Michael W. Hankins
Dr. Michael W. Hankins is the Curator for US Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps post-World War II Aviation at the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum.
Mike is the author of Flying Camelot: The F-15, the F-16, and the Weaponization of Fighter Pilot Nostalgia, from Cornell University Press, available now in print and audiobook!
Winner of the 2025 AIAA Gardner-Lasser Aerospace History Literature Award!
“In this lively, absorbing account, Hankins demonstrates the influence of a specific culture that celebrated the fighter pilot as a “knight of the air” who thrilled to aerial combat.”
-Lawrence Freedman, Foreign Affairs
“Forget ‘The Right Stuff,’ this is the Real Stuff. Equal parts cultural, technological, societal, and military history, Flying Camelot is a brilliant and illuminating account of fighter pilot culture and the development of governmental weapons systems.”
-Brian Laslie, NORAD and USNORTHCOM,
author of Air Power’s Lost Cause
“[Dr. Hankins] writes in an engaging and accessible way that makes some occasionally highly-technical discussions quite lucid and illuminating.”
-Sir Richard Williams Foundation
News:
- Interview with Maj. Gen. Jeannie Leavitt
Last month I had the great honor of interviewing Maj. Gen. Jeannie Leavitt at the National Air and Space Museum. You can watch the full program here:
Leavitt was the first woman to become a combat fighter pilot for the U.S. Air Force and primarily flew the F-15E Strike Eagle. She has over 300 hours of combat time, held a number of high level command positions, and literally trained a superhero when she worked with Brie Larson for the film Captain Marvel.
It was wonderful to talk with her about her career and her experiences.
- Flying Camelot Receives AIAA Award
I’m extremely excited and very honored to say that my book, Flying Camelot: The F-15, the F-16, and the Weaponization of Fighter Pilot Nostalgia, has been selected as the winner of the 2025 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Gardner-Lasser Aerospace History Literature Award!
This honor is awarded “for the best original contribution to the field of aeronautical or astronautical non-fiction literature published in the last five years dealing with the science, technology, and/or impact of aeronautics or astronautics on society.”
I want to say a huge “thank you” to the AIAA, but also to everyone who helped with this project along the way. There are many people who contributed and supported me throughout that project, and I’m very grateful to everyone who helped me over the years.
Thank you!
- 50th Episode of “From Balloons to Drones”
The latest episode of the From Balloons to Drones podcast is up today, and it’s our 50th episode! Join us for a look back at previous shows and a good discussion about the role of historians and the state of the field of airpower history.
You can listen to the show on Soundcloud, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- New Podcast: Air Force Disappointments, Mistakes, and Failures
The latest episode of the “From Balloons to Drones” podcast is out now! This time we interview esteemed aviation historian Kenneth P. Werrell.
Werrell takes us through his latest book, Air Force Disappointments, Mistakes, and Failures, to tell us about aircraft designs that never took off. From those that were cancelled before going into production, or those that simply didn’t perform as well as imagined, some of the aircraft on the list might be surprising. All of them have fascinating stories.
You can listen to the show on Soundcloud, Spotify, or wherever you find your podcasts.
- Women in Military Aviation Talk
Last night I was very lucky to be able to host a great event: “The Path to Equality for Women Military Aviators,” featuring two great authors who have new books on the history of women in military aviation. The guests were Eileen Bjorkman, a retired Air Force Colonel and flight test engineer, whose latest book is The Fly Girls Revolt: The Story of the Women Who Kicked Open the Door to Fly in Combat. With her was Beverly Weintraub, author of Wings of Gold: The Story of the First Women Naval Aviators.
We had a great and wide-ranging talk about how the barriers against women flying in combat aviation were eventually removed. They had some great and fascinating insights. The event was part of the GE Aviation Adventures series at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.
Give it a listen on YouTube, and I hope you’re able to tune in for future lectures!