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/
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1:00:58
Ep.216 - Flying Through the Ranks, from Cold War to the Gulf
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
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51:42
Ep.215 - Bomber Command OTUs
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/
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49:46
Ep.214 - Claude Grahame-White
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
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51:55
Ep.213 - Cold War Coastal Command Chapter 16: Buying a Nimrod
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
Ireland