Xtended

Colonel Mike Mullane flew three Space Shuttle missions as a Mission Specialist and is a retired US Air Force weapon systems operator, flying 134 combat missions in Vietnam. 

He wrote the award-winning children's book Liftoff and the outrageously amusing and often times tragic “Riding Rockets”. 

He is a speaker on leadership, teamwork, and safety. He uses his experiences to explain the "normalisation of deviance," the tendency to take shortcuts and accept lower standards under pressure. 

Listen to Gareth’s interview with Mike, on the best and sadly some of the tragic elements of being a Space Shuttle astronaut.

This is a moving interview with Earl Moorhouse, crash survivor and author.

‘Wake Up, It’s A Crash – The Survivors’ Stories’ is his account of the world’s first Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet disaster, in November 1974.

For full show notes, visit:

www.xtended.co.uk

In this episode, Tim talks to Award-winning aviation historian Victoria Taylor about her new book ‘Eagle Days: Life and Death for the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain’.

Recorded 9th April 2025

For full show notes and imagery please visit https://aviation-xtended.co.uk/

In this episode we have Mike Napier back to talk about his latest book ‘Over Cold War Seas - NATO and Soviet Naval Aviation, 1949–89’ - a fascinating review of Cold War naval aviation.

Mike shares his approach to the topic, explains the evolution of naval technology and how the conflicting cold war scenario’s lead to new evolving aviation developments.

And, of course there are aircraft galore. Some new, some well known and some not so well known or successful! predominantly in the northern hemisphere.

Recorded 8th May 2025

Buy a copy from the Xtended Bookshop andsupport the podcast and a donation to local book shops in the UK https://uk.bookshop.org/a/11161/9781472865526

For photos and full show notes please visit:

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

In this episode, we look at how aviation and aerospace items are converted to art and furniture pieces, and we welcome Stuart Abbot, the founder of Stu Art Furniture. 

Stuart trained as an Airframe Engineer in the RAF working on the Tornado F3. After leaving the RAF he continued as an airframe engineer with several international airlines and started Stu Art Furniture in 2012. 

His products are all hand-made and original and more affordable than some recent market entrants copying the model.  His pieces are shipped all around the world and Stuart has appeared on TV multiple times, showcasing his pieces from airliner wheel coffee tables to jet fighter tail fin desks.

Recorded 10th March 2025 

Contact Us: [email protected]

For show notes and images visit www.aviation-xtended.co.uk

First flying in 1954, some 71 years ago, the Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules has become a iconic aviation legend.

Beginning as a military transport, it has evolved into otherroles, including gunship, weather research, special operations, firefighting and more – and it is still in production today.

We talk to former RAF C-130 pilot Scott Bateman about ‘Hercules – First in, Last Out’ and the men and womenof the tightly knit Herc Force and its incredible history. 

 Scott Bateman MBE is an aviation professional, TV producer/presenter and ex-RAF Loadmaster and C-130 captain with 47 Sqn. Hercules will be out in paperback in May, while his next book is 'Jumbo', which will be published in February 2026.

You can get a copy of Hercules - First In Last Out directly from the Xtended Bookshop here https://uk.bookshop.org/a/11161/9780241655580  

Recorded 4th March 2025

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

Since its formation in 1957 the Army Air Corps has played a prominent role in almost every British Army operation. We get to talk to the authors of ‘Ops Normal Volume 1, The Authorised Operational History of the Army Air Corps, 1957-2017’ and they take us through the evolution of the Corps, how it was founded and its theatres of operations during this time.

Mike Peters is a former Army Air Corps soldier and officer, serving both as Groundcrew and as an Air Door Gunner. During his 34 years in the Corps, he served in Northern Ireland, Cyprus, Germany, Bosnia, Kosovo, both Gulf Wars, and Afghanistan.

John Greenacre is a former Army Air Corps officer and Gazelle pilot with over 23 years of service. He took part in operations in the Gulf, Balkans and Northern Ireland and served in Germany, Canada, the Falkland Islands and Kenya.

You can get a copy of Ops Normal directly from the Xtended Bookshop here:

https://uk.bookshop.org/a/11161/9781804515341

Recorded 3rd January 2025

For full show notes please visit:

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

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