Lt. Gen. David Deptula (USAF, retired) was the principal attack planner for the Desert Storm coalition air campaign in 1991. Today, 30 years after the Gulf War, he joins us for a talk about that air campaign - planning it, executing it, and evaluating it.

13: Lieutenant General David Deptula, USAF (Ret.) - The First Gulf War

The recent book 'The Bomber Mafia' (by Malcom Gladwell) has generated a lot of interest in the topic of strategic bombing in World War II. On this episode, three of the editors at From Balloons to Drones, Mike Hankins, Brian Laslie, and Luke Truxal, go beyond the book to talk about various issues related to bombing in WW2.

15: The Bomber Mafia

In World War II, American airmen flew key missions in the China, Burma, India theater. A vastly higher percentage of them were able to survive and return home after being shot down, compared to other theaters. To examine why, and reveal the exciting stories of these airmen and the various people who helped them on the ground, we are joined by Daniel Jackson, author of Fallen Tigers: The Fate of America's Missing Airmen in China During World War II. You can also see more of his work, including a database of downed air crews, oral histories, and more, at: http://www.forgottensquadron.com/

17: Daniel Jackson - Rescuing the Flying Tigers

Drones have become increasingly key to contemporary warfare, even iconic. But are they really as revolutionary as they appear? Dr. Michael Boyle joins us to discuss his recent book, The Drone Age: How Drone Technology Will Change War and Peace. He examines the drone phenomenon as it has currently affected global conflict, and how drones might shape the future.

21: Michael Boyle - The Drone Age

The interwar period between World War I and II was a very important time for the development of air power, and this was especially true in Australia and New Zealand. Alex Spencer, curator at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, joins us to talk about these developments, which he discusses in his new book: British Imperial Air Power: The Royal Air Forces and the Defense of Australia and New Zealand Between the World Wars.

22: Alex Spencer - Interwar Airpower in Australia and New Zealand

Our own co-host Michael Hankins goes into the hot seat to talk about his new book, Flying Camelot: The F-15, the F-16, and the Weaponization of Fighter Pilot Nostalgia, from Cornell University Press. We look at the development process of the Eagle and the Fighting Falcon, talk about the elements of fighter pilot culture, and the ever-controversial Col. John Boyd.

23: Michael Hankins - The F-15 and F-16: Fighter Pilot Culture and Technology

Colonel Merryl Tengesdal flew helicopters in the US Navy before transferring to the US Air Force to become the first (and so far, only) African American woman to fly the U-2. She tells us the fascinating story of her career, what it's like to fly an aircraft on the edge of space, and drops some inspirational advice along the way.

25: Colonel Merryl Tengesdal - Through the Stratosphere in the U-2 and in Life

We're joined by F-15 pilot and MiG-killer Rick Tollini. He tells us all about the harrowing missions flown in the opening of the 1991 Gulf War. For more, check out his recent book: Call-Sign Kluso, from Casemate Press.

29: Rick Tollini - Air Combat in the Gulf War

The threat of nuclear war seems to be rising once again as tension among global powers increases. With that in mind, we turn back to look at what the nuclear wars plans of the U.S. were during the early Cold War, and what a nuclear war might have looked like, and how it would have potentially been waged. We're joined by Sean Maloney, professor of history at the Royal Military College of Canada, author of Emergency War Plan: The American Doomsday Machine, 1945–1960, from Potomac Press.

32: What Nuclear War Looks Like - Sean Maloney

How did the U.S. get from the first flight of an airplane in 1903, to full-fledged military-capable airplanes in only short few years? Dr. Larry Burke, the aviation curator at the National Museum of the Marine Corps, takes us through the people that made that journey happen. He explores the different approaches to the airplane made by the U.S. Army, Navy, and Marines Corps, and why each of them went about exploring military aviation in a unique way. Larry is also the author of At the Dawn of Airpower: The U.S. Army, Navy, and Marine Corps’ Approach to the Airplane, 1907–1917, from Naval Institute Press.

33: Origins of Air Power - Larry Burke

50 years ago this month (January) was the signing of the Paris Peace Accords, which ended major U.S.  combat operations in the Vietnam War.  To look back on the air campaigns that were so crucial to that war, we talk with Michael Weaver, professor at the U.S. Air Force's Air Command and Staff College and author of 'The Air War in Vietnam' from Texas Tech University Press. Join as we look at the use of air power in Southeast Asia and talk about some of the legacies it leaves behind.
Weaver's comments are his alone and do not reflect the policies of Air University, the Air Force, or the Department of Defense.

