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(sparse, dramatic music)

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We live in an exciting time in human history,

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a time when the world has never been smaller,

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a time when we can drive,

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sail, and fly to almost anywhere.

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We can even leave our planet.

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How did this happen?

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This is the incredible story

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of our civilization's ceaseless desire to move.

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(laughing)

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I'm Sean Riley.

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I've always been fascinated by speed.

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Come with me on a journey

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to better understand the game-changing engineering,

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courageous innovators,

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oh God, it really fights you,

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and the machines that take us further, higher,

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and above all, faster.

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(expansive peaceful music)

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Throughout human history, we've dreamt of flying,

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to experience an unrivaled sense of freedom,

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allowing us to see our planet in a unique way.

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Living in today's world, it's easy to lose perspective,

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to forget that what we have achieved is truly mind-blowing.

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Today, over 40 million aircraft

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take to the skies every year.

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Over a million of us are in the air at any moment.

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I'm taking

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Open the throttle!

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A journey to discover

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(zapping)

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(cracking)

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(laughing)

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just how this revolution in speed has occurred.

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(triumphant music)

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(tense, exciting music)
(airplane engine)

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We all want to travel faster,

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but in the skies, it comes with considerable risks.

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Moving through the air is a matter of life and death,

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a fact that's led to a revolution

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in technology on the ground.

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This is the UK's National Air Traffic Services,

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NATS for short.

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The team here are responsible for preventing disaster

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in the busiest skies in the world, above Britain.

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With so many of us speeding through the air,

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communication is critical.

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How's it goin'?

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Hi Sean, are you well?

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Yeah, I'm doin' great, man.

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What is this?

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This is a radar display.

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Right.

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So showing 80 miles of airspace.

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Walk me through a day in the life

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of an air traffic controller.

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So every time you talk to a pilot,

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you have to use their identifier, which is a call sign.

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Right.

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Let's say I wanted to talk to this plane right here.

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So that would be Lufthansa 8-1-Hotel-Lima.

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Lufthansa 8-1-Hotel-Lima.

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Turn left, heading 1-8-0.

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Turn left, heading 1-8-0.

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And then the pilot will repeat that back,

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so you have to listen to it to make sure he's understood it.

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And he would probably come back and say,

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"Why do you want me to turn due south?

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"I'm trying to go to London." (laughing)

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Exactly. (laughing)

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(tense, atmospheric music)

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Wow, look at this.

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Where are we?

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This is London City Airport,

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the digital control tower.

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Okay.

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So we are a hundred miles away from this airport,

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but this is where it'll be controlled from.

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At London City Airport,

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14 high-definition cameras

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are strategically placed around the runway.

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High-resolution pictures, the latest weather information,

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aircraft flight numbers, speeds, and headings

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are all transmitted to NATS,

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providing controllers with a 360-degree view of the airfield

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and its surroundings in real time.

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The control at the top of the airport

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is all about, you know, the safe landing and takeoff

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and moving of aircraft around the airport.

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And to do that you need lots of information.

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What we can do with this is actually

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put the same information on the window.

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I get it, so I've actually got all the planes,

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even if I couldn't physically see them,

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laid out there digitally in front of me.

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Yep, even if they're in clouds,

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you can still see where they are.

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(tense, exciting music)

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But airports don't just operate during daylight.

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Wow, look at this.

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Yeah, I was wondering how it would work at night.

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It's pretty good.

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Yeah, so at night,

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you actually see much more detail,

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much more clarity than you do with the naked eye.

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What we can also do is draw on the windows as well.

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That's cool, so you've got augmented reality.

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I can see that plane, and because you've laid those lines on

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I know it's right on the runway.

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Very cool system.

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Thank you.
<v ->Thank you very much.

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The UK's virtual control tower

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is nearing the end of its trials.

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And with global passenger numbers predicted

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to top seven billion by 2030,

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virtual reality promises to land a major role

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in managing this aviation boom.

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And yet, just over a hundred years ago,

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powered flight is still blue-sky thinking.

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To most people, it's laughable,

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but not to a few audacious engineers

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who aren't laughing at all.

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They're hellbent on trying to make it happen.

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(energetic, exciting music)

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Today, everyone knows of bicycle makers

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Wilbur and Orville Wright,

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but it's their humble mechanic, Charlie Taylor,

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who will play a pioneering role

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in getting the Wright brothers airborne.

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The challenge: build an engine light enough to fly.

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Taylor weighs up the problem and has a flash of inspiration.

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Instead of using iron, he turns to a new material

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that's strong, malleable, but above all, light: aluminum.

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(inspiring ambient music)

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In only six weeks, he's built his engine,

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weighing just 152 pounds.

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It sparks the aviation revolution.

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December 17th, 1903, Taylor's lightweight engine

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powers the Wright brothers into the history books,

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ushering in the dawn of a monumental evolution

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in human speed, powered flight.

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(airplane engine humming)

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We're on in three, two, one.

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(airplane engine roaring)

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But reaching today's incredible acceleration

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in the skies requires one of the most

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influential innovations in human history.

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The story of the jet engine's invention

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is every bit as remarkable

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as the engineering that goes into it.

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It's the story of one man's determination

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to succeed against the flying establishment.

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(upbeat adventurous music)

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1928, Cranfield, England.

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A young Royal Air Force cadet, Frank Whittle,

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is obsessed with flight, and in particular, speed.

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In the 1920s, planes are powered by propellers,

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and that's a problem,

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if like Whittle, you're looking to fly faster.

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Increasing the speed of propeller planes

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requires larger, more powerful engines.

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But there's a limit to engine size.

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Bigger engines weigh more, slowing an aircraft down.

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But Whittle dares to think differently.

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What if you could do away with propellers altogether?

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Whittle's challenge is to invent a new kind of engine.

