The Century of Flight — Season 1, Episode 12: The Coming of the Jets
Documentary • 50 min • 1 season, 26 episodes
Episode synopsis
The development of the jet up to and including the Korean War. Pre-war developments, combat jets of World War II. Breaking of the sound barrier. The Right Stuff - how US pilots continued to investigate supersonic flight in X-craft, mainly colour footage. Combat jet developments. The first jet airliners - British Comet and others. Jet Battles over Korea - US F-80s and F-86s battle it out with MiG 15s, including what it was like to be an early jet combat pilot.
About The Century of Flight
This definitive history of manned flight has been compiled into 26 hour episodes, with access to some of the rarest archive film ever taken. Unprecedented co-operation has been extended by the world's leading aircraft manufacturers and leading archive libraries. Included in the footage are shots of rare prototype accidents and failures which contributed to the inevitable achievement and success of man in the air. Since Charles Lindbergh became the first lone aviator to cross the Atlantic in 1927, air transport has greatly accelerated , revolutionised by the giant Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet - and what might we see in the 21st century?