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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…
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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,…
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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…
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New Podcast: Keep ‘Em Flying!
We’re back, baby! After taking a hiatus over the summer, the From Balloons to Drones podcast is back, and we kick things off with a great interview with U.S. Navy Commander Stan Fisher, author of Sustaining the Carrier War. So many books talk about the battles, or give a pilot’s perspective, but in this episode,…
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My Favorite Things: The SR-71 Blackbird
For the Spring 2024 issue of Air and Space Quarterly, I was asked to write about one of my favorite artifacts in the National Air and Space Museum. It was not a difficult choice. Check out the article online here, or in the print edition, for a rundown on the history of the Museum’s Blackbird.
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New Talk on the Lafayette Escadrille – American Volunteer Fighter Pilots in World War I
Last fall I was very honored to be invited to speak at the National World War I Museum and Memorial’s annual symposium, where I gave a talk called “Myth and Memory of the Lafayette Escadrille.” This was a dedicated squadron of American volunteer fighter pilots that flew with the French in World War I, before…
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New Podcast: Commanding Strategic Bombing in WW2
Don’t miss the latest episode of the From Balloons to Drones podcast! We’re joined by Dr. Luke Truxal to talk about bombing in WW2 — specifically, who was in command, and how did the relationships between different commanders affect the campaigns? This is a great episode you won’t want to miss! You can listen on…
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The First American Women to Fly Combat Missions
I’m very excited about a new article I wrote that was just published in the new issue of Air and Space Quarterly, the member magazine of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. It reveals the names of the first American women to officially fly combat missions. U.S. Navy Lieutenant Kimberly “Face” Dyson was the…
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New Podcast: Women in Military Aviation with Eileen Bjorkman
The new ‘From Balloons to Drones’ podcast is out! Eileen Bjorkman (Col., USAF, ret.) joins us to talk about the history of women in military aviation. She takes us from the women flying in World War II, and through the long road to get to women in combat aviation in the 1990s and beyond. She…
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Dec. 2, Celebrate at the Udvar-Hazy Center
This Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023, the National Air and Space Museum is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Udvar-Hazy Center! Come out and enjoy a ton of cool events, including a behind-the-scenes, up-close look at our restoration hangar, curator talks and Q&A’s, and tons of other fun events. I’ll be there! At 12-noon I’ll be…