The UK Airshow Review Podcast

The UKAR Podcast team travelled to Sywell Aerodrome in Northamptonshire to sit down with Richard Grace, Director and Chief Engineer of Ultimate Warbird Flights, to discuss his upcoming show for this season, Sywell 2024. Having expressed so much excitement over the last few episodes for this we were lucky to have the opportunity to chat with Richard about what the show is going to look like and wha...

Our final episode (that we recorded) of 2023 is here and it's the first one in a long time where we have the whole gang together! We have a quick Christmas gift roundup, look overseas to a couple of exciting Danish announcements and then chat about the disappointing news that there will be no Flying Legends in 2024. We also discuss the exciting build up for the Sywell 2024 show. To read our report...

The guys sit down to discuss the 2024 season ahead, and some of the more newsworthy participation updates at Old Warden, Midlands Air Festival, and RIAT. To read our reports, features and interviews from years past, head to www.airshows.co.uk If you want to join the discussion, you can head to our forums at forums.airshows.co.uk All views and opinions expressed are those of the individuals and not...

It's been a while since we did a "normal" episode like this, but we sit down with some cold brewskis and chat about our 2023 airshow season, we have a look forward to 2024 and the possibility of a big D-Day event, and Tom tells us about his spotting trip to Japan! To read our reports, features and interviews from years past, head to www.airshows.co.uk If you want to join the discussion, you can he...

In this guest episode, we are joined by Graham Buckle, volunteer aircraft restorer at Yorkshire Air Museum and UKAR forum blogger, to talk about the Meteor NF.14 WS788 restoration he works on! We discuss the world of restoring and preserving airframes, the trials and tribulations involved therein and a bit about the museum itself as well as the history of Meteors! You can keep up to date on the re...

We're joined this episode by a name you probably recognise - Rich Cooper, aviation photographer, journalist and founder of the Centre of Aviation Photography. He tells us about his life of enthusiasm for aviation, the span of his career and all about COAP, including the brand new COAP Online community website. You can find COAP Online at https://coaponline.com/. To read our reports, features and i...

In our 60th episode we're talking to pilot Ellie Carter, initially famous for breaking into the scene schooling some U-2 pilots on their aeroplane at age 9, who has gone on through an early whirlwind aviation career to now fly Piper L4H Cub 480015 (G-AKIB). We chat about how she got that remarkable experience, what it took to get into aviation so young and how she has found being a woman and young...

The show we spent all year talking about has finally been and gone, and we have t h o u g h t s about it. Sam and Tom are joined by fellow UKAR staffer Jakub to discuss the show, before Jakub gives us his review on the brand new Flying Legends at Church Fenton. Both our full, written reviews are online now too! To read our reports, features and interviews from years past, head to www.airshows.co.u...

There's an tinge of excitement in the air in episode 58 - our Air Tattoo preview. Sam, Tom and Ian discuss all things RIAT in the run up to the biggest show of the year, even for the more 'hardened' enthusiast/cosplayer. We apologise for any disappointment if you actually meet any of us in person this year. To read our reports, features and interviews from years past, head to www.airshows.co.uk If...

Podcast regular Nigel joins us again to discuss the first major UK show of the year, RAF Cosford Air Show. A little bit of a maligned show but with plenty of positives, we get the thoughts on that before Dan and Sam chat about the Italian Air Force's 100th Anniversary show at Pratica di Mare. To read our reports, features and interviews from years past, head to www.airshows.co.uk If you want to jo...

Episode 56 opens with a couple of airshow reviews from the 2023 season from Dom and Sam, discussing Midlands Air Festival and Shuttleworth's Round the World airshow. We then discuss one of the newer additions to the hobby scene in the last ten years, the commercial air-to-air photography scene, aka the Skyvans. To read our reports, features and interviews from years past, head to www.airshows.co.u...

Episode 55 was recorded right after the baffling announcement of the Argentine Air Force 737 "Islas Malvinas" participation at RIAT 2023 - we discuss our reaction to this very strange announcement, before wandering into musings on what actually makes a 'vintage' RIAT (or really any airshow) before bemoaning Cosford's total lack of communications about theirs. D-Day Squadron Kickstarter: https://ww...

