Rick Gordon
Director
First Flights with Neil Armstrong (1991)
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.
Released Sept. 25, 1991
Episode 42 min
None+
Genres: Documentary
Keywords: tmdb.aviation, tmdb.military-aviation
Watch Providers: Amazon Prime Video, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, Hoopla, fuboTV + 4 more, Plex, Amazon Prime Video Free with Ads, Plex Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Production Companies: A&E Television Networks
Network: A&E
Country: United States
Languages:
English
S2E1 - The Helicopter: From Dreams to Reality
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.
March 4, 1992, midnight
S2E2 - Air Forts Of The War
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.
Nov. 27, 1991, midnight
S2E3 - First Jets
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.
Dec. 4, 1991, midnight
S2E4 - Airliners: Passengers Join The Jet Age
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.
March 11, 1992, midnight
S2E5 - The Big Bombers
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.
March 18, 1992, midnight
S2E6 - Jet Fighters: Wings Of Lightening
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.
March 25, 1992, midnight
S2E7 - General Aviation: Barnstormers To Businessmen
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.
April 1, 1992, midnight
S2E8 - Supersonic Bombers: The Elusive Search
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.
April 8, 1992, midnight
S2E9 - Locusts Of War
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.
June 3, 1992, midnight
S2E10 - Attack Aircraft
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.
May 13, 1992, midnight
S2E11 - Faster Than The Eye And Higher Than The Sky
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.
May 20, 1992, midnight
S2E12 - Experiments In Flight
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.
June 3, 1992, midnight
S2E13 - Rocket Aircraft
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.
June 10, 1992, midnight
Network: A&E
Episode Runtime: 42 min.
Season Runtime: 42 min.
Released: Sept. 25, 1991
Last Air Date: Dec. 8, 1993, midnight
Status: Ended
Certification: NR
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