Flight Deck Podcast

Wrapping up the Collections miniseries, today we’re looking at the oldest artifact in our archives. To find it, we need to go back behind-the-scenes, into the Rare Book Room of the Museum’s Harl V. Brackin library to find an object that predates the US Constitution.

Located in the Charles Simonyi Space Gallery, an exhibit space dedicated to modern space exploration, you’ll find the youngest artifact in our collection: An American flag flown to space on the historic Blue Origin New Shepard NS-3 Launch. In today’s episode of the Flight Deck, we’ll take a look at the flag and it’s story, and also learn why stories are at the heart of any museum…and how the stories told in museums have changed over time.

Mike Mullane grew up a child of the space race and realized his dream of space flight as an astronaut for the Space Shuttle program. In today’s interview, which was recorded as part of a Trivia Night program the Museum put on, he takes questions from the audience about his training and experiences in weightlessness. He also helps us answer a few trivia questions about life as an astronaut. Can you get all of the correct answers before he does?

Host Sean Mobley brings the second part of this behind-the-scenes mini-series featuring the “extremes” of the Museum of Flight’s collection. Today we’re staying very close to home on our Museum of Flight campus to look at our Biggest artifact, something so big that moving it took boats, barges, and cranes!

Host Sean Mobley brings us part one of an all-new mini-series featuring The Museum of Flight’s most extreme artifacts. In this series you will uncover the smallest, largest, oldest and youngest objects in our collection. Join us for a journey of wonderment and surprise as we discuss some of our most unique artifacts!

This week we are honored to speak with Museum of Flight docent and Holocaust survivor, Pete Metzelaar. Listen as he describes his first-hand account of the devastating sound of war planes flying over Holland during World War II, and his journey to freedom.

This week’s episode of the Flight Deck Podcast is the first in a series associated with the Museum wide initiative to feature untold stories in honor of the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II. Today you will hear from Museum docent Reiner Decher who was a young boy in Germany during WWII. Reiner recalls the end of the war through the eyes of a child, escaping Germany with his family through Operation Paperclip. Reiner’s father worked in aviation developing cutting edge technology for Junkers Aircraft and Motorworks. After the war, Russia and the United States wanted to employ the greatest German scientists and engineers, Reiner’s Father was one of those selected.

We dive into part two of our interview with Museum docent and Air Force Colonel Peggy Phillips. Peggy remembers her time in the military flying C-141 cargo airplanes, eventually transitioning to C-17 aircraft in 2001 where she became the first female C-17 squadron commander.

Peggy Phillips and the WASPs by The Museum of Flight

Undoubtedly one of the greatest achievements of man has been stepping foot on the Moon. In 1969, the famous Apollo 11 mission fulfilled this dream. Fast forward to 2013, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos commences an expedition to find the powerful Saturn V F-1 rocket engines that propelled Neil Armstrong into space for the imperative Moon landing. The expedition presented many challenges, one of those being that eight other Apollo missions were said to be located in the same general area off of the coast of Florida. On this week’s Flight Deck Podcast host Sean Mobely dives deep into conversation with Vince Capone, a deep-sea diver who worked with Nasa to track down pieces from Apollo and various other space missions. Capone takes us through his journey seeking the Apollo 11 F-1 rocket engines in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean. With a search area spanning 180 square miles of complete and utter darkness, side scan sonar provided the highest resolution with the most amount of ground coverage for the expedition. Sonar gave the team the means to develop an acoustic image of the sea floor which lead them to the discovery of debris fields. Amidst the debris they unearthed pieces of Apollo 12 and ultimately, components from Apollo 11. Listen to this week’s podcast for a thrilling journey uncovering a needle at the bottom of the sea! Want to see a real F-1 rocket engine up close? Come see our Apollo exhibit which features the largest display of the F-1 rocket engines from Apollo 12 and 16! Details: http://museumofflight.org/Apollo Producer: Sean Mobley Webmaster: Layne Benofsky Social Media Specialist: Tori Hunt

