First Flights with Neil Armstrong
(1991)Streaming Episode Guide
Season 3
Season 3 focuses on the development of particular technologies within the broader field of aviation.Propellers - Wings With A Twist
Episode 13 - 12-08-1993
The Wright brothers realized that a propeller was a rotating wing – giving it a twist made it practical. By the mid 1930s, variable pitch and NACA research revolutionized propeller design. With the coming of the jet age, propellers fell out of favor for large aircraft. But designers soon realized that a fast turboprop with an advanced propeller could be more efficient than the best jetliners.
Haven't Seen
First In Speed: Air Racing
Episode 12 - 12-01-1993
From the early years of flight until the late 1930s, air racing was the single most important testing ground for engineering advancements. It provided a breathtaking combination of daredevil risk taking and technological innovation.
Haven't Seen
Backyard Fliers - An Airplane In Every Garage
Episode 11 - 11-24-1993
In the 1920s when just about anyone could afford a car, interest grew in a safe, inexpensive airplane that anyone could fly. Convenience went a step further in roadable aircraft – vehicles that could travel the highways, then convert to an airplane for the rest of the journey. The airplane has never attained the practicality of the automobile for family travel, but modern aviation offers exciting opportunities for the amateur flyer.
Haven't Seen
Flying the Mail
Episode 10 - 11-17-1993
Airmail pioneers demonstrated to a public already infatuated with flying, that airplanes had a bright commercial future. They led the way for the great commercial ventures that would one day span the globe. The variety of aircraft was dazzling, but conditions were harsh and pilots had to be hardy and brave to risk flying the mail.
Haven't Seen
Flash Of Glory - Aerial Combat Enters The Jet Age
Episode 9 - 11-10-1993
During WWII, the Germans introduced the Messerschmitt 262, and the British the Gloster Meteor. With these first operational jet fighters, a new era in aerial combat had begun. As jet met jet in the skies over Korea, the MiG-15 proved Russia to be a major power in jet aircraft development.
Haven't Seen
Flight Control - Wing Warping to Fly-by-Wire
Episode 8 - 11-03-1993
Two years after the first manned flight, the Wrights mastered control sufficiently to fly the first circle – a major aviation advance that went almost unnoticed. By World War II, the first hydraulically boosted controls were invented, enabling pilots to fly aircraft weighing more than 100,000 pounds without the muscles of a co pilot. Once digital signals succeeded in maneuvering spacecraft, computerized fly-by-wire technology for aircraft was not far behind.
Haven't Seen
Flying Wings
Episode 7 - 10-27-1993
In their quest for flight efficiency, some designers thought the ideal shape would be just a wing, nothing else, flying through the air. Though successful development of flying wings has often proved illusive, Northrop's designs proved feasibility, and the B-2 Stealth Bomber brought the configuration into production.
Haven't Seen
Flying Blind
Episode 6 - 10-20-1993
In the early days of flying, instrumentation was crude. A weighted silk stocking tied to a strut could help the pilot gauge his airspeed. Wartime challenged pilots to learn the techniques of blind flying. Today, pilots use orbiting satellites to pinpoint their position, and complex autopilots enable an aircraft to fly itself.
Haven't Seen
First Around The World
Episode 5 - 10-06-1993
Many times in aviation history the ultimate test of aircraft and pilot was to fly around the world. Competition and showmanship always played a part, but in the end it was the mental and physical endurance of the men and women who climbed into the cockpit that made success possible.
Haven't Seen
Tail First Flying - the Canard
Episode 4 - 9-29-1993
When the small tail surface wings which enable an airplane to go up or down are moved to the front, they are called canards. It is a technology as old as manned flight — the Wrights used canards on their early airplanes. Canards were rarely used after the first World War until computer technology provided the control needed to make the technology feasible.
Haven't Seen
Jump to the Sky - Jet VTOL
Episode 3 - 9-22-1993
Conventional airplanes need large runways for takeoff and landing, a limitation that concerned defense planners. As turbine engines became lighter, a new type of aircraft became possible — one that could take off and land vertically, yet fly with the speed of jets.
Haven't Seen
Water Birds - Floatplanes and Flying Boats
Episode 2 - 9-15-1993
By the 1930s, flying boats – massive, airborne ocean liners – opened up global routes for passenger service, while the floatplanes entering the Schneider Trophy races were the fastest, most innovative flying machines in existence.
