The Aviation Show

Air Vice Marshall Don Bennett CB, CBE, DSO was a singular man. His story of leading the Path Finder Force in the Second World War has gone down in legend. But what led him to that command? Ian Campbell, curator of the Bennett/Vial Archive at the Queensland Air Museum, has published the first volume of his biography of Bennett, Relentless Skies, which is superb. Ian joins us to discuss Bennett's life and career as we look at the making of the man who would become one of the RAF's foremost commanders.

Relentless Skies: Volume 1 - The Most Efficient Airman (1910-1942) by Ian Campbell is out now! Buy your copy from The Damcasters bookshop and support the pod (UK only): https://uk.bookshop.org/a/11015/9781923020641

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✈️Get the latest from the Pima Air and Space Museum by following their socials!

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👕Get your aviation on with 909

Apparel today! Check out their website here: https://www.909apparel.com/

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The Damcasters © 2024 by Matt Bone is licensed under Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International

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00:00 Introduction

01:43 The Author's Perspective

05:33 Exploring Don's Early Life

09:13 The Transition to Aviation

12:02 The Challenge of Writing

17:02 Understanding Don's Character

19:28 The Relationship with Risk

22:33 Capturing Don's Early Years

26:08 The Path to Aviation Career

36:24 The Arrival of Arthur Harris

41:01 Achievements and Licenses

43:17 Conclusion

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How did cultural perceptions influence Western assessments of Japanese military potential? Justin Pyke joins us to discuss the Allies' capabilities assessments of Japan in the years before hostilities started in December 1941. Join us as we delve into the intelligence failures and misconceptions that contributed to the underestimation of Japanese air power leading up to World War II.

Join us on BlueSky!

Justin Pyke - https://bsky.app/profile/justinpykehistory.bsky.social

The Damcasters - https://bsky.app/profile/damcasterspod.com

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🛫Become a Damcasteer today on Patreon! Join from just £3+VAT a month to get ad-free episodes, chat with Matt and a welcome pack. Click here for more info: https://www.patreon.com/thedamcasters

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✈️Get the latest from the Pima Air and Space Museum by following their socials!

Website: https://pimaair.org/

https://www.facebook.com/PimaAirAndSpace

https://www.instagram.com/pimaair

https://x.com/pimaair

https://www.youtube.com/c/PimaAirSpaceMuseum

👕Get your aviation on with 909

Apparel today! Check out their website here: https://www.909apparel.com/

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The Damcasters © 2024 by Matt Bone is licensed under Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International

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00:00 Intro and 100th Episode!

02:44 Understanding Capability Assessments

13:28 Japan's Aviation Development Post-WWI

19:46 Role of Military Attachés in Intelligence

28:05 Impact of Foreign Assistance on Japanese Aviation

33:58 Cultural Perceptions and National Characteristics

41:00 Conclusions on Pre-War Assessments

51:54 Japanese Aviation Development in the 1930s

59:15 Observations from the China Conflict

1:10:04 Misconceptions and Intelligence Failures

1:20:24 Outro

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🛫Visit the Ekster website today via my partner link: https://partner.ekster.com/Damcasterspod and use my code THEDAMCASTERS to get up to a 55% discount in the Ekster Black Friday Sale!!!

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Join us for Part 2 of our look at the Combat Bullseye tests with author Chris Gibson. Phase 2 of Combat Bullseye would see the Covair B-58 Hustler used as a conventional bombing platform as both a pathfinder and solo bomber. But, another aircraft was looming on the horizon, the General Dynamics F-111A. This would be the Hustler's last chance to prove itself and be deployed to Southeast Asia.

🛩️Check out The Aviation Historian here: https://www.theaviationhistorian.com/

🛩️Buy Chris Gibson's latest book, They Also Served - RAF Reconnaissance and Support Projects since 1945 here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/11015/9781800353084

Head to the Boney Abroad Bookshop today! 10% of each sale (UK Only) goes to supporting the podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/boneyabroad

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🛫Become a Damcasteer today on Patreon! Join from just £3+VAT a month to get ad-free episodes, chat with Matt and a welcome pack. Click here for more info: https://www.patreon.com/thedamcasters

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✈️Get the latest from the Pima Air and Space Museum by following their socials!

