The airplane will be the star of the show in an episode of a new PBS series: “Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed The World.”
The episode premieres Wednesday, April 24, 2019, at 10 p.m. ET.
“The airplane is the machine that gave us our greatest superpower – the ability to fly,” PBS officials say. “The journey to successful flight is a story full of passion, danger and death, and this episode showcases the revolutionaries and visionaries who made it possible to leave the ground.”
Visionaries include:
- Abba Ibn Firnas, Moorish/Islamic Scholar and World’s First Pilot (He was a polymath – an inventor, engineer, aviator, physician, Arabic poet and Andalusian musician.)
- Leonardo da Vinci, Italian Polymath of the Renaissance (One of the greatest painters of all time; called father of architecture; also credited with the inventions of the parachute and helicopter.)
- Sir George Cayley, British Inventor and Scientist (Pioneer of aerial navigation and aeronautical engineering, and designer of the first successful glider to carry a human being.)
- Alphonse Penaud, French Aeronautical Inventor and Engineer (Father of Flying Models and creator of the Planophore.)
- Otto Lilienthal, German Pioneer of Aviation, Aeronautical Engineer (Known as the “Flying Man,” for becoming the first person to make successful, documented flights with gliders.)
- Wilbur & Orville Wright, American Inventors & Pioneers of Aviation (Creators of the world’s first successful flying airplane.)
- Wiley Post, American Pilot (First pilot to fly solo around the world, helped develop one of the first pressure suits and discovered the jet stream.)
- Frank Whittle, British Royal Air Force Officer/Aviator (Inventor of the Jet Engine.)
On-Camera Experts include:
- Brandon Mikesell, Wingsuit Flyer
- Dr. Shini Somara, Fluid Dynamicist
- Dr. David Lentink, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University
- Tiera Fletcher, Aeronautical, Rocket Structural Design & Analysis Engineer, Boeing
- Bruce Weaver, Gliding Instructor
- Jim Al-Khalili, Professor of Theoretical Physics University of Surrey
- Lt. Col. Ross Franquemont, U2 Pilot
- Maj. Dana Thomas, Operation Physiologist
- Richard Browning, English Inventor, Entrepreneur & Speaker
The six-part series documents how humans changed the world forever. Taking viewers through a journey through human history, the series is told through six iconic objects that modern people take for granted: The telescope, airplane, robot, car, rocket and smart phone.
A new episode debuts every Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET on PBS, PBS.org, and the PBS Video App.
See the trailer below: