Why it's the Best Aerospace Era.

Why do I say that the timeframe from 1903 to 1975 is the Best Aerospace Era?  On this episode of Mansplaneing I cover multiple events that back this claim in addition to the main reason at the end of the episode.

Transcript

Paula: 0:00

For the Best Aerospace Era this is mansplaining. Here is the host Anthony L. Sealey

0:11

Welcome aerospace enthusiasts. I thought this was a perfect time to clarify the main theme for the Mansplaneing podcast. It is the theme that the timeframe from 1903 to 1975 is the best aerospace era. You have all seen that meme of a guy sitting at a table holding a cup of coffee outside with a sign in front of his table. Well, that's me today, and the sign says 1903 to 1975 was the best aerospace era. Changed my mind. It's time to defend my argument. Now? Where should I begin For the record, the events that formed the Best aerospace era, the beginning, the Wright Brothers First Flight on December 17th, 1903 on the beaches of Kil Devil Hills, North Carolina. The end, the Joint space mission between NASA and the Soviets, known as Apollo Soyuz Test Project. On this mission, the Soviets Soyuz Spacecraft Rendezvoused and docked with an American Apollo spacecraft during the Cold War on July 17th, 1975. Now when I proclaim that this is the best aerospace era, most people are going to think that's because of the moon landings. And as of early 2026 when this episode airs, mankind has yet to go back to the moon. Although there are also those people who are gonna say, we never went to the moon, and the earth is flat and lizard people are running the government conspiracy theories can be interesting. One thing that becomes apparent when studying history is that every generation believes they are the pinnacle of human civilization. Some will say we have the best technology now in superior crafts and nothing 50 plus years ago compares to what we have today. We discovered this, we accomplished that Some will mention the Airbus A380, the Falcon nine, or maybe the space shuttle as examples. You can't just say it was just because of the moon landings. My theme goes much further than just the moon landings. Though we accomplished many other achievements in the air and space, though we have not matched or exceeded since the best aerospace era. We also engineered some truly remarkable crafts that we push faster and higher than ever before or since. You know that meme of Chris Jericho standing in the middle of the ring holding a very long list? I'm actually old enough to remember watching that live. I have a list here for you. Let's get into it. First, let's talk about speed. We humans have always been obsessed with speed, haven't we? Would you believe that there is still a speed record that still officially stands from the 1930s? For this speed record, we have to go all the way to Italy. The airplane in question is a Macchi mc 72. It is a sleek and awesome looking seaplane, only five Macchi mc 72s wherever built now between 1933 and 34, it set some world speed records, one of which was reaching a top speed of just over 440 miles per hour. This was achieved by Pilot Francesco Agello. This speed record by a seaplane over water apparently still stands today, almost 100 years later. Remember how long ago this was? This happened under the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. This even happened before Italy invaded northern countries in Africa. At the beginning of World War ii, there is a Macchi displayed at the Italian Air Force Museum near Rome, Italy. I have not been to see this one, although I have been to Italy. Italy's awesome. By the way. You should go visit if you ever get the chance. Now. How about. The speed record for any type of craft with wings. Now most people are going to think about Chuck Yeager here. I will have some content about Chuck Yeager in the next series, so standby for that. so wind was the fastest official speed achieved by something with wings. First, we are going to need a ridiculously fast airplane engineered for the job. A rocket plane, actually the X 15. This is an awesome aircraft, although it cannot take off from a runway on the ground by itself. The X 15 was carried into the sky on the wing of another icon from the best aerospace era. A modified B 52 honestly, how cool would that be to ride along on the wing of a B 52 like this us. After the B 52 reach an optimal elevation, the X 15 would be deployed and unlaunched. If you have seen the movie First Man, this is what Neil Armstrong was flying in that first intense opening scene. Now officially, I want to stress the word officially here on October 3rd, 1967 pilot William Pete Knight, pushed in X 15 to mock 6.7. That's 4,520 miles per hour, the official speed record for a craft with wings. I can't wait to explore the X 15 program further. Has someone unofficially beat this record? Now, you would think this record would've been broken by now. Think of all the awesome military airplanes we have today from China, Russia, the us, but we have to go with officially here. And according