Poster for First Flights with Neil Armstrong

A&E 1991 - 1993 3 seasons 39 eps Ended

First Flights with Neil Armstrong

1991 - 1993 3 seasons 39 eps

4.5

Season 3

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Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

25 min

S3 · E1 · Sep 8, 1993

Whirling Wings - Evolution of the Rotorhead Episode 1

From Cierva's breakthrough in autogyro design, to the state-of-the-art BK-117, the heart of the helicopter story has been the rotorhead. Early helicopters were complex, dangerous flying machines, prone to failure. For the men and women who took the controls, concentration and daring were essential.

25 min

S3 · E2 · Sep 15, 1993

Water Birds - Floatplanes and Flying Boats Episode 2

By the 1930s, flying boats – massive, airborne ocean liners – opened up global routes for passenger service, while the floatplanes entering the Schneider Trophy races were the fastest, most innovative flying machines in existence.

25 min

S3 · E3 · Sep 22, 1993

Jump to the Sky - Jet VTOL Episode 3

Conventional airplanes need large runways for takeoff and landing, a limitation that concerned defense planners. As turbine engines became lighter, a new type of aircraft became possible — one that could take off and land vertically, yet fly with the speed of jets.

25 min

S3 · E4 · Sep 29, 1993

Tail First Flying - the Canard Episode 4

When the small tail surface wings which enable an airplane to go up or down are moved to the front, they are called canards. It is a technology as old as manned flight — the Wrights used canards on their early airplanes. Canards were rarely used after the first World War until computer technology provided the control needed to make the technology feasible.

25 min

S3 · E5 · Oct 6, 1993

First Around The World Episode 5

Many times in aviation history the ultimate test of aircraft and pilot was to fly around the world. Competition and showmanship always played a part, but in the end it was the mental and physical endurance of the men and women who climbed into the cockpit that made success possible.

25 min

S3 · E6 · Oct 20, 1993

Flying Blind Episode 6

In the early days of flying, instrumentation was crude. A weighted silk stocking tied to a strut could help the pilot gauge his airspeed. Wartime challenged pilots to learn the techniques of blind flying. Today, pilots use orbiting satellites to pinpoint their position, and complex autopilots enable an aircraft to fly itself.

25 min

S3 · E7 · Oct 27, 1993

Flying Wings Episode 7

In their quest for flight efficiency, some designers thought the ideal shape would be just a wing, nothing else, flying through the air. Though successful development of flying wings has often proved illusive, Northrop's designs proved feasibility, and the B-2 Stealth Bomber brought the configuration into production.

25 min

S3 · E8 · Nov 3, 1993

Flight Control - Wing Warping to Fly-by-Wire Episode 8

Two years after the first manned flight, the Wrights mastered control sufficiently to fly the first circle – a major aviation advance that went almost unnoticed. By World War II, the first hydraulically boosted controls were invented, enabling pilots to fly aircraft weighing more than 100,000 pounds without the muscles of a co pilot. Once digital signals succeeded in maneuvering spacecraft, computerized fly-by-wire technology for aircraft was not far behind.

25 min

S3 · E9 · Nov 10, 1993

Flash Of Glory - Aerial Combat Enters The Jet Age Episode 9

During WWII, the Germans introduced the Messerschmitt 262, and the British the Gloster Meteor. With these first operational jet fighters, a new era in aerial combat had begun. As jet met jet in the skies over Korea, the MiG-15 proved Russia to be a major power in jet aircraft development.

25 min

S3 · E10 · Nov 17, 1993

Flying the Mail Episode 10

Airmail pioneers demonstrated to a public already infatuated with flying, that airplanes had a bright commercial future. They led the way for the great commercial ventures that would one day span the globe. The variety of aircraft was dazzling, but conditions were harsh and pilots had to be hardy and brave to risk flying the mail.

25 min

S3 · E11 · Nov 24, 1993

Backyard Fliers - An Airplane In Every Garage Episode 11

In the 1920s when just about anyone could afford a car, interest grew in a safe, inexpensive airplane that anyone could fly. Convenience went a step further in roadable aircraft – vehicles that could travel the highways, then convert to an airplane for the rest of the journey. The airplane has never attained the practicality of the automobile for family travel, but modern aviation offers exciting opportunities for the amateur flyer.

25 min

S3 · E12 · Dec 1, 1993

First In Speed: Air Racing Episode 12

From the early years of flight until the late 1930s, air racing was the single most important testing ground for engineering advancements. It provided a breathtaking combination of daredevil risk taking and technological innovation.

25 min

S3 · E13 · Dec 8, 1993

Propellers - Wings With A Twist Episode 13

The Wright brothers realized that a propeller was a rotating wing – giving it a twist made it practical. By the mid 1930s, variable pitch and NACA research revolutionized propeller design. With the coming of the jet age, propellers fell out of favor for large aircraft. But designers soon realized that a fast turboprop with an advanced propeller could be more efficient than the best jetliners.

13 episodes in Season 3

Some details come from TheTVDB.

NASA Apollo astronaut Neil Armstrong adds to his long list of space flight & aviation accomplishments as he takes the controls of a variety of flying machines. Each episode blends historic footage, interviews, and flying. Armstrong takes you on an exhilarating adventure through time.

Where to watch

Amazon Prime Video

Stream

fuboTV

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The Roku Channel

Free with ads

Hoopla

Free

Plex

Free with ads

Amazon Prime Video Free with Ads

Free with ads

Your rating

Your review

Cast

1 person

Neil Armstrong

Host

Also in

Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey

On Camera: Fifteen Apollo Astronauts and Their Experience of a Lifetime

Rick Gordon Creator · Herb Kossover Director · Neil Hollander Director

Creator Director

Rick Gordon

Director

Herb Kossover

Director

Neil Hollander

Writer

J. Campbell Martin

Total runtime 16h 15m · Episode length 25 min · Type Documentary

Show info

Premiered

September 25, 1991

Final episode

December 8, 1993

Status

Ended

Network

A&E

Country

United States

Type

Documentary

Episode length

25 min

Total runtime

16h 15m

Original language

English

Production

A

A+E Global Media

Production

United States

Produced in

Languages

Spoken on screen

English

Some details come from TheTVDB.

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