Strange Planes

1. Drones, Midgets and Mutations

August 29, 1990 · 45m

From the German SC-1262, a 1930s drone controlled by wires connected to a telephone, and Hitler's ominous V-1 to ultra-lights and one-man rocket packs, this episode recounts some of the most outlandish - and innovative - aviation creations. Drones include radio-controlled air vehicles and aerial torpedo "bugs." Mutants fulfill secondary purposes. Pint-sized experimentals like midgets are also remembered.

2. Parasites

September 5, 1990 · 45m

Parasites represent enormous technological breakthroughs. In the beginning, Curtis fighters hid inside dirigibles. Later, parasite aircraft launched out of giant bombers to protect the plane. Now, the space shuttle itself counts as a parasite.

3. Eyes in the Sky

September 12, 1990 · 45m

Takes a look at the people behind covert operations and the inventions that hid in the clouds - from the observation balloons of the Civil War to modern electronic surveillance aircraft like the U2, AWACS, spy satellites, and the SR71 "Blackbird."

4. Giants

September 19, 1990 · 45m

Traces the story of aviation's most mammoth aircraft. Built for civil and and military uses, these amazing planes stun the imagination with their vast size. With names such as 'Fat Albert' and 'Pregnant Guppies' these giants of the skies rank with the world's strangest aircraft. From dirigibles like the Hindenberg and Howard Hughes' Spruce Goose, touching all the major milestones along the way, up to the B36, B52, and B1 bombers; the C5 Galaxy; and the U.S.S.R.'s giant AN 124.

5. Vertical

September 26, 1990 · 45m

Tells the fascinating story of attempts to design airplanes that could be launched straight up into the air. From the Bell XV3 and XV15 to the Hawker and Harrier, a recounting of the planes that leap into the sky without a runway - and some that were supposed to but didn't.

6. Strange Shapes

October 3, 1990 · 45m

Eliminating the fuselage on aircraft was an idea that never came to fruition, but it gave rise to a smaller, more aerodynamic design: the Flying Wing. Seen in the 1929 Halten Meteor to the modern-day Stealth Bomber, this smooth design featured backward wings, moving wings, small wings and even no wings at all; backward engines that "pushed" instead of "pulled"; engines that both pushed and pulled; huge tails and no tails. Aircraft seen include the Bell X5, XP 57 "Bat", SR71 Blackbird, F7 Cutlass, "Lifting Bodies", X24 and X29.

7. Canards and Pusher Propellers

45m