Top Landing Gear

The Aviation podcast for everyone, flown by a pilot, a TV presenter, a pop star and a fencer!

Subscribe Listen in podnod RSS feed Show website

87 episodes
Updated Mar 25, 2024

Episodes87

Newest first

Jun 17, 2022 · 55 min
Sir Frank Whittle and the Jet Engine
This episode of Top Landing Gear might in itself not be worthy of going down in history, but it’s all about one of the greatest inventions of the modern age, something that changed the world forever – the jet engine. And our guest is no less a person than Ian Whittle, the son of the man credited with that invention - Sir Frank Whittle. You’ll hear a clip of our interview with Ian here, but not before you’ve heard a uniquely informative Quick Facts from Jez on what is a pretty colossal subject. And the quiz returns to Rob’s safe hands after James made a brave, almost successful stab at it on our previous pod. And by the way, that will never happen again! So I hope you are feeling reassured enough to enjoy this edition – and remember to look out for the Full Flaps edition for the full length interview with Ian Whittle. Enjoy!
Jun 13, 2022 · 13 min
Lancaster - Our first impression of the 2022 Film
Join Roy, Jim & Jez in the pub after watching a screening of the new Lancaster movie. It was produced by the same people who gave us 'Spitfire' in 2018 - The film that made Jez cry in the cinema - Would Lancaster have the same effect? Jim also talks about how the airlines dealt with the increased Half-Term holiday demand. (Answer - not very well) and Jez gives us a quick review of Top Gun: Maverick. Rob was supposed to be with us but Roy accidentally bought the tickets for the wrong day - Sorry Rob! Normal service will resume this Friday with our magazine episode dedicated to Frank Whittle and the Jet Engine.
Jun 8, 2022 · 33 min
PLATINUM JUBILEE BONUS EPISODE - Typhoon Formation Pilot, SQN LDR Zane Sennett
The nation came together over 4 days in June to mark the extraordinary milestone of HM The Queen's 70 year reign. One of the highlights of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations was the flypast over London of 70 aircraft from the Royal Navy, the Army and of course the Royal Air Force who flew 15 Typhoons in formation as the number '70'. Among them was Sqn Ldr Zane Sennett, who described to TLG in fascinating detail what it was like to fly in this mass formation, and how the whole operation was devised, planned, rehearsed and eventually executed with the eyes of the world, and of The Queen, upon them.
May 27, 2022 · 1 hr 13 min
Full Flaps - Rear Admiral Chris Parry CBE
Hello and welcome to TLG and our Full Flaps interview with Chris Parry, a RN Observer on HMS Antrim’s Wessex 3, known as Humphrey. Chris is a fascinating character, and some of the stories he tells us here about what went on down south during the Falklands Conflict 40 years ago, defy belief, not least the insertion and rescue of an SAS party on the Fortuna Glacier on South Georgia in the most unbelievably treacherous conditions. The fact that Chris also fired the first shots of the war to disable the Argentine submarine the Santa Fe is almost a footnote. The interview is full of the most incredible anecdotes, and it’s also fascinating to hear Chris’s thoughts on the current state of the British military 40 years on, and his views on the developing situation in Russia. We recorded Chris’s interview on April 20th 2022, 40 years to the day since he and the crew of Humphrey were briefed for that extraordinary operation involving the SAS which would take place just hours later. Hold onto your hats and settle in for an utterly riveting ride.
May 20, 2022 · 1 hr 18 min
Falklands 40th – The Westland Wessex & Chris Parry
In this edition of Top Landing Gear we continue to mark the 40th anniversary of the Falklands Conflict, focussing on one of the workhorses of the British Task Force’s airborne operation, the venerable Westland Wessex. Now of course our aviation ‘expert’ James Cartner was an RAF Wessex pilot, so we thought we’d let him compile the quiz, and be the quiz master. This is unlikely ever to happen again. Our guest was a Royal Navy observer on HMS Antrim’s Wessex 3, famously known as Humphrey. The man is Chris Parry, who regales us with some of the most extraordinary stories to have come out of the South Atlantic back in 1982. From firing the first shots of the war, to inserting and rescuing an SAS party in unimaginable conditions from the Fortuna Glacier in South Georgia, Chris’s stories are jaw-dropping. You’ll hear a clip of his interview in this podcast, the full interview will of course be in our Full Flaps edition. 'Down South : A Falklands War Diary by Chris Parry is available to buy and download HERE
May 13, 2022 · 27 min
Interview with Squadron Leader Martin Withers, DFC - Display pilot for Vulcan XH558
In part two of our interview with Martin Withers, he relives the joy of displaying what was the last surviving Vulcan, XH558. It was an unexpected and hugely welcome chapter to his flying career after he had flown two of the historic Black Buck Raids during the Falklands Conflict in 1982. That was the only time the Vulcan had been used in anger as a bomber, and came right at the end of its RAF career. But the RAF kept two Vulcans for public displays, XL426 and XH558, known as the Vulcan Display Flight, which lasted until 1992. 558 then had a new lease of life with the Vulcan To The Sky Trust, giving countless enthusiasts many more years of breathtaking displays, many of them flown by our guest, the legendary Martin Withers.
