The Apocryphal History of Flight

Scientists are stymied when attempting to capture hydrogen until a Montgolfier brother stumbles across "Montgolfier gas" which triggers the race to First Manned Flight! Meanwhile, Jacques Charles and the Robert brothers do succeed in finally solving how to capture hydrogen. 1783 is a banner year with Charles's balloon being stabbed to death by farmers while the Montgolfier brothers get the royal treatment. This episode will see French royals, Ben Franklin, farm animals, and a scientist flying across the English channel throw his trousers into the ocean. There's more tales to boot as aerostats and aeronauts become legends!

The history of aviation reaches a watershed period with new theories and technologies swirling to constitute the beginnings of lighter than air aircraft, or aerostats if you like the fancier term. The concept of the vacuum, barometer, gas, heat, rubber, and animal bladders all combine with shear intuition to form the newest branch of aviation. Also Mongolians terrify the Polish with Chinese sky lanterns!

We take a look at some of the lesser known aviation pioneers from the Age of the Enlightenment. Were some completely made up? How many were persecuted? Why were clergy so willing to fly? Did whales play a key role in the development of aviation? Listen in to find out the answers to these questions as we look at the forerunners in the advancement of flight.

On this last installment of the tower jumpers, we look at a pair of brothers from Istanbul. One who glides over the Bosporus and is exiled and the other who uses a rocket powered glider to splash down into the sea and was exiled. We finish with an eccentric French nobleman who half-succeeded and ended up with a broken leg.

On this very special holiday episode, we examine not only Santa's Sleigh and flying reindeer, but some of the quirky and lesser-known holiday personalities and animals who also fly to deliver yuletide joy, and also maybe dread. Listen in as we look at just who they are and how they do it! Happy Holidays from The Apocryphal History of Flight!

In Tower Jumpers Part II we start with someone who tried using an oversized robe in Constantinople. The next subject is a Portuguese schoolteacher with a biplane style design. Our last jumper for this episode was an Abbot who leapt from Stirling Castle in Scotland. Which of these were the most successful is subjective. Listen in and pick your favorite!

In The Tower Jumpers, Part I, we start with a British King who takes flight instruction from the dead. We then see a magician come to a sticky end in Rome. After that a Muslim intellectual ends up with a sore back for his efforts in Spain. One honorable mention from a dictionary producer who may have thought he was a bird. Then we end with a flying Monk back on the British Isles.

In this episode we take a look at the smaller scale advancements and oddities from antiquity. Did the Greeks have steam-powered wooden footballs? Did the Egyptians have large load carrying gliders? Were helicopters zooming around Renaissance Italy? And did the Chinese throw paper airplanes just to annoy others? Listen in and find out!