Flaps Podcast 11 - December 2011

We're back with the December edition of Flaps. This was a really enjoyable one to make: hopefully it's a good listen to as well. It's a bit Christmas-themed and we've got a few prizes to give away too. And as a festive bonus, it's our longest one yet. In this edition, we speak to some of the exhibitors at the Flying Show which took place at the NEC a couple of weeks back. We've only scratched the surface, but if you weren't there, you'll get a taster of what was. Among those we spoke to were Ian Waller, editor of Flyer magazine, Paul Fowler of Enstone Flying Club who's creating a squadron of Spitfires, and some pupils from a Telford School who are building an aircraft. Yes, you read that right. Earlier this year the government scrapped its fleet of Nimrod aircraft. We have a chat with Tony Blackman, who test flew nearly every Nimrod that was built, and who's just written a new book called Nimrod: Rise and Fall. He's got some great memories of Britain's reconnaissance aircraft. If you want somewhere to fly in the New Year, we might have some inspiration. We speak to Compton Abbas and Old Buckenham airfields. Pablo Mason recalls one particularly tragic Christmas which could have ended even more badly. If you're sick of getting socks for Christmas you could always drop some subtle hints to family members. We have a natter with Sebastian Pooley of Pooleys fame to give you some ideas of things to ask for. If subtlety isn't your forte you could always leave this bit of the podcast playing on a loop and they'll soon get the message! And last but not least, we speak to probably the most amazing Celebrity Pilot yet. You won't believe your ears. And I'm not going to spoil it now for you. So take a listen. We're giving away a couple of copies of Tony's Nimrod book, and also a copy of the 2012 Pooleys Flight Guide. And too late for the podcast, but available to read about on our website, we'll also give away a pair of Etre Fivepoint gloves worth £40. They're designed to keep your hands warm while letting you operate a touchscreen phone or tablet (for which you'd otherwise have to take your gloves off.) We'll make extended versions of some of the content available too soon.