One of three Specials in the Wings Series. The other two being "Nighthawk Secrets Of The Stealth" and "The Wing Will Fly".
From the German SC-1262, a 1930s drone controlled by wires connected to a telephone, and Hitler's ominous V-1 to ultra-lights and one-man rocket packs, this episode recounts some of the most outlandish - and innovative - aviation creations. Drones include radio-controlled air vehicles and aerial torpedo "bugs." Mutants fulfill secondary purposes. Pint-sized experimentals like midgets are also remembered.
Parasites represent enormous technological breakthroughs. In the beginning, Curtis fighters hid inside dirigibles. Later, parasite aircraft launched out of giant bombers to protect the plane. Now, the space shuttle itself counts as a parasite.
Takes a look at the people behind covert operations and the inventions that hid in the clouds - from the observation balloons of the Civil War to modern electronic surveillance aircraft like the U2, AWACS, spy satellites, and the SR71 "Blackbird."
Traces the story of aviation's most mammoth aircraft. Built for civil and and military uses, these amazing planes stun the imagination with their vast size. With names such as 'Fat Albert' and 'Pregnant Guppies' these giants of the skies rank with the world's strangest aircraft. From dirigibles like the Hindenberg and Howard Hughes' Spruce Goose, touching all the major milestones along the way, up to the B36, B52, and B1 bombers; the C5 Galaxy; and the U.S.S.R.'s giant AN 124.
Tells the fascinating story of attempts to design airplanes that could be launched straight up into the air. From the Bell XV3 and XV15 to the Hawker and Harrier, a recounting of the planes that leap into the sky without a runway - and some that were supposed to but didn't.
Eliminating the fuselage on aircraft was an idea that never came to fruition, but it gave rise to a smaller, more aerodynamic design: the Flying Wing. Seen in the 1929 Halten Meteor to the modern-day Stealth Bomber, this smooth design featured backward wings, moving wings, small wings and even no wings at all; backward engines that "pushed" instead of "pulled"; engines that both pushed and pulled; huge tails and no tails. Aircraft seen include the Bell X5, XP 57 "Bat", SR71 Blackbird, F7 Cutlass, "Lifting Bodies", X24 and X29.
Meet the commanders of a true military legend and fight alongside the special breed of "madmen" who piloted the versatile olive drab chopper during the crucial battle in Landing Zone X-Ray. The UH-1 Huey, the most widely used military helicopter in the world, began to arrive in Vietnam in 1963. Before the conflict ended, more than 5,000 of these versatile machines were employed in Southeast Asia. The choppers were used for a variety of purposes, including MedEvac, command and control, air assault, transport of personnel and material, and as gun ships. This is an in-depth look at the role this helicopter played in Vietnam and how it came to symbolize the war itself. Meet the commanders of this military legend and hear gripping stories of the special breed of men who piloted Huey.
P-51 Mustang
B-17 Flying Fortress
Spitfire