From Balloons to Drones

From Balloons to Drones
  • 5.0 (4)
  • HISTORY
From Balloons to Drones

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

    OCT 1

    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
  2. 48: "Keep 'Em Flying!" Stan Fisher on Keeping WW2 Carriers Running

    SEP 1

    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
  3. 47: "There is a Holy Trinity of US Air Force History": Brian Laslie on the history of USAF

    APR 1

    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
  4. 46: "I want to serve in the same way they did" - the WW2 WASP with Dr. Sarah Myers

    MAR 1

    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
  5. 45: "A Bridge to 21st Century Spaceships" - Astronaut Tom Jones on the Space Shuttle

    FEB 1

    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
  6. 44: "The Americans were clearly defeated in 1943..." Luke Truxal on Commanding Air Power in WW2

    JAN 1

    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
  7. 43: "Women aren't in combat but they're being killed": Women in Military Aviation - Eileen Bjorkman

    12/01/2023

    43: "Women aren't in combat but they're being killed": Women in Military Aviation - Eileen Bjorkman

    This year (2023) is the 30th anniversary of the announcement of the first American women combat fighter pilots. How did the U.S. go from women not being allowed in military airplanes to having women combat pilots? Eileen Bjorkman (Col., USAF, ret.) joins us to talk about these momentous changes. She is a former flight test engineer who has flown in aircraft like the F-4 Phantom and the F-16 Fighting Falcon, and she is author of: Fly Girls Revolt: The Story of the Women who Kicked Open the Door to Fly in Combat, from Knox Press.

    35 min
  8. 42: "They weren't told they were being recruited for space," Cathy Lewis on Soviet Cosmonauts

    10/01/2023

    42: "They weren't told they were being recruited for space," Cathy Lewis on Soviet Cosmonauts

    The American spaceflight program is a popular, inspirational story that many of us are familiar with, but what about the Soviet Union's space program? To explore it, we're joined by Dr. Cathleen Lewis, curator of international space programs and spacesuits at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, and author of Cosmonaut: A Cultural History, from University of Florida Press. She tells us not only about how the Soviet space program worked, but about it's cultural effect on the people of the Soviet Union, and how it has been remembered since then. We do apologize for an audio problem with one of our microphones that we were not aware of until editing, when it was too late to fix.

    40 min
See All (49)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

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 - 2024
  • Episodes
    49
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    From Balloons to Drones

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