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His ingenuity is combining a turbine and a compressor,

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rotating at super-fast speeds.

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First, to draw in, and then compress air,

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which is then mixed with fuel

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and ignited in a combustion chamber,

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generating enough thrust to power an aircraft

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at much greater speeds.

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It's a bold innovation.

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In fact, it's a little bit too bold

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for his bosses at the Air Ministry,

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and they shut the whole idea down,

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but Whittle doesn't give up,

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and after a decade of dogged determination,

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he and his team fire up a working prototype

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for a jet engine, with disastrous consequences.

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Whittle's first engine has a single combustion chamber,

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but each time he ups the thrust,

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(exploding)
the engine fails.

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Eventually, Whittle realizes the single combustion chamber

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is the weakness in his design.

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He devises an ingenious solution:

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an engine with a series of smaller,

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multiple combustion chambers,

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which should be more stable when delivering greater thrust.

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To everyone's amazement, it works,

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and Whittle's jet engine provides a revolution in speed.

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With World War II on the horizon,

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both Germany and the Allies

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invest heavily in jet engine tech.

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Now, at the end of the day, the results come too little,

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too late to shift the balance of the war.

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However, Whittle's remarkable feat of engineering

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does cause a seismic shift in the way humans travel.

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(tense, intriguing music)

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Seizing on Whittle's innovation,

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British airline manufacturer De Havilland

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is the first to hatch an audacious plan,

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a commercial aircraft powered by the jet.

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May 2nd, 1952, De Havilland is trying

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to revolutionize air travel with this,

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the Comet.

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It's about to take its maiden flight.

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Embarking on a journey of nearly 7,000 miles,

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two captains will fly the Comet from London to South Africa.

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Powered by jets, the revolutionary airliner

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cruises at 460 miles an hour,

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a full 100 miles an hour faster

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than the top speed of a propeller-powered plane.

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(applauding and cheering)

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Eagerly awaited by crowds of people,

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the Comet arrives in Johannesburg about 24 hours later.

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It's about 14 minutes behind schedule.

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This slashes the travel time from England to South Africa

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basically in half, and overnight,

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the world becomes a smaller place.

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On board, passengers can fly from New York to London

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in under nine hours, down from 18.

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Flying times from London to Tokyo used to take

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around 85 hours.

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The Comet covers it in just 35.

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This is the speed the jet engine provides.

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Just being here, looking at these engines,

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I wonder if there was some fear,

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some trepidation about going on to this new technology.

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I think there was an element of

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wariness rather than fear.

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It was a whole new era.

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(upbeat swing music)

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Everybody was dressed up in their Sunday best,

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and all 36 passengers were feted as glamorous stars

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just because they were going on an air trip.

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Right, and not just any air trip,

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but they're going on to a brand-new airplane

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with no propellers, mind-blowing.

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Oh yeah, flying on a proper aircraft.

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There was a lot more noise.

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Your seat would be vibrating, and it'd be much more tiring,

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but put this thing on an airliner, and it's much smoother

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because you've just got a simple turbine spinning around

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so the ride for the passengers

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was literally a whole lot smoother.

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It was the start of the jet-set.

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This is one of the

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smoothest-flying airliners in the world,

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not so much as a tremor.

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Yes, in passenger comfort as well as speed,

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the Comet 4 is a powerful challenge to the world.

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(pleasant, expansive music)

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Not only is the plane faster,

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but it's flying at a higher altitude,

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which means it's smoother, and they don't have to deviate

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and go around big thunderstorms.

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They just go straight where they want to go.

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Very cool.

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Graham, thank you so much for your time.

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The Comet streaks us into a world of contrails,

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cruising altitude, and airport expansion.

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Buckle up, 'cause this is the jet age.

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It's a radical leap in speed, almost 500 miles per hour,

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compared to around 300 for prop planes.

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00:16:34,070 --> 00:16:37,423
The Comet's speed creates fierce demand among the wealthy.

268
00:16:38,270 --> 00:16:42,030
It only has 90 seats, but where there's a demand,

269
00:16:42,030 --> 00:16:45,190
there's profit, and where there's profit,

270
00:16:45,190 --> 00:16:46,433
there's competition.

271
00:16:47,380 --> 00:16:50,290
Boeing and Douglas join the party in the late '50s

272
00:16:51,130 --> 00:16:56,130
with the competing 707 and DC-8, both dwarfing the Comet

273
00:16:57,430 --> 00:17:00,083
and doubling the passenger carrying capacity.

274
00:17:01,160 --> 00:17:05,440
All commercial jet planes travel at around the same speed,

275
00:17:05,440 --> 00:17:07,710
so driving ticket prices down

276
00:17:07,710 --> 00:17:10,000
and staying ahead of the competition

277
00:17:10,000 --> 00:17:14,243
means airlines need to pack in more passengers per plane.

278
00:17:15,520 --> 00:17:19,820
In 1970, Boeing introduces the gold standard,

279
00:17:19,820 --> 00:17:23,563
the 747, the queen of the skies.

280
00:17:24,670 --> 00:17:27,380
With a unique double-decker design,

281
00:17:27,380 --> 00:17:29,910
this jumbo jet is able to carry more of us

282
00:17:29,910 --> 00:17:34,910
than the Comet, 707, and DC-8 combined, over 500 people.

283
00:17:38,440 --> 00:17:40,150
It's a magic number,

284
00:17:40,150 --> 00:17:43,763
opening the floodgates for the movement of the masses.

285
00:17:44,670 --> 00:17:46,050
More passengers per flight

286
00:17:46,050 --> 00:17:48,730
means the ticket price comes down, way down.

287
00:17:48,730 --> 00:17:51,000
That's what makes this plane such a big deal.