May 6, 2022 · 1 hr 19 min
Interview with Squadron Leader Martin Withers, DFC - Vulcan XM607 pilot during the Falklands Black Buck raid
In this 40th anniversary year of the Falklands Conflict we devote two Full Flaps editions to Martin Withers who flew Avro Vulcan XM607 on the historic Black Buck Raids on Stanley Airfield. Martin and his crew were actually the reserve crew for the mission, but when the primary aircraft went u/s, Withers and XM607 immediately stepped up to carry out one of the most extraordinary, not to mention longest bombing raids of all time. In part one Martin talks to us in detail about the build-up to the mission, training for in-flight refuelling which was to be an integral part of the mission, the mission itself and the aftermath. It is a story of legend told by a legendary figure who made aviation history.
Apr 28, 2022 · 53 min
The Vulcan & the 40th Anniversary of Falklands War Operation Black Buck
This week’s podcast drops in a very timely manner as we release the first of our episodes marking the 40th anniversary of the Falklands Conflict. Specifically this week’s episode features the magnificent Avro Vulcan and the Black Buck Raids flown by our guest Martin Withers. The first raid, with Martin flying Vulcan XM607, set out from Ascension Island on the 30th April 1982, dropping its 21 1,000lb bombs on Stanley Airfield in the early hours of the 1st May. It is one of the most extraordinary stories in modern aerial warfare, not least because of the massive distances involved. In fact at the time Black Buck 1 was the longest bombing raid ever undertaken. We hear a clip of Martin in this episode, but his full interview will become available in a ‘2-stage’ Full Flaps edition: in Pt 1 Martin talks at length about the raid; in Pt 2 he shares the joy of displaying Vulcan XH558. As usual we’ll have the usual TLG stuff: Ask James, Jez’s Quick Facts all about his favourite aircraft of all time, (the Vulcan), and the TLG Quiz. What more could you want? (Don’t answer that!)
Apr 21, 2022 · 50 min
The Best of Top Landing Gear and Series Four Preview
We’re delighted to finally get series 4 of our aviation podcast Top Landing Gear up and flying – at last! We’re kicking off this first episode with a look back at some of our favourite topics and guest interviews from our first three series. There are two reasons for this: firstly they’re worth hearing again; secondly we weren’t organised enough to come up with a new subject in time. So for this week please enjoy, no really please try, our ‘Best of’ episode, including clips from our interviews with Alan Pollock of Tower Bridge Hawker Hunter fame, Amy Johnson re-creator Amanda J Harrison, David Williams’s heroic landing of a damaged fully-laden Virgin Boeing 747, and Andrew Panton, the man behind the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre and Lancaster ‘Just Jane’. We’ve also done a retro quiz where the team was asked questions they’ve all heard before. Do you think it made any difference…? And next week we’ll have the first of our Falklands guests in this 40th anniversary year of the conflict, with Vulcan 607 pilot Martin Withers. Following that, Chris Parry joins us to talk about his extraordinary experiences with ‘Humphrey’ the Wessex 3 which operated off HMS Antrim. And there’ll be more to come, including the son of Sir Frank Whittle, inventor of the jet engine, about both his and his father’s remarkable lives in aviation. So please do look out for us @TopLadingGear and on our website www.TopLandingGear.com.
Apr 20, 2022 · 1 min
Top Landing Gear returns...
Top Landing Gear Series Four starts this week. A quick two minute preview from Rob and a reminder of who we are, what we do and that there is a quiz!