to some reliable sources, this was the fastest speed achieved. Either way, you can see an X 15 at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. Now the X 15 is not your conventional type of airplane. Of course, that's a rocket plane. Now, as far as a plane, that could take off on its own and land like a conventional airplane. This next one is far from a conventional airplane, but possibly this one is the fastest of its kind and it's a favorite for many aerospace enthusiasts. The SR 71 Blackbird, I cannot find a true top speed for the SR 71. The SR 71 definitely can achieve more than Mach three. If you'd like to see one of those. There's one of the Stephen F Udvar hazy Center in Virginia. Now to the world of the airlines, a world I'm familiar with is'cause I spent almost two decades in the business. How about some supersonic airliners? Both the Concord and the Tupolev 144 were developed during the best aerospace era a time when we engineered what was thought impossible. Both were developed during the best aerospace era and entered service afterwards. Transporting passengers to destinations faster than ever before or since the Tupolev 144 was short-lived. The concord here was no doubt, the better airplane, and served for more than two decades. It had a feature called Super Cruise that enabled flight over Mach two without even using Afterburners. How amazing is that? We don't have anything like that anymore. By the way, neither of these aircraft. We're the first purpose-built airliner to break the sound barrier, but that's a story for another time. If you would like to see a Concord, there is one on display at the Stephen F Udvar Hazy Center in Virginia now I have mentioned some truly awesome examples of aerospace engineering here, but now let's get to something really cool. How about a Cessna 1 72? Yes, you heard that right? A Cessna 1 72. This next one is not a speed record, as you might have guessed, but an endurance record. On December 4th, 1958, John Cook and Robert Timm took off from, LAS airport in Las Vegas, Nevada. They flew a modified Cessna 1 72 that was nicknamed the Hacienda. They flew around the desert for 64 days, 22 hours, 19 minutes, and five seconds. A truck, would drive below and refuel and resupply them when needed. On this insanely long flight. As much as I love flying to travel, I would've hated to be in an airplane that long. I believe a casino actually sponsored them for this flight. If you'd like to see this incredible Cessna 1 72, the Hacienda itself. It is on display at the LAS airport at the baggage claim area. Now back to the airline world. It is hard to grasp how much the airline business has changed the world By the last few years of the best aerospace era. A person can walk into a commercial airport, big or small, and travel anywhere. Possibly to the other side of the planet in less than a week, and a ticket costs way less back then. Just like everything else here today, And I want you to remember, the airlines are not just there to take you to Disney World on vacation. We're there for business trips. We're there If you get that phone call from a family member or a close friend who's in a crisis, we'll get you there faster. And also before the best aerospace era. Most people grew up, lived and died in the same town that they were born in. With the airlines, you can pack a bag. Get a ticket, fly to another city and start all over somewhere else. Now, very early on in my airline career, I once saw an amazing site, three legends of aviation parked next to each other on Concourse E, the International terminal of Hartsville Jackson International Airport, ATL. I saw a Boeing 7 4 7 in one gate. Next to it was a DC 10 and another, and beside that, a much smaller aircraft, a Boeing 7 37. If you think about it, all these airplanes do the same thing, but fly differently because a 7 4 7 has four engines. The DC 10 has three, and the 7 3 7 has two. We're losing this kind of variety when it comes to aircraft design In the next decade or so, airliners, who are all more or less look the same. Now, the Airbus A380 is an amazing piece of aerospace engineering. I once saw one at the LAX airport. The A380 was developed decades after the first double decker airliner. The 7, 4 7. Will we ever see another like it or will we see any other bold or unprecedented airliner designs? I've also talked about in general, how different the experience was to fly during the best aerospace era. Being a passenger on an airplane was an event. It was a matter of luxury passengers dressed up in nice clothes before flying. And they treated those making the flight possible with respect and admiration from the pilots and flight attendants to the customer service agents and ramp agents. They also did not trash the gate areas or the airplanes themselves don't be that person. Speaking of experiences, I highly doubt this experience will ever make a comeback. Airlines used to operate flying boats Flying Airline boats like the Martin M1 30, the Boeing 314 Clipper, or the Sikorsky S 40 were not uncommon in the