Haven't Seen
Whirling Wings - Evolution of the Rotorhead
Episode 1 - 9-08-1993
From Cierva's breakthrough in autogyro design, to the state-of-the-art BK-117, the heart of the helicopter story has been the rotorhead. Early helicopters were complex, dangerous flying machines, prone to failure. For the men and women who took the controls, concentration and daring were essential.
Haven't Seen
Season 2
Season 2 continues the story of atmospheric flight to the edge of space in the 1990s. Neil Armstrong had previously flown several aircraft featured in Season 2 during his long career as a NASA experimental test pilot in Edwards, CA.Rocket Aircraft
Episode 13 - 6-10-1992
In the 1920s, aircraft designers began searching for ways to incorporate the powerful propulsion of rockets into their flying machines. Efforts to harness and control rocket propulsion resulted in many failures but also some dramatic successes.
Haven't Seen
Experiments In Flight
Episode 12 - 6-03-1992
Chuck Yeager's X-1 flight through the "sound barrier" set the stage for the U.S. experimental X-program, a systematic exploration of fresh ideas in aviation. Pilots flew at the cutting edge of technology in untried, untested, and unknown aircraft.
Haven't Seen
Faster Than The Eye And Higher Than The Sky
Episode 11 - 5-20-1992
From the early days of flight, the military looked behind enemy lines with better and better spy planes. After the top secret U-2 was shot down over Russia, Lockheed developed the SR-71. Flying at Mach 3 near the edge of space, it out flew any missile.
Haven't Seen
Attack Aircraft
Episode 10 - 5-13-1992
When a fighter or bomber strikes ground forces, it is acting as an attack aircraft. Many fighters can play this role, but recent wars have shown the value of dedicated attack aircraft, designed to hit hard and survive extensive battle damage.
Haven't Seen
Locusts Of War
Episode 9 - 6-03-1992
The helicopter took on an offensive role for the Vietnam War. Bristling with cannons, rockets and guided missiles, created the gunships. Now the American Apache and Russian Hind are equipped with infrared night vision and lethal anti-tank weapons.
Haven't Seen
Supersonic Bombers: The Elusive Search
Episode 8 - 4-08-1992
In the early 1960's, the U.S. Strategic Air Command wanted high-flying supersonic bombers like the B-58 Hustler and the XB-70. But now the newest bombers are sub-sonic: the low-flying, radar-evading B-1B, and the high tech B-2 Stealth bomber.
Haven't Seen
General Aviation: Barnstormers To Businessmen
Episode 7 - 4-01-1992
Flying for sport, business, agriculture or photo survey, a fleet of mostly single-engine planes comprises the fastest growing segment of aviation. General aviation is usually not state of the art, but rather clever uses of existing affordable technology.
Haven't Seen
Jet Fighters: Wings Of Lightening
Episode 6 - 3-25-1992
The U.S. and Russia rivalry developed jet fighters with fantastic speeds and high tech weapons. Computers were unseen co-pilot and some fighters only fired guided missiles. Before long a new generation of highly maneuverable dog-fighting jets was needed.
Haven't Seen
The Big Bombers
Episode 5 - 3-18-1992
Development of jet engines and the tensions of the Cold War pushed development of long-range bombers that could fly around the world. While designers grappled with structural challenges, pilots struggled with the complexity of flying gigantic machines.
Haven't Seen
Airliners: Passengers Join The Jet Age
Episode 4 - 3-11-1992
WW2 aviation advances such as hard runways, large long range aircraft and cabin pressurization set the stage for growing passenger transport after the war. Soon jets slashed travel times and brought unheard of growth in mass transportation.
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First Jets
Episode 3 - 12-04-1991
When jet engines appeared, a whole new set of problems appeared with them. For pilots, the early jets were a nightmare. Trained to fly propeller aircraft, pilots found themselves in need of drastic changes in technique.
Haven't Seen
Air Forts Of The War
Episode 2 - 11-27-1991
The World War II bombers were capable of delivering an arsenal of destruction. Aerial warfare became a team effort that relied on coordination, accuracy and determination with up to 10 men in an aircraft, and sometimes 1,000 airplanes in a formation.
