aviation history will enjoy. Oh and there are a few outtakes right at the end! Recorded 23rd April 2...
There is a new podcast focused on RAF Bomber Command in World War Two hosted by Writer and Military Historian Jane Gulliford Lowes and Historian and co host James Jefferies. It is of course 'Never Mind The Dambusters'! In this, our landmark 200th episode, we get the opportunity to talk to Jane and James about Bomber Command and the challenges the aircrews faced in their multi tasked environment. We share views of the aircraft, the people and the effects of their activities. It is an insight and ...
Samuel de Korte is a graduate student of Utrecht University, where he studied an MA in the Cultural History of Modern Europe. He wrote his Master's thesis about the representation of black Americans during the Second World War, indicating that although they formed a substantial part of the American armed forces, they don't receive an equal share in the representation in contemporary media. His new book ‘Tuskegee Airmen - Dogfighting with the Luftwaffe and Jim Crow’ is published by Pen and Sword....
Finalising our focus on how the use of AI, data and machine learning is changing the sector, we are joined by Andy Taylor, the Chief Solutions Officer at NATS. NATS it is the UK's leading provider of air traffic control services as well as providing air traffic services to airports, airlines, air traffic service providers and governments across parts of Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Recorded 27th March 2024 Contact Us: GetInvolved@aviation-Xtended.co.uk NATS Web https://www.nats.aero/ Podcas...
In 2023 Dave Homewood from the Wings Over New Zealand podcast visited the UK to record and document Kiwi aviation involvement in World War Two by visiting some of our historic aircraft, museums, airfields and memorials. Dave is returning in 2024 but with a slightly different agenda. We caught up with Dave as he planned the return ‘Wings Over Britain’ visit. Recorded 19th March 2024 Contact Us: GetInvolved@aviation-Xtended.co.uk Wings over Britain Wings Over New Zealand show - https://cambridgeai...
Steven Bailey discovered that the story of the U.S. Navy airstrikes on Japanese-held Hong Kong during the final year of World War II had never been told. Operation Gratitude involved nearly 100 U.S. Navy warships and close to a thousand planes. His new book ‘Target Hong Kong’ brings this massive operation down to a human scale, recounting the air raids through the experiences of seven men whose lives intersected at Hong Kong in January 1945. Steven joins us to share the story and help us better ...
Dr Tony Redding is a military historian and author with a particular interest in RAF Bomber Command. He joins us to talk us through the operational capability and credibility of Britain’s airborne nuclear deterrent during the peak years of the Cold War. Recorded 23rd Feb 2024 Contact Us: GetInvolved@aviation-Xtended.co.uk You can order a copy of this book whilst supporting local bookshops here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/11161/9781911667872 Dr Tony Redding https://www.tonyredding.co.uk/ Grubstree...
Continuing our focus on how data and technology has changed the aviation sector we welcome Diana Franganillo Luque from Indra and Udi Segall from Intell-Act to discuss an exciting project to integrate all airport, airline and air traffic data using AI to streamline the ‘Perfect Aircraft Pit-stop. Recorded 7th Feb 2024 Contact Us: GetInvolved@aviation-Xtended.co.uk Diana Fraganillo Luque LinkedIn - https://linkedin.com/in/diana-franganillo-luque Indra Web - https://www.indracompany.com Twitter - ...
Ryan Noppen joins to help us understand the overlooked air battle between the Netherlands and Germany that thwarted the German invasion of Holland in 1940 for five days. Ryan is a military author with a Master of Arts degree in European history. Ryan is a scholar of Dutch, German and Central European history and the author of ‘Holland 1940, The Luftwaffe’s first set back in the west’. Recorded 5th Feb 2024 Contact Us: GetInvolved@aviation-Xtended.co.uk Get a copy of Holland 1940, The Luftwaffe’s...
Paul Beaver joins us to talk about Britain’s Greatest Test Pilot, Captain Eric ‘Winkle’ Brown. His best selling book, reprinted 5 times and last year’s Biography of the Year is ‘Winkle: The Extraordinary Life of Britain’s Greatest Pilot’. Paul gives us an insight to this amazing mans life. This is a fascinating feature. Don’t miss it! Recorded 31st Jan 2024 Contact Us: GetInvolved@aviation-Xtended.co.uk Get a copy of Winkle: The Extraordinary Life of Britain’s Greatest Pilot at our Bookshop and ...
