The Aviation Show

In 1919, the forerunner to the United States Air Force, the Air Service, staged an audacious transcontinental air race. While flying coast to coast had never really been done before, the head of the Training and Operations Group, Brigadier-General Billy Mitchell. Decided that making it a round-trip race would be even better than just going one way. So in October 1919, using war surplus aircraft, including British and German single-seat Scouts, the great air race began.

Former Washington Post Foreign Correspondent and pilot John Lancaster has retraced the roots of men like Tooey Spaatz and the 'Flying Parson', Belvin Maynard, back and forth across the United States and his new book. The Great Air Race.

To learn more and John, visit his website at: https://www.johnlancasterauthor.com/
Follow John on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/JohnKLancaster
Follow John on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/JohnLancasterAuthor/

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The Damcasters © 2022 by Matt Bone is licensed under Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International

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Bob Reierson joined the USAAF at age 18 and would find himself flying the Douglas A-20G Havoc in the Pacific. On my last visit to the Pima Air and Space Museum, director of collections Andrew Boehly arranged for Bob and I to sit down and discuss flying the A-20. In Part 1 of this 2-part interview, we discuss Bob joining up, learning to fly the PT-19, the BT-13, the UC-78, the B-25, and finally getting his hands on the A-20.

To get early access to part 2 to hear about Bob flying the A-20 in combat and climbing back in the cockpit of an A-20 for the first time in 80 years, become a Damcasteer today!

Get the latest from the Pima Air and Space Museum through the links below:

★Visit the Pima Air and Space Museum’s website here: https://pimaair.org/

★Learn more about the Titan Missile Museum here: https://titanmissilemuseum.org/

★Find out who is in the Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame here: https://pimaair.org/about-us/arizona-aviation-hall-of-fame/

★Want to know how the Tucson Military Vehicle Museum is progressing? Find out more here: https://www.tucsonmilitaryvehicle.org/

★Become a Damcasteer today on Patreon! Join from just £3+VAT a month to get ad-free episodes, chat with Matt and grab some merch. Click here for more info: https://www.patreon.com/thedamcasters

The Damcasters © 2024 by Matt Bone is licensed under Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International

00:00 Introduction

02:30 Meet Bob Reierson

02:55 Bob Introduces Boney to the Douglas A-20 Havoc

10:33 Bob's Dream of Flying

11:46 Bob Applies to the Aviation Cadet Program

13:00 Bob is Called Up to the US Army Air Force

16:47 Bob's Primary Flight Training

21:23 Bob Transitions to Twin Engine Aircraft - UC-78 and B-25

29:47 Training on the A-20 Begins

39:10 The Importance of Formation Flying

44:31 Bob's Journey to the Pacific

53:04 End of Part 1 - Become a Damcasteer!

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The Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor was a savage airliner. Kurt Tank's elegant design evolved from a luxurious civil aircraft into a feared maritime reconnaissance bomber and transport aircraft. Naval air historian Matthew Willis joins us to look at the operational life and legacy of the Condor.

★Buy Matt's book, Eagles of the Luftwaffe: Focke-Wulf Fw 200, at The Damcasters Bookshop. 10% of each sale goes to supporting the podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/11015/9781911658658

★Follow Matt on BlueSky here: https://bsky.app/profile/navalairhistory.bsky.social

★Visit Matt's website at: https://navalairhistory.com/

★Check out 909 Apparel's full range of great aviation-themed t-shirts, hoodies and more here: https://linktr.ee/909apparelco

★Join us for all things aviation-y on The Damcasters Discord server! https://discord.gg/fmrVKjpDVj

Please check out the latest from our partner, the Pima Air and Space Museum, through the links below:

★Visit the Pima Air and Space Museum’s website here: https://pimaair.org/

★Learn more about the Titan Missle Museum here: https://titanmissilemuseum.org/

★Find out who is in the Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame here: https://pimaair.org/about-us/arizona-aviation-hall-of-fame/

★Want to know how the Tucson Military Vehicle Museum is progressing? Find out more here: https://www.tucsonmilitaryvehicle.org/

The Damcasters © 2024 by Matt Bone is licensed under Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International

00:01 Introduction

00:31 Sponsorship and Partnerships

01:43 Interview with Matt Willis: The Story Behind the Book

04:49 The Birth of the Focke Wulf FW 200

08:34 The Role of Deutsche Lufthansa in the Development of the FW 200

14:10 A Modern Airliner

21:35 Reception and Use by Lufthansa

29:56 The FW 200's Transition to Military Use

40:48 Exploring the PB4Y Privateer at the Pima Airspace Museum

43:28 The Condor's Role in the War

44:47 The Condor's Effectiveness and Limitations

55:04 A Fragile Bird?

