The Aviation Show

In 1955, Paramount Pictures released one of their tentpole VistaVision epics, Strategic Air Command, starring James Stewart and directed by his longtime collaborator, Anthony Mann. Strategic Air Command is peak, high-resolution, widescreen 1950s propaganda at its finest, and while not a great film (David and I argue about that aspect too!), its time and place in the building of the mythology of Curtis LeMay's US Air Force bombing arm offers a fascinating insight into the mindset of both LeMay and Jimmy Stewart.David, the host of The Cold War channel on YouTube, joins me to bring our long-running Bluesky debate about this film to the channel and look at a film that had US military cooperation at a level that would make Michael Bay and Tom Cruise green with envy.Check out The Cold War channel on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@TheColdWarTVFollow David on Bluesky here: https://bsky.app/profile/coldwarhost.bsky.social-----------------------------------------------------🛫 Join us on Patreon! Join from just £3 + VAT a month to get ad-free episodes, chat with Matt, and receive a personalised welcome pack. Click here for more info: https://www.patreon.com/theaviationshow-----------------------------------------------------✈️Get the latest from the Pima Air and Space Museum by following their socials!Website: https://pimaair.org/https://www.facebook.com/PimaAirAndSpacehttps://www.instagram.com/pimaairhttps://x.com/pimaairhttps://www.youtube.com/c/PimaAirSpaceMuseumCheck out the Tucson Military Vehicle Museum here: https://www.tucsonmilitaryvehicle.org/👕Get your aviation on with 909 Apparel today! Check out their website here: https://www.909apparel.com/-----------------------------------------------------The Aviation Show © 2026 by Matt Bone is licensed under Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International-----------------------------------------------------0:00 B-36 Takes Center Stage5:25 Plot of a Propaganda Classic12:13 LeMay Behind the Film23:07 SAC’s Cold War Mission31:24 LeMay’s Human Factor36:27 From Hero to Ripper42:42 Bombers, Missiles, and Madness51:32 The Missing LeMay Biography54:10 Weird Subplots and Standout Scenes1:00:43 What’s Next for The Cold War?

The new documentary, Beyond Blue Sky: The Untold Story of the First Private Astronauts, tells the story of Burt Rutan's Scaled Composites journey into space. In this episode we are joined by the film's director, Kevin Curran, and SpaceShipOne's Project Engineer, Matt Stinemetze, to discuss this incredible project that went from Burt Rutan announcing that they were going to space to winning the $10m Ansari X Prize in 2004.Beyond Blue Sky: The Untold Story of the First Private Astronauts is a fantastic documentary and is available now on Apple TV and Amazon Prime in the UK and US.Apple TV link: https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/beyond-blue-sky/umc.cmc.3scqjpza3p8lkaz5tr55ksmu9Amazon link: https://www.primevideo.com/detail/0JIG217NYGEBJVVA0ESRKJ3NP2?ref_=atv_dp_share_cu_rAll clips from Beyond Blue Sky are used courtesy of Focus on the Signal LLC.-----------------------------------------------------🛫 Join us on Patreon! Join from just £3 + VAT a month to get ad-free episodes, chat with Matt, and receive a personalised welcome pack. Click here for more info: https://www.patreon.com/theaviationshow-----------------------------------------------------✈️Get the latest from the Pima Air and Space Museum by following their socials!Website: https://pimaair.org/https://www.facebook.com/PimaAirAndSpacehttps://www.instagram.com/pimaairhttps://x.com/pimaairhttps://www.youtube.com/c/PimaAirSpaceMuseumCheck out the Tucson Military Vehicle Museum here: https://www.tucsonmilitaryvehicle.org/👕Get your aviation on with 909Apparel today! Check out their website here: https://www.909apparel.com/-----------------------------------------------------The Aviation Show © 2026 by Matt Bone is licensed under Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International-----------------------------------------------------

