The UK Airshow Review Podcast
Episodes
Episode 107: Oh Say Can You See, the Red Arrows at a British airshow this July?
25 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Red Arrows shock! This summer, they plan to visit the United States of America, prioritising their Independence Day celebrations over British airshows...
Episode 106: Slopsec
02 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The aviation enthusiast community has lost its mind recently with a self-imposed censorship of aircraft movements under the thoroughly misunderstood n...
Episode 105: Stars (and bars?) of the Silver Screen
07 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
HAPPY NEW YEAR! The UKAR podcast enters 2026 with a bang - we kick off with a Christmas present roundup (don't get your hopes up) and then go into som...
Episode 104: US Display Team (Advent) Calendars
17 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, maybe our last of the year, we go over the recent US display team calendar announcements and the somewhat questionable behaviour from...
Episode 103: Major Andrej Fiorelli, Slovenian Armed Forces PC-9M Hudornik Display Pilot
04 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we are joined by one of the most decorated display pilots of recent years, Major Andrej Fiorelli, best known for flying the Slovenian ...
Episode 102 : Tom Gautier, RAF Air and Space Operations Specialist
28 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode Sam and Dom are joined by Tom Gautier, day 1 podcast listener, aviation enthusiast and until recently an Air and Space Operations Spec...
Episode 101: Fighters and Bochekosh
08 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Following the heady heights of our 100th episodes we're back with a classic, good old airshow review. Sam and Dom are joined by Gordon Duncan to chat ...
Episode 100b: One Hundred not out - Part Two
23 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join us for PART TWO of our 100th episode. We're celebrating our ton by going through each of our personal top 5 airshow moments of all time, across t...
Episode 100a: One Hundred not out - Part One
21 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join us for PART ONE of our 100th episode. We're celebrating our ton by going through each of our personal top 5 airshow moments of all time, across t...
Episode 99: Paul Gibbs, commercial pilot, Trago Mills SAH-1 and Tipsy Nipper owner
04 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For episode 99 we are joined by great friend of UKAR and the podcast, commercial and private pilot, obscure aircraft enjoyer and airshow participant, ...
Episode 98: RIAT 2025 Review and Roundup
05 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's been a couple of weeks, we've relaxed, we've recuperated, we've recovered, we've deleted all our blurry, out-of-focus shots, and now we're here t...
Episode 97: RIAT 2025 Preview
14 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The forecast is dire, but the chat is pure fire. It's our long awaited and much-demanded RIAT 2025 preview. We chat about the banger of a final update...
Episode 96: Be more accommodating
07 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's nearly time for RIAT, and that means Sam has a rant to go on...we talk about the state of accommodation around the show compared with others, and...
Episode 95: Hyères and There
03 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A nice, tidy, does what it says on the tin airshow review episode: Dom recounts the Shuttleworth Festival of Flight, probably one of the airshows of t...
Episode 94: All Cos of Ford
20 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
UKAR Staffer, occasional podcast guest and all round great northerner Nigel Watson joins us to talk about the RAF's last airshow, RAF Cosford Air Show...
Episode 93: CSIan: Miami
11 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this...surprising episode, Ian tells us about his weekend jolly to Miami for the Hyundai Air and Sea Show, which he told literally none of us about...
Episode 92: Dan and Sam's Excellent American Adventure, Part 2
01 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Heads up: this episode is 2 hours long. We decided to just get it all out in one go rather than go on to a third part, so maybe take this one in a cou...
Episode 91: Dan and Sam's Excellent American Adventure
16 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dan and Sam recently got their feet wet and tell us all about their recent trip to the USA. Or at least, half of it as they ended up having a lot to s...
Episode 90: Countdown to Summer
29 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In episode 90 of our podcast, Dan, Sam and Dom look just two weeks ahead to the start of the 2025 UK airshow season, covering what's been announced so...
Episode 89: Rotary Club
29 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Nearly a full house this episode with Tom, Sam, Dan and Dom giving you a roundup of some of the announcement highlights of recent weeks, before having...
