The UK Airshow Review Podcast

Airshow-goers at Yeovilton International Air Day 2017 will remember the extraordinary French Navy Rafale M pairs display that stole the show and won the Best Fixed Wing Display Award. We speak to Até, the lead pilot of that display and French Navy combat veteran, about his career in the navy, the tough world of carrier aviation, airshow displaying and what he's up to now after leaving the military...

This week our guest on the podcast is someone most listeners will probably have seen at an airshow, seaside or flypast in the last few years leading the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, best known to the world as the Red Arrows. We chatted with Squadron Leader Martin Pert, Red 1 and team leader of the Red Arrows, about their North American tour of 2019 as well as how they've faced and met the chall...

As mentioned on previous episodes, our own Dan Ledwood used to fly for Flybe before they went into administration. We got him to tell us about the route he took to becoming a commercial pilot - learning to fly, getting his CPL and what it was like actually flying passengers around. This is a very personal episode that will be of interest to anyone looking to go into the world of commercial aviatio...

We discuss two of the weekend's main events in this episode: the arrival and departure of the world's largest aircraft, the Antonov An-225 Mriya at Prestwick and the Shuttleworth Collection's At the Movies drive-in show. To read our reports, features and interviews now that airshows are a thing again, head to https://www.airshows.co.uk If you want to join the discussion, you can head to our forums...

In this return to the regular weekly format, Ian, Sam and Tom chat about that most fundamental aspect of the hobby - photography. Especially over lockdown we've been going back to old albums and bringing them up to date with our current editing knowledge, and that got us talking about airshow photography in general. Tom also provides some totally-not-legally-binding-or-court-admissible advice abou...

After the whirlwind releases of RIAT week we have a short episode for you today. Dom, Dan and Sam had a very quick chat about our thoughts on the Virtual Air Tattoo which was hosted online in place of the regular and cancelled RIAT this year. We also briefly looked at the successful Old Warden Drive-in Show. To read our reports, features and interviews from back when airshows were a thing, head to...

We have yet another special guest from the airshow world on the podcast this episode in the form of Peter Reoch. Pete was formerly the Operations Manager for Cosford Air Show but took over in 2021 from Tom Gibbons as Head of Air Ops at the Royal International Air Tattoo. We spoke to Pete about his career, how he got the job at the biggest military air show in the world and the unfortunate reality...

What better to mark our tenth episode, in the week that RIAT itself would have taken place this year, than to have genuine airshow royalty on the show? We speak to Tim Prince, one of the original co-founders of what was in 1971 the Embassy Air Tattoo and until 2014 the CEO of the RAF Charitable Trust Enterprises, about all things RIAT past, present and future, what he's been up to since stepping d...

Episode 9 of The UK Airshow Review Podcast brings on another special guest whose voice will be instantly recognisable to almost any UK airshow goer. Ben Dunnell can very comfortably be described as the "voice" of the British airshow and he came on the podcast to chat about his role as a show commentator as well as his full-time job as editor of Aeroplane magazine. We also briefly chat about the Sh...

Join us as we jump in the DeLorean and have a look back at the airshows of yore with fellow UKAR team member Nigel Watson. Nige gives us youngsters an idea of what shows in the distant past were like, how much has changed over the decades, and we have a crack at deciding if the shows of the old days really were better than today or not. Between us we also look back at our own first airshow memorie...

This week's episode sees Ian, Sam and Dom chatting to the podcast's first special guest. The Swiss Air Force's PC-7 TEAM have been displaying on the airshow circuit for over 30 years now and are recognised for the precision and gracefulness of their airborne routines. All the pilots that fly in the team are also full-time fighter pilots with the Swiss Air Force. The team's leader, Major Cyril "Joh...

Episode 6 of The UK Airshow Review Podcast comes hot on the excellent news that RIAT would be putting on a Virtual Air Tattoo on their intended weekend and the awful news that Bruntingthorpe will probably be closing to their classic jet stables. We talk about both, and, worryingly, bowel movements. You can follow the Buccaneer Aviation Group https://www.facebook.com/Tbagbruntingthorpe. The fundrai...

With a man down this week airshow industry "experts" Sam, Dan, Dom and Tom talk about some new additions to the UK warbird scene, the announcement that the RAF Typhoon Display would not be this year and have a retrospective on the biggest event of 2019, the Daks over Normandy events. We also chat about the ins and outs of moderating a large and active forum such as UKAR's. To read our reports, fea...