01:05:29 The Condor's Impact on Allied Forces

01:09:52 The Legacy and Conclusion

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When filmmaker Mary Haverstick started pre-production on a film about the Mercury 13, which selected and tested women for spaceflight, she knew the key was the legendary Jerrie Cobb. Mary's relationship with Cobb led to her uncovering much more about the aviator and a trail that led to the CIA and the Kennedy assassination. Mary's 10-year journey resulted in her book, A Woman I Know, which chronicles her journey to uncover the secrets held by a very secretive woman.

★Buy A Woman I Know: Female Spies, Double Identities, and a New Story of the Kennedy Assassination, at The Damcasters Bookshop here (10% of each sale supports the podcast) UK only: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/11015/9781915590626

★Buy A Woman I Know: Female Spies, Double Identities, and a New Story of the Kennedy Assassination, in the US here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/737399/a-woman-i-know-by-mary-haverstick/

★View Mary's Dealey Plaza Multicam assembly of the Kennedy Assassination here: https://vimeo.com/877221401

★Follow Mary on X/Twitter here: https://twitter.com/MaryHaverstick

★Follow Mary on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/haverfilms/

Get the latest from the Pima Air and Space Museum through the links below:

★Visit the Pima Air and Space Museum’s website here: https://pimaair.org/

★Learn more about the Titan Missile Museum here: https://titanmissilemuseum.org/

★Find out who is in the Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame here: https://pimaair.org/about-us/arizona-aviation-hall-of-fame/

★Want to know how the Tucson Military Vehicle Museum is progressing? Find out more here: https://www.tucsonmilitaryvehicle.org/

★Become a Damcasteer today on Patreon! Join from just £3+VAT a month to get ad-free episodes, chat with Matt and grab some merch. Click here for more info: https://www.patreon.com/thedamcasters

The Damcasters © 2024 by Matt Bone is licensed under Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International

00:00 Introduction and Background

12:53 The Start of the Rabbit Hole: A Visit from a Federal Agent

29:35 Investigating the Connection: Jerry Cobb and June Cobb

36:11 The CIA's Assassination Program and the Threat of Communism

43:11 Jerry Cobb's Desire to Tell the Story

49:46 Reflections on the Journey and Conflicted Feelings

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How has the portrayal of the fighter pilot on film reflected and refined the image of the pilot we know today? Military historian Abby Whitlock joins us as we look at the OG flying films Wings (1927), Howard Hughes' Hell's Angels (1930) both Dawn Patrols (1930 and 1938) and Aces High (1976) to see how the First World War in the air shaped the image of the fighter pilot down to Top Gun and Blackadder.

★Check out 909 Apparel's full range of great aviation-themed t-shirts, hoodies and more here: https://linktr.ee/909apparelco

★Become a Damcasteer today on Patreon! Join from just £3+VAT a month to get ad-free episodes, chat with Matt and grab some merch. Click here below for more info: https://www.patreon.com/thedamcasters

★Check out Abby's website at: https://www.abby-s-whitlock.com/

★Follow Abby on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/abby_s_whitlock

★Follow Abby on Bluesky at: https://bsky.app/profile/abbyswhitlock.bsky.social

★Read Abby's article, ‘A Man’s World’: Masculinity and the First World War Ace in Interwar Film here: https://www.epoch-magazine.com/post/a-man-s-world-masculinity-and-the-first-world-war-ace-in-interwar-film

Please check out the latest from our sponsor, the Pima Air and Space Museum, through the links below:

★Check out the upcoming Build a Drone Day! Full Details here: https://pimaair.org/build-a-drone-day/

★Visit the Pima Air and Space Museum’s website here: https://pimaair.org/

★Learn more about the Titan Missle Museum here: https://titanmissilemuseum.org/

★Find out who is in the Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame here: https://pimaair.org/about-us/arizona-aviation-hall-of-fame/

★Want to know how the Tucson Military Vehicle Museum is progressing? Find out more here: https://www.tucsonmilitaryvehicle.org/

The Damcasters © 2024 by Matt Bone is licensed under Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.