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Reaching for the Skies

Season 1 Episode 7: Giants of the Air

We take them - the jumbo jets - for granted today, yet overwhelming obstacles had to be overcome to first get these giants off the ground. The challenge to build larger aircraft has tantalized designers and pilots since the dawn of aviation. Meet the visionaries who overcame these obstacles: Siko...

Season 1 Episodes:

Episode 1 Pioneers

1. Pioneers

Aired: Sep 12, 1988

The early history of aviation, covering the Wright Brothers, Santos Dumont, L...

Episode 4 Victory Over the Sea

4. Victory Over the Sea

Aired: Oct 3, 1988

Since the Second World War, aircraft have played an important role in naval o...

Episode 5 Bombers

5. Bombers

Aired: Oct 10, 1988

Dresden...London...Vietnam...Tokyo..their names alone are dramatic testimony ...

Episode 6 Fighters

6. Fighters

Aired: Oct 17, 1988

Few aspects of the history of aviation match the vitality, drama and scale of...

Episode 7 Giants of the Air

7. Giants of the Air

Aired: Oct 24, 1988

We take them - the jumbo jets - for granted today, yet overwhelming obstacles...

Episode 10 The Quest for Speed

10. The Quest for Speed

Aired: Nov 14, 1988

This film begins with the SR-71 Blackbird, expressed as the ultimate expressi...

Episode 12 Vertical Flight

12. Vertical Flight

Aired: Nov 28, 1988

Examining the history of vertical flight, the program begins with the early h...

Appearances

Info about Reaching for the Skies

Current Status: Ended

Network: BBC Two

Genres:History