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The Aviation Show @theaviation.show · 1h

I was today years old when I found out, through Rachel Stirling's lovely book about her mother, that Diana Rigg's older brother, Hugh, was a test pilot who punched out of Kestrel XS693 at only 200'. Hugh is in the centre of the first image and the second needs no explanation.

Hugh Rigg, in centre, with Bob Holliday and Terry Thornton while with 1 Flight Training School. They stand in front of Jet Provost training aircraft. Image: http://www.linton-gin.com/

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The Aviation Show @theaviation.show · 06/10/2026

Having walked around Lord Ashcroft's vanity project many times, the only medal that has ever stayed with me is the George Cross (Albert Medal) award to Doreen Ashburnham-Ruffner. Doreen was a badass. Like Liam Nesson in The Grey levels of badass but a 11-year old girl fighting off a mountain lion.

Doreen Ashburnham-Ruffner (left) pictured with Tony Farrer after their encounter with the mountain lion on Vancouver Island on the 23rd September 1916.

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The Aviation Show @theaviation.show · 05/10/2026

So much focus on the C-53/47 is the chaps jumping out of the back of them, but the missions they flew evacuating the injured are often overlooked and one that I find fascinating. Beach City Baby is configured to honour the flying nurses. 📺 youtu.be/W4yogCnTd5w 🎧 pod.fo/e/674607 #aviation #avgeek

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The Aviation Show @theaviation.show · 02/10/2026

When you are talking about new wings, naturally you have to ask about how they bolt onto the aircraft. In this clip from our visit with the Vintage Wings team, John and Joe describe what goes into getting Beach City Baby's new wings on. 📺 youtu.be/W4yogCnTd5w 🎧 pod.fo/e/674607 #aviation #avgeek

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The Aviation Show @theaviation.show · 01/10/2026

We are so back! The trip to visit the wife's family in Ohio allowed for a spot of avgeekry, so we popped in to see the Vintage Wings Inc team and check in on how the rewinging of their C-53 Skytrooper is going. 📺 youtu.be/W4yogCnTd5w 🎧 pod.fo/e/674607 #aviation #avgeek

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The Aviation Show @theaviation.show · 30/09/2026

Look what arrived at last, @navalairhistory.com! Email inbound soon. I mean, it's too big to fit with the other Willises to start with... 🤔

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The Aviation Show @theaviation.show · 30/09/2026

One of my highlights of visiting the National Museum of the US Air Force the other week was seeing the Ryan X-13 Vertijet. I've been fascinated/appalled by it since seeing it in Reaching For The Skies as a kid. This is what happens when you let engineers problem solve in production. 😉

The Ryan X-13 Vertijet. A vertical take-off and landing research aircraft that flew between 1955 and 1957. The X-13 is a silver delta wing aircraft that is attached to a bright yellow vertical platform that the aircraft hooked onto. This image shows the X-13 from the right side, showing the large triangular wing and large tail. Image: Matt Bone

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The Aviation Show @theaviation.show · 28/09/2026

Latest delivery of persilschein to the Horsham office. 3rd 1953 English printing of Heinz Knoke's I Flew For Hitler. You have to give him credit for getting the title spot on. #avgeek #histbookchat #ww2

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The Aviation Show @theaviation.show · 28/09/2026

There are Second World War pilots that fascinate me and those that fascinate me and frustrate me, as I want to know more about them! Hello Jellico Scoon, subject of one of the more famous propaganda photos, Spitfire and Typhoon driver, and was even featured on the BBC.

IWM Caption: West Indians in the Royal Air Force: A Trinidad accountant, Jellicoe Scoon, recently arrived in England as a Royal Air Force recruit. Aircraftman Scoon was accepted as a pilot, completed elementary flying school training with at least fifty hours to his credit, and was then sent to Service Flying Training School. IWM (CH 5213)

Note from Matt: Scoon was from Grenada and not Trinidad.

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The Aviation Show @theaviation.show · 27/09/2026

Our fab Patreon supporters now have access to our visit to the Vintage Wings Inc. team in Franklin, PA, to get all the latest on Beach City Baby and her new wings. Not often to get shown around a C-53 Skytrooper. Join the fun today from just £3 a month +vat. www.patreon.com/theaviations...

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The Aviation Show @theaviation.show · 25/09/2026

Maureen Dunlop was from Quilmes, the same place as the beer.

