Top Landing Gear

Welcome to Top Landing Gear and our bonus edition of Full Flaps from Dunsfold Aerodrome. In our previous episode we spoke with Aviation Filming's owner Mike Woodley. In this episode we make our way out onto the apron and get guided tour around the three BA Boeing 747s with Aviation Filming Aerial Coordinator and Pilot Jamie Chalkley.    

Welcome to Top Landing Gear Full Flaps and our full length interview with Mike Woodley, owner of Aviation Filming Ltd based at Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey.  The company specialises in aviation content for film and TV, including a huge number of the Bond films. Among Aviation Filming's fleet are three former BA Boeing 747s which are regularly used as film props and a very famous Douglas Dakota.  We met up with Mike in his office beneath the control tower of Dunsfold in May 2023 to hear some of his incredible stories about the film and aviation industry. Enjoy! 

Welcome to Top Landing Gear as we turn our attention to an airfield that is close to all of us, both emotionally and geographically: Dunsfold Aerodrome, home of the Hunter and the Harrier. It was also used as the studio and test track for BBC Top Gear (a poor man's version of Top Landing Gear - wheels instead of wings!), home to the sadly defunct annual Wings and Wheels airshow, and the base for Aviation Filming, which provides aircraft and facilities for the film and television industry, including most of the Bond films. It's run by our splendid guest, Mike Woodley.

Join the Top Landing Gear team as they are given a tour of Croydon Airport by A380 Captain Ian Walker, former chairman of the Croydon Airport Trust.    Opening in the 1920s, Croydon was London's, indeed the UK's main international airport. Arguably the birthplace of commercial air travel, it was also the starting point for many of aviation's historic records, including those set by Amy Johnson.    Visit https://www.historiccroydonairport.org.uk/ to find out more, book your own visit and discover how you can support or volunteer for the Trust.

We delivered our last podcast - as in most recent -back in May 2023 - when we were in the middle of series 5. We were literally on our way to Roy's studio to record our next editions when he told us not to bother - because his house was being razed to the ground after a tumble direr caught fire.   Because of that and Roy's constant touring with his band Scouting For Girls, this is the first time we've been able to get back together. So here's a quick catch-up with the 4 of us with all our latest news and some of the aviation headlines that have caught our eyes in recent months.   Thank you for sticking with us, or if you're new to TLG - welcome - have you any idea what you're letting yourself in for?!  

We are coming back!  A short trailer to get you in the mood for the rest of Series Five (Part Deux)

Welcome to Top Landing Gear Full Flaps, where we bring you the most thrilling stories and captivating interviews from the world of aviation. Today, we are thrilled to present our full-length interview with none other than Bizjet pilot extraordinaire, Mark Blois-Brooke. Our hosts, Rob and Roy, had the privilege of meeting Mark in his operating base at Farnborough Airport, the largest and most prestigious business aviation airport in the UK. With his extensive experience and expertise, Mark regaled us with his fascinating tales of life in corporate aviation, leaving us on the edge of our seats. And if that wasn't enough, you can now dive deeper into Mark's fascinating life with his book "Life in a Tin" available now for aviation enthusiasts and adventurers alike. So buckle up, and get ready to take off on an unforgettable journey with Mark Blois-Brooke and Top Landing Gear Full Flaps! Buy Mark's book HERE

Hello and welcome to Top Landing Gear, the aviation podcast for everyone. Join Rob, Jez, James and Roy as we learn about the glamorous world of business jets and hear a snippet of next weeks interview with Falcon 7X Captain and Chief Pilot for TAG Aviation, Mark Bois-Brooke. 

Welcome to Top Landing Gear Full Flaps and the second part of our interview with Tony Hoskins who is restoring a rare photo reconnaissance Spitfire PR4 to full flight. Back in 2018 Tony and his team recovered the wreckage of Spitfire AA810 from a mountainside in Norway where it had laid undisturbed for 76 years having been shot down on a mission to photograph the battleship Tirpitz. The pilot Sandy Gunn bailed out but was later captured and sent to Stalug Luft III to become one of those immortalised in The Great Escape. Tony's aim is that 810 should become a flying memorial to the men and woman of the Photograph Reconnaissance Unit during World War Two. And as well as restoring the aircraft is campaigning to have a permanent monument to the PRU erected in London. We visited Tony at Airframe Assemblies on the Isle of Wight where 810 is being painstakingly restored. In this episode we take you around the workshop where you can hear how the restoration is taking shape. If you missed last weeks episode, please listen back to part one as Tony talks us through his ambitions for the project and the fascinating story of a very rare Spitfire and it's pilot.  Please visit to https://www.spitfireaa810.co.uk to find out more and  how you can support this incredible project. You can also purchase Tony’s wonderful book ‘Sandys Spitfire’, order signed prints of the aircraft or even have your name  engraved forever on the engine cowling HERE

