Ohio and Aerospace

Why does so many aerospace legends come from the state of Ohio?  I explore this question while also talking about a road trip I took to the state.

Transcript

Paula: 0:00

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

0:10

Welcome aerospace enthusiasts. What comes to mind when you think of the state of Ohio? Cities that began with the letter C, like Cleveland, Cincinnati, or its capital Columbus, maybe the vast farm fields that are in between the cities that are vital to feeding the country. Maybe Ohio State or professional sports teams like Cincinnati Bengals. Columbus Blue Jackets or the Cleveland Indians? Wait, no, I mean the Cleveland Guardians. But when it comes to Ohio, I'm gonna tell you why you should think about aerospace. Ohio, the Buckeye State. You have probably seen those have it all in the heart of it. All. Commercials about Ohio, a state that seems to get a lot of hate online. We have all seen the memes on social media about constant road work the depressing cold weather or the overall misery of living there. So why am I talking about this often made fun of state in the Midwest, and why is it relevant to the best aerospace era? I'm gonna get into that. But first, here are a few facts about Ohio. Ohio became a state in 1803 thousands of years prior, native American tribes lived in this region called the Hopewell culture, leaving behind enigmatic remnants like the Newark Earthworks or the Serpent Mound. The name Ohio came from the Iroquois Tribes, meaning Great River. In reference to the Ohio River. There are many US presidents that have come from Ohio. William, Henry Harrison, Benjamin Harrison, Ulysses S Grant James Garfield, William McKinley, Rutherford b Hayes, William Howard Taft, and Warren g Harding. More presidents have come from this state than any other some notable celebrities and sports figures like Drew Carey, Randy Savage, Alexa Bliss, John Havlicek, Pete Rose, Simone Biles, Clark Gable and Jesse Owens are all from the Buckeye State. But why is Ohio relevant to aerospace history and the best aerospace era? Let me tell you about a road trip that I took there last year. I drove to the National Museum of the United States Air Force, which I highly recommend it is easy to get overwhelmed by the number of awesome airplanes, missiles, and spacecrafts on display there. If you ever get a chance, I definitely encourage you to go afterwards, I went to an air show slash beer fest called Hops in the Hangar in Middletown, not far south from Dayton. It was an awesome experience where you can get to watch aerial stunts while trying out some local breweries. Most of the beer stands were inside of a hanger, as the name would imply. There were also some vintage airplanes to look at, along with some newer ones. In between the aerial stunts by the airplanes. There were some skydivers that also performed. The weather was perfect and the event had a friendly and local atmosphere. Also the names of the breweries. And some of the beer itself had aviation themes and an air show like this is reminiscent of those storied 1920s air shows that I like to talk about here on Mansplaneing by Barnstormers, although it was prohibition back then, so there should not have been any beer there, although there probably was. I do recommend you check out Hops in the hangar in Middletown, Ohio, by the way. But that was not the only aviation related event that was taking place on that particular weekend in late August, you've probably heard of the world famous US Navy's Blue Angels. On this same weekend, the Blue Angels performed in Columbus. Awesome Navy pilots have been performing shows in the iconic blue and yellow F 18 hornets for decades now. I saw them perform years ago and they do not disappoint. There was also a vintage airline memorabilia trade show in Cleveland. That our good friend and former guest on the show, Jeff Lester attended is an annual event where airline enthusiasts gather and share stories and buy and sell aviation memorabilia, and all these events happen on just one late August weekend. So you can see there is a strong interest for aviation in Ohio. That makes sense, right. The Wright brothers operated out of Dayton where they advanced their flying machines and their understanding of flying, but that's just the beginning. What about space history? The most famous astronaut and the first man to walk on the moon. Neil Armstrong was also from Ohio. We all learn about him in grade school, but you may be amazed by the staggering number of other aerospace legends from the Buckeye state. I have a list for you here. Let's get into it. Now most probably think both of the Wright brothers came from Ohio, but you'd only be half Wright. Orville Wright was born in