288
00:17:51,000 --> 00:17:53,870
The 747 brings the skies within reach.

289
00:17:53,870 --> 00:17:57,200
It makes air travel affordable for millions.

290
00:17:57,200 --> 00:18:00,700
(airplane engine roaring)

291
00:18:06,195 --> 00:18:09,360
But out of the blue comes a crisis

292
00:18:09,360 --> 00:18:11,683
that threatens to ground the airlines.

293
00:18:14,340 --> 00:18:19,340
October 1973, the Arab Oil Embargo hits,

294
00:18:23,130 --> 00:18:24,900
turning off the taps,

295
00:18:24,900 --> 00:18:27,423
leading to a tripling in the cost of fuel.

296
00:18:28,740 --> 00:18:32,883
With soaring prices, many airlines brace for bankruptcy.

297
00:18:37,410 --> 00:18:39,810
But the oil crisis pushes one man

298
00:18:39,810 --> 00:18:42,993
to radically redesign a fundamental element of flight:

299
00:18:46,440 --> 00:18:47,466
the wing.

300
00:18:47,466 --> 00:18:50,883
(fast, intriguing music)

301
00:18:52,150 --> 00:18:54,893
Enter aeronautical engineer Richard T. Whitcomb.

302
00:18:58,200 --> 00:19:00,670
He understands the fundamental physics

303
00:19:00,670 --> 00:19:03,213
of how a wing allows us to fly.

304
00:19:05,080 --> 00:19:08,590
As air passes over the curvature of a wing,

305
00:19:08,590 --> 00:19:11,773
lower pressure on the upper surface results in lift,

306
00:19:12,850 --> 00:19:14,593
pushing the plane upwards.

307
00:19:17,570 --> 00:19:20,280
But as the wing passes through air,

308
00:19:20,280 --> 00:19:24,513
it experiences another force: drag.

309
00:19:29,390 --> 00:19:31,533
Drag is the enemy of aircraft,

310
00:19:33,490 --> 00:19:35,643
a force that slows its speed.

311
00:19:39,120 --> 00:19:43,223
Overcoming it means burning more fuel to go faster,

312
00:19:46,710 --> 00:19:50,550
which, in turn, increases the cost of flying for all of us.

313
00:19:50,550 --> 00:19:53,680
Now, accelerated by the Oil Crisis of 1973,

314
00:19:53,680 --> 00:19:57,293
engineers start looking for a new way to reduce drag.

315
00:20:01,840 --> 00:20:04,530
Whitcomb thinks the key might lie

316
00:20:04,530 --> 00:20:06,743
in the design of the wing tip.

317
00:20:07,950 --> 00:20:08,823
Here's why.

318
00:20:11,070 --> 00:20:14,210
Conventional aircraft wings form swirls of air

319
00:20:14,210 --> 00:20:17,453
at their tips called vortices.

320
00:20:19,700 --> 00:20:23,453
Vortices increase drag and counteract lift.

321
00:20:26,670 --> 00:20:29,400
A keen observer of anything that flies,

322
00:20:29,400 --> 00:20:32,147
Whitcomb makes an incredible connection: birds.

323
00:20:36,730 --> 00:20:39,260
Birds have a series of end feathers

324
00:20:39,260 --> 00:20:41,563
which gradually bend upwards.

325
00:20:42,920 --> 00:20:45,090
Whitcomb realizes these feathers

326
00:20:45,090 --> 00:20:48,723
weaken drag-inducing vortices at the bird's wing tip.

327
00:20:56,760 --> 00:21:00,520
Placing the engineering equivalent of end feathers

328
00:21:00,520 --> 00:21:04,703
at the tip of an aircraft's wing should reduce drag.

329
00:21:08,650 --> 00:21:11,280
Whitcomb's winglets have a significant impact

330
00:21:11,280 --> 00:21:12,793
on flying efficiency,

331
00:21:16,860 --> 00:21:20,863
reducing fuel consumption by around 5%.

332
00:21:21,730 --> 00:21:24,270
Currently, that translates to a saving

333
00:21:24,270 --> 00:21:27,073
of over $9 billion a year,

334
00:21:28,780 --> 00:21:32,790
greater than the Gross Domestic Product of a small country.

335
00:21:34,793 --> 00:21:38,293
(airplane engine roaring)

336
00:21:40,227 --> 00:21:42,870
(thundering)

337
00:21:42,870 --> 00:21:45,930
But other advances in aviation technology

338
00:21:45,930 --> 00:21:48,423
have come at a much higher price.

339
00:21:51,410 --> 00:21:52,450
This is the tragic scene

340
00:21:52,450 --> 00:21:55,010
of the current disaster near Calcutta.

341
00:21:55,010 --> 00:21:58,720
Wreckage of the aircraft smashed almost beyond recognition.

342
00:21:58,720 --> 00:22:01,943
37 passengers and the crew of six all lost their lives.

343
00:22:04,510 --> 00:22:05,860
Less than two years

344
00:22:05,860 --> 00:22:08,673
after its groundbreaking flight to South Africa,

345
00:22:09,750 --> 00:22:13,323
the Comet suffers a series of fatal crashes,

346
00:22:14,190 --> 00:22:15,653
baffling engineers,

347
00:22:18,670 --> 00:22:20,450
and leading to one of the greatest

348
00:22:20,450 --> 00:22:22,963
engineering investigations in history.

349
00:22:25,860 --> 00:22:28,650
Britain's Royal Aircraft Establishment

350
00:22:28,650 --> 00:22:31,360
plunge an entire Comet under the weight

351
00:22:31,360 --> 00:22:34,233
of 200,000 gallons of water,

352
00:22:35,850 --> 00:22:39,480
subjecting the aircraft to a series of stress tests,

353
00:22:39,480 --> 00:22:42,713
the equivalent of 15,000 hours flying time.