Welcome to Top Landing Gear Full Flaps and the first part of our interview with Tony Hoskins who is restoring a rare photo reconnaissance Spitfire PR4 to full flight. Back in 2018 Tony and his team recovered the wreckage of Spitfire AA810 from a mountainside in Norway where it had laid undisturbed for 76 years having been shot down on a mission to photograph the battleship Tirpitz. The pilot Sandy Gunn bailed out but was later captured and sent to Stalug Luft III to become one of those immortalised in The Great Escape. Tony's aim is that 810 should become a flying memorial to the men and woman of the Photograph Reconnaissance Unit during World War Two. And as well as restoring the aircraft is campaigning to have a permanent monument to the PRU erected in London. We visited Tony at Airframe Assemblies on the Isle of Wight where 810 is being painstakingly restored. In Part Two we'll take you around the workshop where you can hear how the restoration is taking shape. Here in part one Tony talks us through his ambitions for the project and the fascinating story of a very rare Spitfire and it's pilot.  Please visit to https://www.spitfireaa810.co.uk to find out more and  how you can support this incredible project. You can also purchase Tony’s wonderful book ‘Sandys Spitfire’, order signed prints of the aircraft or even have your name  engraved forever on the engine cowling HERE

Welcome to Top Landing Gear and the first episode proper of Series Five. Along with our usual catch up and 'Ask James' feature we talk aerial reconnaissance and hear the remarkable story of a very special Spitfire. We speak to engineer and aerial restoration specialist Tony Hoskins who shares the incredible story of Spitfire AA810, a photo reconnaissance PR4 which was lost over occupied Europe whilst on the hunt for the German battleship Turpitz. He recalls the story of its remarkable pilot Sandy Gunn, who would be later immortalised in the mass escape from Stalag Luft III, and tells us about the aircraft's recent discovery in Norway and its painstaking relocation and planned restoration to flight.  Please visit the Spitfire AA810 project page, a project dedicated to the memory of all the men of the Photographic Reconnaissance Unit who risked, and gave, their lives during the second world war. 

A massive thank you to all our listeners. So many wonderful words across social media about the return of Top Landing Gear this week. After we mentioned it in last weeks episode we thought it only right to repeat our Audacious Aviation Podcast and 2020 interview with Hawker Hunter pilot Alan Pollock. A brand new TLG episode will be dropping next Tuesday. 

Hello and welcome back to Top Landing Gear. The aviation podcast for everyone. After several months in the wilderness we’re back with a brand new series. Today we catch up on the latest aviation news and look forward to what’s coming up in Season Five of www.toplandinggear.com     If you have a topic you would like us to consider or a question for our pilot and aviation expert get in touch via our socials or send us an email via info@toplandinggear.com   Thanks for listening

Top Landing Gear is back... (Well it will be tomorrow on TLG Tuesday!) Here's a quick overview of what we've got coming up over the coming weeks. If you have a topic that you think we should cover this year or a question for our Ask James segment we would love to hear from you. Contact us via our socials or send us an email at info@toplandinggear.com Until Tomorrow!    

Hello and welcome back to Top Landing Gear after a bit of a hiatus during the summer. But we haven’t been totally idle in that time. Having said that we’re not launching the new series just yet.  This episode, to be brutally honest is unashamedly about creating a bit of self-publicity. As you have no doubt seen via our vast social media empire, the Top Landing Gear team recently appeared on the popular channel 5 quiz show Eggheads. How did we do? Well we're not at liberty to divulge that information until after it airs on Friday 14th October (630pm STREAM here Channel 5) So enjoy this summer catch up episode in the meantime... If you discovered us on Eggheads here is a taste of what we do. An aviation podcast for everyone. Think Top Gear with wings, and always with a quiz at the end.  Please subscribe and leave us a review if you've enjoyed it. All our previous episodes and interviews are available wherever you found this podcast.    

Welcome to Top Landing Gear and our final episode of the series, one to put a spring in your step if you’re heading off on your summer holidays. As we are all too well aware, the aviation sector has struggled to bounce back from the pandemic, resulting in thousands of delays and cancellations. From pandemic to pandemonium; it’s a pantomime farce only not as entertaining!  What will be entertaining is our special guest, celebrity aviation expert Jeremy Spake who will share his wit and wisdom, and tell us how best to approach our travel plans this summer.  Jeremy’s knowledge was so impressive and his passion so infectious that Rob invited (forced!) him to join the quiz. How did he do? Listen to the end to find out if he beat TLG's very own aviation expert James Cartner.    

Hello and Welcome to TLG and to the second stage of our Full Flaps interview with Ian Whittle, son of Sir Frank, the man who invented the jet engine. Ian told us so much in part one, you’d hardly believe there’d be more – but there is – and we couldn’t let an opportunity like this pass us by. So here once again is Ian talking to James Cartner and me Rob Curling at his Surrey home, almost 85 years to the day since the first running of Sir Frank Whittle’s revolutionary invention.

Hello and welcome to Top Landing Gear Full Flaps, and to the full length interview with Ian Whittle, son of Sir Frank Whittle, the man credited with one of the greatest inventions of the modern age, something that changed the world forever – the jet engine. Ian is a pilot himself and flew the Gloster Meteor in RAF service, Britain’s first jet fighter, powered by the very engines his father had invented. James and I had the enormous pleasure of visiting Ian at his Surrey home almost 85 years to the day since the first successful test run of his father’s jet engine. Ian speaks with such passion and enthusiasm, not to mention incredibly detailed knowledge. You don’t get much closer to touching history than this. I hope you enjoy it. As Ian was so generous with his time, we’ve split the interview into two parts, so here’s part one – keep an eye out on the socials for part two – or it may already be there now.

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!

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.