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.
Producers: Exploration Production Inc.
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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.
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Sofia 747SP
If you’re going to take on the universe, you’re going to need a Mighty Plane. Enter SOFIA, a Boeing 747 jumbo jetliner that’s been converted by NASA into a space observatory in the sky. Manned with a 17-ton telescope, she gives scientists and researchers access to targets that are out of reach to observatories on Eart-that is, when she’s airborne. She’s currently grounded for upgrade and overhaul maintenance, and four months behind schedule. The crew needs to work overtime to get SOFIA ready to, once more, unravel the mysteries of the cosmos.
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CP 140 Aurora
The CP-140 is a spy plane built to protect Canada and her coastlines from unseen enemies; originally designed as a Cold War submarine hunter, she has been upgraded with the latest technology and we fly with her on a mock mission.
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Airbus A380
On October 25, 2007 the Airbus A380 officially surpassed the legendary Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet as the world’s largest passenger airliner. At two hundred and thirty-nine feet long, the A380 has a tail as high as an eight story building and a wingspan that stretches nearly the length of a football field. It’s also the world’s first full double-deck passenger aircraft, making it a groundbreaking design in aviation history. Mighty Planes goes behind the scenes to look the A380 in a way that has never been seen before. Documenting the construction and delivery of a new aircraft leading up to the day when Lufthansa ultimately takes ownership. Experts examine every inch of the aircraft conduct an acceptance flight and check all the technical systems. Meanwhile teams at CAE in Montreal design and test the A380 simulator systems and Goodrich teams in Oakville, Ontario and Phoenix, Arizona manufacture and test the A380 landing gear and evacuation slides to ensure that every element of the new plane is ready to go.
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HMCS Victoria
Climb onboard the HMCS Victoria and experience what it’s like to work inside Canada’s first fully operational diesel-electric stealth submarine.
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Belly Landing
Results from experiments with a model airplane simulator could help with belly landings of real aircraft in emergency situations.
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Immersion Chair
Want to test the buoyancy of crash survival suits? Try strapping yourself into this specially designed chair underwater.
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Mentos and Diet Coke
Candies and pop are not just for fun anymore. They can also be used to find out more about polar bonding.
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Delta IV Heavy Move
It is moving day for a massive Delta IV Heavy rocket as it travels from the horizontal integration facility at Cape Canaveral, Florida to the launch pad, and the operation is breathtaking.