The Sun is constantly changing; it is not just a constant ball of fire. Dr Ryan French joins us to tell us about the Sun's behaviour, space weather, and the impact of space hazards on Earth. So if you've ever wondered how solar activity affects our technology, the risks of space junk, and the future of space safety, then this is the show for you!Check out Ryan's YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@Sun.ScientistFind out more about Ryan French on his website at: www.ryanjfrench.comFollow Ryan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sun.scientist/Follow Ryan on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ryanjfrenchFollow Ryan on BlueSky: bsky.app/profile/ryanjfrench.bsky.socialGrab a copy of Ryan's book, Space Hazards: Asteroids, Solar Flares and Cosmic Threats, at The Aviation Show Bookshop.org! 10% of all sales goes to supporting the show and independent bookshops.UK Link: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/11015/9780008688172US Link: https://bookshop.org/a/111804/9780008774660-----------------------------------------------------🛫 Join us on Patreon! Join from just £3 + VAT a month to get ad-free episodes, chat with Matt, and receive a personalised welcome pack. Click here for more info: https://www.patreon.com/theaviationshow-----------------------------------------------------✈️Get the latest from the Pima Air and Space Museum by following their socials!Website: https://pimaair.org/https://www.facebook.com/PimaAirAndSpacehttps://www.instagram.com/pimaairhttps://x.com/pimaairhttps://www.youtube.com/c/PimaAirSpaceMuseumCheck out the Tucson Military Vehicle Museum here: https://www.tucsonmilitaryvehicle.org/👕Get your aviation on with 909 Apparel today! Check out their website here: https://www.909apparel.com/-----------------------------------------------------The Aviation Show © 2026 by Matt Bone is licensed under Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International-----------------------------------------------------0:00 Sun Misconceptions4:18 Solar Flares Explained8:14 Space Weather Impacts15:28 Forecasting Solar Storms23:06 Protecting Critical Systems26:32 The Space Junk Problem31:46 Avoiding Orbital Debris35:59 Cleaning Up Orbit37:43 Asteroids and Meteors39:58 Tracking Dangerous Rocks42:50 Impact Risks on Earth45:43 Wrapping Up

The Hawker Typhoon and the 3" Rocket Projectile, the RP-3, have a special place in the annals of the Second World War. In this first part of a series looking at the Hawker Typhoon, we take a deep dive into the RP-3 and some of the realities of this legendary, if wonderfully inaccurate, weapon.Check out The Aviation Historian website and get your copy of the new annual edition here: https://www.theaviationhistorian.com/If you want to see the RP-3 animation by Marcin Gabryelczyk used in this video, you can check it out here: https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/game-art-3inch-rp-3-rockets-6-variants-4fb022462efb4d1d80417f15c311e3aa----------------------------------------------------- 🛫 Join us on Patreon! Join from just £3 + VAT a month to get ad-free episodes, chat with Matt, and receive a personalised welcome pack. Click here for more info: https://www.patreon.com/theaviationshow----------------------------------------------------- ✈️Get the latest from the Pima Air and Space Museum by following their socials! Website: https://pimaair.org/ https://www.facebook.com/PimaAirAndSpace https://www.instagram.com/pimaair https://x.com/pimaair https://www.youtube.com/c/PimaAirSpaceMuseumCheck out the Tucson Military Vehicle Museum here: https://www.tucsonmilitaryvehicle.org/👕Get your aviation on with 909 Apparel today! Check out their website here: https://www.909apparel.com/ ----------------------------------------------------- The Aviation Show © 2026 by Matt Bone is licensed under Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International ----------------------------------------------------- 0:00 RP-3 Rocket Origins 2:24 Rocket Design Revealed 3:54 Early Typhoon Testing 5:06 Desert Tank-Buster Trials 7:57 Normandy Training Begins 10:27 Rockets Under Combat Fire 12:19 Witness at Mortain 13:06 Claims Versus Reality 15:06 Typhoon’s True Impact