354
00:22:44,390 --> 00:22:46,533
Only now is the flaw discovered,

355
00:22:47,720 --> 00:22:50,610
a small rectangular aperture,

356
00:22:50,610 --> 00:22:54,030
corners that concentrate repeated stress

357
00:22:54,030 --> 00:22:59,030
on the plane's fuselage, causing metal fatigue,

358
00:23:00,140 --> 00:23:03,113
and eventually, catastrophic failure.

359
00:23:06,290 --> 00:23:08,770
The lessons learned from those tragedies

360
00:23:08,770 --> 00:23:09,970
are the reason that the windows

361
00:23:09,970 --> 00:23:12,633
you and I look out of have rounded corners.

362
00:23:14,810 --> 00:23:19,280
With safety paramount, today's aircraft are engineered

363
00:23:19,280 --> 00:23:22,443
to survive almost every eventuality.

364
00:23:24,311 --> 00:23:29,311
(thundering)
(tense, exciting music)

365
00:23:31,840 --> 00:23:34,010
If you average it out, planes in flight

366
00:23:34,010 --> 00:23:37,060
get hit by lightning about once a year.

367
00:23:37,060 --> 00:23:39,050
Now, that is something I would really like to see.

368
00:23:39,050 --> 00:23:40,650
Unfortunately, it's pretty hard to predict

369
00:23:40,650 --> 00:23:43,200
when and where a bolt of lightning is gonna strike.

370
00:23:44,140 --> 00:23:47,777
But I do know one place where they have lightning

371
00:23:47,777 --> 00:23:49,800
(warning tone blaring)

372
00:23:49,800 --> 00:23:50,633
in a bottle.

373
00:23:54,508 --> 00:23:56,675
(zapping)

374
00:24:05,068 --> 00:24:06,401
That is awesome!

375
00:24:10,520 --> 00:24:11,740
Understanding what happens

376
00:24:11,740 --> 00:24:14,230
when planes are struck by lightning in the air

377
00:24:16,360 --> 00:24:18,253
is best done on the ground.

378
00:24:21,490 --> 00:24:23,223
So, why a car?

379
00:24:24,210 --> 00:24:25,980
A car and an airplane have in common,

380
00:24:25,980 --> 00:24:28,070
they both act as a Faraday cage,

381
00:24:28,070 --> 00:24:29,660
and a Faraday's cage means

382
00:24:29,660 --> 00:24:31,860
that all people sitting inside that cage

383
00:24:31,860 --> 00:24:35,290
are totally protected against the lightning strike.

384
00:24:35,290 --> 00:24:37,200
So they cannot be hit directly.

385
00:24:37,200 --> 00:24:40,930
A Faraday cage is metal encasing the people,

386
00:24:40,930 --> 00:24:43,210
and the current wants to flow around the outside?

387
00:24:43,210 --> 00:24:44,262
Yes, yes.

388
00:24:44,262 --> 00:24:45,140
So the fact that you are safe

389
00:24:45,140 --> 00:24:47,703
is that you are totally surrounded by a metal body.

390
00:24:49,120 --> 00:24:53,080
So, that's the theory, but does it work?

391
00:24:53,080 --> 00:24:53,913
Here we go.

392
00:24:54,860 --> 00:24:56,430
I'm trusting the science here.

393
00:24:56,430 --> 00:24:57,680
Go in, please.
<v ->Okay.

394
00:24:59,900 --> 00:25:02,753
You should not leave the car during our experiment.

395
00:25:08,120 --> 00:25:12,293
Sean, the door must be closed, as I told you.

396
00:25:12,293 --> 00:25:15,460
(tense, sparse music)

397
00:25:20,713 --> 00:25:24,150
(warning tone blaring)
Okay, here we go.

398
00:25:24,150 --> 00:25:26,453
About to hit the car with a bolt of lightning.

399
00:25:28,170 --> 00:25:31,160
I'm gonna keep my hands and feet inside the ride.

400
00:25:31,160 --> 00:25:32,230
It's a little nerve-wracking.

401
00:25:32,230 --> 00:25:34,370
I mean, it's one thing to understand a Faraday cage,

402
00:25:34,370 --> 00:25:36,170
another thing to climb inside one.

403
00:25:36,170 --> 00:25:38,690
I can hear the electrics.

404
00:25:38,690 --> 00:25:43,083
Oh, I can start to hear the electricity's coming now.

405
00:25:45,260 --> 00:25:46,440
Just kidding.

406
00:25:46,440 --> 00:25:48,800
At some point, it's gonna jump through the air

407
00:25:48,800 --> 00:25:50,217
(zapping)

408
00:25:50,217 --> 00:25:52,170
to the top of the car, like that right there.

409
00:25:52,170 --> 00:25:53,600
Hundreds of thousands of volts

410
00:25:53,600 --> 00:25:56,020
flowing along the outside of the car,

411
00:25:56,020 --> 00:25:57,403
and I'm completely fine.

412
00:25:58,600 --> 00:26:00,440
I can hear it just zapping the car,

413
00:26:00,440 --> 00:26:01,950
and I know what's happening on the outside,

414
00:26:01,950 --> 00:26:04,299
but on the inside, there's nothing.

415
00:26:04,299 --> 00:26:06,963
(zapping)
That was amazing.

416
00:26:07,960 --> 00:26:09,790
See, I trusted the science.

417
00:26:09,790 --> 00:26:11,060
Now, you might say I'm crazy,

418
00:26:11,060 --> 00:26:14,180
but you do the same thing every time you fly.

419
00:26:14,180 --> 00:26:16,320
Any plane that you're flying in could get hit by lightning,

420
00:26:16,320 --> 00:26:17,390
and you wouldn't even know it

421
00:26:17,390 --> 00:26:18,410
because you're protected

422
00:26:18,410 --> 00:26:20,996
by the metal cage that surrounds you.