Matthew Burchette joined The Museum of Flight in late 2019 as our Senior Curator, launching a new stage in a career spanning several decades of supporting museums in their quest to tell amazing stories and spark inspiration. In today’s episode of The Flight Deck, host Sean Mobley chats with Matthew about his career briefly before moving into a behind-the-scenes discussion on some of the philosophical underpinnings behind our museum and some of the big questions we wrestle with, questions like: How do we decide what to make an exhibit about? Whose story do we tell? What are we looking for when someone comes in the door wanting to donate an artifact? If you’ve ever been curious about some of the thought processes that go into the day-to-day operations and big-picture visions of a museum, or been curious just how someone becomes a curator at a major museum, this will be an enlightening conversation. Interested in donating an artifact to The Museum of Flight? Click here to learn more about what we’re looking for and how to contact us to set up an evaluation. Did Matthew’s comments about the refresh of our World War II exhibit debuting this summer pique your interest? Keep your eyes on our calendar and email list to stay up-to-date with what’s coming up as we commemorate the 75th Anniversary of V-E Day and V-J Day this summer. Credits Producer: Sean Mobley Webmaster: Layne Benofsky

On the eve of a New Year, join host Sean Mobley on a trip behind-the-scenes on the making of an exhibit at The Museum of Flight. Two unassuming display cases outside Wings Café at the Museum contain one of the most looked-at exhibits on the whole campus; the rotating display put together by the NorthWest Scale Modelers Association. A combination of the prime location of the exhibit at a popular crossroads within the Museum, the constantly changing display, and a human fascination with shiny small things makes this exhibit consistently popular with visitors. Follow volunteer curator Tim Nelson and Exhibits Graphics Designer Mandy Faber and a cadre of others as they take an exhibit idea from dream to reality. You can check out the model exhibit, “Now Boarding – The Birth of Air Travel,” at the Museum of Flight from now through May 2020. Interested in models? Join us for the NorthWest Scale Modelers Show all weekend February 15th and 16th. Learn more here. Credits Producer: Sean Mobley Webmaster: Layne Benofsky

In Part II of his interview with World War II veteran Jim Marich, High Schooler Steven Hanley asks about bailing out of aircraft and other life-or-death situations. They also discuss the emotional toll of the war, and how Jim’s volunteering at The Museum of Flight helped him find healing and peace with his experience as a B-29 flight engineer. Jim Marich presents pieces of his story as part of The Museum of Flight’s daily 1:00 Storytelling program. Jim has also recorded an extensive Oral History with the Museum as part of the Michael and Mary Kay Hallman Oral History Collection. You can access Jim’s full story through our research center. Details available at museumofflight.org/Collections-and-Research/Research-Center Credits Producer: Steven Hanley Producer: Sean Mobley Webmaster: Layne Benofsky

Jim Marich, World War II veteran, will tell you he’s lucky to be alive. In today’s episode, he shared the story of the time his B-29 ran out of fuel and went down in the middle nowhere of the Pacific Ocean. This is a story he enjoys telling, and when asked about it he’ll tell you with a wink that the story never changes, except that each time the sharks seem to get a bit bigger. This interview was conducted part of The Museum of Flight’s High School Outreach program, by High School Freshman Steven H. This internship was designed to help high schoolers hone their interviewing and public speaking skills, and their digital technology competency. In 2020, the Museum of Flight commemorates 75 years since the end of World War II with a series of events and exhibits. Learn more about the World War II experience at The Museum of Flight and plan your visit to us here:https://museumofflight.org/explore-the-museum/museum-galleries/personal-courage Jim tells his story regularly on Thursdays as part of The Museum of Flight’s daily Storytelling Program, free with paid admission. See this month’s stories here: https://museumofflight.org/Plan-Your-Visit/Tours-and-Experiences/Story-Telling-and-Aerospace-Updates Interviewer: Steven H. Producer: Sean Mobley Webmaster: Layne Benofsky

Apollo 12 Astronaut Pete Conrad has a lot to live up to. NASA’s idea of the astronaut image meant that the astronauts needed to conform to specific ideas of the ideal American. Nancy Conrad, Pete’s wife, talks about her late husband and all the Apollo astronauts who had live the “astronaut image,” at least publicly, and how that impacted their lives and the lives of the people around them. This interview was conducted part of The Museum of Flight’s High School Outreach program, by High School Junior Eleanor L. This internship was designed to help high schoolers hone their interviewing and public speaking skills, and their digital technology competency. Nancy Conrad participated in the grand re-opening of The Museum of Flight’s Apollo Exhibit this weekend. Learn more about the Conrad Challenge, issued to students between ages 13-18 here: conradchallenge.org See artifacts from Pete Conrad’s life and space missions in The Museum of Flight’s newly re-opened Apollo Exhibit. Plan your visit at MuseumofFlight.org Producer: Eleanor L. Producer: Sean Mobley Webmaster: Layne Benofsky