Von Hardesty is currently a curator in the Division of Aeronautics at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. He has written a number of books, including Red Phoenix: The Rise of Soviet Air Power, 1941–1945 ; Lindbergh: Flight's Enigmatic Hero ; Air Force One: The Aircraft that Shaped the Modern Presidency ; Great Aviators and Epic Flights ; and Epic Rivalry: The Inside Story of the Soviet and American Space Race . He lives in the metropolitan D.C. area.