Nov 23, 2021 · 40 min
BBMF Bomber Leader - Flight Lieutenant Neil ‘Faz‘ Farrell - Lancaster Pilot
In our final interview from our trip to Lincoln the TLG team talk to Flight Lieutenant Neil 'Faz' Farrell inside the iconic BBMF hangar at RAF Coningsby. As we walk around Lancaster PA474 Neil tells us about his experiences as Bomber Leader, what it's like flying the Lancaster and about his other roles in the RAF such as flying the E-3 Sentry and instructing others to fly the E-3, Lancaster and Dakota. We would like to thank Neil and everybody at RAF Coningsby and BBMF for all their time and help in allowing us such incredible access. We heartily recommend a trip to the BBMF visitor centre - access by guided tour only - Book your trip now!
Nov 16, 2021 · 55 min
The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) & Lancaster PA474
The team are finally back together as a foursome in the studio - well, not quite the studio but backstage at GLive in Guildford just before Roy takes to the stage on the Surrey leg of his SFG 2021 tour. In this episode we discuss all things BBMF and Lancaster after our 2020 tour to Lincolnshire. James was asked about bang seats, Jez's quick facts had to be quick - as the support band were just about to start kicking out some beats; and the quiz made a triumpant* return. Plus we hear a snippet from our interview with ex Wessex pilot and current BBMF Bomber Lead Flt Lt Neil 'Faz' Farrell. *Triumphant in Rob's view - no one else was impressed - nor will you be!
Oct 21, 2021 · 17 min
RAF Chinook Display Team - Flt Lt Matt Smyth
Welcome to TLG and to our series of interviews from the 2021 Bournemouth Air Festival. Regular listeners to TLG will know that our aviation expert James Cartner is a former RAF Puma pilot. As such he has some kind of weird chip on his shoulder about the mighty Chinook, alleging that all any Chinook crew will talk about is how much it can lift. For the rest of us, and I suspect for James as well although he’d hate to admit it, the Chinook is an incredible aircraft, and its impressive display has long been a crowd favourite. We managed to persuade Chinook Display Captain Matt Smyth, or Smitty, to talk to us, despite James’s grudging hostility. I jest of course, and in fact during our 4 days in Bournemouth we became great friends with the whole Chinook display team .. well, we like to think we did…
Oct 18, 2021 · 11 min
Air Vice Marshall Simon Edwards - Assistant Chief of The Air Staff.
Welcome to TLG and to our series of interviews from the 2021 Bournemouth Air Festival. We were extremely honoured to be invited to the Festival’s opening ceremony which was attended not only by some of the show’s participants but also some top brass, among whom was Air Vice Marshal Simon Edwards, Assistant Chief of The Air Staff. A former Hercules and C17 pilot, he’s now responsible for ASTRA, the RAF’s future strategy. Yet despite being such an incredibly important and impressive figure, he was happy to talk to Top Landing Gear. We’d had a rather early start that morning having set off from our homes at the crack of dawn and so may not have been at our sharpest. Still, we hoped that having a former RAF pilot in our ranks in the impressive shape of James Cartner, might have stood us in good stead in such elevated and illustrious company. You be the judge.
Oct 15, 2021 · 12 min
The Tigers Army Parachute Display Team - Pte Will Simms
Welcome to TLG and to our series of interviews from the 2021 Bournemouth Air Festival. Both the RAF and the Royal Navy took part in the flying display at Bournemouth, as did the Army, who were superbly represented by the Tigers Free-fall Parachute Display Team. These guys from the Princess of Wales’s Regiment and Queens Division do this in their spare time as parachuting isn’t part of their normal army life – that tends to be left to the Parachute Regiment. But they’re all highly qualified, as to be a display jumper you need to have an A-Licence which you can only get after a minimum 200 jumps. Private Will Simms from the team was kind enough to drop in on us the morning after a particularly Top Landing himself on Bournemouth Beach the previous day.
