TELEVISION

First Flights - Season 1

Series: First Flights
4.2
(6)
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Episodes
9
Rating
NRC
Year
1991
Language
English
Publisher
Filmhub

About

Neil Armstrong adds to his long list of aviation accomplishments as he takes the controls of a variety of flying machines. Each episode blends historic footage, interviews, and flying. Armstrong takes you on an exhilarating adventure through time.

Related Subjects

Episodes

1. By the Seat of Their Pants

26m

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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.

2. Every Day a Better Design

26m

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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.

3. Flying Aces, War in the Air

26m

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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.

4. Flying Entrepreneurs

26m

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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.

5. Bigger is Better

26m

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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.

6. Fighters Between the Wars

26m

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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.

7. Testing Under Fire

26m

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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.

8. New Generation of Flyers

26m

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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.

9. Air Battles At Sea

26m

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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 warbirds.

Extended Details

  • Closed CaptionsEnglish

Artists