Great Planes: Season 1 - 10 Episode s
1x1 - Douglas Skyraider
October 29, 2008
The Douglas Skyraider was a propeller-driven bomber and ground attack weapons system, unglamorous but almost perfectly suited to its various roles. In the closing years of World War II it was realized that fighter airplanes had become so advanced, so speedy, that the great weight of the rear gunner, his turret, and his equipment in torpedo and dive bombers were redundant. Douglas was given a contract to construct a single-engined, single seat bomber and attack airplane for use aboard Navy carriers, and they came up with a winner. It was a big airplane with a radial engine, and it could carry a huge load of ordinance -- a better bomb load than a B-17, or a nuclear weapon. First flown in 1945, it was finally retired after service in Korea and Vietnam, sometime in the 1960s.
1x2 - P-40 Warhawk
November 5, 2008
1x3 - P51 Mustang
November 12, 2008
1x4 - North American B-25 Mitchell
November 19, 2008
The B-25, nicknamed "the sweetheart of the forces," was one of the stars of World War II. Known for its adaptability, this bomber was flown by the Air Force, the Navy and the Marines.
1x5 - F-15 Eagle
November 26, 2008
1x6 - F-16 Fighting Falcon
January 4, 2009
1x7 - F/A 18 Hornet
January 21, 2009
1x8 - PBY Catalina
January 29, 2009
The wings were of taut canvas covered with dope. The wings were thick to provide lift and carried thousands of gallons of fuel, providing long range and flying time, exactly the requirement for a reconnaissance aircraft. Range could be increased to 4,000 miles by cutting one engine. The metal fuselage had to be unusually strong because every marine take off and landing bounces the ship around and stresses all the joints. The result was a sleek hull that was an airplane on top and a boat on the bottom. The initial Navy order was for 60, in 1936, and they were called PB-Ys -- "PB" for patrol boat, "Y" for Consolidated. When war broke out the British bought them and called them the Catalina. The name stuck. They were used in every theater of the war and in every imaginable role. One even managed to launch torpedoes at the Japanese fleet during the Battle of Midway.
1x9 - Republic F84
February 5, 2009
The early models of the F-84 looked rather neat, like a tube or a cigar humidor, with an opening in the nose and another in the tail, as if the jet engine had been supplied and the airplane built around it. It had nothing particularly new but was a summation of what at the time was known about jets and about aeronautical engineering. At the outbreak of war in Korea, the USAF found itself with three different airplanes. The F-86 was obviously the fighter of the group. The F-84 went through several models and was adapted for the ground attack role. It carried a good deal of ordinance and could be fitted with a nuclear bomb. In addition to the usual six .50 caliber machine guns favored by the USAF at the time, it could carry a number of 5-inch rockets, useful against tanks. The low speed and lack of maneuverability were no handicap in attacking ground targets.
1x10 - F-104 Starfighter
February 19, 2009
Lockheed's F-104 Starfighter first appeared in the mid-50s. Its appearance is beguiling. It looks like an unusually long, shiny silver bullet to which someone has attached two small stubby wings and a delicate empennage. It looks fast -- and it was. It was intended to be a replacement for the fleet of aging F-86s and F-84s and in fact it was an improvement in many respects over the older airplanes, especially in speed. It was a relatively unsophisticated lightweight airplane and the USAF wasn't very enthusiastic about it. It had little range, its stubby wings couldn't carry any ordinance, and it lacked the radar that would have made it operable in poor weather. But NATO too was looking for a standard interceptor for Europe, an environment for which the Starfighter wasn't well suited.
Great Planes: 2 Season s
Actors in Great Planes
Shows like Great Planes
Baa Baa Black Sheep
36 Episode s . The dramatized World War II adventures of US Major Gregory "Pappy" Boyington and his Marine Attack Squadron 214, AKA The Black Sheep Squadron.
Baa Baa Black Sheep
36 Episode s . The dramatized World War II adventures of US Major Gregory "Pappy" Boyington and his Marine Attack Squadron 214, AKA The Black Sheep Squadron.
City in the Sky
3 Episode s . Dallas Campbell and Dr Hannah Fry investigate what it takes to get a million people and their luggage off the ground and up in the air. From building the world's biggest passenger plane to navigating through the busiest airport on the planet, to the perils of getting airborne in the coldest city on earth - Dallas and Hannah go to extremes to get under the skin of the remarkable story of departure. You will never look at flying in the same way again.
City in the Sky
3 Episode s . Dallas Campbell and Dr Hannah Fry investigate what it takes to get a million people and their luggage off the ground and up in the air. From building the world's biggest passenger plane to navigating through the busiest airport on the planet, to the perils of getting airborne in the coldest city on earth - Dallas and Hannah go to extremes to get under the skin of the remarkable story of departure. You will never look at flying in the same way again.
The Bomber: Terror of WWII
6 Episode s . Terror of the World: The story of a deadly war that intertwines Germany, Poland, Japan, Italy and Spain, and the remorseless development of weapons and bombers.
