From Kitty Hawk To Concorde... And Beyond

English | 6 x 26 minutes

Producer: The Onyx Archive Collection
Availability: Worldwide, all media.



16th October 2008 marks the 100th anniversary of the first powered flight in Britain. On that day in 1908, Col. Samuel Franklin Cody set off from Farnborough in British Army Aeroplane and made history when his powered aircraft invention took flight. Following Cody's flight, Farnborough became the centre of Britain's experiments with aviation, and the Royal Aircraft Establishment was duly created. It went on to become one of the most successful research establishments in the world.

This series chronicles the major events in the development of British aviation and pays tribute to the pioneering spirit of the scientists, technicians, researchers and pilots who were responsible for many of the greatest advances in aviation technology including for example, the gas turbine jet engine, radar, ejector seats, delta winged flight, weapons, and supersonic flight in the form of Concorde. Farnborough is also home to the world famous Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB).

This remarkable series features interviews with some of the key experts and test pilots who contributed to Britain's mastery of the skies. Includes footage from the Farnborough Air Sciences Trust (F.A.S.T.) film archive and extraordinary scenes of the trials and testing conducted by the RAE throughout the 1900's.

• Episode 1: 'How It All Began' (Cody, etc.)
• Episode 2: 'On the Wing' (Delta wing and aerodynamics)
• Episode 3: 'Seeing in the Dark' (Radar, night vision)
• Episode 4: 'The Weakest Link' (Institute of Aviation Medicine, the Human Factor)
• Episode 5: 'The Investigators' (AAIB, includes Lockerbie wreckage)
• Episode 6: 'Today and Tomorrow' (Space technology)

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