From Balloons to Drones

From Balloons to Drones
  • 5.0 (5)
  • HISTORY

'From Balloons to Drones' is an online scholarly platform that seeks to provide analysis and debate about air power history, theory, and contemporary operations in their broadest sense including space and cyber power. https://balloonstodrones.com/

  1. 51: Look Ahead at 2025's Aerospace Books

    01/31/2025

    51: Look Ahead at 2025's Aerospace Books

    Join us as we look at what literary treasures await us in upcoming books in aerospace defense history. What are we excited about, what have we been reading? What have you been reading, and what are you excited for? Let us know! Also covered: Star Wars, Antz vs. A Bug's Life

    27 min
  2. 50: 50th Episode Celebration

    11/01/2024

    50: 50th Episode Celebration

    We look back at 50 episodes of the "From Balloons to Drones" podcast, revisit our favorites, and look at where we're heading in the future!

    40 min
  3. 49: "A Dizzy Idea" - The Airplanes that Didn't Make It with Kenneth P. Werrell

    10/01/2024

    49: "A Dizzy Idea" - The Airplanes that Didn't Make It with Kenneth P. Werrell

    For every military aircraft that takes to the skies, there are so many others that never got off the drawing board, or never made it into full production. Renowned and prolific aviation historian Kenneth P. Werrell talks us through his new book, Air Force Disappointments, Mistakes, and Failures, to talk about some of these projects and why some airplanes never seem to take off.

    29 min
  4. 48: "Keep 'Em Flying!" Stan Fisher on Keeping WW2 Carriers Running

    09/01/2024

    48: "Keep 'Em Flying!" Stan Fisher on Keeping WW2 Carriers Running

    The Pacific Theater of WW2 was massive, not only in size, but in the huge numbers of ships and airplanes. Keeping a force like that operational and effective takes a huge amount of work behind the scenes. In this episode, Navy Commander Stan Fisher takes us through his new book, Sustaining the Carrier War, to show the often overlooked people behind the scenes: the mechanics and maintainers who kept the planes working and kept the carriers able to keep air power in the air in the war against Japan.

    33 min
  5. 47: "There is a Holy Trinity of US Air Force History": Brian Laslie on the history of USAF

    04/01/2024

    47: "There is a Holy Trinity of US Air Force History": Brian Laslie on the history of USAF

    Today we put our own co-host Brian Laslie, in the hot seat to talk about his newest book: Fighting from Above: A Combat History of the US Air Force, from University of Oklahoma Press. He discusses the earliest days of American air power up through the present and looking into the future.

    29 min
  6. 46: "I want to serve in the same way they did" - the WW2 WASP with Dr. Sarah Myers

    03/01/2024

    46: "I want to serve in the same way they did" - the WW2 WASP with Dr. Sarah Myers

    During World War II, men were not the only ones flying military airplanes. Many women flew all kinds of aircraft in a variety of roles, many of them members of the Women's Airforce Service Pilots (WASP). Their story doesn't end with the war either, as they fought for recognition as veterans throughout the 1960s and 70s. We're joined by Dr. Sarah Myers to talk all about the unique roles these women played in the war and beyond, and what their legacy is today.

    32 min
  7. 45: "A Bridge to 21st Century Spaceships" - Astronaut Tom Jones on the Space Shuttle

    02/01/2024

    45: "A Bridge to 21st Century Spaceships" - Astronaut Tom Jones on the Space Shuttle

    We're so excited to be joined by veteran astronaut Tom Jones to talk about the history of the U.S. Space Shuttle Program. Having flown in space on four shuttle missions, Jones shares not only his own perspective, but reflects on the entirety of the shuttle program based on the interviews and research that informed his new book: Space Shuttle Stories: Firsthand Astronaut Accounts from All 135 Missions, from Smithsonian Books.

    34 min
  8. 44: "The Americans were clearly defeated in 1943..." Luke Truxal on Commanding Air Power in WW2

    01/01/2024

    44: "The Americans were clearly defeated in 1943..." Luke Truxal on Commanding Air Power in WW2

    Dr. Luke Truxal is author of the new book, Uniting Against the Reich: The American Air War in Europe, from University Press of Kentucky. In it, he traces how the structure of command over air forces in World War II created a mess of problems. Only late in 1943 and into 1944 did these command structures change, enabling air power to become more effective. Truxal takes us into the dramatic relationships between leaders like Dwight Eisenhower, Carl Spaatz, and more, showing why, in positions of leadership, personality matters.

    35 min
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Ratings & Reviews

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About

'From Balloons to Drones' is an online scholarly platform that seeks to provide analysis and debate about air power history, theory, and contemporary operations in their broadest sense including space and cyber power. https://balloonstodrones.com/

Information

  • Creator
    From Balloons to Drones
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2025
  • Episodes
    51
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    From Balloons to Drones