Haven't Seen
The Helicopter: From Dreams to Reality
Episode 1 - 3-04-1992
In the 1920's, early auto gyros made breakthroughs in rotating wing design, and by the 1930's military interest propelled helicopter development. Advances in controls, and the availability of lightweight turbine engines finally made a practical helicopter.
Haven't Seen
Season 1
Season 1 traces the development of aviation technology from balloons to early post-WWII jet aircraft.Flash of Glory: Aerial Combat Enters the Jet Age
Episode 13 - 11-10-1993
During WWII, the Messerschmitt 262, and the Gloster Meteor were introduced. With these first operational jet fighters, a new era in aerial combat had begun. As jet met jet over Korea, the MiG-15 proved Russia to be a a major power in jet development.
Haven't Seen
Air Battles At Sea
Episode 12 - 11-20-1991
Light, maneuverable and capable of flying long distances, the Japanese Zero was the ideal air weapon for the island hopping Pacific war. While the Japanese built fleets of light, replaceable aircraft, the Americans opted for large, high-powered war birds.
Haven't Seen
New Generation of Flyers
Episode 11 - 11-13-1991
American industry entered the competition to create the world's best fighter -- one that was faster and carried more armament. A dramatic increase in horsepower produced the P-47 Thunderbolt, often claimed to be the fastest fighter of the war.
Haven't Seen
Testing Under Fire
Episode 10 - 11-06-1991
The first German WW2 air attacks destroyed most old biplane fighters. The Allies responded with new monoplane designs. Britain with the Hurricane and Spitfire. The US mobilized designers and builders and produced an incredible range of aircraft.
Haven't Seen
Fighters Between the Wars
Episode 9 - 10-30-1991
Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan redefined the arts of aerial warfare with their revolutionary aircraft designs. As the storm clouds gathered for the Second World War, the rest of the world slowly began to rise to the challenge.
Haven't Seen
Bigger is Better
Episode 8 - 10-23-1991
During the 1920's and 30's, designers believed that bigger is better. Airline companies were formed, requiring larger, more comfortable airplanes. With the limitations of early airfields for large planes, the flying boat became the queen of the sky.
Haven't Seen
First in Speed: Air Racing
Episode 7 - 12-01-1993
From the early years of flight until the late 1930s, air racing was the single most important testing ground for engineering advancements. It provided a breathtaking combination of daredevil risk taking and technological innovation..
Haven't Seen
Backyard Fliers: An Airplane in Every Garage
Episode 6 - 11-24-1993
In the 1920s when just about anyone could afford a car, interest grew in a safe, inexpensive airplane that anyone could fly. Convenience went a step further in roadable aircraft -- vehicles that could travel the highways, then convert to an airplane.
Haven't Seen
Flying the Mail
Episode 5 - 11-17-1993
Airmail pioneers demonstrated that airplanes had a bright commercial future. The variety of aircraft was dazzling -- anything with wings was put to use. But conditions were harsh and pilots had to be hardy and brave to risk flying the mail.
Haven't Seen
Flying Entrepreneurs
Episode 4 - 10-16-1991
After the war, seasoned pilots who had once dueled with an enemy over the trenches, now performed aerobatics for spectators. Aviators as barnstormers quickly became an endearing folk hero; and also businessman carrying mail and passengers.
Haven't Seen
Flying Aces, War in the Air
Episode 3 - 10-09-1991
WW1 gave the airplane a job, soon the battlefields were full of unarmed aircraft, peering down at the trenches, then carrying news of an impending attack. With a machine gun mounted on the cowling of a Morane-Saulnier Bullet, the fighter plane was born.
Haven't Seen
Every Day a Better Design
Episode 2 - 10-02-1991
Aviators separated into two groups: the airplane designer/builders and those who tried to master the art of flying. While French pilot Pegoud thrilled crowds by performing aerial loops, new airplanes pushed the bounds of speed and distance.
Haven't Seen
By the Seat of Their Pants
Episode 1 - 9-25-1991
Using Lilienthal's glider research, the Wright brothers achieved controlled flight. The French reacted with renewed effort and Bleriot crossed the English Channel. Each airplane had its own personality and a pilot flew by his wits, instinct and luck.
Haven't Seen