thirties, forties and fifties. Pan Am was probably the most famous for using Clippers at the time. Flying boats were not uncommon in the 1930s, forties and fifties. Think of them as yachts with wings, they could carry almost as many passengers as an Embraer 1 75. Imagine boarding a Boeing 314 Clipper in Baltimore, then taking off from the cold in our harbor waters. Then after the flight landing in the clear warm water near the coast of The Bahamas, you would basically be able to step right off the plane and onto the beach. That would be fantastic. At the time, there were not many established airports with runways and facilities. So flying boats made sense for the airlines back then. This changed by the late 1940s and 1950s flying boats lost out to conventional airplanes and later jets. This entire concept went away and most likely will never return. Unfortunately. Speaking of flying boats, how about something big? Really big? The Hughes H-4 Hercules better known as the Spruce Goose. This flying boat was colossal and is still one of the largest aircraft to ever fly. Although it only flew one time in the waters off of Long Beach, California on November 2nd, 1947, Howard Hughes actually flew it himself picture something in the realm of the same size as a Lockheed C-5 Galaxy taking off and this splashing back down in the water. What an awesome site that must have been to see it was intended to serve the same role as a C-5 Galaxy during World War ii, but the war was over by the time it was ready. And as I said before, flying boats lost out to conventional aircraft. It is still the largest flying boat ever made, and the largest airplane of any kind made of wood. The Hughes H-4 Hercules is on display at the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum in Oregon. I have not been to see this one, but it's on my list to go see. So flying boats did not stand the test of time, but you know what did, there are many iconic airplanes that were engineered during the best aerospace era that are still in use or still in service today, if not recently retired. Here's a short list for you. The B 52, the C-130, the Antonov a N 12, the Boeing 7 37, the Boeing 7, 4 7. The Tupolev TU 95, the MIG 21, the MIG 25, the F 14, the F 15, the U2 spy plane. There are even still some DC threes being used today. Its first flight was more than 90 years ago. You don't need to go to a museum to see these awesome aviation legends of the sky. You just need to go to an airport or a military base. After this episode, go check your flight radar or just go look up if they're out there. Although if you look up to see a squadron of TU 95s, then you should run for shelter. We don't use TVs, phones, or radios from decades past, but we're still using airplanes that originally engineered and operated in the 1940s, fifties, sixties, and seventies. And it's not just airplanes. Now for space. The Semyorka or R seven Rocket was developed in the 1950s and first successfully launched in 1957. It was the first ICBM capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to any target on Earth. Fortunately it never did that. The Samyorka found a much more awesome job as a space launch vehicle. If you are familiar with a Mansplaneing podcast than you already know about this. Now if you look at black and white photos or videos of this rocket from the 1950s and compare it to what the Russians are using right now, it's the same design language in engineering, although they call this the Soyuz. Now, not to be confused with the Soyuz spacecraft, which is originally developed in the 1960s and is also still in use today. This is space age technology, and it still works. Now, here's a space first that has not been matched since the 1960s, and I do not see this being done anytime soon in the foreseeable future. A space mission like no other. Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova was launched into orbit by a Semyorka and rocket on June 16th, 1963. Tereshkova was the first woman in space. Now you may be thinking, so what many women have been to space since then? Not like this. They haven't. This was a solo mission aboard a Vostock spacecraft. She orbited the earth 48 times, and to this date is the only solo space mission in orbit performed by a woman. At the time, this mission was criticized as being just a propaganda stunt to enhance the USSR's agenda during the Cold War. I respect that assertion. But this mission did demonstrate something else that a woman could handle space. This mission also proves something else. Tereshkova was not a pilot. Or an aerospace engineer or a member of the Soviet military. She was a factory worker and an amateur skydiver. This, proved that one does not necessarily need to be cut from the same mold as Gus Grissom, John Young or Alexi Leonev to fly in space. And remember, this mission occurred all the way back in 1963. That's a long time ago. I do not see this achievement being matched anytime soon. Wait, what was the last solo space mission in orbit? I bet it was standby. Yes, I thought so. It was a Chinese Yang Liwei