The Aviation Show

Following an uncomfortable debate about a news article in Aeroplane Monthly on Duxford's future plans, Matt reflects on how the Avgeek community communicates. He also looks at the challenges of online discourse within the aviation community, the need for constructive criticism and civil debate, what that means for our aviation publications and how he will try to engage with everyone going forward....

Tuesday, 19th September 1944, was Black Tuesday for the 1st Airborne Division trying to take and hold the road bridge at Arnhem. It was the day Operation Market Garden failed. Comedian and historian Al Murray joins us to discuss the efforts of the RAF's 38 Group to resupply the Paras and understand why the defeat still grips us 80 years later. ★Buy Arnhem: Black Tuesday by Al Murray at The Damcast...

In 1945, the RAF and USAAF flew two remarkable operations. Mana and Chowhound were missions to deliver food and vital medical supplies to break the 'Hunger Winter' famine in Occupied Holland. A truce with the Nazis was agreed and the bombers flew unopposed to drop their vital cargo. In Hilversum, south of Amsterdam, was 14-year-old Lucy Hanson, who saw food fall from the sky. Today Lucy joins us t...

Propwash is the summer Festival of the Air at Stow Maries Great War Aerodrome and we were delighted to be there! Following the museum's CEO Ian Flint's kind invitation to visit, we headed out to Essex to see First World War aircraft flying, tour the museum, its exhibits and, of course, indulge in the museum's renowned quiche. Join us as we tour Stow Maries and discover a true gem of destination. ★...

On the 10th of August 1944, Harry Hardy joined 440 "City of Ottawa" Squadron RCAF in Normandy, flying Hawker Typhoon 'Bombphoons'. Harry flew 96 sorties (missions) through France, Belgium and Holland and was the pilot of The Pulverizers. In 2006, Harry gave this talk to the Royal Canadian Legion in White Rock, BC. The original footage has kindly been allowed to be reproduced here by his grandson,...

#Catch-22 is one of Scott Marchand and I's favourite books, so when the opportunity came up to chat with Stoney Stonich, who, as a young pilot, signed on to be one of the B-25 pilots for Mike Nichols' adaptation in 1969, we jumped at the chance. Stoney tells us all about the production, the challenges and the excitement of filming aerial scenes, including THAT hair-raising takeoff and hanging out...

Stow Maries Great War Aerodrome is the largest surviving Great War aerodrome in Europe, and it needs your help! Following roadworks that blocked access to the museum, they need your support to survive the funding black hole caused by the hole in the road. The Museum's CEO, Ian Flint, joins us to discuss Stow Maries' history and hopeful future. ★Support the Stow Maries Crowdfunder here: https://www...

It has been nearly 40 years since the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds into its 10th flight on January 28, 1986, killing her crew and shocking the world. Author Adam Higginbotham 's new book, Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space , looks at the long chain of events that led to the Challenger disaster and its aftermath, in which a small group of engineers...

The Lockheed-Martin F-35 Lightning II is slated to be the mainstay of the US Air Force and NATO's air forces for years to come. But as Bill Sweetman, veteran aerospace journalist and independent analyst, dissects in his new book, " Trillion Dollar Trainwreck: How the F-35 Hollowed Out the United States Airforce ", the program's lack of oversight and leadership has left the aircraft and its operato...

The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, the Warthog, has been earmarked for retirement for over a decade, but what is happening today with the men and women who keep the Hogs flying into their sixth decade? Col Nick 'Stoli' Radoescu is the commander of the 355th Operations Group based at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base . He oversees the operations of four squadrons of A-10s and their support unit...

The Century Series was the name given to the series of second-generation US Air Force fighters that took the USAF beyond the sound barrier and towards Mach 2. With the F-100 Super Sabre, F-101 Voodoo, F-102 Delta Dart, F-104 Starfighter, F-105 Thunderchief, F-106 Delta Dart and F-107A all on display at the Pima Air Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona, aircraft designer Joe Wilding shows us around the...

The Hump was the air bridge between India and China during the Second World War. The men of the Air Transport Command would face then unknown weather systems flying between Himalayan mountains that forever towered over them. New York Times bestselling author Caroline Alexander joins us to tell us about the men who flew The Hump, which is the subject of her book, Skies of Thunde r . Buy Skies of Th...

In this second part of our interview with WW2 Veteran Bob Reierson, Bob tells us about heading to the Pacific, flying the A-20 in combat over the Philippines, and, after 80 years, Bob climbs into the cockpit of the Pima Air and Space Museum 's Douglas A-20G Havoc. Catch up on part 1 here: https://youtu.be/6uWN_vN7FyI Get the latest from the Pima Air and Space Museum through the links below: ★Visit...