423
00:26:20,996 --> 00:26:23,729
(zapping)

424
00:26:23,729 --> 00:26:27,666
(airplane engine roaring)
(thundering)

425
00:26:27,666 --> 00:26:29,167
The metal of the plane protects you,

426
00:26:29,167 --> 00:26:31,990
but what happens if your plane's not metal?

427
00:26:31,990 --> 00:26:35,283
What happens if it's made out of this, carbon fiber?

428
00:26:38,220 --> 00:26:41,140
Carbon fiber technology is a stronger

429
00:26:41,140 --> 00:26:44,663
and lighter alternative to conventional aircraft materials.

430
00:26:45,630 --> 00:26:48,450
That is a piece of carbon fiber material.

431
00:26:48,450 --> 00:26:50,140
And so we will inject a current

432
00:26:50,140 --> 00:26:53,890
of roughly 100,000 amps through this plate material.

433
00:26:53,890 --> 00:26:55,133
So let's do it, okay?

434
00:26:56,350 --> 00:27:00,620
But using carbon fiber alone comes with a catch.

435
00:27:00,620 --> 00:27:01,970
Watch this.

436
00:27:01,970 --> 00:27:04,219
Here it is, bolt of lightning.

437
00:27:04,219 --> 00:27:05,753
We're close to triggering.

438
00:27:07,728 --> 00:27:09,577
(zapping)
(shattering)

439
00:27:09,577 --> 00:27:12,950
(laughing) Oh, that is raw power right there.

440
00:27:12,950 --> 00:27:14,300
It's this percussive wave

441
00:27:14,300 --> 00:27:15,740
that comes out and hits you in the chest.

442
00:27:15,740 --> 00:27:17,860
Yeah, satisfied? (laughing)

443
00:27:17,860 --> 00:27:18,760
That is no joke.

444
00:27:18,760 --> 00:27:21,123
That is being next to a bolt of lightning.

445
00:27:21,980 --> 00:27:24,570
Yeah, so we have to check the result, so you can go in.

446
00:27:24,570 --> 00:27:26,330
The jolt of lightning knocked over the stand,

447
00:27:26,330 --> 00:27:28,600
and it kicked the sample out of the whole jig

448
00:27:28,600 --> 00:27:30,443
that they had set up, but look at that,

449
00:27:30,443 --> 00:27:32,110
it's all burnt up on the back,

450
00:27:32,110 --> 00:27:34,410
and if you look at it right there,

451
00:27:34,410 --> 00:27:36,260
it's completely de-laminating, right?

452
00:27:36,260 --> 00:27:37,860
The layers are coming apart,

453
00:27:37,860 --> 00:27:40,180
and the sample's really weak right there.

454
00:27:40,180 --> 00:27:42,540
It's also extremely hot, even through the gloves,

455
00:27:42,540 --> 00:27:46,253
and it smells terrible.

456
00:27:48,320 --> 00:27:51,200
A plane made of purely carbon fiber

457
00:27:51,200 --> 00:27:54,419
is unlikely to survive a single bolt of lightning,

458
00:27:54,419 --> 00:27:56,880
(zapping)

459
00:27:56,880 --> 00:27:59,790
but add a conductive metal coating,

460
00:27:59,790 --> 00:28:01,053
and you've got this,

461
00:28:03,250 --> 00:28:04,873
Boeing's Dreamliner.

462
00:28:07,360 --> 00:28:10,283
At first glance, it looks like any other commercial jet,

463
00:28:12,440 --> 00:28:13,740
but its fuselage is made

464
00:28:13,740 --> 00:28:16,823
from over 80% carbon composite materials,

465
00:28:19,430 --> 00:28:20,790
making it one of the safest

466
00:28:20,790 --> 00:28:23,313
and most efficient aircraft in the skies today.

467
00:28:29,580 --> 00:28:31,730
When it comes to making airplanes lighter,

468
00:28:31,730 --> 00:28:34,830
the material that you make the fuselage out of is key,

469
00:28:34,830 --> 00:28:36,550
but if you want to make 'em go faster,

470
00:28:36,550 --> 00:28:38,576
it's the shape that's critical.

471
00:28:38,576 --> 00:28:41,909
(tense, exciting music)

472
00:28:48,190 --> 00:28:49,473
October 1947.

473
00:28:56,790 --> 00:29:00,213
Aviation pioneers plan a daring flight,

474
00:29:01,770 --> 00:29:05,363
one which promises us even faster speed,

475
00:29:08,750 --> 00:29:12,373
one that tests their ingenuity to the limit,

476
00:29:13,610 --> 00:29:16,613
breaking through an invisible barrier,

477
00:29:17,890 --> 00:29:19,693
the speed of sound.

478
00:29:22,330 --> 00:29:25,780
The challenge is to build a plane aerodynamic enough

479
00:29:25,780 --> 00:29:28,933
to fly over 760 miles an hour.

480
00:29:30,010 --> 00:29:33,540
Their inspiration comes from one of the few man-made objects

481
00:29:33,540 --> 00:29:36,423
that they already know can break the speed of sound.

482
00:29:37,382 --> 00:29:40,382
(gun shot blasting)

483
00:29:46,040 --> 00:29:49,380
The shape of this bullet helped inspire a collaboration

484
00:29:49,380 --> 00:29:51,980
between NASA engineers and the US military

485
00:29:54,160 --> 00:29:55,723
to design that.

486
00:29:57,240 --> 00:29:59,163
The Bell X-1.

487
00:30:03,490 --> 00:30:05,683
In a master stroke of ingenuity,

488
00:30:06,670 --> 00:30:10,410
engineers designed this experimental aircraft

489
00:30:10,410 --> 00:30:13,073
to mimic the shape of a bullet.