In episode 4 of The UK Airshow Review Podcast we check in on how we're all coping with lockdown, and Dan gives us an idea of how the commercial aviation world is faring through the COVID-19 crisis. We also talk about how we first joined the UKAR staff team and elaborate on what writing reviews of airshows involves and what the hardest shows to write about really are. To read our reports, features...

Episode 3 of the UK Airshow Review Podcast sees us talking about one of the most significant forces in the hobby today: social media. There's no doubt that social media has had a big impact on the hobby as it has on the rest of the world. We discuss the pros and cons of social media and what, if anything, we've got out of it. To read our reports, features and interviews from back when airshows wer...

In the first episode of our brand-new podcast, five of the UKAR writing team get together to discuss the non-start of the UK airshow season due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. We discuss how the loss of the season build up and that first weekend has impacted us this year and look at the disappearance of classic jets from the UK scene. To read our reports, features and interviews from back when ai...

In this episode we chat about whether going spotting in the COVID-19 climate is a good idea in light of government restrictions being somewhat lifted in England shortly before we recorded. We also discuss the organiser and display team usage of photography from areas that are forbidden to enthusiasts during displays and our own “Loopers” Ian and Tom tell us about the low-Level flying photography c...

The New Year has brought a fresh crisis at Vulcan To The Sky Trust in Doncaster. Not even a year-and-a-half on from XH558's final flight, the aircraft has been moved from its publicly-accessible hangar and into storage, with the Trust desperately needing £200,000 to enable it to restructure and move forward with sustainability. In this eagerly-awaited special edition of UKAR's popular podcast, Dan...

After a lengthy hiatus, UKAR's much-loved Display Frequency returns with a programme of huge interest to anyone with a fondness for First World War aviation. Dan O'Hagan met up with David Bremner, part of the team behind the reproduction build of a Bristol Scout, incorporating a number of original parts from his grandfather's wartime machine. The completed aircraft appeared as a static attraction...

In a special edition of UKAR's popular podcast, Dan O'Hagan meets 87 year-old veteran of World War II Ray Griffiths. Among the subjects covered are Ray's time in the Air Training Corps, surviving the Blitz, and how failing his RAF eye test led to him taking part in the Allied ground assault on Germany, and fighting in the last major land battle of the European war - at the Teutoburger Wald.

Episode Six of UKAR's iTunes smash is a fitting way to round off Display Frequency's first year. Dan O'Hagan travelled to RAF Coningsby in early December to produce a show featuring the past and present of our nation's air power. First, we meet the 2013 Typhoon display pilot, Flt Lt Jamie Norris, who reveals plenty about what's gone into the most eagerly-anticipated RAF fast jet routine in years....

In this episode of Display Frequency, Dan O'Hagan is joined by UKAR reporter Peter Reoch to discuss the EAA Airventure show at Oshkosh, including an exclusive interview with Sea Harrier owner and operator Art Nalls, in which he makes an amazing revelation. There's also an in-depth look at the Great War Display Team with Robb Metcalfe, and your chance to win a copy of Keith Wilson's new book "The R...

Episode Four of Display Frequency is a RIAT special. The commentary team, including our own Dan O'Hagan, with Ben Dunnell and Spiv Gair present a programme previewing one of the most high-quality RIAT line-ups in years. The podcast features interviews with the Korean Black Eagles, as well as participants from Norway, Belgium and our own Royal Air Force, plus there's a special behind-the-scenes loo...

Display Frequency's third instalment is a bumper show, weighing in at over an hour - perfect for the Sunday morning drive to an airshow! Andrew Panton gives us the latest news on the plans to return Avro Lancaster NX611 "Just Jane" to the skies, and we've an extensive preview of the unveiling of the new national memorial to Bomber Command. Aviation journalist Ben Dunnell tells us about his comment...

Display Frequency's second episode features Dan O'Hagan's exclusive interview with Dr Robert Pleming of the Vulcan to the Sky Trust, speaking at length about the twin engine failure suffered on 28th May and the implications this has on the Vulcan's short and long-term future. We also hear from Andre Tempest, owner of Victor XL231 at Elvington, and preview the shows at Cosford and Old Buckenham in...