I was recently given two prints by the renowned aviation artist, the late Robert Taylor. One is going on the wall, the other... Well, that is the focus of this video, as why would I want the signature of a man like Günther Rall, an ardent servant of fascism, hanging on my wall?You can listen to both parts of our Birds of Prey discussion with Dr. Philip Blood via The Aviation Show website here:https://theaviation.show/hedge-hopping/You can grab a copy of Birds of Prey by Dr. Philip W. Blood at The Aviation Show Bookshop. 10% of each sale supports the show.UK Link: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/11015/9783838215679US Link: https://bookshop.org/a/111804/9783838215679Jonathan Glancy's 2004 Guardian interview with Rall can be found here: https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2004/dec/30/1Rall's obituary in The Daily Telegraph which includes Dr Richard P. Hallion's remarks, can be found via the Wayback Machine here: https://web.archive.org/web/20091015045404/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/military-obituaries/air-force-obituaries/6299837/Generalleutnant-Gnther-Rall.htmlFind out moe about the Foundation of Hamburg Memorials and Learning Centres and the Neuengamme Concentration Camp Memorial on their YouTube channel  @neuengamme.memorial  and website here: https://www.gedenkstaetten-hamburg.de/en/-----------------------------------------------------🛫 Join us on Patreon! Join from just £3 + VAT a month to get ad-free episodes, chat with Matt, and receive a personalised welcome pack. Click here for more info: https://www.patreon.com/theaviationshow-----------------------------------------------------✈️Get the latest from the Pima Air and Space Museum by following their socials!Website: https://pimaair.org/https://www.facebook.com/PimaAirAndSpacehttps://www.instagram.com/pimaairhttps://x.com/pimaairhttps://www.youtube.com/c/PimaAirSpaceMuseumCheck out the Tucson Military Vehicle Museum here: https://www.tucsonmilitaryvehicle.org/👕Get your aviation on with 909 Apparel today! Check out their website here: https://www.909apparel.com/-----------------------------------------------------The Aviation Show © 2026 by Matt Bone is licensed under Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International-----------------------------------------------------

The B-1B Lancer has been in service for 40-years and her later life has been incredibly busy. With the Lancer's replacement, the B-21 Raider, taking to the skies, you would think the B-1B could look forward to a well earned rest. But, as Kenneth P. Katz brings up to date on the B-1's story, we see that the Lancer's story is far from done. Buy The Supersonic BONE: A Development and Operational History of the B-1 Bomber by Kenneth P. Katz at The Aviation Show Bookshop. 10% of each sale supports the show.UK: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16621/9781399020299US: https://bookshop.org/a/111804/9781399020299Thumbnail image kindly provided by Ed Parsons. Check out Ed's photography at: https://photos.edparsons.com/-----------------------------------------------------🛫 Join us on Patreon! Join from just £3 + VAT a month to get ad-free episodes, chat with Matt, and receive a personalised welcome pack. Click here for more info: https://www.patreon.com/theaviationshow-----------------------------------------------------✈️Get the latest from the Pima Air and Space Museum by following their socials!Website: https://pimaair.org/https://www.facebook.com/PimaAirAndSpacehttps://www.instagram.com/pimaairhttps://www.youtube.com/c/PimaAirSpaceMuseumCheck out the Tucson Military Vehicle Museum here: https://www.tucsonmilitaryvehicle.org/👕Get your aviation on with 909 Apparel today! Check out their website here: https://www.909apparel.com/-----------------------------------------------------The Aviation Show © 2026 by Matt Bone is licensed under Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International-----------------------------------------------------0:00 The B-1's Evolving Role1:45 Modernization and Technological Updates3:41 Recent Incidents and Losses7:18 Sustainability Challenges8:59 Parts and Supply Chain Issues11:28 Future of the B-1 Bomber15:35 Recent Combat Operations19:17 The B-1's Endurance and Future Prospects22:52 The Legacy of the B-1 Bomber, so far

A new president brings a new future to the B-1 Lancer program as the Reagan rearmament program sees development of the B-1 accelerated. The concurrent development and production brings its own headaches as the Lancer matures in time for a twenty year period of constant operations over Afghanistan and Iraq.Buy The Supersonic BONE: A Development and Operational History of the B-1 Bomber by Kenneth P. Katz at The Aviation Show Bookshop. 10% of each sale supports the show.UK: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16621/9781399020299US: https://bookshop.org/a/111804/9781399020299This is an edited version of our podcast that was released in 2022.-----------------------------------------------------🛫 Join us on Patreon! Join from just £3 + VAT a month to get ad-free episodes, chat with Matt, and receive a personalised welcome pack. Click here for more info: https://www.patreon.com/theaviationshow-----------------------------------------------------✈️Get the latest from the Pima Air and Space Museum by following their socials!Website: https://pimaair.org/https://www.facebook.com/PimaAirAndSpacehttps://www.instagram.com/pimaairhttps://x.com/pimaairhttps://www.youtube.com/c/PimaAirSpaceMuseumCheck out the Tucson Military Vehicle Museum here: https://www.tucsonmilitaryvehicle.org/👕Get your aviation on with 909 Apparel today! Check out their website here: https://www.909apparel.com/-----------------------------------------------------The Aviation Show © 2026 by Matt Bone is licensed under Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International-----------------------------------------------------0:00 The B-1's Resurrection4:10 Reagan's Military Buildup Begins6:15 Key Changes in B-1 Development8:47 The B-1's Entry into Service11:35 Concurrency and Its Challenges15:53 The Cold War Ends: A New Mission?18:31 The B-1's Transformation in the 1990s20:25 The B-1's Role in Modern Conflicts22:19 Adapting to a New Warfare