490
00:30:16,400 --> 00:30:18,160
So this team sets out to build an airplane

491
00:30:18,160 --> 00:30:19,350
that will break the sound barrier.

492
00:30:19,350 --> 00:30:21,220
So we knew that things could travel

493
00:30:21,220 --> 00:30:22,810
faster than sound, right?

494
00:30:22,810 --> 00:30:25,260
They know this rifle bullet has a great shape.

495
00:30:25,260 --> 00:30:27,363
It flies very, very well supersonic.

496
00:30:30,930 --> 00:30:33,360
But scaling up a plane to carry a pilot

497
00:30:33,360 --> 00:30:38,313
at such speeds means flying into the unknown.

498
00:30:42,610 --> 00:30:45,600
Those who've strayed close to the sound barrier

499
00:30:45,600 --> 00:30:48,673
tell stories of their aircraft shaking violently.

500
00:30:51,940 --> 00:30:55,463
Many think that flying faster is a death wish.

501
00:30:59,440 --> 00:31:01,930
Built to withstand the force of the flight,

502
00:31:01,930 --> 00:31:04,563
the Bell X-1 will find out.

503
00:31:07,290 --> 00:31:10,770
They know propellers can't do it, jets can't do it.

504
00:31:10,770 --> 00:31:12,350
They're gonna use a rocket.

505
00:31:12,350 --> 00:31:14,010
Right.

506
00:31:14,010 --> 00:31:17,173
Four are built into the back of the Bell X-1.

507
00:31:19,970 --> 00:31:24,568
Now all that's needed is someone brave enough to fly it.

508
00:31:24,568 --> 00:31:27,110
(exciting, fast-paced music)

509
00:31:27,110 --> 00:31:30,560
They had this really young, brash,

510
00:31:30,560 --> 00:31:33,030
incredibly talented test pilot.

511
00:31:33,030 --> 00:31:36,710
The people who knew him talked about how good his hands were

512
00:31:36,710 --> 00:31:38,713
at being able to control aircraft.

513
00:31:39,970 --> 00:31:41,553
His name was Chuck Yeager.

514
00:31:42,930 --> 00:31:46,463
24-year-old Yeager agrees to attempt the flight.

515
00:31:49,670 --> 00:31:52,980
A B-29 bomber lifts the X-1 to an altitude

516
00:31:52,980 --> 00:31:57,980
of around 30,000 feet, where Yeager is released.

517
00:32:04,550 --> 00:32:08,313
Inside the cockpit, Yeager prepares to accelerate.

518
00:32:09,650 --> 00:32:12,405
He lights off one rocket motor, and it's good.

519
00:32:12,405 --> 00:32:14,650
(roaring)

520
00:32:14,650 --> 00:32:16,023
Two, three,

521
00:32:18,310 --> 00:32:22,043
and he decides it's time, and he lights off the fourth one,

522
00:32:25,820 --> 00:32:26,730
and he's pulled up,

523
00:32:26,730 --> 00:32:29,080
and he's climbing a little bit in altitude now.

524
00:32:30,680 --> 00:32:34,193
Violently shaking, Yeager speeds into the unknown.

525
00:32:37,030 --> 00:32:39,400
And he is trying to keep the airplane going

526
00:32:39,400 --> 00:32:41,800
in the general direction that he wants it to go.

527
00:32:45,430 --> 00:32:47,030
And he breaks the sound barrier.

528
00:32:52,180 --> 00:32:55,660
Yeager has entered a new realm of speed:

529
00:32:55,660 --> 00:32:59,370
supersonic flight, and to his relief,

530
00:32:59,370 --> 00:33:04,370
he discovers flying faster than sound is as smooth as glass.

531
00:33:08,470 --> 00:33:11,220
For 20 seconds, Chuck Yeager is moving faster

532
00:33:11,220 --> 00:33:13,083
than any human had ever gone before.

533
00:33:16,804 --> 00:33:19,680
Now that audacious flight, his courage and his talent,

534
00:33:19,680 --> 00:33:23,598
clears the way for a revolution in human speed.

535
00:33:23,598 --> 00:33:27,681
(sparse, pleasant ambient music)

536
00:33:31,050 --> 00:33:36,023
Concorde, a masterpiece of aviation.

537
00:33:40,040 --> 00:33:43,673
The only airliner ever to carry passengers supersonic.

538
00:33:45,116 --> 00:33:49,430
(airplane engine roaring)

539
00:33:49,430 --> 00:33:52,443
Engineered to cruise at over 1,300 miles an hour,

540
00:33:53,970 --> 00:33:55,573
twice the speed of sound.

541
00:34:04,437 --> 00:34:07,230
But the story of how Concorde actually came to be

542
00:34:07,230 --> 00:34:09,170
begins just after World War II

543
00:34:09,170 --> 00:34:10,953
with the ingenuity of one man.

544
00:34:16,970 --> 00:34:21,553
This is Dr. Dietrich Kuchemann, an expert in wing design.

545
00:34:22,680 --> 00:34:26,500
To make the leap to commercial supersonic flight,

546
00:34:26,500 --> 00:34:29,560
Kuchemann must solve a weighty problem.

547
00:34:29,560 --> 00:34:31,810
Conventional flaps and slats,

548
00:34:31,810 --> 00:34:34,603
which provide extra lift at slow speeds,

549
00:34:35,550 --> 00:34:39,403
are too heavy and expensive for supersonic flight,

550
00:34:41,890 --> 00:34:44,343
but Kuchemann thinks he has the solution,

551
00:34:47,350 --> 00:34:48,333
the delta wing.

