Warplane

Thursday, November 5 at 7:00 PM
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Through archival footage, dramatic interviews and modern-day experiments, the four-part series highlights pivotal innovations in aerodynamics, including the mounted machine gun, the jet engine and material undetectable by radar. Actor Stacy Keach narrates.

“Airplane to Air Force” 9pm
With the development of the airplane propeller, the Wright brothers launched a revolution that continues a century later. Wilbur and Orville may have hoped their Wright Flyer would put an end to warfare, but in just a few short years, the airplane became a key tool in military combat. The pace of technological change was fast and furious, as the airplane quickly evolved from a reconnaissance tool to an artillery spotter to a bomber to a fighter. As its utility expanded, the airplane redefined warfare in the 20th century. 

“Air Force to Air Power” 10pm
This era in aviation history saw a number of major developments: an increased understanding of aerodynamics that allowed engineers to build planes that could fly faster and farther; the invention of radar, which enabled defensive forces to detect approaching aircraft; the rise of the ace fighter pilots; and improved bomb delivery systems. This last development may have had the most destructive and terrifying effects, giving rise to the Blitz over London, the firebombing of Germany and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.