Website: https://pimaair.org/

https://www.facebook.com/PimaAirAndSpace

https://www.instagram.com/pimaair

https://x.com/pimaair

https://www.youtube.com/c/PimaAirSpaceMuseum

👕Get your aviation on with 909

Apparel today! Check out their website here: https://www.909apparel.com/

-----------------------------------------------------

The Damcasters © 2024 by Matt Bone is licensed under Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International

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00:00 Intro and Ekster Ad Read

02:30 The Hustler as Formation Bomber

08:16 The Hustler as Conventional Bomber

20:01 Solving TAC's SEAD Problem

25:19 B-1 Segway!

30:37 Potential B-58 Deployment

41:27 Wrap Up and Become a Damcasteer!

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🛫Visit the Ekster website today via my partner link: https://partner.ekster.com/Damcasterspod and use my code THEDAMCASTERS to get up to a 55% discount in the Ekster Black Friday Sale!!!

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Join us for Part 1 of our look at the Combat Bullseye tests with author Chris Gibson. In 1967, the US Air Force's Tactical Air Command reached out to their counterpart in the Strategic Air Command for some help. Bombing results in North Vietnam were poor, and the F-4s, F-100s and F-105s were suffering losses. Could SAC's speedy Convair B-58 Hustler be the answer? The Combat Bullseye tests would find out.

🛩️Check out The Aviation Historian here: https://www.theaviationhistorian.com/

🛩️Buy Chris Gibson's latest book, They Also Served - RAF Reconnaissance and Support Projects since 1945 here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/11015/9781800353084

Head to the Boney Abroad Bookshop today! 10% of each sale (UK Only) goes to supporting the podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/boneyabroad

-----------------------------------------------------

🛫Become a Damcasteer today on Patreon! Join from just £3+VAT a month to get ad-free episodes, chat with Matt and a welcome pack. Click here for more info: https://www.patreon.com/thedamcasters

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✈️Get the latest from the Pima Air and Space Museum by following their socials!

Website: https://pimaair.org/

https://www.facebook.com/PimaAirAndSpace

https://www.instagram.com/pimaair

https://x.com/pimaair

https://www.youtube.com/c/PimaAirSpaceMuseum

👕Get your aviation on with 909

Apparel today! Check out their website here: https://www.909apparel.com/

-----------------------------------------------------

The Damcasters © 2024 by Matt Bone is licensed under Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International

-----------------------------------------------------

00:00 Intro and Ekster Ad Read

03:13 TAC's Situation in Vietnam

08:40 Combat Bullseye Begins

12:58 Enter The Hustler!

22:18 The Birth of the Slime Light

25:37 Fighting Together

33:27 Preview of Part 2 - The Conventional Hustler

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🛫Become a Damcasteer today on Patreon! Join from just £3+VAT a month to get ad-free episodes, chat with Matt and a welcome pack. Click here for more info: https://www.patreon.com/thedamcasters

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Welcome to a new show on The Damcasters, where Andy Wright of Aircrew Book Review and I will discuss the latest in aviation books!

🛩️Check out the Aircrew Book Review site here: https://aircrewbookreview.blogspot.com/

🛩️Join the Aircrew Book Review Facebook Group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/aircrewbookreview/

🛩️Follow Andy on Twitter/X here: https://x.com/aircrewbookrevu

Book Review 1 - Stanford Tuck by Helen Doe

Book Review 2 - From Biplanes to Fast Jets by Ken Aedy

Book Review 3 - Solo 2 Darwin by Amanda Harrison

Book Review 4 - Admiral VAT Smith by Graeme Lunn

Book Preview - Relentless Skies by Ian Campbell

Head to the Boney Abroad Bookshop to grab your copy of all the books we discussed today! 10% of each sale (UK Only) goes to supporting the podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/boneyabroad

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✈️Get the latest from the Pima Air and Space Museum by following their socials!

Website: https://pimaair.org/

https://www.facebook.com/PimaAirAndSpace

https://www.instagram.com/pimaair

https://x.com/pimaair

https://www.youtube.com/c/PimaAirSpaceMuseum

-----------------------------------------------------

👕Get your aviation on with 909

Apparel today! Check out their website here: https://www.909apparel.com/

-----------------------------------------------------

The Damcasters © 2024 by Matt Bone is licensed under Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International

-----------------------------------------------------

00:00 Intro

02:22 What does a Book Editor Do?