552
00:34:51,272 --> 00:34:53,170
(exciting, thoughtful music)

553
00:34:53,170 --> 00:34:57,140
He scraps the conventional wing with heavy flaps and slats

554
00:35:00,040 --> 00:35:03,403
and draws on the delta wing's classic triangular shape,

555
00:35:04,870 --> 00:35:08,420
which he hopes will be lighter and aerodynamic enough

556
00:35:08,420 --> 00:35:10,793
to survive supersonic speeds,

557
00:35:13,440 --> 00:35:14,653
but will it work?

558
00:35:17,740 --> 00:35:22,423
In the early 1950s, Kuchemann's theory is put to the test.

559
00:35:25,500 --> 00:35:29,963
The experimental HP.115 is one-of-a-kind,

560
00:35:31,400 --> 00:35:35,727
a delta-winged aircraft designed not to fly fast, but slow.

561
00:35:39,310 --> 00:35:41,003
The test flights are risky,

562
00:35:43,130 --> 00:35:46,290
but to the relief of Kuchemann and his team,

563
00:35:46,290 --> 00:35:48,310
their modified delta wing

564
00:35:48,310 --> 00:35:50,703
handles better than anyone imagines.

565
00:35:53,140 --> 00:35:55,520
The success of the experimental delta wing

566
00:35:55,520 --> 00:35:57,060
is ground-breaking.

567
00:35:57,060 --> 00:35:59,110
It redefines what's possible.

568
00:35:59,110 --> 00:36:01,890
See, the delta wing promises much faster flight,

569
00:36:01,890 --> 00:36:02,930
and that turns the dream

570
00:36:02,930 --> 00:36:05,913
of commercial supersonic travel into a reality.

571
00:36:07,410 --> 00:36:12,410
January 21st, 1976, a date that goes down in history,

572
00:36:14,630 --> 00:36:18,423
as Concorde makes the first supersonic passenger flight.

573
00:36:21,170 --> 00:36:23,470
It is to be a flight of triumph.

574
00:36:24,330 --> 00:36:26,730
Concorde takes Britain and the world

575
00:36:26,730 --> 00:36:28,197
into the supersonic age.

576
00:36:32,920 --> 00:36:33,890
It's the beginning

577
00:36:33,890 --> 00:36:36,233
of over a quarter of a century of service,

578
00:36:42,090 --> 00:36:46,970
allowing those on board to sip champagne at 60,000 feet

579
00:36:46,970 --> 00:36:50,403
while traveling at twice the speed of sound.

580
00:36:53,200 --> 00:36:57,120
Concorde slashes flying times between London and New York

581
00:36:57,120 --> 00:36:59,463
from seven hours to under four.

582
00:37:01,780 --> 00:37:06,780
And on February 7th, 1996, it enters the record books again,

583
00:37:07,930 --> 00:37:10,020
carrying passengers across the Atlantic

584
00:37:10,020 --> 00:37:12,723
in just two hours and 53 minutes,

585
00:37:13,700 --> 00:37:16,043
the fastest time in human history.

586
00:37:16,937 --> 00:37:20,437
(cheering and applauding)

587
00:37:23,090 --> 00:37:26,280
Wow, it really is a spectacular airplane, isn't it?

588
00:37:26,280 --> 00:37:27,990
It is the most awesome sight,

589
00:37:27,990 --> 00:37:30,643
and it never ceases to amaze me.

590
00:37:31,720 --> 00:37:34,200
I flew this one when it was brand-new,

591
00:37:34,200 --> 00:37:36,860
and I flew it just before I retired.

592
00:37:36,860 --> 00:37:37,693
This very airplane.

593
00:37:37,693 --> 00:37:40,010
This very airplane, Alpha Foxtrot, yes.

594
00:37:40,010 --> 00:37:42,950
Knowing that we're about to blast off across the Atlantic

595
00:37:42,950 --> 00:37:45,043
in under three-and-a-half hours.

596
00:37:46,640 --> 00:37:49,833
Just look at the awesome shape of that wing.

597
00:37:50,840 --> 00:37:54,380
You don't realize how many contours there are in it.

598
00:37:54,380 --> 00:37:55,470
Yeah, it's not a straight line.

599
00:37:55,470 --> 00:37:58,690
It's all these individual curves all kind of put together,

600
00:37:58,690 --> 00:38:00,230
and then it actually bows out down there.

601
00:38:00,230 --> 00:38:02,330
It's so unlike anything else we would see.

602
00:38:04,320 --> 00:38:08,460
Also unique are Concorde's four Rolls Royce engines,

603
00:38:08,460 --> 00:38:10,900
designed with afterburners,

604
00:38:10,900 --> 00:38:14,763
fighter jet technology to rapidly increase acceleration,

605
00:38:16,230 --> 00:38:20,010
providing a punch that makes it an unforgettable ride

606
00:38:20,010 --> 00:38:21,823
for passengers and pilot.

607
00:38:22,780 --> 00:38:23,980
What was it like to fly?

608
00:38:25,030 --> 00:38:28,020
Awesome, one of the top experiences

609
00:38:28,020 --> 00:38:29,840
that you can have in this world.

610
00:38:29,840 --> 00:38:30,740
Really?

611
00:38:30,740 --> 00:38:32,160
Come second, anyway.

612
00:38:32,160 --> 00:38:35,224
Yeah, second, fair enough, I'm with you.

613
00:38:35,224 --> 00:38:37,721
(exciting, expansive music)

614
00:38:37,721 --> 00:38:38,960
Sean, this is the closest you're gonna

615
00:38:38,960 --> 00:38:40,560
get to flying a Concorde.

616
00:38:40,560 --> 00:38:41,570
Look at this, oh!

617
00:38:41,570 --> 00:38:43,385
You be the captain.

618
00:38:43,385 --> 00:38:45,000
What is it I'll do?