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The Aviation Show @theaviation.show · 25/09/2026

I may have presented the Argentine connection to the Fuerza Aérea Argentina at the Edificio Cóndor in Buenos Aires back in warmer times for the international relationship. Here is the Deck family window at the Church of St. Peters in Westleton, Suffolk.

The stained glass memorial window for the men of the Deck family at the Church of St. Peters at Westleton, Suffolk. The left window features a dedication to Frederick James Deck, the father, while the right features a dedication to his three sons who were all killed flying for the RAF during the Second World War. Image: War Memorials Online via aircrewremembered.com

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The Aviation Show @theaviation.show · 25/09/2026

There is looking badass sitting in the cockpit of an SR-71, and then there is looking badass sitting in the cockpit of an SR-71 knowing you've flown faster than a Blackbird SEVEN times in three other flying machines and higher than it many more. I give you, Neil Armstrong, ladies and gentlemen.

Neil Armstrong in the cockpit of a NASA SR-71 aircraft at the Dryden Flight Research Centre, which has since been renamed in his honour, in 1991. The first man on the moon is seen in a flightsuit, wearing aviators and generally looking cool in the cockpit of one of the coolest aircraft ever built.

NASA Identifier: NIX-EC91-572-3

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The Aviation Show @theaviation.show · 23/09/2026

Looking through the photos of the 355th Operations Group's deactivation ceremony at Davis-Monthan AFB last week and it is rather sad to think of DM without the A-10 anymore. All the very best to all the 355th's men and women in their new assignments.

Two U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft assigned to the Idaho Air National Guard and Air National Guard Air Force Reserve Test Center, fly in formation at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, Sept. 18, 2026. The aircraft flew during the A-10 Unit Inactivation Ceremony to honor the legacy of the Thunderbolt II and the Airmen who supported its mission at Davis-Monthan. Image: U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Samantha Melecio

U.S. Airmen assigned to the 355th Operations Group, 357th Fighter Squadron, 357th Fighter Generation Squadron and 355th Training Squadron pose for a group photo with a static display of an A-10C Thunderbolt II aircraft during a unit inactivation ceremony at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Sept. 18, 2026. Airmen currently and formerly assigned to the 355th OG, 357th FS, 357th FGS and 355th TRS came together to honor the legacy of the A-10 and the Airmen who supported its mission at DM. Image: U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jasmyne Bridgers-Matos

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The Aviation Show @theaviation.show · 21/09/2026

It is wild to me that just 22 years separate the first flights of the B-29 Superfortress and the XB-70 Valkyrie, which both flew #OTD in 1942 and 1964, respectively. The crusing speed of the Valkyrie was proposed to be ten times that of the B-29...

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The Aviation Show @theaviation.show · 17/09/2026

Today's fun seemed appropriate. The Waco Museum in Troy, Oh is a great look at their aircraft. Two recovered cockpit sections of CG-4 Hadrians too. And I've been pronouncing the name wrong all these years... 🤦🏼‍♂️ It is Wac-Oh, like taco, not Way-co.

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The Aviation Show @theaviation.show · 16/09/2026

Today's fun! The XB-70 is even more made in the real...

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The Aviation Show @theaviation.show · 13/09/2026

Today's fun was pretty fun too! Amazing flight on Doc. The noise and smells of a B-29 are pretty special, especially when their P-51 Gunfighter tools up alongside. #avgeek #aviation

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The Aviation Show @theaviation.show · 13/09/2026

Yesterday's fun with the fantastic C-53 Beach City Baby team. We laughed a lot. But not about their aircraft which is stunning. #avgeek #aviation

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The Aviation Show @theaviation.show · 08/09/2026

Well, that was a pretty special day at the Cleveland Airshow. It was my first time seeing the F-22 and the US Navy Blue Angels, and they did not disappoint! The F-22 defied physics, and the Blue Angels turned Jet 1A into fabulous amounts of noise! #avgeek #aviation #F22 #BlueAngels #airshow

The US Air Force's F-22 Demo Team over the Cleveland Airshow, with the Raptor coming out of a tight turn, getting rid of all her flares as she makes her escape. Image: Matt Bone

The US Navy's Blue Angels 1-4 in formation, trailing smoke as they display at the Cleveland Airshow. The aircraft are in a diamond formation in a beautiful blue sky. Image: Matt Bone

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The Aviation Show @theaviation.show · 07/09/2026

Just saw my first F-22 display. Bloody hell, that shouldn't be possible...

