Great Planes - Season 1
Season 1
Network
Episodes26
DatesOct 29, 2008 - Dec 31, 2009
Episodes
Season 1Episode 160 min
Douglas A-1 Skyraider
The Douglas Skyraider was a propeller-driven bomber and ground attack weapons system, unglamorous but almost perfectly suited to its various roles.
In the closing years of World War II it was realized that fighter airplanes had become so advanced, so speedy, that the great weight of the rear gunner, his turret, and his equipment in torpedo and dive bombers were redundant. Douglas was given a contract to construct a single-engined, single seat bomber and attack airplane for use aboard Navy carriers, and they came up with a winner.
It was a big airplane with a radial engine, and it could carry a huge load of ordinance -- a better bomb load than a B-17, or a nuclear weapon. First flown in 1945, it was finally retired after service in Korea and Vietnam, sometime in the 1960s.
Oct 29, 2008
Season 1Episode 260 min
Curtis P-40 Warhawk
Nov 5, 2008
Season 1Episode 360 min
North American P-51 Mustang
Nov 12, 2008
Season 1Episode 460 min
North American B-25 Mitchell
The B-25, nicknamed "the sweetheart of the forces," was one of the stars of World War II. Known for its adaptability, this bomber was flown by the Air Force, the Navy and the Marines.
Nov 19, 2008
Season 1Episode 560 min
McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle
Nov 26, 2008
Season 1Episode 660 min
General Dynamics F-16 Falcon
Jan 14, 2009
Season 1Episode 760 min
McDonnell Douglas F-18 Hornet
Jan 21, 2009
Season 1Episode 860 min
Consolidated PBY Catalina
The wings were of taut canvas covered with dope. The wings were thick to provide lift and carried thousands of gallons of fuel, providing long range and flying time, exactly the requirement for a reconnaissance aircraft. Range could be increased to 4,000 miles by cutting one engine.
The metal fuselage had to be unusually strong because every marine take off and landing bounces the ship around and stresses all the joints. The result was a sleek hull that was an airplane on top and a boat on the bottom. The initial Navy order was for 60, in 1936, and they were called PB-Ys -- "PB" for patrol boat, "Y" for Consolidated.
When war broke out the British bought them and called them the Catalina. The name stuck. They were used in every theater of the war and in every imaginable role. One even managed to launch torpedoes at the Japanese fleet during the Battle of Midway.
Jan 29, 2009
Season 1Episode 960 min
Republic F-84 Thunderjet
The early models of the F-84 looked rather neat, like a tube or a cigar humidor, with an opening in the nose and another in the tail, as if the jet engine had been supplied and the airplane built around it. It had nothing particularly new but was a summation of what at the time was known about jets and about aeronautical engineering.
At the outbreak of war in Korea, the USAF found itself with three different airplanes. The F-86 was obviously the fighter of the group. The F-84 went through several models and was adapted for the ground attack role. It carried a good deal of ordinance and could be fitted with a nuclear bomb. In addition to the usual six .50 caliber machine guns favored by the USAF at the time, it could carry a number of 5-inch rockets, useful against tanks. The low speed and lack of maneuverability were no handicap in attacking ground targets.
Feb 5, 2009
Season 1Episode 1060 min
Lockheed F-104 Starfighter
Lockheed's F-104 Starfighter first appeared in the mid-50s. Its appearance is beguiling. It looks like an unusually long, shiny silver bullet to which someone has attached two small stubby wings and a delicate empennage. It looks fast -- and it was.
It was intended to be a replacement for the fleet of aging F-86s and F-84s and in fact it was an improvement in many respects over the older airplanes, especially in speed. It was a relatively unsophisticated lightweight airplane and the USAF wasn't very enthusiastic about it. It had little range, its stubby wings couldn't carry any ordinance, and it lacked the radar that would have made it operable in poor weather.
But NATO too was looking for a standard interceptor for Europe, an environment for which the Starfighter wasn't well suited.
Feb 19, 2009
Season 1Episode 1160 min
Douglas C-47 Dakota
Dec 31, 2009
Season 1Episode 1260 min
Consolidated B-24 Liberator
Dec 31, 2009
Season 1Episode 1360 min
Lockheed P-38 Lightning
Dec 31, 2009
Season 1Episode 1460 min
Convair B-36 Peacemaker
Dec 31, 2009
Season 1Episode 1560 min
Martin B-57 Canberra
Dec 31, 2009
Season 1Episode 1660 min
Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet
Dec 31, 2009
Season 1Episode 1760 min
Grumman F-14 Tomcat
Dec 31, 2009
Season 1Episode 1860 min
North American F-86 Sabre
Dec 31, 2009
Season 1Episode 1960 min
Republic P-47 Thunderbolt
Dec 31, 2009
Season 1Episode 2060 min
Grumman F4F Wildcat & F6F Hellcat
Dec 31, 2009
Season 1Episode 2160 min
Vought F4U Corsair
Dec 31, 2009
Season 1Episode 2260 min
Martin B-26 Marauder
Dec 31, 2009
Season 1Episode 2360 min
Lockheed Constellation
Dec 31, 2009
Season 1Episode 2460 min
Douglas A-4 Skyhawk
Dec 31, 2009
Season 1Episode 2560 min
Boeing 707 / C-135
Dec 31, 2009
Season 1Episode 2660 min
Convair B-58 Hustler
Dec 31, 2009
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