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First Flights with Neil Armstrong

First Flights is a unique series covering the history of innovations in international aviation history. The programs capture the interconnecting discoveries and rapid pace of progress that led to more and better aircraft.
199313 episodes
ALL
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Episodes

  1. S3 E1 - First To Fly
    December 11, 1991
    26min
    ALL
    A hundred years before the Wright brothers, the hot air balloon had already lifted man to the sky. It grew in size, and culminated in the huge pre-WW1 dirigibles that still hold the record for the largest craft ever to lift off the ground.
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  2. S3 E2 - First Around The World
    October 6, 1993
    22min
    ALL
    The ultimate test of aircraft and pilot was to fly around the world. Competition and showmanship were always a part, but it was the mental and physical endurance of the men and women who climbed into the cockpit that made success possible.
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  3. S3 E3 - Mass Transit In The Sky
    April 29, 1992
    22min
    ALL
    During the 1960's, the general population embraced air travel. Larger airplanes were needed, with lower noise levels. The pilot's role changed to meet the demands of the developing airlines. Jumbo and narrow body jets were developed.
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  4. S3 E4 - Flying Lite: Gliders & Ultralights
    May 6, 1992
    22min
    ALL
    Ultralight airplanes evolved from hang gliding enthusiasts' attempts to glide further by adding small engines and propellers. Now reliable, tested ultralights are flown by multitudes of recreational pilots.
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  5. S3 E5 - Workhorse Of The Sky: The Turboprop
    December 18, 1991
    24min
    ALL
    The turboprop is a mix of two successful technologies, the jet turbine and the propeller. Highly reliable, the turboprop has been the workhorse of the skies for decades, and remains the mainstay of commercial short-haul aviation.
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  6. S3 E6 - Whirling Wings: Evolution Of The Rotorhead
    September 8, 1993
    23min
    ALL
    From Cierva's autogyro, to the BK-117, the heart of the helicopter has been the rotorhead. Early helicopters were complex, dangerous machines, prone to failure. For the men and women who took the controls, concentration and daring were essential.
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  7. S3 E7 - Water Birds: Floatplanes And Flying Boats
    September 15, 1993
    22min
    ALL
    By the 1930s, flying boats and seaplanes were the craft of the future. Flying boats -- massive, airborne ocean liners -- opened up global routes for passengers, while floatplanes were the fastest, most innovative flying machines in existence.
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  8. S3 E8 - Jump To The Sky: Jet Vtol
    September 22, 1993
    22min
    ALL
    Conventional airplanes need large runways, a limitation that concerned defense planners. As turbine engines became lighter, a new breed of aircraft became possible -- one that could take off and land vertically, yet fly with the speed of jets.
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  9. S3 E9 - Tail First Flying: The Canard
    September 23, 1993
    22min
    ALL
    When the small tail wings which enable an airplane to go up or down are moved to the front, they are called canards. It was an almost forgotten technology as old as manned flight, but canards are making a bold reappearance on the modern aviation scene.
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  10. S3 E10 - Flying Wings
    October 27, 1993
    22min
    ALL
    Searching for flight efficiency, some designers thought the ideal shape should be just a wing. Though development of flying wings has often proved illusive, Northrop's designs proved feasibility. The B-2 Stealth Bomber shows the concept holds promise.
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  11. S3 E11 - Flying Blind
    October 20, 1993
    22min
    ALL
    In the early days of flying, a weighted silk stocking tied to a strut might help the pilot gauge his airspeed. Wartime forced pilots to learn the skill of blind flying. Today, orbiting satellites and autopilots enable an aircraft to fly itself.
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  12. S3 E12 - Flight Control: Wing Warping To Fly-by-wire
    November 3, 1993
    22min
    ALL
    Two years after the first manned flight, the Wrights mastered control sufficiently to fly the first circle. By WWII, the first hydraulically boosted controls were invented. Digital flight control, fly-by-wire technology, has become state of the art.
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  13. S3 E13 - Propellers: Wings With A Twist
    December 8, 1993
    22min
    ALL
    The Wright brothers realized that a propeller was a rotating wing.In the 1930s, variable pitch and NACA research revolutionized propeller design. Today, fast turboprops with advanced propellers can be more efficient than the best jetliners.
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Details

More info

Subtitles
None available
Directors
Neil Hollander
Producers
Peter MarisMark H Tuttle
Starring
Neil Armstrong
Studio
Kinonation
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