Flying Heavy Metal was a 5-part British television series produced by Ricochet and broadcast in the UK and Europe on the Discovery Channel and subsequently repeated on Discovery Wings in the UK. It was presented by commercial Boeing 757 pilot and Iron Maiden frontman, Bruce Dickinson. In the series, Bruce looked at, and often flew, a number of aircraft from across the history of commercial aviation. There were some quite surprising aerobatics done in rather large aircraft. Flying Heavy Metal is now repeated on the new channel from Discovery Networks UK called Discovery Turbo.
4.5 / 5
Episode 1
The development of the de Havilland Comet and the Boeing 707 herald the end of an era for propeller-driven airliners such as the Douglas DC-3.
Episode 2
Jet travel becomes available to the masses with the development of the Hawker Siddeley Trident and the Boeing 727.
Episode 3
Europe develops Concorde while Boeing develops the 747 jumbo jet.
Episode 4
Jetliner safety enhancements, including the automatic landing capabilities of the Hawker Siddeley Trident, the fly-by-wire capabilities of the Airbus A320 (and lack thereof in the Boeing 737) as well as other safety features currently in development.
Episode 5
New records in airliner size, fuel economy, and passenger comfort with the Airbus A380 and the Boeing 787 (known as the 7E7 at the time). Also explores the wisdom of space airliner travel.
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