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The Aviation Show @theaviation.show · 05/09/2026

Last pint of Guinness in Dublin as my A321XLR waits for me in the distance. Also, this US Preclearance business at DUB seems class.

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The Aviation Show @theaviation.show · 04/09/2026

Flipping heck, Trinity College, your library was beyond expectations, even with hardly any books in it. The Book of Kells was amazing too.

The library at Trinity College, Dublin. The long wood paneled library features an arched ceiling and rows upon rows of bookshelves on two levels down each side of the central aisle.

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The Aviation Show @theaviation.show · 03/09/2026

This twat's signature makes an appearance this week.

Nazi general Erwin Rommel looking very punchable in 1942. Image: Bundesarchiv via Wikipedia

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The Aviation Show @theaviation.show · 31/08/2026

Sometimes when the B-29 mothership for your Mach 2 rocket plane isn't available, strapping some JATO rockets on your Douglas D-558-II Skyrocket will get you into the air. Note the intakes for the Dash 2's Westinghouse J34 jet engine that was nestled away in the fuselage as well as its rocket motor.

In this black and white image, a Douglas D-558-II Skyrocket takes off using a JATO rocket assist to climb into the air. The Dash 2 also had a Westinghouse J34 jet engine in addition to its rocket motor, and in this picture you can clearly see the engine intakes on the lower fuselage.

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The Aviation Show @theaviation.show · 30/08/2026

I swear, I'm done with talking about WW2 signatures and autographs. But for one last hurrah, we need to discuss the market for signatures and how cutting up prints to get access to a now deceased commodity is the new normal. Patreon supporters have access right now. www.patreon.com/theaviations...

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The Aviation Show @theaviation.show · 27/08/2026

I mean, the outpouring of praise on low-effort things and hagiography really is disheartening. Still, that I seem to be able to piss them off so easily is something I take as a positive. Another positive, my 'how the hell am I going to fit all this in my bag?' holiday reading pile looks fun.

A selection of books that I may take on holiday with me, featuring:
- James M Scott's Empire of Ashes
- Travis 'Shirtaloon' Deverell's He Who Fights With Monsters
- Brad Tolinski and Chris Gill's Jeff Beck biography Blow By Blow
- Robert Harris' Agrippa

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The Aviation Show @theaviation.show · 26/08/2026

When the Skystreak took Douglas and the US Navy to Mach 1, they knew they needed more oomph. So they slapped in a rocket motor and did a Pininfarina to the design and smoothed the Test Tube into the Skyrocket. The aircraft was beautiful and allowed Scott Crossfield to break Mach 2. Just.

The Douglas D-558-2 Skyrocket BuNo #37974 NACA-144 that A. Scott Crossfield took to Mach 2.005 on November 20, 1953 and is now on display at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC. The Skyrocket is shown in its white colour scheme and the orange NACA flash at the top of the tail. Image: NASM

Douglas D-558-II Skyrocket Bu. No. 37974 glides back toward Rogers Dry Lake at Edwards Air Force Base, with a North American F-86E-1-NA Sabre (50-606) flying chase. Image: NASA via Vintage Aviation News

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The Aviation Show @theaviation.show · 25/08/2026

I have a soft spot for the Douglas D-558-I Skystreak. While the rocket-powered Dash 2 and X-aircraft always take the hype from avgeeks, there is something wonderfully transitional in the lines of this aircraft that makes it very of its time. Then again, it could just be the NACA logo on the tail.

Original NASA caption: The Douglas D-558-I Skystreak is seen close-up in this early 1950’s in-flight photograph. Although less well known than the X-1, the D-558-I could carry out research roles that complemented those of the more glamorous, rocket-powered craft. The D-558-I was relatively slow, with only one flight exceeding Mach 1 (the speed of sound). However, the jet-powered Skystreak could fly for sustained periods at transonic speeds, increasing the amount of data a single flight could yield. By contrast, the rocket-powered X-1 could only provide transonic data for brief periods on each flight. August 24, 1953. Image: NASA E-1239

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The Aviation Show @theaviation.show · 24/08/2026

The signature debate still ticks along over on the YouTube channel's comments section, so I sat down with @philipwblood.bsky.social to ask the question, "Is a signature historic?" As you can imagine, we then covered a lot of ground about the Luftwaffe. 📺 youtu.be/n4_3zt7THOM 🎧 pod.fo/e/55f3cb

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The Aviation Show @theaviation.show · 19/08/2026

Well, this was nice to wake up to. Thanks to everyone for subbing to the channel!

A screenshot from The Aviation Show's YouTube analytics showing 20,001 subscribers. Thanks to everyone who has signed up!

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The Aviation Show @theaviation.show · 18/08/2026

Let's be honest, they look better in a pukka colour scheme anyways.

Messerschmitt Bf109E ‘4101/ Black 12’ in her DG200 colours. DG200 was attacked by 66 Squadron’s Canadian Flt Lt George P Christie DFC, who managed to damage the radiator, and her pilot, Leutnant Wolfgang Teumer from 2/JG51, belly landed the aircraft at RAF Manston. Patched up, DG200 would be evaluated by the RAF and Rolls Royce, including in this cabriolet version, before the aircraft was handed over to the RAF Museum where she is now on display at the London (Hendon) site in her original colours. Image: IWM (E(MOS) 1225)

Focke Wulf is Fw 190A-3, Werk Nr. 313, which Oberleutnant Armin Faber graciously provided the RAF after his impromptu visit to the lovely Welsh town of Pembrey, seen here in her RAF colours taxing. Image IWM (CH 6411)

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The Aviation Show @theaviation.show · 18/08/2026

Shout-out for Peter Hore's biography of Harwood.

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The Aviation Show @theaviation.show · 17/08/2026

Here is the longer reasoning on this post, with ALT Text.

Is there a need for us today to continue to paint German Second World War aircraft with swastikas? This is a question that comes in our follow-up episode to my "immensely popular" Erasing History episode from a few weeks ago.

Now I know most of the responses will shout, "Historical Accuracy!!!" at me, and for the surviving aircraft held in what used to be called the Enemy Aircraft Collections, yes, I can see that argument.

But what about the reproduction (restored) aircraft that are being built and flown in collections today? Despite our enthusiasm for these incredible works of engineering and their connections to the original aircraft that these hold in their structures, these are basically new aircraft.

Given the strength of feeling elicited on both sides of that nasty coin by the swastika, do we need it on the tail? Do we need it on the tail when the country that originally flew these aircraft has banned the emblem from use and reproduction? The recent visits to the UK of Airbus' Me262 recreation D-IMTT and the stunning Me109E-4 D-FEML both show that the impact of seeing these types fly remains, even without the additional black paint on the tail.

What say you?

For the record, I don't think a Buchon should have one. I mean, it's Spanish to start with...

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The Aviation Show @theaviation.show · 17/08/2026

Something that comes up in Erasing History Part 2 is the prominence of the swastika on restored aircraft. This is a question that I usually get an off the record response to. Given the emotions the emblem continues to elicit, do you feel the time has come to remove it from aircraft?

The American Heritage Museum's Focke-Wulf Fw 190F-8 Wk.Nr. 93182 White 1 while under restoration at Gosshawk Unlimited in Arizona in 2024. The aircraft is in its grey camo colour scheme. The swastika on the tail is prominent on the right side of the image as we look from the tail forward on the port side of the aircraft. Image: Matt Bone/The Aviation Show

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The Aviation Show @theaviation.show · 16/08/2026

Are you ready for Part 2? Our fab Patreon supporters can see my following up to the Gunther Rall episode that totally did not upset anyone at all. @philipwblood.bsky.social joins me to discuss the reality behind the signatures of the Luftwaffe's aces. www.patreon.com/theaviations...

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The Aviation Show @theaviation.show · 12/08/2026

Eclipse? Meh. Magnesium Overcast? Now we're talking! The last B-36 built is getting some much needed TLC out at the Pima Air and Space Museum and we have a whole episode finding out about it. Check out the links below to watch it listen to the whole episode. #avgeek #aviation

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The Aviation Show @theaviation.show · 07/08/2026

There have been a lot of comments about the size of the B-36 at the Pima Air and Space Museum, but the museum has other sizable beasts too. Just check out the size of the Martin Mars for comparison! Be sure join us for our PASM B-36 update. 📺 youtu.be/v9-m3OlxsgEpod 🎧 pod.fo/e/50a494

An overhead shot of the Pima Air and Space Museum with the Convair B-36 on the move to the restoration facility. But the shot gives a great indication of the relative size of the big bomber with the big flying boat water bomber, the Martin Mars. Both are huge!

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The Aviation Show @theaviation.show · 04/08/2026

Does size matter? Some say yes, but in the case of the Strategic Air Command, they went from the 'Big Stick' B-36 to the smaller, more capable B-52. In the film @coldwarhost.bsky.social and I look at this week, they go medium, in the shape of the B-47. 📺 youtu.be/ZGlRCnaF4pI 🎧 pod.fo/e/4db5c7

An aerial shot of the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona, showing over a hundred aircraft. Our focus in our latest episode is on Bomber Row down the left of the image, as the B-52, B-36 and B47 are all, in some way, shape or form, featured in 1955's Strategic Air Command. Image: Boneyard Safari

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The Aviation Show @theaviation.show · 02/08/2026

There is far too much appreciation going on for the B-36 in these parts, so here are a few shots from Strategic Air Command of the, frankly, brilliantly shot reveal of the stunning Boeing B-47 Stratojet. The B-36 is stupid. Join us for the debate! 📺 youtu.be/ZGlRCnaF4pI 🎧 pod.fo/e/4db5c7

James Stewart in 1955's Strategic Air Command, opening a door to a hangar at Boeing's Wichita factory where the B-47 Stratojet was built and is about to be revealed in the film.

James Stewart in 1955's Strategic Air Command, walking into the hangar and being awed by the shing silver medium jet bomber.

James Stewart in 1955's Strategic Air Command, with the B-47 Stratojet shown from above with her sleek lines on display

James Stewart seen under the wing of the Boeing B-47 Stratojet in 1955's Strategic Air Command, as the camera looks forward from the tail to hangar doors

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The Aviation Show @theaviation.show · 01/08/2026

Our fab Patreon supporters now have access to our conversation with the Pima Air and Space Museum's CEO, Scott Marchard, 'live' from the cockpit of the Museum's B-36 Peacemaker as the aircraft begins its restoration after nearly 20 years in the sun. www.patreon.com/theaviations...

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The Aviation Show @theaviation.show · 31/07/2026

Any debate about 1955's Strategic Air Command usually comes down to which aircraft you think looks better in VistaVision: Convair's B-36 Peacemaker or Boeing's B-47 Stratojet. Which do you prefer? Check out our full chat with @coldwarhost.bsky.social here: 📺 youtu.be/ZGlRCnaF4pI 🎧 pod.fo/e/4db5c7

A Convair B-36 Peacemaker in a still from the James Stewart film Strategic Air Command from 1955. The silver aircraft is flying in clouds over fields.

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The Aviation Show @theaviation.show · 28/07/2026

This is one of my favourite gags in Jimmy Stewart's Strategic Air Command. Perfectly sums up Frank Lovejoy's Gen Hawks/Curtis LeMay analogue. Lots more on this film with @coldwarhost.bsky.social soon, the better version of which you can check out on Patreon now! www.patreon.com/theaviationshow

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The Aviation Show @theaviation.show · 24/07/2026

What happened in the Scaled Composites office when Burt Rutan announced that they were going to space? In our latest episode, Beyond Blue Sky director Kevin Curran and SpaceShipOne project engineer Matt Stinemetze give us the inside baseball. 📺 youtu.be/_gw2ZCWXBlU 🎧 pod.fo/e/497c9d #aviation

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The Aviation Show @theaviation.show · 23/07/2026

Here she is, 61-2080, who I'm sure is near the top of the list now to head over to the restoration hangar soon.

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The Aviation Show @theaviation.show · 23/07/2026

Just about to sit down with Scott Marchand of the Pima Air and Space Museum to find out what they are up to with this beast! The last Convair B-36 Peacemaker 52-2827 “City of Fort Worth", is undercover in Pima's restoration area and is getting some TLC. #avgeek #aviation

Convair B-36 Peacemaker 52-2827 “City of Fort Worth" at the Pima Air and Space Museum is shown in a head-on image, featuring the nose and two of its eight engines. Image: Matt Bone

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