Behind the Wings

Explore the topic of pilot pathways – how people navigate the path to becoming a pilot. Our guests are Erika Armstrong and Val Blome. We will dive into Erika’s personal journey as outlined in her memoir “A Chick in the Cockpit”, where she shares her experiences as a woman in a male-dominated industry. The book provides a behind-the-scenes look at the aviation industry, including the challenges and...

Meet the unlikely cast of characters who came together to reunite Col. James Randall with a piece of his past. We will get into many topics today all connecting back to one long-lost helmet belonging to an F-105 pilot who went down during the Vietnam War. The helmet belonged to Retired Col. James Randall. Col. Randall was a proud member of the Tuskegee Airmen, who were some of the first Black avia...

There’s space for everybody.” But we know little about how differently-abled people will respond to low-gravity environments and the unique challenges that can arise in human space flight.   Mission: Astro Access - a crew of disabled scientists, aerospace professionals and artists based in America - is planning its second mission to explore how different people navigate space travel. What challeng...

In this episode of Behind the Wings, we are talking about the James Webb Space Telescope! A next generation deep-space telescope that NASA launched in December 2021. It’s the most powerful telescope ever built, with the ability to see further and clearer into space than any previous telescope. It’s advanced design, sensors, and technology will allow it to time travel to some of the first galaxies...

Today, we are going deeper with a company called MissionGo who is using drones to do a variety of things from infrastructure inspections to medical and commercial cargo. Our guests are MissionGo President Chris Corgnati and Director of Flight Operations Ryan Henderson. Last time on episode 4 we discussed drone soccer, and the regulatory challenges that this quickly growing industry faces as it tak...

Strap in folks, we are going to Space with a very special guest who blazed her own trail, defying the grip of Earth’s gravity, and breaking a glass ceiling into the cosmos. Our Guest today is Retired NASA Astronaut Eileen Collins. Col. Collins has lived an amazing life, and though she has retired from the NASA astronaut program, her mission to share her story and inspire the next generation of exp...

The Civil Air Patrol (CAP) is a non-profit organization that serves as the civilian auxiliary of the USAF. Its membership includes everyone from younger cadets to their more senior members, totaling more than 56,000 volunteers across the US. The CAP started just 6 days before Pearl Harbor, and they served a unique, and relatively active role, patrolling the Atlantic coast during WWII. Today their...

Ready or not, strap in, because we have got 10 great episodes coming up for Season 2. It’s time to go... Behind the Wings! We’ve got a lot to explore – stories about how history shapes aviation today, trailblazers in space, and up-close looks at iconic aircraft of the past, present and future. There’s a lot of cool stories coming up in Season 2, so stick around. You can find the Behind the Wings p...

In today’s show, we’re going to go Behind the Wings of a cutting-edge space vehicle – The Orion Spacecraft, and the Artemis Missions - with Lockheed Martin systems engineer and Integration senior manager Kerry Timmons. Kerry leads a team of engineers at Lockheed Martin, working on Orion’s vehicle requirements - from the advanced electrical systems to human integration for the Artemis I and II miss...

Today’s show is a conversation with Allissa Battocletti Noffke – a 'professor' of spacewalking! Allie works for the flight operations directorate at NASA’s Johnson Space Center – NASA’s center for human space flight based in Houston Texas - where she specializes in EVAs or Extra Vehicular Activities. Most of her work has focused on the International Space Station. Whenever astronauts need to make...

We are all familiar with the name Amelia Earhart, but do we really know what she was like or what she believed in? Today’s show is a conversation with Sammie Morris. Sammie is the Head Archivist at the Purdue University archives and special collections where they hold some of the most extensive collections on Amelia Earhart, one being donated by Amelia’s husband, George Palmer Putnam, himself. Ame...

Today’s show is a conversation with Robert Arnold, the grandson of Hap Arnold – the Father of the air force. Arnold urged an independent air arm which he lived to see authorized in 1947 – he started flying with the Signal Crops in what could be described as a ‘wild west’ era in aviation - setting altitude records, and in WWI was the first aerial observer to report his observations using Radio.  In...

Today’s show is a conversation with Jonna Doolittle , the granddaughter of James H. Doolittle – who shares great insights into the American military general and aviation pioneer. It was great to get the family insights from Jonna, and as always, the historical context.  Doolittle won air races, was a test pilot, completing the first outside loop, something most people thought was impossible. In WW...

Today’s show is a conversation with Steve Lindsey who is a former U.S. Air Force (USAF) pilot and NASA astronaut with more than 30 years of flight test experience. Today, he is VP of Strategy at Sierra Space where he leads design, development, testing and operational employment of the Dream Chaser® spacecraft, a modern, reusable, lifting-body space system for uncrewed and crewed transportation to...

This will be our first show with two guests – Kyle Sanders and Dawn Zoldi - and we’re talking drones! We’ll explore new E-Sports like drone soccer, artificial intelligence, the role of drones in combat, and the legal issues that arise with drone law. Students are getting involved with drones at the high school level and even younger. There's so much opportunity with this growing field. U.S. Drone...

Today’s show is a conversation with Sharon Caples McDougle, a modern-day hidden figure, crew chief, and manager of the Space Shuttle Crew Escape Equipment Processing Department. She is the first Black woman to serve in those roles. She has had an amazing career and we’re going to dive into her journey. Sharon is a former NASA spacesuit technician. She suited up Mae Jaemison, the first Black Woman...

Today’s show is a conversation with Mike Rabens who is president of the F-14 Tomcat Association  –  who’s mission, they say, is to to preserve the history of the greatest fighter jet the US Navy has ever flown. Membership is open to anyone who has flown, worked on, or just plain loves the F-14 aircraft. Mike is graduate of the Navy Fighter Weapons School, Top Gun, a commander on US Naval Test Pilo...

General Carl A. Spaatz was the first chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force and one of the most influential people in early U.S. Air Force History. Born in Boyertown, Penn. on June 28, 1891, Spaatz had a full career, beginning with the newly formed air corps and was one of the first military aviators in the U.S. Army. In this episode, we look at Spaatz' biography, but also what his story meant for t...

Calling all aviation lovers, space nerds, history buffs, and futurists – Behind the Wings® is now also a podcast! Published every other Monday.