Top Landing Gear

The last 747 and airport near misses - Catching up on the latest aviation news and looking ahead to Series Five

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

Series Five Starts Tomorrow

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!

 

 

TLG on Eggheads Special

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.

 

 

Traveling by air this summer? Interview and travel advice with aviation expert Jeremy Spake

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.

 

 

Full Flaps - the Jet Engine - Interview with Ian Whittle, Son of Frank Whittle

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.

Full Flaps - The Jet Engine - Interview with Ian Whittle, son of Sir Frank Whittle - Part One

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.

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.  

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!

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. 

 

 

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.