by Nick Anderson | Apr 23, 2026 | Plane Tales
Podcast (pt): Download
We last spoke to Basam when he was doing his Jet Upset Training but now that he has his dream job it was appropriate that we should chat again on one of his London layovers. In particular, he is flying around a war zone which presents additional challenges to a civil airline pilot.

Basam in London near St Paul’s Cathedral

Post interview
by Nick Anderson | Apr 23, 2026 | Plane Tales
Podcast (pt): Download
A flock of seagulls had chosen that moment to break ground from the grass beside the runway and fly across our path. They disappeared under the nose as we climbed away and cleaned the aircraft up… no noise of an impact but then we noticed the No 2 engine’s N1 vibration number was pulsing and reading a bit high. So starts another Tale from my flying logbook.

Marauding seagulls at Shannon

The A340 Cockpit

Setting the landing flaps to Config 3

JFK VOR to 22L

The route LHR to HKG

Landing at Kai Tak

Trying to maintain landing recency
Images published under Creative Commons licence with thanks to Nick Anderson, Google Maps and the FAA.
by Nick Anderson | Mar 19, 2026 | Plane Tales
Podcast (pt): Download
The next tale from my RAF Logbook, albeit now being filled with civilian flights for Virgin Atlantic Airways…

A Virgin A340-300 going round the checkerboard at Kai TAk airport, Hong Kong.

The checkerboard approach from the flight deck.

The treasured Hong Kong landing authorisation card.

The A340 fuel tank layout.

The result of the Air France ground fire.

Iqaluit Airport

The beautiful and historic town of Narita

Flight over Russia

Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to the author, the BEA, Airbus, Iqaluit Airport historic society, BruceBlaus and Peterhcharlton.
by Nick Anderson | Mar 19, 2026 | Plane Tales
Podcast (pt): Download
The second part of an interview with Alan Munro, retired RAF pilot and Cold War warrior, where we talk about his book… Fast Jets on the Front Line.

A 19 Sqn F4 Phantom

A 228 OCU F4 Phantom

An RAF Chinook helicopter

The back seat of a Phantom

Berlin’s infamous Checkpoint Charlie

The RAF’s Winter Survival Course
Images published under Creative Commons licence with thanks to Rob Schleiffert, Gerard van der Schaaf, The RAF/MOD, the US Army,
by Nick Anderson | Feb 3, 2026 | Plane Tales
Podcast (pt): Download
In this tale we listen to part of an interview with author Alan Munro who talks about his recent book, Fast Jets on the Front Line.

Interviewing Alan


The Gloster Javelin

A 29 Sqn F4 Phantom

The RAF’s Harrier GR1
Images are shown under the Creative Commons licence with thanks to the RAF, Alan Munro, Hawker Siddeley and Nick Anderson.