Xtended

In this episode, we welcome back historian and author Robert Forsyth, whose newbook ‘The Luftwaffe’s Mavericks: Jagdverband 44’ reveals the story behind thisextraordinary squadron the ace pilots, the new ME262 jet and their role towardsthe end of World War Two. Drawing on conversations with Adolf Galland and the men who flew alongside him, Robert also interviewed the American crews they attacked b...

In this episode of Aviation Xtended, we welcome back Matt Falcus the person behind AirportSpotting.com, one of the best-known websites for anyone who enjoys airports, airliners and the ever-changing world of commercial aviation.   Matt is an aviation writer, author, private pilot and the creator of the Airport Spotting Guides series,  He’s spent more than two decades travelling to airports around...

In this episode of Aviation Xtended, we welcome back Grant McHerron and Steve Visscher from the excellent Plane Crazy Down Under podcast. Grant is also the host for the Australian Defence Magazine podcast.  Australia has always mattered in aviation and defence, but over the past couple of years it has become much more visible on the world stage. From AUKUS and submarines to long-range strike, auto...

In this episode of Aviation Xtended, we talk to Lindsay Rumbold about aviation thriller, Banshee. It is a cracking Cold War story with the Vulcan very much at its heart. Its part aviation, part mystery and part spy thriller. Lindsay talks about her love of the V-bombers, why the Vulcan was the right aircraft for this tale. We also explore how she went about making the flying, the people and the pe...

In this episode we take you behind the scenes of one of the Fleet Air Arm Museum’s most important restoration projects - the return of Fairey Barracuda DP872. During a special visit to the museum, Pieter teams up with Dave Homewood from the Wings Over New Zealand podcast to explore the latest progress on the aircraft, which remains the world’s only surviving Barracuda. Joining us are Dave Morris a...

Jonathan “Jonny” McNee BEM is an aviation historian and military aviation archaeologist from Northern Ireland whose work has literally brought lost Second World War aircraft (and their stories) back into the light. Drawing on years of research and licensed excavations, he has helped uncover wartime aircraft that came down over Northern Ireland and along the Irish border. His aviation work is volun...

In this episode Pieter steps away from our usual format to introduce Constant Endeavour – RAF Coastal Command, the first ebook and audiobook to emerge from the podcast. He reflects on why the team has been quieter on the main feed, and how turning episodic content into a complete story offers a different way to explore the air war at sea. He also explains how the long-running Coastal Command serie...

In this episode of Aviation Xtended, host Pieter Johnson is joined by Bob Davy and Keith Wilson, authors of 'Warbirds to Workhorses'. Together, they explore aviation beyond the headlines, following the journey of the book from iconic warbirds to the quieter, often overlooked aircraft that shape everyday flying. The conversation looks at judgement, workload, and the human realities of opera...

The Xtended team welcomes back historian and author Jane Gulliford Lowes to discuss her latest book, The Invisible Campaign: Bomber Command Gardening Operations 1940–1945 , with host Pieter Johnson. Drawing on Air Ministry and Admiralty archives, squadron records and veteran testimony, Jane reveals how RAF Bomber Command’s aerial minelaying campaign (codenamed“gardening”) quietly sank or damaged h...

We talk to Rod Dean about ‘Fifty Years of Flying Fun’ which covers his half-century career in the air, from joining the RAF in 1962 to his work as a general aviation and airshow pilot. Over his career Rod logged more than 7,000 hours on 59 different types of aircraft, including military jets like the Hunter and Jaguar, as well as vintage planes such as the Spitfire. This is a fascinating reflectio...

Colonel Mike Mullane flew three Space Shuttle missions as a Mission Specialist and is a retired US Air Force weapon systems operator, flying 134 combat missions in Vietnam.  He wrote the award-winning children's book Liftoff and the outrageously amusing and often times tragic “Riding Rockets”.  He is a speaker on leadership, teamwork, and safety. He uses his experiences to explain the "no...

This is a moving interview with Earl Moorhouse, crash survivor and author. ‘Wake Up, It’s A Crash – The Survivors’ Stories’ is his account of the world’s first Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet disaster, in November 1974. For full show notes, visit: www.xtended.co.uk

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. So...

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...

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...

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 s...

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...

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, t...

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  ...

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 arr...

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 dr...

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&qu...

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 2...

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 202...