The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies is proud to present The Aerospace Advantage, with Heather ”Lucky” Penney as the host. Every week, Lucky takes listeners into the world of aerospace power and help the audience understand what it takes to fly and fight in the sky, while also protecting America’s interests in space. Whether talking to top generals, standing on a flight line full of combat aircraft, looking at a rocket being prepared for launch, or hearing from those who have laid it all on the line in defense of the nation—this podcast will afford unprecedented access and insight into where the combat aerospace community is going and why.
Episodes
Saturday Apr 19, 2025
Saturday Apr 19, 2025
Episode Summary:
This week, The Aerospace Advantage takes a break for Easter, but that doesn't mean our listeners need to take a pause. In this week's episode we reach back to a previously recorded conversation where the Mitchell team reflects on the air war over Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War and speaks with combat pilot and POW Lt Col Gene Smith, USAF (Ret). Not only did Lt Col Smith fly and fight in some of the most heavily defended airspace in the history of aerial warfare, but he also spent over five years as a POW—facing conditions that pushed him to the brink. Despite these challenges, Lt Col Smith and his fellow POWs prevailed.
The Air Force lost 1,737 aircraft over Vietnam. That’s roughly 80% of the Air Force’s current fighter inventory. Those losses are hard to imagine today given the relatively permissive conditions that our airmen have operated in since the end of the Cold War. Tomorrow’s conflicts, however, promise to be far more costly, which is why it's important to reflect on our history and learn from the past in order to properly leverage the effects of American airpower.
Credits:
Host: John "Slick" Baum, Non-resident Fellow, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies
Producer: Shane Thin
Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey
Guest: Maj Gen Larry "Stutz" Stutzriem, USAF (Ret.), Executive Vice President, The Air & Space Forces Association
Guest: Heather "Lucky" Penney, Director of Research, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies
Guest: Lt Col Richard “Gene” Smith, USAF (Ret.)
Guest: Rob Collings, President & Financial Director, The American Heritage Museum
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