The B-1 Lancer was a highly innovative design, capable of high-speed, low-altitude flight and potentially could have been a vital buttress to the United States Nuclear Triad. But as we discuss in this second part of the B-1 story, post the Vietnam War, military spending was very much at the forefront of turbulent economic times. New President Jimmy Carter had to make a crucial decision about the future of the B-1. Buy The Supersonic BONE: A Development and Operational History of the B-1 Bomber by Kenneth P. Katz at The Aviation Show Bookshop. 10% of each sale supports the show.UK: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16621/9781399020299US: https://bookshop.org/a/111804/9781399020299This is an edited version of our podcast that was released in 2022.-----------------------------------------------------🛫 Join us on Patreon! Join from just £3 + VAT a month to get ad-free episodes, chat with Matt, and receive a personalised welcome pack. Click here for more info: https://www.patreon.com/theaviationshow-----------------------------------------------------✈️Get the latest from the Pima Air and Space Museum by following their socials!Website: https://pimaair.org/https://www.facebook.com/PimaAirAndSpacehttps://www.instagram.com/pimaairhttps://www.youtube.com/c/PimaAirSpaceMuseumCheck out the Tucson Military Vehicle Museum here: https://www.tucsonmilitaryvehicle.org/👕Get your aviation on with 909 Apparel today! Check out their website here: https://www.909apparel.com/-----------------------------------------------------The Aviation Show © 2026 by Matt Bone is licensed under Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International-----------------------------------------------------0:00 Introduction to the B-1 Bomber0:37 Technical Features of the B-18:45 Initial Findings and Performance12:08 Political Context and Controversy14:55 The Rise of Cruise Missiles16:04 The B-1's Uncertain Future17:16 President Carter's Final Decision

In this Bonus Episode, we've re-editted our conversation with Ken Katz about the B-1 from 2022 as the aircraft returns to the forefront of operations. The B-1 bomber is an aircraft that captivates all aviation buffs, a true creature of politics and engineering. The B-1's journey to nearly 40 years on the front line of the US Air Force has not been straightforward. Join us as Kenneth P. Katz, author of The Supersonic BONE, describes the journey to the AMSA program that saw the creation of a series of bombers, like the wonderful madness of the XB-70 Valkyrie, that informed what would become the B-1.Buy The Supersonic BONE: A Development and Operational History of the B-1 Bomber by Kenneth P. Katz at The Aviation Show Bookshop. 10% of each sale supports the show.UK: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16621/9781399020299US: https://bookshop.org/a/111804/9781399020299This is an edited version of our podcast that was released in 2022.-----------------------------------------------------🛫 Join us on Patreon! Join from just £3 + VAT a month to get ad-free episodes, chat with Matt, and receive a personalised welcome pack. Click here for more info: https://www.patreon.com/theaviationshow-----------------------------------------------------✈️Get the latest from the Pima Air and Space Museum by following their socials!Website: https://pimaair.org/https://www.facebook.com/PimaAirAndSpacehttps://www.instagram.com/pimaairhttps://x.com/pimaairhttps://www.youtube.com/c/PimaAirSpaceMuseumCheck out the Tucson Military Vehicle Museum here: https://www.tucsonmilitaryvehicle.org/👕Get your aviation on with 909 Apparel today! Check out their website here: https://www.909apparel.com/-----------------------------------------------------The Aviation Show © 2026 by Matt Bone is licensed under Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International-----------------------------------------------------0:05 The B-1: A Creature of Politics1:27 Technological Advances in Aviation4:54 The B-70: Wonderful Madness9:10 The Emergence of the Triad11:50 Shaping the B-1A Specifications17:30 Competing for the AMSA Contract