Goes straight to the publisher. PodNod takes nothing.
The 1st of April 1918 saw the formation of the world’s first independent Air Force. Capt Nick takes a look at the Royal Air Force’s history and is joined by Sir Glen Torpy GCB CBE DSO past Chief of the Air Staff who gives his thoughts on the past 100 years and the upcoming celebrations.
Suspicious of the Polish pilots who, after their country was invaded by Nazi forces during the Second World War, had fled to the UK, the high command of the RAF eventually allowed them to become operational. No 303 Polish Squadron joined the RAF fighter units desperately fighting the overwhelming forces of the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain. The results stunned everybody. The score of German kills (Adolfs) claimed by No 303 Polish Squadron during the Battle of Britain. Images under creative commons licence from the Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum London.
The billionaire explorer Paul Allen rediscovers the aircraft carrier Lexington and an F4 Wildcat deep under the surface of the Coral Sea. This is the story of the Lexington and the Wildcat’s last pilot. USS Lexington shortly before WWII. F4F-3 Wildcat in non-reflective blue-gray over light gray scheme from early 1942. Images with thanks to Paul G Allen, via Creative Commons, the US Navy and Felix c.
Air travel is, statistically, the very safest form of transport but it wasn’t always that way. Imagine living in Elizabeth, a suburb near New York’s Newark airport in 1951 when, within a period of only 3 months, aircraft began raining from the sky onto your neighborhood. The crash site of Flight 1678M. An American Airways Convair CV240. A National Airways CD6. The City of Elizabeth today. Images under Creative Commons licence, US Gov Bureau of Aircraft Accidents, Dagrecco, Jon Proctor, Bill Larkins.
Capt Nick delves into Volume 2 of his RAF Form 414… the PILOTS FLYING LOG BOOK.
Towards the end of the Second World War, Nazi scientists developed a series of futuristic weapons to use against England aimed to bring the British people to their knees. Named Vengeance weapons, their presence in the skies over London was another German threat that had to be dealt with. A German Luftwaffe Heinkel He 111 H-22. This version could carry FZG 76 (V1) flying bombs, but only a few aircraft were produced in 1944. Some were used by bomb wing KG 3. A cutaway of the V1 created for the USAF. An image of a Spitfire using its wing to turn over a V1 flying bomb. A recreation of a V1 launch ramp on display at Imperial War Museum, Duxford. Images shown under a Creative Commons licence with thanks to Nick D, the Imperial War Museum, the Bundesarchiv and the US Gov USAF Museum.
President of France, Charles de Gaulle is on a state visit to the United States of America and he asks to meet a French hero who holds the Légion d’honneur and who lives in New York. Eventually, retired lift operator is found and brought to the President. The man is Eugene Jacques Bullard and is almost unknown in the country of his birth but he holds a remarkable place in the history of aviation. Bullard in his Corporal’s uniform during the WW1. Bullard in 1917 beside a Nieuport while with Escadrille 93. Bullard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Paris, 1954. Title image by APG listener Jonathan Alexandratos who lives near Flushing Meadows cemetery and who took the time to visit the grave of Eugene Bullard which can be found in Section C. Other images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to Sus scrofa, Wikimedia Commons, US Gov USAF.
Watch the movie ‘The Right Stuf’ and you will see, portrayed, a desert bar near Edwards Air Force Base where a generation of great Test Pilots drank whisky and bantered with the bargirl. The lady was Pancho Barnes and she was much more than a bargirl! Pancho and her Travel Air type R Mystery Ship. Barnes in 1928, the image used on her pilot’s license! Pancho serving at the Happy Bottom Riding Club. Images under Creative Commons licence; with thanks to the San Diego Air and Space Museum Archives and the Pancho Barnes Trust Estate Archive.
After the Second World War, a tall lanky RAF pilot undertook clandestine missions from Hong Kong in a photo reconnaissance Spitfire FR Mk XIV. At the absolute limit of its range and despite being pursued by Chinese fighters Flt Lt Ted Powels undertook some remarkable flights. This is his story. Images made available under a Creative Commons licence. Photographer unknown.
An aircraft for the people, the ubiquitous Cessna 172 became, by far, the most produced aircraft in history and secured a place in many pilot’s hearts. This is its story. Images under a Creative Commons licence by Daniel Piotrowski, P Alejandro Díaz and Adrian Pingstone.
The loss of Swissair Flight 111 in the most appalling circumstances wasn’t just a tragedy for those onboard and their loved ones, but for a whole community of people in the quiet town of Halifax and even more so for the folk near Peggy’s Cove in Nova Scotia. The memorial at Peggy’s Cove. Images under Creative Commons licence, by Aero Icarus and Aconcagua.
Every document or book within the Royal Air Force has a Form number. One of the most precious to a pilot is Form 414, the PILOTS FLYING LOG BOOK. Inside is a record of every flight a pilot undertakes. Looking back through a log book brings back many memories. These are a few of mine.
In the world of aviation, accurate communication is vital and when it breaks down the results can be catastrophic. In poor weather, the crew of an Avianca 707 struggle to land at New York’s JFK airport. An Avianca B707. Images under Creative Commons licence, with thanks to Felix Goetting, Veggies and the NTSB.
Not every Plane Tale recording goes quite to plan! A Merry Christmas to all my listeners! Image under Creative Commons, with thanks to Soerfm.
Landing at the wrong airport is usually considered a bit of a blunder but for One Way Ferguson it was a way to put Buffalo onto the map! Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to Eduard Marmet, US Gov and Atkach24.
A humorous look at the history of the Phonetic Alphabet and brevity codes. Image with thanks to https://m.johnlewis.com/mclaggan-smith-educational-‘nato-alphabet’-mug/p2725715
The tragic loss of Alaska Flight 261 and the negligent events that led up to the crash. The recovered jackscrew. The spiral “wire” wound around the threaded portion is the remains of the acme nut internal screw thread that was stripped from the nut. Images under Creative Commons with thanks to Ken Fielding and the NTSB.
A special Plane Tale to celebrate the Airline Pilot Guy’s 300th anniversary show, centering on the Airbus A300. Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to Alex Beltyukov, Eduard Marmet and Warner Bros.
The story of the development of the first Supersonic airliners. The non existent Boeing, the successful Concorde and the disaster that was the TU144, Charger! Boeing 2707 mockup. The TU144 flying at the 1973 Paris Air Show the day before it crashed. The last ever flight of Concorde G-BOAF. Images under Creative Commons licence, Arpingstone – Adrian Pingstone, Ralf Roletschek, RuthAS and Bill Abbott.
The remarkable exploits of the Canadian fighter ace who fought in World War 1. He remains the most decorated hero in the history of the Canadian armed service. Col Barker, VC, in one of the captured German aeroplanes against which he fought his last air battle in 1919. Images under Creative Commons licence, Canadian Copyright Collection held by the British Library, Barker, Wm. G and For Valour – The Air VCs Chaz Bowyer.