In episode 54 we talk about the massive update for one of the biggest airshows of the year (Largs Viking Festival), Dan's Lossiemouth spotting and Charles Windsor's Coronation flypast. To read our reports, features and interviews from years past, head to www.airshows.co.uk If you want to join the discussion, you can head to our forums at forums.airshows.co.uk All views and opinions expressed are t...

In this Easter Episode we've got together to chat about the latest airshow news in the UK and abroad as well as tackle the issue of flares at airshows - the countermeasure variety, rather than the trousers, that is. To read our reports, features and interviews from years past, head to www.airshows.co.uk If you want to join the discussion, you can head to our forums at forums.airshows.co.uk All vie...

It's a duet special! Just Sam and Ian get together for this episode to chat planes. We go over the first RIAT updates of the year, go through the stern warning for enthusiasts from Peter Reoch and discuss the absolute burst-through-the-wall announcement of Flying Legends returning in 2023 - but on the same weekend as RIAT! To read our reports, features and interviews from years past, head to www.a...

In our first episode of 2023 we chat about our winter, the upcoming 2023 season, the aviation movie Devotion and the shock announcement that the Blades aerobatic team are to disband. To read our reports, features and interviews from years past, head to www.airshows.co.uk If you want to join the discussion, you can head to our forums at forums.airshows.co.uk All views and opinions expressed are tho...

It's our very own Golden Jubilee! Our first live, in-person recording (so, please forgive the sound issues with this episode....) sees us at the RAF Museum Midlands almost all together to chat about the 2022 airshow season and the latest XH558 news (at the time), while Tom gives us a review of the Zeltweg Airpower show. To read our reports, features and interviews from years past, head to https://...

In this, the 49th episode we've recorded, we wax lyrical about the awful, meaningless, expensive tat we've bought at airshows over the years. We also do a short quiz which may not be the most entertaining thing you've ever listened to. To read our reports, features and interviews from years past, head to https://www.airshows.co.uk If you want to join the discussion, you can head to our forums at h...

In this episode we chatted to Mike Ling MBE - former RAF fast jet pilot, Red Arrows pilot and commentator and currently a member of the Blades aerobatic display team. This fascinating listen goes into Mike's route into the RAF, how he joined the Red Arrows and the unusual and sometimes tragic circumstances that kept him in the team for so long as well as the transition to civilian life and airshow...

Sam, on his lonesome, is joined by the lead display pilot of the Bronco Demo Team, Tony de Bruyn, to talk all things Bronco, what it's like to display an OV-10, how he got into aviation and much more. There's some Bronco surprises in store! To read our reports, features and interviews from years past, head to https://www.airshows.co.uk If you want to join the discussion, you can head to our forums...

It's the first ever post-RIAT episode we've got to do on the podcast! After an astonishingly good Air Tattoo we share our thoughts, memories, our feelings, and reminisce on a brilliant airshow. We go through our highlights of the show, what really stood out to us, how it felt to be back on that hallowed tarmac at RAF Fairford. We also talk about chatting to the crews again and why RIAT has that vi...

It's actually RIAT week! We've been chatting about it for months and now it's finally here. We build the hype with a short show to get you in the mood. We'll be back after Fairford with a debrief episode - say hi if you see us there! To read our reports, features and interviews from years past, head to https://www.airshows.co.uk If you want to join the discussion, you can head to our forums at htt...

This episode we react to the Air Tattoo's sudden and shocking price hikes of the FRIAT ticket just two weeks before the show - as well as finally give our thoughts on a certain plane-related movie that came out recently. To read our reports, features and interviews from years past, head to https://www.airshows.co.uk If you want to join the discussion, you can head to our forums at https://forums.a...

Tom, Dom and Skygod (Dan)discuss the first marquee event of the summer - RAF Cosford Air Show. We give our reaction to the event as well as discuss a few other av-items of note. To read our reports, features and interviews from years past, head to https://www.airshows.co.uk If you want to join the discussion, you can head to our forums at https://forums.airshows.co.uk

Dan, Dom and Sam get together to chat about their aviation goings on - Dom reviews Midlands Air Festival, Sam describes going to see the Platty Joobs flypast and Dan breaks some good news... To read our reports, features and interviews from years past, head to https://www.airshows.co.uk If you want to join the discussion, you can head to our forums at https://forums.airshows.co.uk