NOVA: THE PLANE THAT CHANGED THE WORLD (TV)
Summary
One in this series of science documentaries. This program celebrates the 50th anniversary of the DC-3 airplane, which laid the groundwork for the design of modern airplanes and is still in use today. The documentary provides an overview of the history of aviation and basic aerodynamic principles, and chronicles the technological advancements that ultimately led to the development of the DC-3, considered to be the most well-designed, comfortable, safe aircraft of its era -- a culmination of years of research and development in aerodynamic structure, engineering, and design. Included are interviews with some of the aircraft's original designers and engineers, who discuss the importance of the DC-3 from a historical standpoint; owners and pilots of air cargo and passenger services, who explain the advantages of using the DC-3 in their current operations; and three of the first American Airlines stewardesses, who recall their experiences with flying on the DC-3. Peter Brooks, a visiting scholar in aircraft structure and design at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., where the DC-3 is on display, comments on the DC-3's role in the success of commercial air transport. Among the topics covered are the unprecedented features incorporated into the DC-1, 2, and 3 series, designed and constructed by Donald Douglas's company in the1930s; the testing procedures for the DC series, which included a test flight over the Rocky Mountains with only one working engine; the use of the DC-3 in World War II; and the restoration of DC-3s for modern use. Also included are archival photographs and film footage of the following: early inventors' unsuccessful attempts to achieve flight; World War I fighter planes; Charles Lindbergh preparing for his historic, non-stop trans-Atlantic flight in 1927; early passenger flights in the 1930s; the wreckage from a TWA plane crash in 1931, which resulted in the death of Notre Dame coach Knute Rockne; the DC-1 prototype being built; stewardesses assisting passengers on early DC-3 flights; the Douglas factory producing hundreds of DC-3s for use in World War II; and the D-Day air invasion, in which 1,200 DC-3s were used. Acquisition and cataloging of this program was made possible by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Details
- NETWORK: PBS WGBH Boston, MA
- DATE: December 17, 1985 Tuesday 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:57:58
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T91:0172
- GENRE: Science/Nature; Public affairs/Documentaries
- SUBJECT HEADING: Aviation; National Air and Space Museum, Washington, D.C.; World War I - Aerial operations
- SERIES RUN: PBS - TV series, 1974-
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Paula S. Apsell … Executive Producer
- Marty Ostrow … Producer, Director, Writer
- Leslie Reinherz … Co-Producer
- John Angier … Based on an idea by
- Ron Blumer … Researcher
- Jeff Lass … Music by
- Don Wescott … Narrator
- Peter Brooks
- Donald Douglas
- Charles Lindbergh
- Knute Rockne