MAVGEEKS: A Military Aircraft Obsession

We all know what it’s like. You’re waiting for an episode of your favourite military aviation podcast to drop and then two come along at once! Join Gini and Jamie for more of RIAT 2025.  The journey continues with a French E3 Sentry (ooh la la!) and the beautiful RC135 Rivet Joint.  They also share their wish list for airshows in 2026, where Gini manages to mention the Tristar (again!) and Jamie talks about flying back seat in a phantom (we’re sure he’s already mentioned it.)  

Like Nicholas Cage landing the Fairchild C-123 Provider in Con Air, Gini and Jamie have wrestled back the controls of Mavgeeks:  A Military Aircraft Obsession to bring you a double helping of some military aviation magic. They look back on RIAT 2025 with a journey of U2s, Reconaissance Spitfires, the RCAF’s Hercules and the Confederate Air Force C47 “ready for duty”. Our Mavs may not land you on the Las Vegas Strip, but both have considerably better hair than Nicolas Cage.

Ho ho holy ****, Christmas snuck up quicker than a Sopwith on skis! With gift-giving on the MavMind, the final episode of series five sees Gini Carlin and Jamie Gordon meet Dale Luckhurst, Head of Brand at Airfix. Gini and Jamie got the full geek's guide to the legendary brand, the forensic research and development process that goes into its ultra-detailed model aircraft and loads more. Merry Christmas MavGeeks!We want to hear feature your aviation tale in series six! Get in touch via [email protected]. Also, feel free to leave us a glowing review on your favourite podcast platform. It really helps us out!You can join Gini and Jamie for more MavGeeks fun with a heavyweight pilots’ playlist soundtrack every Tuesday from 6pm - 7pm (UKT) on BFBS on DAB in the UK, or online at https://radio.bfbs.com/stations/bfbs-uk.

Airline food gets a bad rap. For some of us, no other words paint so vivid a picture of bullet-hard potatoes and custard lumpier than a regional runway. However, one man has mad it his mission to upend these assumptions.Luckily for our Gini Carlin and Jamie Gordon, that man is none other than MavGeeks alumnus and Season 4, Episode 1 all-star Al Bridger! Al’s a pathological overachiever: a BAE Hawk and F1 Phantom veteran turned Director of Flight Operations at British Airways. As such, Gini and Jamie couldn’t in all good faith act too surprised when he recently reached out to let us know he’s penned a fabulous recipe book named Flavour of Flight: The Food and Drink of British Airways. Over 129 plush pages, Flavour of Flight elegantly illustrates the decades of class, skill and expertise that has gone into your midair meal. You’ll then be taught how to craft these delicacies for yourself.Those with a taste for travel will find all sorts to savour in this episode. Take a seat, roll up your sleeves and tuck in. There’s a little something on your chin, by the way.Flavour of Flight: The Food and Drink of British Airways by Al Bridger is available now from Amberley Books, just in time for Christmas: https://www.amberley-books.com/flavour-of-flight.htmlWe want to hear your aviation tale! Get in touch via [email protected]. Also, feel free to leave us a glowing review on your favourite podcast platform. It really helps us out!You can join Gini and Jamie for more MavGeeks fun with a heavyweight pilots’ playlist soundtrack every Tuesday from 6pm - 7pm (UKT) on BFBS on DAB in the UK, or online at https://radio.bfbs.com/stations/bfbs-uk.

Helicopters are sadly, sorely neglected by us here at MavGeeks towers, but no longer! The mononymous Russ is a former door gunner on the Westland Lynx Mk7 and Mk9, amongst other rotary aircraft, with several tours of Aghanistan and Iraq under his belt. He was instrumental in keeping his crew and aircraft safe. Conveniently, he's also a neighbour of our Gini Carlin over in Canada. Russ was incredibly generous with his time and his wisdom, imparting a load of lessons learned during his time in the air and sharing a number of hair-raising stories along the way.For obvious reasons, Gini, Jamie and Russ discuss topics that may be difficult and sensitive for some: Iraq, Afghanistan and conflict. If that sounds like you, support is available at https://www.bfbs.com/audience-support.We want to hear your aviation tale! Get in touch via [email protected]. Also, feel free to leave us a glowing review on your favourite podcast platform. It really helps us out!You can join Gini and Jamie for more MavGeeks fun with a heavyweight pilots’ playlist soundtrack every Tuesday from 6pm - 7pm (UKT) on BFBS on DAB in the UK, or online at https://radio.bfbs.com/stations/bfbs-uk.

