Xtended

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 us to talk about his latest book, ‘Flying through the Ranks: The Extraordinary Experiences of Airmen to Air Marshals from the Cold War to the Gulf’, his own flying experiences and how he discovered the real story behind his father’s World War 2 flying career.

You can get a signed copy directly from ‘Black’ through his website.

Recorded 24th September 2024

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, there were over 400 aircraft losses within a 15-mile radius of Brackley. 

Recorded 3rd September 2024

For full show notes please visit:

https://aviation-xtended.co.uk/

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 

Contact Us: [email protected]

For full show notes please visit www.aviation-xtended.co.uk

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 arrived in Coventry.

Recorded 29th July 2024 

Contact Us: [email protected]

For full show notes please visit aviation-xtended.co.uk

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 drug running in the Caribbean. This feature is a fitting conclusion to the Cold War Coastal Command series and a real insight to the strategic thinking behind Nimrod operations.

Recorded 17th July 2024

Contact Us: [email protected]

For full show notes and previous chapters visit https://aviation-xtended.co.uk/

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".

Ken Bannister joins me today to talk about The Maid of Moray, his RAF career with the Nimrod and to help us better understand the Nimrods capabilities as an

Hear how the crew tracked Soviet ‘Alpha’ Class submarines by listening for the frequency of their fridges!

Recorded 10th July 2024

Contact Us: [email protected]

XV250

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We are grateful to the Yorkshire Air Museum for the use of this short audio insert

Coastal Command Series

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·      EP.128:

·      EP.127 – COASTAL COMMAND CHAPTER 4: STRIKE WINGS

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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 2024

Contact Us: [email protected]

You can buy a copy of 'Nimrod's Genesis' and help both Xtended and local UK Bookshopsthrough this link https://uk.bookshop.org/a/11161/9781902109473

Chris Gibson

Nimrod's Genesis: RAF Maritime Patrol Projects and Weapons Since 1945 https://www.crecy.co.uk/nimrod-s-genesis

For all episodes of our Costal Command series visit www.aviation-xtended.co.uk

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

Recorded 25th July 2024

Contact Us: [email protected]

Shackleton WR693

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Costal Command Series

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·      EP.128:

·      EP.127 – COASTAL COMMAND CHAPTER 4: STRIKE WINGS

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Please leave us a review on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or your podcast playing app. Here is a link to all the pod players https://pod.link/1611149544  

Aviation Xtended Partners

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In this feature we talk to Ian Chisolm, Secretary of the Coastal Command and Maritime Air Association, about the RAF’s Avro Shackleton.

Ian logged over 3,000 hours as an Air Electronics Officer (AEO) in charge of a team of five SNCO Air Electronics Operators who manned the Radio, Radar and Underwater Acoustics systems as well as the 20mm Hispano cannons fitted in the nose turret and the pyrotechnics launchers for the night illumination system.

Hear what it was like on those long, arduous, noisy missions in the ‘Old Grey Lady’.

Recorded 7th July 2024

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Ian Chisolm

Costal Command Series

Please leave us a review on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or your podcast playing app. Here is a link to all the pod players: https://pod.link/1611149544

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At the end of World War Two RAF Coastal Command faced the same challenges of all the British military services, one of reduction, cutbacks and a return to a peaceful world.

The threat from the axis powers had been effectively squashed but there was a new threat emerging, in the form of the Soviet Union.

 Coastal Command had to start learning about new adversaries once again, adapting and performing immediately, to protect British interests initially in the

 For almost 60 Cold War years, the RAF relied heavily on two aircraft types, through various models, enhancements and sheer longevity. The Avro Shackleton and the Hawker Siddeley Nimrod.

Chris Gibson author of the brilliant book ‘Nimrod's Genesis’, joins us to help understand the new threat and explain to process the UK took to replace its old

Recorded 19th June 2024

Contact Us: [email protected]

You can buy a copy of Nimrod's Genesis from the Aviation Xtended Bookshop helping Xtended and local bookshops in the process here https://uk.bookshop.org/a/11161/9781902109473

Chris Gibson

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Costal Command Series

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·      EP.128:COASTAL COMMAND CHAPTER 5 – KIWI CREWS

·      EP.127 – COASTAL COMMAND CHAPTER 4: STRIKE WINGS

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Please leave us a review on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or your podcast playing app.

Here is a link to all the pod players https://pod.link/1611149544   

Aviation Xtended Partners

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Show Supporters

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Xtended Podcast family

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You can shop through this Amazon link (No cost to you but a small benefit to us:

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