Celebrate the best of MIGHTY PLANES, including a look at the game changers, the supersonics, the lifesavers, the heavy lifters and the frontier busters.
Grade levels: Adult
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Control Systems in Design and Technology
Many of us assume that control systems only exist as part of computing and design. But in fact control systems have existed ever since people started to develop and use tools. Today, as technology becomes progressively more complex and an intrinsic part of our modern work and life, we are increasingly reliant on computer controlled technology to extend human capabilities. This excellent program introduces computer controlled systems, block diagrams, open and closed loop systems, microprocessors, and sensors and actuators. In it we examine EFTPOS machines, robots, manufacturing and product control, multimedia entertainment and education and medical applications.
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Managing a Design Project
The key to a successful design project is ensuring it is managed effectively from start to finish. The scale of some projects is truly awe inspiring, with many challenges along the way. This expert led program takes viewers through the various elements involved in managing design projects such as establishing a project plan, an action plan, time plan and finance plan, how to apply and evaluate those plans, and design project constraints. Included are interviews with Michelle Hyams from Schiavello Office Furniture and Lawrence Waterman from the London Olympics. For senior secondary and tertiary level, the production highlights the need for detailed planning, ongoing assessment of the project, and increasingly important factors – environmental for example – that need to be taken into consideration.
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T-38 Talon
The T-38 jet trainer is the ultimate test for any pilot wanting to join the world’s elite club of fighter jet pilots; follow three NATO airmen who push themselves and the T-38 to the limits.
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CC-115 Buffalo
The Canadian Air Force’s CC-115 Buffalo is the go-to aircraft for search-and-rescue on the west coast; the Buffalo and her crew conduct two training exercises, searching for a missing aircraft and rescuing a sinking boat.
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Super Guppy
The Super Guppy carries NASA’s bulkiest and most cutting-edge aerospace components; join them on their mission to pick up and deliver a hefty piece of new technology for NASA’s latest experimental aircraft.
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P-3 Orion
Meet a battle-tested Mighty Plane with a nose for adventure and danger. The P-3 Orion Kermit once hunted Soviet submarines but now hunts deadly weather. It slices through the eye walls of hurricanes with one objective in mind: to collect information that will save lives. Loaded up by NOAA with data sensors, recording devices, and airborne radars, this laboratory in the sky is one smart (and tough) cookie. Go where no plane was ever meant to fly as Kermit flies into todays worst tempests, including “Frankenstorm” herself, Hurricane Sandy.
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Trump 757
How do you tell one of the world’s richest men that his pride and joy is in pieces? Thats just one of the challenges facing pilot John Dunkin, captain of Donald Trumps lavish Boeing 757. Follow him and “The Donald” as they fly from Florida to New York to London, with a pit stop in Georgia for an inspection that doesnt go quite as expected. Tight deadlines and a demanding boss will push Dunkin to the limits. But when you work for the man who made the phrase “You’re fired” famous, you get used to the pressure.
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C-17 Globemaster III
The C-17 Globemaster III is the most versatile cargo plane in the U.S. Air Force fleet. Its a tireless workhorse, designed to carry more than 170,000 pounds of cargo, yet agile enough to land and take off on short, rough runways. Watch as two of these $200 million jets take off on separate missions. One ventures into an intense war training operation over unforgiving terrain, while the other embarks on a grueling three-day journey to deliver missile launchers from a remote Pacific island to California. Both jobs will push these C-17s to the limit.
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Blue Angels
Thrilling millions of Americans every year with their death-defying aerial maneuvers and pinpoint precision, the Blue Angels are one of the best military display teams on Earth. Get ready for an up-close look at the six F/A-18 Hornets that make up the fleet. Meet the top guns who fly them, and the maintenance and support crews working nonstop to make each show a triumph. The stakes are high when you’re flying just inches apart at 700 miles per hour, a mere 15,000 feet above the crowd. Only the Blue Angels team can pull this off.