S3, Ep : 15. Aviator Ramón Franco battled dictators, ideologies, and his own bloodline.

S3, Ep : 15. Aviator Ramón Franco battled dictators, ideologies, and his own bloodline.

Author: Spanish Loops November 19, 2025 Duration: 31:32

Hola!, and welcome back to Spanish Loops. 

As always we bring you the human stories hiding behind history, and today’s chapter is a cracker: Ramón Franco, the daring aviator and paradoxical brother of General Francisco Franco. 

Ramón shot to fame after commanding the 1926 Plus Ultra transatlantic flight, a feat that made him a celebrity and symbol of modern Spain.

But Ramón’s politics and personality couldn’t have been more different from his sibling’s. He publicly clashed with the Primo de Rivera dictatorship, embraced republican and left-leaning causes in the 1930s, and lived a life full of bold gestures and sharp contradictions. 

This episode unpacks his achievements in aviation, his fiery confrontations with establishment figures, and his brief but intense political career during the tumultuous years of the Second Republic. 

We also examine the tragic, contested circumstances of his death: Ramón died when his seaplane crashed on October 28, 1938, at a time when his brother was rising to supreme power during the Civil War, a family rupture with resonances that last to this day. 

Tune in as we weave data over a fresh narration to tell the story of a man who defied expectation and became one of Spain’s most unforgettable, and misunderstood, historical figures. 

Listen, reflect, and decide what history should remember today.


Join Fran and Jorge, two seasoned tour guides whose enthusiasm for Spain is genuinely infectious. Their Spanish Loops podcast feels like pulling up a chair at a lively tapas bar for a long, meandering conversation. Forget dry recitations of dates and names; here, you get the vibrant layers of a country built on crossroads. Each episode is a deep dive into a specific loop-a theme that could be anything from the haunting history woven into a flamenco verse to the surprising science behind perfect paella. They move seamlessly between the ancient stones of Roman roads and the pulsing energy of a modern Madrid neighborhood, always with a guide’s eye for the telling detail and the human story. You’ll hear about curious traditions, personal anecdotes from the road, and those little-known facts that most guidebooks miss. The aim is to create a rich, sensory experience through your headphones, one that captures the warmth, complexity, and sheer joy of Spanish life. Listening to this podcast is less about passive learning and more about being swept up in a shared passion, leaving you with a fuller understanding and a genuine smile. Fran and Jorge don’t just describe places; they convey the feeling of being there, making every topic, whether grand or everyday, come alive with context and charm.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 50

Spanish Loops
Podcast Episodes
S3, Ep : 19. Cádiz: Where Ancient Seas Shaped Southern Spain [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:12
Get ready for an unforgettable journey as The Essence of Southern Spain tour arrives in Cádiz, a timeless coastal jewel with roots that stretch back over 3,000 years. I’m Jorge, and alongside my co-host Fran, we scratch…
S3, ep : 17. Eugenia de Montijo: Spain 's trailblazing Empress. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:27
Hola Amigos, and welcome back to another episode of Spanish Loops, where history comes alive with our unmistakable voices. This week, we take you into the extraordinary life of a woman who refused to stay within the line…
S3, Ep : 12. Ghosts of Spain: Haunted legends & real encounters. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:57
Hey what’s up loop-lovers! These are your celebrity friends tuning in, and we are so stoked to introduce the latest episode of Spanish Loops, just in time for the spooky season! This week, we get into the ghostly corners…
S3, Ep: 11. Exploring Andalusia: A Journey Through Tapas Traditions. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:31
Welcome to the latest chapter of Spanish Loops, a mouth watering splash into tapas culture in the south of Spain. In this episode we trace tapas from humble tavern lids to a national obsession: the legends (from King Cha…
S3, Ep: 10. Thermal Spas and Wellness Retreats in Spain. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:50
Hola Chicos!Jorge and Fran here with Spanish Loops, and today we’re slipping into something silky: Spain’s legendary spas and “Balnearios”. From steaming thermal springs tucked into ancient villages to ultra-chic coastal…