28:35 Book Review 1 - Stanford Tuck

35:03 Book Review 2 - From Biplane to Fast Jets

39:46 Book Review 3 - Solo 2 Darwin

44:22 Book Review 4 - Admiral VAT Smith

49:12 Book Preview - Relentless Skies

58:30 Wrap Up

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Join us for Part 3 of our series on Boeing's Fortresses, the evergreen B-52 Stratofortress!

🛩️Watch all of our Boeing's Fortresses mini-series as they drop here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpytFew7euhmG92JX9NVUkl4ZbgZ7VmSU

🛩️Check out Ben Skipper's first visit to The Damcasters on Civil Aviation's First 100 Years right here: https://www.thedamcasterspod.com/podcast/100-years-of-civil-aviation-with-ben-skipper/

🛩️Buy Ben's Flight Craft books from Pen and Sword at The Damcasters Bookshop (UK Only) here: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/boneyabroad

👉Follow Ben on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/WriteBenSkipper

👉Follow Ben on Bluesky here: https://bsky.app/profile/benskipper.bsky.social

👉Visit Ben's Fallout Substack here: https://fallout.substack.com/

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✈️Get the latest from the Pima Air and Space Museum by following their socials!

Website: https://pimaair.org/

https://www.facebook.com/PimaAirAndSpace

https://www.instagram.com/pimaair

https://x.com/pimaair

https://www.youtube.com/c/PimaAirSpaceMuseum

👕Get your aviation on with 909

Apparel today! Check out their website here: https://www.909apparel.com/

-----------------------------------------------------

🛫Become a Damcasteer today on Patreon! Join from just £3+VAT a month to get ad-free episodes, chat with Matt and a welcome pack. Click here for more info: https://www.patreon.com/thedamcasters

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The Damcasters © 2024 by Matt Bone is licensed under Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International

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00:00 Introduction

03:31 The Road to the Forever Bomber

23:33 The Sublime B-47 Stratojet

45:45 The Competition from the B-1

56:37 The New Engines

75:55 Conclusion to Boeing's Fortresses

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Join us for Part 2 of our series on Boeing's Fortresses, the remarkable B-29 Superfortress! Ordered from Boeing's drawing board and costing $3b in 1940s money, the delivery system for the atomic bomb cost even more than the weapon itself. But that is only part of the remarkable tale Ben Skipper has to share with us.

🛩️Catch all the Boeing's Fortresses Mini-Series as they drop here: https://www.thedamcasterspod.com/tag/boeing-fortresses/

🛩️Check out Ben Skipper's first visit to The Damcasters on Civil Aviation's First 100 Years right here: https://www.thedamcasterspod.com/podcast/100-years-of-civil-aviation-with-ben-skipper/

🛩️Buy Ben's Flight Craft books from Pen and Sword at The Damcasters Bookshop (UK Only) here: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/boneyabroad

👉Follow Ben on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/WriteBenSkipper

👉Follow Ben on Bluesky here: https://bsky.app/profile/benskipper.bsky.social

👉Visit Ben's Fallout Substack here: https://fallout.substack.com/

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✈️Get the latest from the Pima Air and Space Museum by following their socials!

Website: https://pimaair.org/

https://www.facebook.com/PimaAirAndSpace

https://www.instagram.com/pimaair

https://x.com/pimaair

https://www.youtube.com/c/PimaAirSpaceMuseum

👕Get your aviation on with 909 Apparel today! Check out their website here: https://www.909apparel.com/

-----------------------------------------------------

🛫Become a Damcasteer today on Patreon! Join from just £3+VAT a month to get ad-free episodes, chat with Matt and a welcome pack. Click here for more info: https://www.patreon.com/thedamcasters

-----------------------------------------------------

The Damcasters © 2024 by Matt Bone is licensed under Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International

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00:00 Introduction

02:12 The B-29's Origins

08:58 Design Challenges

13:52 Curtis LeMay Returns

21:16 The Battle of Kansas

24:20 Engine Issues and Production

30:48 Flying The Hump

34:17 Psychological Impact on Japan

42:33 Special Weapons

49:26 Hiroshima and Nagasaki

63:27 Legacy of the B-29

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Join us for Part 1 of our series on Boeing's Fortresses, the incredible B-17 Flying Fortress!