a Taikonaut orbited the earth In a Shenzhou spacecraft in 2003. Now let's talk about really going into space. By that I mean leaving Earth's orbit entirely and venturing out into the void beyond on December 21st, 1968. William Anders, Frank Borman and Jim Lovell. Launched from Earth aboard of Saturn five. This was Apollo eight. Their mission was to travel to the moon and make it back in one piece. Their mission was not to land on the moon. However, come on, we're talking about 60 years ago Now, I know the Artemis program is scheduled to change that this year. In fact, very soon, which is why I aired this episode. Now. I pray that they are successful. Now, most likely we are gonna walk in the moon again within the next decade. Let's not forget whoever does step on the lunar surface again. Next, we will be walking in the footsteps of these men, Harrison Schmitt, Eugene Cernan, Charles Duke, John Young, James Irwin, Dave Scott, Edgar Mitchell, Alan Shepherd, Alan Bean, Pete Comrade, buzz Aldrin, and of course. Neil Armstrong, And they did it more than 50 plus years ago, and they did it without smartphones, ai, or the internet, or, I actually flew down to Florida and tried to watch the first launch of Artemis one. However, the launch was scrubbed and rescheduled, so I did not get to see that one. I do recommend that everyone listening, try at least once to go see a space launch. There are plenty of areas around Cape Canaveral where you can view the launchpad from a distance. There is an app called Space Launch Schedule. That I highly recommend. Just don't forget your binoculars. This is definitely an underrated American pastime. And while you're there, don't forget to check out the Kennedy Space Center. Now, at the beginning of this episode, I said that my statement means more than just the moon landings. Let's take the Apollo missions out of the equation entirely. At the time of this episode, premiering in early 2026. We have yet to ventured out from low earth orbit. So when was the second furthest distance achieved by a man spacecraft? We have to go back to the mid 1960s again. The second furthest distance obtained by a man spacecraft was on Gemini 11 in 1964 by Richard Gordon and Pete Comrade. I am a big fan of the Gemini spacecraft and it's too bad the Gemini program cannot have continued on in some form or fashion beyond the 1960s. So as you can see, it's not just about the moon landings now to war. Some of the biggest aerial battles in history took place during the best aerospace era. For example, like the St. Mihiel Air Battle, the Battle of Britain, the Battle of Kursh, or the Battle of the Philippine Sea. Now dog fights are exciting. Imagine fighters and bombers flying in all directions in a strom of action, trying to gain an optimal position for a kill or for a bombing or strafing run. I cover air battles here, even though I would not label the Mansplaneing podcast, a war stories podcast, but World Conflicts played a major part in the best aerospace era. I do love reading about and profiling accounts from the skies of the Great War and World War ii as I have before. In earlier episodes, I will profile other air conflicts like the Korean War and Vietnam in the future. So standby for that if you do enjoy this kind of content. Honestly, though, war is terrible and I want this one to stay behind. We don't need to top these air conflicts in the future. No one really wants World War III, right? I can and will make multiple episodes on the topics we have talked about here today. But I know your time is valuable and I want to get to the real reason why 1903 to 1975 was the best aerospace era. It's not an airplane or a rocket. It's not because of aerospace achievements. It was a spirit, the essence and determination. We had to push the envelope for what was possible. This is it. During this era, we first made something heavier than air fly. Then we made it fast, then we made it safe. Then we made it bigger and fly higher. We also made it into a devastating weapon of war. Speaking of weapons, we develop rockets capable of delivering hydrogen warheads to our adversaries anywhere in the world. But instead, we discovered a much more awesome use for these rockets. We repurposed these rockets to launch satellites, probes, and humans into orbit and further out into space. And the benefits of the space programs and the benefits of the airlines, as I mentioned before, are apparent and paramount to our existence today. Do you think we peaked as a civilization during the best aerospace era as far as aerospace is concerned have we just settled since then? Have we just settled in the wake of these achievements that I've mentioned before? Are we too busy staring at our phones and arguing about politics or fighting petty wars to advance ourselves further? I didn't expect this episode to get that deep, but it went there. What do you think? Try and change my mind. Thank you so much for listening, and remember there is always a light at the end of the runway.

Paula: 30:30

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