Episode 72 – Jonathan Pote

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Guest: Jonathan Pote

Host: Dave Homewood

Duration: 2 hours 17 minutes, 34 seconds

Topic: In this episode we hear about the amazing life in aviation that Jonathan Pote has had so far. He’s known to many as a regular article writer for vaious aviation magazines, and we hear about his life from his early days as a plane spotting child in Devon, Britain, to wreck hunting and helping to save important airframes as a teenager including a Walrus, Lancaster and Seafire 47.

He tells about his adventures just out of school as a volunteer working as a doctor’s assistant in 1960’s Laos, and flying around the “secret war” zone and with Air America.

Upon his return to ‘the world’ he studied to become a doctor and learned to fly with an RAF University Air Squadron. Then as a doctor who could fly. He naturally emigrated to Queensland, Australia, to become a Flying Doctor.

Another chapter of his life saw him flying as a Search And Rescue doctor back in Britain whilst in practice as a GP, and then he was called up as a member of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force to serve in the first Gulf War in 1990-91. He also recalls stories of flying the BAE Hawk and searching for the pilot of a pilotless Harrier. Also he talks with great pride about meeting WWII veterans including two Victoria Cross holders.

Squadron Leader Jonathan Pote (Rtd) giving a speech at the June 2014 unveiling of the new nose art on the Lancaster at MOTAT, just a few hours before he did this interview.

By the way the small music clip comes from Danosongs and is called Magic Ghost