The Bomber: Terror of WWII
6 Episode s . Terror of the World: The story of a deadly war that intertwines Germany, Poland, Japan, Italy and Spain, and the remorseless development of weapons and bombers.
The Aviators
81 Episode s . The Aviators is an award-winning weekly documentary-lifestyle-science TV series featuring interesting people, the latest aircraft, current technology and fly-in destinations. The show's site describes subject matter as follows: "We will take you behind the scenes to show you how airline pilots train, how planes are built, and how ATC works. We will profile aviation businesses and showcase aviation products. We will provide safety tips for private and recreational pilots and career tips for professional pilots." The Aviators premiered on the Global Television Network on Saturday, September 4, 2010. It could also be seen on CHEK-TV in Canada and is distributed to all 356 Public Broadcasting Stations in the United States for broadcast in numerous markets starting in September 2010. On September 1, 2010 the producers announced that a deal had been signed with Discovery Channel Asia that saw the series broadcast overseas in the spring of 2011. In the first six months after its premiere, the show aired almost 8,000 times across North America - an average of over 40 times a day. The Aviators launched on Hulu in February 2011 and was viewed over 32,000 times in just two weeks. In March 2011 producers announced some changes for season two including the addition of country music singer George Canyon to the cast as a guest host for the season. The current season's premiere date is September 16, 2013. Production for a fifth season has begun, and is planned to air in North America in September 2014.
The Aviators
81 Episode s . The Aviators is an award-winning weekly documentary-lifestyle-science TV series featuring interesting people, the latest aircraft, current technology and fly-in destinations. The show's site describes subject matter as follows: "We will take you behind the scenes to show you how airline pilots train, how planes are built, and how ATC works. We will profile aviation businesses and showcase aviation products. We will provide safety tips for private and recreational pilots and career tips for professional pilots." The Aviators premiered on the Global Television Network on Saturday, September 4, 2010. It could also be seen on CHEK-TV in Canada and is distributed to all 356 Public Broadcasting Stations in the United States for broadcast in numerous markets starting in September 2010. On September 1, 2010 the producers announced that a deal had been signed with Discovery Channel Asia that saw the series broadcast overseas in the spring of 2011. In the first six months after its premiere, the show aired almost 8,000 times across North America - an average of over 40 times a day. The Aviators launched on Hulu in February 2011 and was viewed over 32,000 times in just two weeks. In March 2011 producers announced some changes for season two including the addition of country music singer George Canyon to the cast as a guest host for the season. The current season's premiere date is September 16, 2013. Production for a fifth season has begun, and is planned to air in North America in September 2014.
Planes That Changed the World
3 Episode s . This new series features the fascinating stories of three of the most important commercial aircraft ever to take to the skies.
Planes That Changed the World
3 Episode s . This new series features the fascinating stories of three of the most important commercial aircraft ever to take to the skies.
Skies Above Britain
5 Episode s . A look at the unseen side of aviation. With unprecedented access to the world of air traffic control, the series puts the spotlight on the hidden army of controllers whose job it is to keep our skies safe.
Skies Above Britain
5 Episode s . A look at the unseen side of aviation. With unprecedented access to the world of air traffic control, the series puts the spotlight on the hidden army of controllers whose job it is to keep our skies safe.
Battle Stations
40 Episode s . Battle Stations is a documentary series of 1 hour episodes, which uses archive footage, re-enactments and first-hand accounts from the crews, to follow the machines and technology implemented from the Second World War to the Gulf War in the land, air and sea.
Battle Stations
40 Episode s . Battle Stations is a documentary series of 1 hour episodes, which uses archive footage, re-enactments and first-hand accounts from the crews, to follow the machines and technology implemented from the Second World War to the Gulf War in the land, air and sea.
Wings of War
10 Episode s .
Wings of War
10 Episode s .
Air Australia
3 Episode s . Australia's aviation history is a saga of daring feats, can-do attitude, pig-headed visionaries, iron-fisted politicians and warring pilots; of humble beginnings and mega deals.
Air Australia
3 Episode s . Australia's aviation history is a saga of daring feats, can-do attitude, pig-headed visionaries, iron-fisted politicians and warring pilots; of humble beginnings and mega deals.
The Arrow
2 Episode s . The story of the people building the AVRO Arrow, an advanced jet fighter-interceptor designed to defend Canada's vast territory during the Cold War. Though the jet was an engineering marvel, cost over-runs, U.S. government pressure from the military industrial complex, and the election of the Progressive Conservative Diefenbaker government, stopped the jet just as it was getting off the ground.
The Arrow
2 Episode s . The story of the people building the AVRO Arrow, an advanced jet fighter-interceptor designed to defend Canada's vast territory during the Cold War. Though the jet was an engineering marvel, cost over-runs, U.S. government pressure from the military industrial complex, and the election of the Progressive Conservative Diefenbaker government, stopped the jet just as it was getting off the ground.