35: The Vietnam War 50 Years Later - Michael E. Weaver

This episode is all about the F-14 and F-15 fighters, two very popular and historically significant airplanes. We're joined by Tal Tovy, senior lecturer at Bar-Ilan University in Israel, and author of 'Tomcats and Eagles: The Development of the F-14 and F-15 in the Cold War' from Naval Institute Press. Tovy gives us an up close look at the motivation behind designing these aircraft, and speaks to how to Israeli Air Force experience had a special influence.

36: Tal Tovy: Origins of the F-14 Tomcat and F-15 Eagle

Amidst the news of classified intelligence leaks, it's a great time to look back at the US Air Force Security Service - the USAF's own intelligence agency that gathered critical intelligence throughout the Cold War. From using surveillance aircraft to spy on potential threats to helping fighter pilots shoot down MiGs over the skies of Vietnam, Philip Shackelford takes us through the story of this mysterious organization, as he details in his new book: 'Rise of the Mavericks,' from Naval Institute Press.

37: "Your grandfather was a spy!" - The USAF Security Service - Philip Shackelford

Colonel Kim 'Killer Chick' Campbell was an A-10 Thunderbolt II 'Warthog' pilot with over 100 combat missions. On one of her early missions, her plane was heavily damaged by ground fire. She tells us the harrowing story, and how her flying experiences apply to other areas of life. For more detail, she has a new book: Flying in the Face of Fear: A Fighter Pilot's Lessons on Leading with Courage, from Wiley Press.

39: "My Airplane is Plunging to the Ground!" - Colonel Kim Campbell

For this episode, Mike and Brian have each come up with questions to ask each other about what it's like to be a historian, and pick on some of their favorite topics about aviation history.

40: "Check Six": Historian Questions and Answers

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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!

50: 50th Episode Celebration

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

51: Look Ahead at 2025's Aerospace Books

On the first episode of the 'From Balloons to Drones' podcast, we talk to Dr Timothy Schultz, former U-2 pilot, current Associate Dean of Academics for Electives and Research at the Naval War College, and author of 'The Problem with Pilots: How Physicians, Engineers, and Airpower Enthusiasts Redefined Flight' from Johns Hopkins University Press. He takes us on a journey through how military aviation technology evolved in the early years of flight in order to respond to the limits of the human body.

01: Dr Timothy Schultz - The Problem with Pilots

In this episode, we sit down with Dr Mel Deaile, former B-52 and B-2 pilot and Associate Professor at USAF Air University for a talk about his book: 'Always at War: Organizational Culture in Strategic Air Command, 1946-62.' We discuss the early days of SAC and it's culture, as well as the controversies surrounding General Curtis LeMay.

02: Dr Mel Deaile - Strategic Air Command and Gen LeMay: Culture and Legacy

Today we talk to Dr. Roger Launius, former NASA historian, about the history, legacy, and memory of the Apollo program and the moon landing, at the 50th anniversary of Armstrong's famous steps for all mankind. Looking back after all this time, what does the Apollo program really mean for us today?

04: Roger Launius - The Legacy of Apollo

Katherine Sharp Landdeck is here to tell us all about the WASPs, the Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II. She's the author of 'The Women with Silver Wings: The Inspiring True Story of the Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II.' She goes beyond some of the familiar figures like Jackie Cochran and Nancy Love to tell us about other, lesser-known women in the program. And of course, we will talk about Walt Disney, because Brian will find a way!

08: Katherine Sharp Landdeck - Women Pilots in WW2

The Gallipoli Campaign during World War I is not usually connected with the pioneering use of air power, but should it be? We talk to Sterling Michael Pavelec about his new book that talks about the important role air power played at Gallipoli.

09: Sterling Michael Pavelec - Gallipoli's Air War

Eileen Bjorkman is a retired USAF Colonel and flight test engineer with over 700 hours in the cockpits of F-4s, F-16s, C-130s, and C-141s. She's also the author of 'Unforgotten in the Gulf of Tonkin: A Story of the U.S. Military's Commitment to Leave No One Behind.' She joins us to talk about combat search and rescue operations in the Vietnam War and the harrowing story of F-8 pilot Willie Sharp.

10: Eileen Bjorkman - Search and Rescue in Vietnam

'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/

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