Mike Carlton: The Burning Blue

Aviation. Adventure. Survival. The untold story of Australia's naval air pioneers.

Bestselling author and former broadcaster Mike Carlton comes to the National Press Club to discuss The Burning Blue - a sweeping and exhilarating history of the Royal Australian Navy’s Fleet Air Arm and the extraordinary Australians who flew, fought and survived at sea.

Why would anyone attempt to land an aircraft on the deck of a moving ship in darkness, rough weather and heavy seas? What drove generations of pilots and aircrew to take such risks? And how did Australia help shape the history of naval aviation?

Drawing on years of research, personal letters and firsthand accounts, Carlton brings these remarkable stories to life in a conversation that spans world wars, aircraft carriers, combat missions, sea rescues and technological innovation. From pioneering aviators and wartime aces to the challenges of Korea, Vietnam and beyond, The Burning Blue reveals a little-known chapter of Australian history through the experiences of those who lived it.

Packed with courage, drama, rivalry, ingenuity and sacrifice, this is history at its most compelling - told by one of Australia's finest narrative historians.

Whether you're passionate about military history, aviation, Australian stories or simply great storytelling, don't miss this opportunity to hear Mike Carlton discuss his acclaimed new book and the extraordinary people behind it.

About Mike Carton:

In a working life of more than fifty years, Mike Carlton was one of Australia's best-known media figures in radio, television and newspapers. Beginning as a cadet journalist at the ABC, he became a war correspondent in Vietnam and was the ABC's Bureau Chief in Jakarta. He also reported for the ABC from London, New York and major Asian capitals. In television, he worked on the ABC's ground-breaking This Day Tonight in the 1970s and for Nine Network News and A Current Affair.

In 1980 Mike turned to talk radio, first in Sydney then in London’, where he won a coveted Sony Radio Academy award in 1993 for Britain's best talk breakfast show. His radio satire on current affairs, Friday News Review, was ‘must listening’ in Australia and the UK.

For many years he wrote a popular weekly column for the Sydney Morning Herald.

Mike has had a life-long passion for naval history and is the author of Cruiser, First Victory, Flagship, The Scrap Iron Flotilla and Dive!. In 2025 he received a Navy Gold Commendation for his outstanding commitment and contribution to the Royal Australian Navy. It's very rare for someone outside Defence to receive a commendation and Mike's contribution was described as ‘exemplary’ by the Navy's chief, Vice Admiral Hammond.