Bob Reierson joined the USAAF at age 18 and would find himself flying the Douglas A-20G Havoc in the Pacific. On my last visit to the Pima Air and Space Museum, director of collections Andrew Boehly arranged for Bob and I to sit down and discuss flying the A-20. In Part 1 of this 2-part interview, we discuss Bob joining up, learning to fly the PT-19, the BT-13, the UC-78, the B-25, and finally get...

David and Lindsey Goss run the fantastic GossHawk Unlimted in Casa Grande, Arizona. There they build incredible warbirds like Fw-190s (see part 1!) and care for the world's last airworthy Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer. Join us as Lindsey shows us around the Privateer and find out how you, if you are an engineer, are wanted at GossHawk ★Listen to part 1 here: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/bu...

Father and daughter team David and Lindsey Goss run one of the world's leading warbird restoration and maintenance companies, GossHawk Unlimited. Back in February, they kindly welcomed us to have a tour around the shop, learn about how GossHawk came about and, this week, what goes into rebuilding Focke-Wulf Fw-190s. Next week, we tour the world's last airworthy Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer. Watch...

When filmmaker Mary Haverstick started pre-production on a film about the Mercury 13, which selected and tested women for spaceflight, she knew the key was the legendary Jerrie Cobb. Mary's relationship with Cobb led to her uncovering much more about the aviator and a trail that led to the CIA and the Kennedy assassination. Mary's 10-year journey resulted in her book, A Woman I Know , which chroni...

SOFIA, the Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy, was a joint program by NASA and the German Space Agency at DLR which put a 2.5m reflecting telescope in the back of an ex-Pan Am Beoing 747SP. Dr Dörte Mehlert, head of education and public relations at the German SOFIA Institute (DSI), joins us to take us through the incredible discoveries SOFIA made. ★NASA's SOFIA Mission Page: https:/...

The oldest Boeing B-52 Stratoforetress in the world, 52-0003 "The High and Mighty One", has just been lovingly restored at the  Pima Air and Space Museum and is now on public display once again. On our recent visit, Matt and aircraft designer Joe Wilding (who is also a fabulous Damcasteer on Patreon) were allowed to crawl around the aircraft and check out the time capsule that is the X-15 Mothers...

On the 80th Anniversary of the last major RAF Bomber Command attack on Aachen (11/12 April 1944), Dr Philip Blood returns to discuss the raid that lasted all of 7 minutes. For those on the ground, it would be seven minutes in hell. Phil takes us through the raid and the implications of the orders for it, as well as the wider context that has become a major part of his new book, War Comes to Aachen...

Convair's B-36 Peacemaker was intended as an intercontinental bomber and was the size of a small continent. Join us for this bonus episode as the Pima Air and Space Museum's CEO, Scott Marchand, as he tells us the tale behind the museum's monstrous B-36J 52-2827 “City of Fort Worth”. Get the latest from the Pima Air and Space Museum through the links below: ★Visit the Pima Air and Space Museum’s w...

We return to the 390th Bomb Group Memorial Museum to tour their Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress 'I'll Be Around' with the museum's Business and Operation Manager Alex Chambers and Executive Director Bill Buckingham. While this B-17 didn't see combat, her service history makes her a unique survivor. We then head upstairs with Director of Archives and Collections Keith Cook to check out the museum's re...

This week, we explore the fascinating background of aircraft that have undergone restoration, rebuild, or are newly built, focusing on their representation in museums and the complexity of their historical authenticity. We highlight the stories of four specific aircraft in the museum's collection: the Bristol Bolingbroke, the Curtiss P-40E Warhawk, a P-51 Mustang, a Hawker Hurricane and a B-24J Li...

Friend of the show Joe Wilding returns to discuss the first aircraft we worked on as an aircraft designer, the Adam A500. Conceived as a composite business aircraft, Joe takes us through the process that went into the design and the features, and issues, the aircraft faced. Images: Erik Johnson ★Follow Joe on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/joe_wilding ★Check out 909 Apparel 's full range of great...

Pima's Director of Collections, Andrew Boehly, takes us on an in-depth look at the Pima Air and Space Museum's vast collection and brings out some of the hidden gems of the Pima collection. Also, Boney realises he's been doing something silly... ★Check out 909 Apparel 's full range of great aviation-themed t-shirts, hoodies and more here: https://linktr.ee/909apparelco Get the latest from the Pima...