Dayton, Ohio on August 19th, 1871. Orville is the youngest of the Wright brothers. His older brother Wilbur, was born in nearby Millville, Indiana. He and Wilbur's love of flying toys and kites as kids led them to figure out how to make something that is heavier than air fly in 1903. Do you know which of the Wright brothers flew first? If you listen to a previous episode, you already know it was Orville who was the first to control a flying machine in flight over the beaches in North Carolina. However, it wasn't Dayton where they began to master flying. I believe they only flew together on a Wright Flyer once. Neither of them wanted their combined knowledge and work to be lost in the event of a fatal crash. With both of them on board. Orville, remarkably witnessed in his lifetime, airplanes advancing and developing into immense size with longer wing spans than their first flights He also gotta witness the rise of the airline business that helped connect societies across the world. Now to a name you hear a lot of here on the Mansplaneing podcast. A man whose contribution to the best aerospace era is remarkable, and who cheated death more times than I can count. Eddie Rickenbacker, born in Columbus, Ohio on October 8th, 1890. Rickenbacker was one of the top race car drivers in the country in the late 19 teens. Beginning his career in Ohio, he took his talents to the dog fights over the Great War. He became known as the Ace of ACEs with 26 confirmed kills. Years later in the 1930s, he joined the airline business and led Eastern Airlines to become one of the largest airlines in the world. Eddie Rickenbacker was one of the first figures I researched when I dove into aviation history. Now from a World War I ace to a World War ii, ACE Don Gentile was born on December 6th, 1920 in Pique, Ohio. He was already an amateur pilot when the US joined the second global conflict in 1941. Gentile lacked the academic credentials to be a pilot though, in the US Army Air Force, but that did not stop him from getting into action. He joined the Royal Canadian Air Force. Instead. Apparently the Canadians did not have the same high academic standards as a US Army Air Force. With the Royal Canadian Air Force. He flew the Supermarine Spitfire. He was later incorporated into the Army Air Force, though, and flew the P 47 Thunderbolt. And the P 51 Mustang Those are three of the most iconic aircraft in World War ii. Gentile was deadly in the sky. He racked up 26 kills during the war equaling Eddie Rickenbacker number. Speaking of World War ii. Earlier on in this episode, I mentioned iconic movie Star, Clark Gable. I did not just mention him because he was one of the most famous movie stars of all time. Clark Gable was born in Cadiz, Ohio on February 1st, 1901. With movie credits to his name like Mutiny on the Bounty, released in 1936, Test Pilot released in 1938 and Misfits released in 1961 along with this most iconic role as Rhett Butler in Gone With the Wind in 1939. Now many people might not know that he served in the Army Air Force during World War II on a B 17 Flying Fortress. His station was to serve as a photographer and gunner on a number of missions with the rank of major. And of course, footage of him was used to make a film, American Combat released in 1943. Now to a more obscure aerospace figure. Have you ever heard the name Geraldine Mock, born in Newark, Ohio on November 22nd, 1925, with the name like Geraldine Mock. She had to become a pilot, right? She had a strong interest in aviation from a very young age, but put this interest on hold to get married and become a mother of three. However, in 1964, she did something extraordinary. On March 19th, Geraldine Jerry Mock took off in a Cessna 180 from Columbus, Ohio and landed back in Columbus on April 27th after circling the entire globe, the first woman to do so on a solo flight. I can think of many awesome airplanes that I'd want to fly around the world on, but a Cessna 180 is not on that list, and I want you to keep in mind she did this without GPS. Amazing. Now from a Cessna 180 to something with a degree of more speed, an SR 71 Blackbird. How about one of the first men to pilot this unprecedented aircraft? Colonel Richard Butch Sheffield from Rootstown, Ohio was one of the first to be handpicked among the elite pilots to be trained to fly the SR 71. He was actually the first pilot to eject from an SR 71 and live to talk about it. If you have not heard of him, then you are not alone. I only recently came across Sheffield because there is a book about his life and career coming out soon. Ohio to Supersonic is the title for those interested. That brings us to the most recognizable name on the list. Neil Armstrong. Born in Wapakoneta, Ohio on August 5th, 1930. Wapakoneta