🛩️Check out Ben Skipper's first visit to The Damcasters on Civil Aviation's First 100 Years right here: https://youtu.be/upQyb-yEvzc

🛩️Catch all the Boeing's Fortresses Mini-Series as they drop here: https://www.thedamcasterspod.com/tag/boeing-fortresses/

🛩️Buy Ben's Flight Craft books from Pen and Sword at The Damcasters Bookshop (UK Only) here: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/boneyabroad

👉Follow Ben on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/WriteBenSkipper

👉Follow Ben on Bluesky here: https://bsky.app/profile/benskipper.bsky.social

👉Visit Ben's Fallout Substack here: https://fallout.substack.com/

-----------------------------------------------------

✈️Get the latest from the Pima Air and Space Museum by following their socials!

Website: https://pimaair.org/

https://www.facebook.com/PimaAirAndSpace

https://www.instagram.com/pimaair

https://x.com/pimaair

https://www.youtube.com/c/PimaAirSpaceMuseum

👕Get your aviation on with 909

Apparel today! Check out their website here: https://www.909apparel.com/

-----------------------------------------------------

🛫Become a Damcasteer today on Patreon! Join from just £3+VAT a month to get ad-free episodes, chat with Matt and a welcome pack. Click here for more info: https://www.patreon.com/thedamcasters

-----------------------------------------------------

The Damcasters © 2024 by Matt Bone is licensed under Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International

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00:00 Introduction

06:09 The Flightcraft Series Explained

10:12 The Road to the B-17

16:07 The B-17 in RAF Service

20:25 USAAF Arrives in England

28:40 B-17 in Combat

30:48 The B-17's Adaptability

43:45 B-17 Variants

50:13 The B-17's Legacy

59:44 Conclusion and B-29 Teaser

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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. NOTE: I made this a full-numbered episode in the end!

★Get the latest from the Pima Air and Space Museum by following their socials!

Website: https://pimaair.org/

https://www.facebook.com/PimaAirAndSpace

https://www.instagram.com/pimaair

https://x.com/pimaair

https://www.youtube.com/c/PimaAirSpaceMuseum

★Become a Damcasteer today on Patreon! Join from just £3+VAT a month to get ad-free episodes, chat with Matt and a welcome pack. Click here for more info: https://www.patreon.com/thedamcasters

The Damcasters © 2024 by Matt Bone is licensed under Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International

00:00 The Duxford Dilemma: A Community in Conflict

09:42 Navigating Online Discourse in Aviation

17:48 The Future of Aviation Museums and Community Engagement

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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 Damcasters bookshop here (10% of each purchase supports the pod) UK only: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/11015/9780857506566

★Follow Al on Twitter/ X here: https://x.com/almurray

★Follow Al on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/thealmurray/

★Check out the Walking The Ground YouTube channel here:  @WW2WalkingTheGround 

★Listen to Stanley Maxted's BBC report from Arnhem during the 3rd Lift here: https://open.spotify.com/track/5foDTOMqjvpSmb1a16IxyY?si=d3a8345a19cf4c86

★Get your 909 Apparel now! https://www.909apparel.com/

★Get the latest from the Pima Air and Space Museum by following their socials!

Website: https://pimaair.org/

https://www.facebook.com/PimaAirAndSpace

https://www.instagram.com/pimaair

https://x.com/pimaair

https://www.youtube.com/c/PimaAirSpaceMuseum

★Become a Damcasteer today on Patreon! Join from just £3+VAT a month to get ad-free episodes, chat with Matt and a welcome pack. Click here for more info: https://www.patreon.com/thedamcasters

The Damcasters © 2024 by Matt Bone is licensed under Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International

00:00 Introduction

02:03 Al Murray - Why Arnhem?

05:40 Writing Black Tuesday

14:08 Lack of Airpower Over Arnhem

21:34 38 Group - RAF Transport Command

26:07 Pima Visit Ad - VC-118 Liftmaster

29:27 38 Group's War Con't

33:37 The Failed 2nd Lift

37:57 The 3rd Lift

40:36 David Lord's VC

52:35 The Book Escapes

59:20 Wrap Up and Become a Damcasteer!

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