From Balloons to Drones

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.

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.

We're joined by Dr. Peter Westwick, director of the Huntington-USC Aerospace History Project and author of Stealth: The Secret Contest to Invent Invisible Aircraft! We'll talk about the design process of stealth planes like the F-117 and B-2 at Lockheed and Northrop and answer the tough questions, like why did stealth research seem to be focused in California? What role did Russian research play in stealth development? And of course, how is Disney connected to all this?

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.

Hosts Mike Hankins and Brian Laslie are joined by Tyler Morton to discuss his new book, 'From Kites to Cold War: The Evolution of Manned Airborne Reconnaissance.' Not only do we get some incredible stories about aerial surveillance (especially from the WW2-era), but we have a blast talking about our biggest "nerd moments" from the archives, and why that type of work is so powerful and exciting!