Episode 88: Ben Dunnell - Post-pandemic catchup and the RIAT 50th Anniversary Book
14 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sam and Dom are joined by Ben Dunnell, Aeroplane Magazine editor and leading airshow commentator, who returns to the podcast after nearly five years! ...
Episode 87: 2025 Updates are Go!
09 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dom, Ian and Sam chat about the first updates for the 2025 airshow season! To read our reports, features and interviews from years past, head to www....
Episode 86 - Happy New Year
07 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We're back for the first episode of 2025. As well as inane banter around this episode's Teams backgrounds, we talk about our aviation-related gift hau...
Episode 85 - What's in a picture?
02 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Following the success of our recently added segment "what's in the photo behind us that the listeners can't see?", we decided to, accidentally, expand...
Episode 84: FRIAT Q&A with RIAT's Simon Hough and Peter Reoch
30 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Having discussed at length on the podcast the controversial changes to the enthusiast's FRIAT package over the last few years, we gave the Royal Inter...
Episode 83: Themes make the Dream
24 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The gang talk about the RIAT 2025 theme of "Eyes in the Skies", some updates for the season next year and some unfortunate news that's his the airshow...
Episode 82 - Plus Minus Social Media
25 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
After much internal discussion, we're debating whether we think social media in general and Facebook in particular has actually been a net positive or...
Episode 81: Review, review, review
15 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's been a while since our last episode, but we're back, with reviews a-plenty for your listening delight! Dom gives us his take on Cosby's Victory S...
Episode 80: RIAT 2024 Preview & FRIAT 2025 Disgrace
15 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We're back for our annual RIAT preview episode. We round up what we're looking forward to the most, how we think the show is going to go and what we t...
Episode 79 - Sy's Well that Ends Well (Sywell 2024 Review)
12 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This short UKAR Podcast BLAST features Dom, Sam and Ian giving their thoughts on the debut outing of the (previously featured on this podcast) Sywell ...
Episode 78 - Interview with Peter Reoch, RIAT Head of Air Operations
05 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In another guest episode, we're joined by Peter Reoch, Head of Air Operations at the Royal International Air Tattoo. With another varied lineup both i...
Episode 77: Reviews, More Reviews and Also Some Phantoms
24 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In episode 77, we review two major airshows - Midlands Air Festival and the RAF Cosford Air Show, the highs, the lows, the good and the bads. After he...
Episode 76: Shuttleworth, RIAT, and low level DC-6s
11 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we preview the (then upcoming) Midlands Air Festival and Shuttleworth Military Festival, commend airshows for some late minute replac...
Episode 75: Cosford 2024 with Sqn Ldr Chris Wilson
04 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In another guest episode, we're joined by Squadron Leader Chris Wilson, Media Officer for RAF Cosford and the RAF Cosford Airshow. With another varied...
Episode 74: RIAT roundup, Abingdon and Tom's Swedish Sorrow
12 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Round'em up Cowboy! It's been a while since we've pored over the RIAT participants list for you, so we decided to go back down the list of the last fe...
Episode 73: Beverly, Blenheims and Bags
14 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We're discussing some of the airshow updates of recent weeks (as well as the methods of airshow updates), the Solway's Beverley Campaign, and Dom "on ...
Episode 72: Battle of Britain Memorial Flight with Sqn Ldr Mark Sugden and Flt Lt Seb Davey
21 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We are joined on the podcast for this episode by two guests from the Royal Air Force's Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF), Squadron Leader Mark ...
Episode 71: Naughty Bags and Nightshoots
06 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We bring some breaking news (at the time) to you about Old Buckenham's stated and then deleted overly-restrictive bag rules, we go over some interesti...
Episode 70: Belgian Goodbyes and Masters of the Air
23 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today we're joined by UKAR's Gordon Duncan to discuss our thoughts on the currently ongoing Apple TV show Masters of the Air, a Band of Brothers-esque...
