Wings Over the Guns: The Story of Britain’s Air Observation Post Squadrons - 10:30am 16 October 2025
Join us in the Museum for a fascinating and richly illustrated talk tracing the origins and evolution of Britain’s Air Observation Post (AOP) units — the small aircraft that made a big difference.
From humble beginnings in the First World War trenches to daring low-level flights over enemy territory in North Africa, Normandy, and the Far East, this talk explores the unique partnership between the British Army and the Royal Air Force in a chapter of aviation history too often overlooked.
Packed with vivid stories of courage, improvisation, and innovation — including daring escapes, unarmed aircraft facing ground fire, and the peculiar perils of flying in monsoon season — this is the story of the pilots and soldiers whose quiet heroism shaped the future of battlefield aviation.
Mike will be joined by Wally Steward, a former New Zealand Army artillery officer and trained AOP pilot, who flew Auster aircraft in the jungles of Borneo during the Indonesia–Malaysia Confrontation. Wally will share first-hand memories of Operation Blunt in 1964, along with the challenges of flying light aircraft in harsh tropical conditions during a largely forgotten conflict. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to hear the personal testimony of an AOP pilot who was there.
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Join us in the Museum for a fascinating and richly illustrated talk tracing the origins and evolution of Britain’s Air Observation Post (AOP) units — the small aircraft that made a big difference.
From humble beginnings in the First World War trenches to daring low-level flights over enemy territory in North Africa, Normandy, and the Far East, this talk explores the unique partnership between the British Army and the Royal Air Force in a chapter of aviation history too often overlooked.
Packed with vivid stories of courage, improvisation, and innovation — including daring escapes, unarmed aircraft facing ground fire, and the peculiar perils of flying in monsoon season — this is the story of the pilots and soldiers whose quiet heroism shaped the future of battlefield aviation.
Mike will be joined by Wally Steward, a former New Zealand Army artillery officer and trained AOP pilot, who flew Auster aircraft in the jungles of Borneo during the Indonesia–Malaysia Confrontation. Wally will share first-hand memories of Operation Blunt in 1964, along with the challenges of flying light aircraft in harsh tropical conditions during a largely forgotten conflict. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to hear the personal testimony of an AOP pilot who was there.
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