Earlier this year, Gini Carlin and Jamie Gordon caught up with none other than Scott Bateman MBE. An RAF veteran with a storied career as Hercules Captain, Scott was perfectly poised to introduce us to what’s formally the Lockheed C-130, but will forever be the Hercules of our hearts. In May of 2024, Scott published Sunday Times Top 10 Bestseller “Hercules: The story of an RAF legend.” Needless to say, Gini and Jamie insisted on hearing a couple of teaser tales from Scott’s Hercules career as featured in the brilliant book.Strap in for a nuts-and-bolts MavGeeks classic!We want to hear your aviation tale! Get in touch via [email protected]. Also, feel free to leave us a glowing review on your favourite podcast platform. It really helps us out!You can join Gini and Jamie for more MavGeeks fun with a heavyweight pilots’ playlist soundtrack every Tuesday from 6pm - 7pm (UKT) on BFBS on DAB in the UK, or online at https://radio.bfbs.com/stations/bfbs-uk.

The Royal Canadian Air Force turns 100 this year! In that spirit, Canada resident Gini Carlin takes the lead for a guided tour of the fabulous Force's history. At this year's Royal International Air Tattoo, she caught up with several RCAF pilots and engineers, as well as the masterminds behind its centennial celebrations. She even had a long chat with Lieutenant-General Eric Kenny himself, Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force himself since 2022. Strap in!We want to hear your aviation tale! Get in touch via [email protected]. Also, feel free to leave us a glowing review on your favourite podcast platform. It really helps us out!You can join Gini and Jamie for more MavGeeks fun with a heavyweight pilots’ playlist soundtrack every Tuesday from 6pm - 7pm (UKT) on BFBS on DAB in the UK, or online at https://radio.bfbs.com/stations/bfbs-uk.

This week, our Gini Carlin enjoyed a blast from the past in several senses. She paid a visit to the delightfully well-preserved 100th Bomb Group Memorial Museum at RAF Thorpe Abbotts, where she volunteered as a young lass potty about planes. Reg Wilson, the museum's Chair of Trustees and Deputy Curator was kind enough to give Gini a guided tour of its exhibits and history of both the museum and the "Bloody 100th" itself, packed with discussion about the impact of smash-hit series Masters of the Air, based on the 100th Bomb Group's story. On that, listen to the end for a surprise. Close your eyes and settle in for a touching tribute to the brave lads who lost their lives for the 100th Bomb Group; the real Masters of the Air.We want to hear your aviation tale! Get in touch via [email protected]. Also, feel free to leave us a glowing review on your favourite podcast platform. It really helps us out!You can join Gini and Jamie for more MavGeeks fun with a heavyweight pilots’ playlist soundtrack every Tuesday from 6pm - 7pm (UKT) on BFBS on DAB in the UK, or online at https://radio.bfbs.com/stations/bfbs-uk.

Hilariously, bizarrely, Denver International Airport is something of a lightning rod for conspiracy theories: in the mind of the open-eyed, the Illuminati’s clubhouse shares a wall with an alien-infested catacomb. While it’s true that unofficial mascot Mustang killed his creator, Senior Vice President of Communications, Marketing and Customer Experience Stacey Stegman was keen to put to bed unearned rumours about the fabulous workplace she loves so dearly as Gini Carlin and Jamie Gordon offered up the wildest DIA-centric conspiracies they could find.Off the back of that, Jamie went toe-to-toe with THE Danny Robins, whose runaway hit podcast and TV series Uncanny catapulted him to the rank of Britain’s pre-eminent ghost hunter. Danny was good enough to explain how this kind of paranoid and paranormal thinking takes hold, and from there, the two chatted all things spooky aviation. Listen with the lights on!We want to hear your aviation tale! Get in touch via [email protected]. Also, feel free to leave us a glowing review on your favourite podcast platform. It really helps us out!You can join Gini and Jamie for more MavGeeks fun with a heavyweight pilots’ playlist soundtrack every Tuesday from 6pm - 7pm (UKT) on BFBS on DAB in the UK, or online at https://radio.bfbs.com/stations/bfbs-uk.

Something a bit different this week, dearest MavMates! Gini and Jamie enjoyed a natter with Tony Gaunt, Business Development Executive at Martin-Baker. Informally, they're THE ejector seat people, though Tony corrects our podcast co-pilots' terminology, offers an idiot's guide to testing an escape system, walks us through one of the most hair-raising use cases of Martin-Baker's work to date and really reiterates that when his work saves one life, it saves many. This conversation was fascinating and life-affirming in equal measure: strap in!We want to hear your aviation tale! Get in touch via [email protected]. Also, feel free to leave us a glowing review on your favourite podcast platform. It really helps us out!You can join Gini and Jamie for more MavGeeks fun with a heavyweight pilots’ playlist soundtrack every Tuesday from 6pm - 7pm (UKT) on BFBS on DAB in the UK, or online at https://radio.bfbs.com/stations/bfbs-uk.