Episode 69: Airlines 2: Skygod Returns
16 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's episode 69 (nice) of the UK Airshow Review podcast, and we're here to discuss a roundup of some airshow news that's broken since our last regular...
Episode 68: Midlands Air Festival with Trevor Graham
08 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We are joined for this episode by Trevor Graham, one of the founders of the now staple of the UK airshow scene Midlands Air Festival. With an especial...
Bonus Episode: 2023 Blooper Reel
30 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It felt like a shame to let all those cuttings on Ian's mixing studio floor go to waste so as a little treat we've put together another short blooper ...
Episode 67: Ultimate Warbird Flights with Richard Grace
24 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Following our last episode, we're back with Richard Grace at Ultimate Warbird Flights to talk about the company's operations, the processes of restori...
Episode 66: Sywell 2024 with Richard Grace
11 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The UKAR Podcast team travelled to Sywell Aerodrome in Northamptonshire to sit down with Richard Grace, Director and Chief Engineer of Ultimate Warbir...
Episode 65: New Year New Us
09 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Our final episode (that we recorded) of 2023 is here and it's the first one in a long time where we have the whole gang together! We have a quick Chri...
Episode 64: Looking forward
17 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The guys sit down to discuss the 2024 season ahead, and some of the more newsworthy participation updates at Old Warden, Midlands Air Festival, and RI...
Episode 63: Our aviation year, and Tom in Japan
30 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's been a while since we did a "normal" episode like this, but we sit down with some cold brewskis and chat about our 2023 airshow season, we have a...
Episode 62: Graham Buckle and Meteor NF.14 WS788
15 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this guest episode, we are joined by Graham Buckle, volunteer aircraft restorer at Yorkshire Air Museum and UKAR forum blogger, to talk about the M...
Episode 61: Rich Cooper, aviation photographer and COAP founder
20 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We're joined this episode by a name you probably recognise - Rich Cooper, aviation photographer, journalist and founder of the Centre of Aviation Phot...
Episode 60: Ellie Carter, 'U-2 girl' and Piper Cub pilot
14 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In our 60th episode we're talking to pilot Ellie Carter, initially famous for breaking into the scene schooling some U-2 pilots on their aeroplane at ...
Episode 59 - Legendary RIAT Review
06 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The show we spent all year talking about has finally been and gone, and we have t h o u g h t s about it. Sam and Tom are joined by fellow UKAR staffe...
Episode 58 - another pre-RIAT hype show
10 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
There's an tinge of excitement in the air in episode 58 - our Air Tattoo preview. Sam, Tom and Ian discuss all things RIAT in the run up to the bigges...
Episode 57: A Pratical Review of Cosford
03 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Podcast regular Nigel joins us again to discuss the first major UK show of the year, RAF Cosford Air Show. A little bit of a maligned show but with pl...
Episode 56: Up In The Air (Taking Photos)
09 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 56 opens with a couple of airshow reviews from the 2023 season from Dom and Sam, discussing Midlands Air Festival and Shuttleworth's Round the...
Episode 55 - Islas Malvinas and Vintage Years
30 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 55 was recorded right after the baffling announcement of the Argentine Air Force 737 "Islas Malvinas" participation at RIAT 2023 - we discuss ...
Episode 54: Vikings and Flypasts
17 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In episode 54 we talk about the massive update for one of the biggest airshows of the year (Largs Viking Festival), Dan's Lossiemouth spotting and Cha...
Episode 53: Tensions Flaring
19 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this Easter Episode we've got together to chat about the latest airshow news in the UK and abroad as well as tackle the issue of flares at airshows...
Episode 52: Just the two of us
01 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's a duet special! Just Sam and Ian get together for this episode to chat planes. We go over the first RIAT updates of the year, go through the ster...
Episode 51: 2023 is coming
08 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In our first episode of 2023 we chat about our winter, the upcoming 2023 season, the aviation movie Devotion and the shock announcement that the Blade...
Episode 50: Golden Jubilee!