Oct 13, 2021 · 19 min
RAF Typhoon Display Team - Flt Lt Sainty
Welcome to TLG and to our series of interviews from the 2021 Bournemouth Air Festival. There are those whose sole reason for attending an airshow is to watch and hear the old piston-engined fighters and bombers from WWII, and indeed few could argue with their reasoning. But for others, and I suspect the majority of airshow-goers, one of the greatest thrills is seeing the Typhoon being put through its paces, accompanied by the crackling roar of its twin jets rasping through the air. RIAT aside, there’s not a lot of heavy metal at British airshows these days, so long may the Typhoon continue to thrill us. We caught up with 2021 Display pilot Flt Lt James Sainty, whose spectacular exhibition of speed, power and agility creates a sensory overload.
Oct 6, 2021 · 30 min
How do you book an air show? Interview with Bournemouth Air Festival Director Jon Weaver.
Welcome to TLG and to our series of interviews from the 2021 Bournemouth Air Festival. Since its launch in 2008, the Bournemouth Air Festival has established itself as one of the UK’s leading public aviation events, and is estimated to generate in the region of £30 million pounds annually to the local economy. It’s certainly highly regarded by aviation fans and display teams alike as it attracts top acts in the air, at sea, on the ground, including most years music acts, not least Roy Stride & Scouting For Girls who’ve been regular headliners on the main festival stage. Sadly Roy was unable to join us in Bournemouth this year, but the three of us went without him anyway, much to the disappointment of the organisers in particular who’d only invited us in the first place because of Roy’s long association with the festival. But we were made to feel incredibly welcome and were hugely impressed by the scale of the event. We spoke to Bournemouth Air Festival Director Jon Weaver about the challenges involved in getting an event of this scale up and running, especially with all the uncertainty during the pandemic. And just how do you go about booking the acts, not least ensuring that the Red Arrows are available? We also spoke to the wonderful Michelle Roberts, Senior Press & PR Officer who was instrumental in getting us along, and who did such an amazing job looking after us, but for whom this sadly was to be her last year in the role.
Sep 30, 2021 · 41 min
The AeroSuperBatics Wingwalkers at the 2021 Bournemouth Air FestivalS
Welcome to TLG and to our series of interviews from the 2021 Bournemouth Air Festival. No airshow would be complete without the intrepid AeroSuperBatics Wingwalkers who’ve been thrilling airshow crowds all over the world since they were founded back in 1984. They fly the Boeing Stearman, a biplane trainer from the 1940s, with the wingwalkers climbing from the open cockpit onto the top wing to perform various moves, while the aircraft perform aerobatics in close formation, at speeds of up to 150mph and pulling up to 4G. Unfortunately on Day Three of the Air Festival, one of the aircraft sustained a technical malfunction during the display, and pilot Dave Barrell did a brilliant job of successfully ditching the aircraft in Poole Harbour, saving his own life and that of wingwalker Kirsten Pobjoy. Her great friend Emma Broadbent was the wingwalker on the other aircraft, flown by former Red Arrow and Jaguar Display pilot Andy Cubin, who circled overhead for some time, but landed back at Bournemouth unaware of the outcome of the crash. Needless to say there was huge relief when word got back that Kirsten and Dave were safe and sound. Our interview with Kirsten, Dave and Andy was recorded the day before the incident, hence there’s no reference to it.
Sep 27, 2021 · 18 min
How do you run an airshow over the sea? Interview with Dave Walton, Display Director of the 2021 Bournemouth Air Festival.
Welcome to TLG and to our series of interviews from the 2021 Bournemouth Air Festival. Putting on an airshow requires an immense amount of organisation, and safety is of course paramount. But when a display takes place over the sea, and away from an airfield, who controls the display area and calls the aircraft in to begin their display? What if they need to hold, or if there needs to be a last minute change due to unforeseen circumstances? Dave Walton is Display Director for the UK’s Coastal airshows, including Bournemouth, so who better to talk to us about everything that’s involved in the smooth and safe operation of an airshow over the sea?
Sep 24, 2021 · 33 min
Rich Goodwin and the Pitts Special at the 2021 Bournemouth Festival
Welcome to TLG and to our series of interviews from the 2021 Bournemouth Air Festival. One of the most eye-catching solo displays at UK airshows is the ultra high-energy performance by Rich Goodwin in his Pitts Special. A former RAF Tornado pilot, Rich has been performing aerobatics for over 30 years, and his phenomenal display has spectators gasping in disbelief as he hurls his tiny Pitts Special Muscle Biplane around the sky. Rich is also passionate about building and modifying these biplanes, and as well as talking to us about his display, he told TLG about some very exciting, and unusual plans for the future.