The Aviation Show

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/16621/9781399020299
US: https://bookshop.org/a/111804/9781399020299

This is an edited version of our podcast that was released in 2022.
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✈️Get the latest from the Pima Air and Space Museum by following their socials!
Website: https://pimaair.org/
https://www.facebook.com/PimaAirAndSpace
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https://www.youtube.com/c/PimaAirSpaceMuseum

Check 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/
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The Aviation Show © 2026 by Matt Bone is licensed under Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International
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0:00 Introduction to the B-1 Bomber
0:37 Technical Features of the B-1
8:45 Initial Findings and Performance
12:08 Political Context and Controversy
14:55 The Rise of Cruise Missiles
16:04 The B-1's Uncertain Future
17:16 President Carter's Final Decision
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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/16621/9781399020299
US: https://bookshop.org/a/111804/9781399020299

This 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/PimaAirAndSpace
https://www.instagram.com/pimaair
https://x.com/pimaair
https://www.youtube.com/c/PimaAirSpaceMuseum

Check 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 Politics
1:27 Technological Advances in Aviation
4:54 The B-70: Wonderful Madness
9:10 The Emergence of the Triad
11:50 Shaping the B-1A Specifications
17:30 Competing for the AMSA Contract
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Wednesday 25th March 2026, a collection of Sir Barnes Wallis', the inventor of the Bouncing Bomb and many other things, will do up for auction at Denhams in West Sussex, England. Leo Denham kindly invited us down to explore this incredible collection and get a closer look at some of the increibly important historical artifacts that Wallis kept in his personal collection.

To find out more about the collection, visit the Denhams website at https://denhams.com/ where you can see all the lots and how you can bid on them.

Full cataloges of the collection are aviable for £10.
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✈️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://www.youtube.com/c/PimaAirSpaceMuseum

Check 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
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0:00 Introduction to the Auction
1:36 Stunning Artworks on Display
3:09 The Iconic Signed Dams Photos
4:58 Family Moments Captured
7:12 Furniture and Personal Items
9:12 The Slingshot 10:22 Presentation Slides
11:17 Hidden Treasures in Old Books
14:28 The Swallow and Wild Goose Models
17:19 NASA's Insights Shared
19:10 Personal Mementos and Memories
21:19 The Marbles: Historical Significance
21:43 Auction Details and How to Participate
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The North American Aviation A-36 was a dive-bombing development of the Mustang I that had been specified by the British during the Second World War. The dive-bomber was ordered by the US Army Air Force to supplement their attack aircraft and saw service in the Mediterranean and the China-Burma-India theatres. But the A-36's story is overshadowed by its fighter sister, and matters get even more complicated when it comes to the aircraft's name, which it never officially had.

Author and historian Matthew Willis returns to The Aviation Show to discuss the development and service of the A-36 and champion the Allison-engined Mustangs, which were pretty ace.

To enter our giveaway for a personalised copy of Matthew Willis' Mustang: The Untold Story, send an email to [email protected] with the subject line 'Not An Apache' to be considered in the draw. A winner will be chosen at random and announced on Thursday, 26th February 2026. The winner will be notified by email. If no response is received within 72 hours, the draw will be remade, and the new winner announced. There is no monetary alternative to the prize of one hardback copy of 'Mustang: The Untold Story'.

Buy Mustang: The Untold Story by Matthew Willis in the UK through The Aviation Show Bookshop.org. Every sale supports independent bookshops, and 10% of each sale supports us. https://uk.bookshop.org/a/11015/9781913295882

In the US, you can import Mustang: The Untold Story through Amazon (not an affiliate link) here: https://a.co/d/0bE8Bb7f

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🛫 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://www.youtube.com/c/PimaAirSpaceMuseum

Check 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
-----------------------------------------------------
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1919, four British teams arrived in Newfoundland to attempt to be the first to fly across the Atlantic non-stop, the Big Hop, and claim the Daily Mail's £10,000 prize. Author David Rooney joins us at the Science Museum in London to discuss John Alcock and Arthur Whitten Brown's incredible flight with the aircraft they did it in, the Vickers Vimy, which is on display at the museum.

Buy The Big Hop: The First Non-stop Flight Across the Atlantic and Into the Future from The Aviation Show Bookshop.org affiliate links below:

UK Link: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/11015/9781784745080
US Link: https://bookshop.org/a/111804/9781324050964

Visit the Science Museum website to find out more and book your free admission tickets here: https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/

-----------------------------------------------------
🛫 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/PimaAirSpaceMuseum

Check 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
-----------------------------------------------------
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.