25 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's our very own Golden Jubilee! Our first live, in-person recording (so, please forgive the sound issues with this episode....) sees us at the RAF M...
Episode 49: What A Load Of Tat
21 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this, the 49th episode we've recorded, we wax lyrical about the awful, meaningless, expensive tat we've bought at airshows over the years. We also ...
Episode 48: Mike Ling MBE, Red Arrows and Blade pilot
10 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we chatted to Mike Ling MBE - former RAF fast jet pilot, Red Arrows pilot and commentator and currently a member of the Blades aerobat...
Episode 47: Bronco Demo Team with Tony de Bruyn
08 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sam, on his lonesome, is joined by the lead display pilot of the Bronco Demo Team, Tony de Bruyn, to talk all things Bronco, what it's like to display...
Episode 46: Post-RIAT Reflections
26 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's the first ever post-RIAT episode we've got to do on the podcast! After an astonishingly good Air Tattoo we share our thoughts, memories, our feel...
Episode 45: Pre-RIAT Hype Show
11 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's actually RIAT week! We've been chatting about it for months and now it's finally here. We build the hype with a short show to get you in the mood...
Episode 44: FRIAT Price Change Rage and Top Gun: Maverick reaction
04 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This episode we react to the Air Tattoo's sudden and shocking price hikes of the FRIAT ticket just two weeks before the show - as well as finally give...
Episode 43: Cosford Call-out
22 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Tom, Dom and Skygod (Dan)discuss the first marquee event of the summer - RAF Cosford Air Show. We give our reaction to the event as well as discuss a ...
Episode 42 - Skygod Reborn
12 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Dan, Dom and Sam get together to chat about their aviation goings on - Dom reviews Midlands Air Festival, Sam describes going to see the Platty Joobs ...
Episode 41: Sam's sister, Cosford, RIAT and the Swedes
28 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sam, Ian, and Tom talk about the latest airshow news, and discuss RIAT updates and the RAF Cosford Airshow, as well as rumours of the Swedish historic...
Episode 40: Build Me Up, Buttercup
24 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sam, Tom and Ian get to grips with the highs and lows of the 2022 airshow season build up - RIAT announcements off to a strong start, Legends getting ...
Episode 39: Memory Lane with Nigel Watson
03 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A truncated team (Sam) is joined by Nigel Watson of 2020 podcast fame to chat about our favourite memories of airshows, beyond just the displays thems...
Episode 38: Eskil Amdal, RNoAF fighter pilot, test pilot and warbird pilot
16 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode we're joined by highly accomplished pilot Eskil Amdal. Currently one of the Flying Bulls' warbird pilots, Eskil was formerly th...
Episode 37: Actual Airshow News
22 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's episode we chat about some actual airshow news for once, discuss accommodation and music, wander back down memory lane and hold another...
Episode 36: 2021 Retrospective
06 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Our first episode of 2022 looks back at a year of difficulty, stress, uncertainty and confusion - but enough about the podcast intro, we're talking ab...
Episode 35: Throwing a Bone
04 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We're back! After a little break we have another small catch-up with eachother, discussing recent trips and heading out to catch the B-1B bomber deplo...
Episode 34: British Phantom Aviation Group
30 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Paul Wright, the Chairman and Technical Director of the British Phantom Aviation Group joins Ian and Dom on the podcast to talk about everyone's favou...
Episode 33: Catching Up
12 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The pod crew have a little catch up as we come up to what would've been the RIAT weekend. Dan tells us about his first jaunt to Lossiemouth, Sam chats...
Episode 32: Tornado: In the Eye of the Storm with John Nichol
27 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode we're joined by ex-RAF Tornado pilot and author of "Spitfire" and "Lancaster", John Nichol, to discuss Tornado: In the Eye of the Stor...
Episode 31: The Spitfire Kids with Alasdair Cross
03 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode we're joined by BBC television and radio producer Alasdair Cross to discuss his new book The Spitfire Kids. It tells the story of the ...