is definitely a mouthful. Now, what can I say about Neil Armstrong that has not been said already? I will say that something that should not be overlooked about his career is his career as a test pilot flying the awesome X 15. Also, his time in the Gemini program should not be overlooked. There's more to no Armstrong than just that one small step. There is an Armstrong Air and Space Museum in Wapakoneta. I have not been there yet, but I plan to go there in the future. Maybe then I'll talk about Neil Armstrong more. Also the movie First Man released in 2018 about New Armstrong is a good movie and I do recommend it. Speaking of movies, many people like myself may have first learned about this next astronaut from the movie Apollo 13, released in 19 95 It is one of the best movies ever made. I actually saw it in theaters, and now you have an idea of how old I am. Jim Lovell was born on March 25th, 1928 in Cleveland, Ohio. It was Jim Lovell's book, lost Moon, that inspired filmmakers like Ron Howard to make the movie Apollo 13. Jim Lovell was a very active astronaut in the NASA space program. He flew on two Gemini and two Apollo missions on Gemini seven. He, along with Frank Borman, spent nearly two weeks orbiting the earth. I cannot imagine being in a confined space roughly the same size as the interior of a Corvette for two weeks, and I may need to double check this, but you may have spent more time in space than anyone else during the best aerospace era. His record should not be overlooked just because of that. One successful failure of O Mission. Jim Lovell passed away not that long ago at the age of 97. Now to another famous astronaut, John Glenn. Born on July 18th, 1921 in Cambridge, Ohio. I can say the names of these hometowns. John Glenn was the first American to orbit Earth on Mercury Atlas six, which finally equaled what the Soviets had already done first. He retired from NASA not long after this flight. John Glenn also served as a senator for Ohio for more than two decades, but his astronaut career was not entirely over. Does anyone remember that John Glenn returned to space in the late 1990s on the space shuttle? He was 77 at the time, by far, the oldest to do so. This was big news at the time. I remember watching on tv, the Space Shuttle, discovery Land, and John Glenn and the rest of the crew do a walk around of their spacecraft. How amazing it was to see one of the Mercury seven. Flight on the space shuttle and then watch him do a walk around of it. Now to a lesser known Apollo astronaut, Donn Eisele, born in Columbus on June 23rd, 1930. He was also a fighter pilot who followed a familiar path for astronauts through Wright Patterson and Edwards Air Force Base. Eisele flew on Apollo seven. This was a very important mission because it was the first crewed Apollo mission in the shadow of the tragic Apollo One tragedy. Where we lost Gus Grissom, ed White and Roger Chaffee. I brought him up during my extra section at the Gus Crissom memorial episode. Interestingly, Eisele was slated to be on the crew of Apollo one with Gus Grissom and Ed White. However, he suffered an injury during training and was replaced with Roger Chaffee who was his backup. Try to imagine that. Now there is another astronaut I want to mention here. Admittedly though she did not join NASA or fly in space during the best aerospace era, but I wanted to bring her up. Her name is Judith Resnik, born in Akron, Ohio on April 5th. 1949 Resnik, you can say, was a Renaissance woman. She could play the piano. She was an avid runner, a pilot, and she had a doctorate in electrical engineering. Resnick also worked as a biomedical engineer before being one of the first female astronauts selected. By NASA in the late 1970s. Her first mission was on the Space Shuttle Discoveries first launch on August 30th, 1984. Resnick's Next Mission was slated for January 28th, 1986. Some of you may recognize this date because this was a tragic launch of Challenger. Mankind lost some remarkable people that day, including Judith Resnik. if you decide to go look her up, you'll see pictures of her and you will find out that she was also very attractive. One other thing I'd like to mention here is that Resnick has a school named after her back in Akron, Ohio. Now there are many other aerospace figures I could have included on my list, but I'll leave it here. But I do encourage you to look up the names and records of the many other Ohioans who contributed in making 1903 to 1975, the best aerospace era. I also want to mention in this episode that the Wright Patterson Air Force Base is located in Dayton, Ohio. The base's name for the Wright Brothers and one of the Army's first test pilots named Frank Patterson, who was also from Dayton. He died in a plane crash all the way back in 1918. The base is located on the same land. The Wrights used to test fly their earliest flying machines. We should all keep in mind that the work they're done by the Army and now the Air Force. Our major reason why the US has remained the superior aerospace force that it has been for the past 80 plus years. And since I came from the airlines, I'd like to mention some Ohio airports here. Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, CLE, Cincinnati slash Northern Kentucky International Airport, CVG Dayton International Airport, DAY. John Glenn Columbus, international Airport, CMH, Rickenbacker International Airport, LCK and Canton Akron Airport. CAK. I have worked for the airlines for many years, and one airline or another has served all these airports at one time or another. Now I want to tell you an interesting story involving license plates. For this next story, we need to go to North Carolina, or rather their license plates, which say first in flight, you may have seen it. Now, there are those in Ohio who would say North Carolina and myself are wrong. They proclaim that the first flight of 1903 in North Carolina doesn't really count. Just a year or so later in 1905, the Wright brothers back in Dayton, Ohio built and tested an improved craft. This Wright flyer took off maneuvered in the air and landed using its own landing gear. A true airplane and a true, real first flight. There are those who say that Ohio, not North Carolina was a first in flight. I have actually overheard some people having this very conversation in Dayton, but this does not stop North Carolina from printing in bold letters. First in flight on their license plate. Just a few years ago, Ohio came out with a new license plate of their own that displayed a small Wright flyer pulling a banner that said Ohio birthplace of aviation. Sounds nice, doesn't it? This plate was supposed to help cement Ohio's claim to aviation, and it should have made Ohioans proud, but there was a problem. The Wright flyer was facing the wrong direction, so it appears that the banner is in front of the flyer instead of behind. What a mistake, A number of these plates were issued before the error was pointed out and corrected. You may be able to spot one of these incorrect plates yourself. Some would say this is just typical of Ohio. North Carolina thought this was hilarious. And just a thought for those of you who are avid license plate collectors, finding one of those incorrect Wright flyer Ohio plates would be an awesome conversation piece. Let's get back to the big question here. So why are so many aerospace legends from there? I have a theory. Many cities in Ohio, benefited greatly from the Industrial revolution. And the modernization of the us. Throughout most of the 20th century manufacturing jobs became prevalent in cities like Columbus, Cleveland, and Akron. Societies grew up around these cities with schools, colleges, and opportunities. Was this just the right place in the right time for these aerospace legends that I have mentioned here? This is just my theory as a history major and an aerospace enthusiast. Now I was gonna leave this episode here. But something strange happened on the last day. I was recording and editing this episode back in December. Have you ever had that feeling that the government or companies are listening to you on your smartphone, like when you talk to a friend about a product, and soon after an ad for that product pops up on your social media feed? Well, when I took a break from recording and editing to check my phone, lo and behold, an article popped up on my newsfeed with the title. Why do so many astronauts come from Ohio? I may need to start putting my phone on airplane mode or just leave it in another room when I record my episodes. Well, since we are here, the article is written by Logan Rex and it is more concerned with just the astronauts, but points to factors like Ohio's Strong ties to the military, it being the source of aviation along with the state's industrial and education establishments. But what do you think? Now there are those out there who would say including those from Ohio that would say, of course there are a lot of aerospace legends from there because they were just trying to get as far away from Ohio as possible. But you can't deny Ohio's deep connection to the best aerospace era,. And there are many more pioneers I could have mentioned here. Who did I leave out? Who should I have included And what other states should I profile here in future episodes? Should I profile your home state? Thank you so much for listening, and remember, there's always a light at the end of the runway.

Paula: 27:20

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