Episode 30: Snappy Snaps
29 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Say Cheese! Compared with 30 years ago the prevalence of photography as part of the hobby now is enormous. Go to any airshow and you'll see a field of...
Episode 29: Taking Fwiends to Airshows
12 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This latest edition of the podcast gets us chatting about what it's like taking people to airshows and aviation stuff with people who aren't quite as ...
Episode 28: RIAT Cancellation Reaction
17 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Only a few hours after our last episode was released, Douglas Bader House announced the unsurprising but still disappointing cancellation of RIAT 2021...
Episode 27: Model Students
16 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Everyone's favourite Mackem Nigel Watson joins us again to talk about one of the most common parallel hobbies to the airshow world, model aeroplanes. ...
Episode 26: 2021 And Us
28 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we've got together after a hectic (boring) and festive (quiet) Christmas and New Year to look to the bright and wonderful future 2021 ...
2020 Outtake Reel
31 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A little end-of-2020 gift for you! When we started out doing to the podcast we soon came to realise that even just chatting and recording our thoughts...
Episode 25: Sing, O muse(um)
02 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We're down to just two for this week's episode, but we're covering one of our favourite topics - aviation museums. We gush over sites at home and abro...
Episode 24: Accumulating Interest
09 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What's interesting? Why do we find particular planes interesting over others? Why do we like aviation full stop? We make an absolute hash of answering...
Episode 23: In the Air Overseas
02 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
At exactly the time when people are really feeling the lack of going on holiday we thought it'd be a good idea to bring it all up again. We're chattin...
Episode 22: Dave Walton, Flying Display Director
23 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The role of Flying Display Director is one that is absolutely essential to the airshow world, one that most enthusiasts are aware of but that most peo...
Episode 21: Scottish Airshows
18 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week we break out the bagpipes and get a haggis on the stove as we're talking about Scottish airshows with UKAR's own Gordon Duncan. He takes us ...
Episode 20: RIAT Volunteering with Andy Evans
08 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
UKAR's very own Andy Evans (boff180) joins us this week! Andy has volunteered at Scampton Airshow and RIAT the last few years and we picked his brains...
Episode 19: Sanicole Airshow and Virtual Airshows with Geoffrey Buekenberghs and Chris Janssens.
09 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sanicole Airshow is one of Europe's foremost air events, regularly attracting some of the most sought-after acts from around the world while located o...
Episode 18: Flight Sim Special, MSFS 2020 Review
26 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
People have been playing flight sims for decades. For those without the means to fly the real deal flight simulators are the best way to get that feel...
Episode 17: French Navy Rafale M pilot, Pierre-Henri "Até" Chuet
25 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Airshow-goers at Yeovilton International Air Day 2017 will remember the extraordinary French Navy Rafale M pairs display that stole the show and won t...
Episode 16: The Red Arrows with Red 1, Sqn Ldr Martin Pert
20 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week our guest on the podcast is someone most listeners will probably have seen at an airshow, seaside or flypast in the last few years leading t...
Episode 15: Dan Ledwood, Sky God
14 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As mentioned on previous episodes, our own Dan Ledwood used to fly for Flybe before they went into administration. We got him to tell us about the rou...
Episode 14: Living the Dream
08 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We discuss two of the weekend's main events in this episode: the arrival and departure of the world's largest aircraft, the Antonov An-225 Mriya at Pr...
Episode 13: Feeling Sensortive
04 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this return to the regular weekly format, Ian, Sam and Tom chat about that most fundamental aspect of the hobby - photography. Especially over lock...
Episode 12: Virtual Air Tattoo and Shuttleworth Drive-in Reaction
22 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
After the whirlwind releases of RIAT week we have a short episode for you today. Dom, Dan and Sam had a very quick chat about our thoughts on the Virt...
Episode 11: Air Tattoo Air Operations with Peter Reoch
19 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We have yet another special guest from the airshow world on the podcast this episode in the form of Peter Reoch. Pete was formerly the Operations Mana...