619
00:38:45,000 --> 00:38:46,400
I shall teach you everything I,

620
00:38:46,400 --> 00:38:48,090
stop fiddling with things, okay?

621
00:38:48,090 --> 00:38:49,112
I shall tell you what to fiddle with.

622
00:38:49,112 --> 00:38:51,070
Look at all this cool stuff.

623
00:38:51,070 --> 00:38:52,130
Well look, I'm probably never gonna get

624
00:38:52,130 --> 00:38:53,040
to fly the real thing,

625
00:38:53,040 --> 00:38:54,650
so this is about as close as I can get.

626
00:38:54,650 --> 00:38:57,270
I have a simulator, and I have an actual Concorde pilot,

627
00:38:57,270 --> 00:38:59,170
so Colin, teach me.

628
00:38:59,170 --> 00:39:01,530
We're gonna skip all the preparation,

629
00:39:01,530 --> 00:39:02,650
which will take an hour.

630
00:39:02,650 --> 00:39:03,483
Good, I hate preparation, let's just go.

631
00:39:03,483 --> 00:39:06,240
Okay, right, we're just gonna take off, okay?

632
00:39:06,240 --> 00:39:07,250
See those?
Yeah.

633
00:39:07,250 --> 00:39:08,640
Throttles.
<v ->Throttles, got it.

634
00:39:08,640 --> 00:39:10,340
So let's start the takeoff.

635
00:39:10,340 --> 00:39:14,400
Three, two, one, now, open the throttle.

636
00:39:14,400 --> 00:39:15,233
Whoa, okay.

637
00:39:15,233 --> 00:39:16,980
Okay, and you're off down the runway now.

638
00:39:16,980 --> 00:39:19,060
The engines are spooling up.

639
00:39:19,060 --> 00:39:20,250
Little lights are gonna come on

640
00:39:20,250 --> 00:39:23,110
to show that the afterburners have lit up successfully.

641
00:39:23,110 --> 00:39:24,300
You're looking down the runway,

642
00:39:24,300 --> 00:39:25,930
and I'm calling out the speeds.

643
00:39:25,930 --> 00:39:28,240
V1, which is decision speed.

644
00:39:28,240 --> 00:39:29,940
We're continuing with the takeoff.

645
00:39:31,520 --> 00:39:33,660
Rotate, pull the stick back, okay?

646
00:39:33,660 --> 00:39:36,893
Gradually raise the nose off the ground.

647
00:39:38,507 --> 00:39:41,901
Gradually getting it into the flying attitude, okay.

648
00:39:41,901 --> 00:39:45,401
(airplane engine roaring)

649
00:39:51,660 --> 00:39:53,420
Once airborne,

650
00:39:53,420 --> 00:39:56,350
it's time to put Concorde through its paces.

651
00:39:56,350 --> 00:39:58,172
Let's say I want to go supersonic.

652
00:39:58,172 --> 00:39:59,070
You want to go supersonic,

653
00:39:59,070 --> 00:40:01,670
you're going to select the autopilot into pitch hold,

654
00:40:01,670 --> 00:40:03,037
push that button there.

655
00:40:03,037 --> 00:40:04,780
Pitch hold.
<v ->Right there, pitch hold.

656
00:40:04,780 --> 00:40:07,770
And now open the throttles fully.

657
00:40:07,770 --> 00:40:09,610
Okay, push them forward.

658
00:40:09,610 --> 00:40:11,820
Okay, we're now starting to accelerate.

659
00:40:11,820 --> 00:40:14,820
We're just going to put the afterburners on,

660
00:40:14,820 --> 00:40:19,820
put the two inboards on, and we'll put the two outboards on.

661
00:40:19,910 --> 00:40:22,082
And there's a kick with each one.

662
00:40:22,082 --> 00:40:22,915
There's a kick when you do it,

663
00:40:22,915 --> 00:40:24,970
and you're now starting to accelerate,

664
00:40:24,970 --> 00:40:27,798
and you're just coming up to Mach One now.

665
00:40:27,798 --> 00:40:30,260
There we are, Mach One.

666
00:40:30,260 --> 00:40:33,540
We are now at the speed of sound.

667
00:40:33,540 --> 00:40:34,538
Okay.

668
00:40:34,538 --> 00:40:37,260
And you let the airplane accelerate and climb

669
00:40:37,260 --> 00:40:38,860
all the way through to Mach 1.7,

670
00:40:39,884 --> 00:40:42,230
until you get to 60,000 feet.

671
00:40:42,230 --> 00:40:43,540
So you're flying over everyone.

672
00:40:43,540 --> 00:40:44,517
You're flying over everyone,

673
00:40:44,517 --> 00:40:47,340
and you're flying twice as fast as them,

674
00:40:47,340 --> 00:40:50,320
and if you see them below, they're going backwards.

675
00:40:50,320 --> 00:40:51,153
They look like it?

676
00:40:51,153 --> 00:40:52,660
It really looks as though they're going backwards.

677
00:40:52,660 --> 00:40:54,450
Because you're just blazing over the top of 'em.

678
00:40:54,450 --> 00:40:55,710
You're just blasting across over the top,

679
00:40:55,710 --> 00:40:57,490
and occasionally, somebody will come up on the radio

680
00:40:57,490 --> 00:40:59,600
and say, "Heard your boom there, Concorde."

681
00:40:59,600 --> 00:41:00,560
I mean, this has gotta be

682
00:41:00,560 --> 00:41:02,340
the coolest job in the world, right?

683
00:41:02,340 --> 00:41:03,580
Without doubt.

684
00:41:03,580 --> 00:41:05,790
Yeah, wow, even though this is just

685
00:41:05,790 --> 00:41:08,990
a mock-up of the cabin, this is almost overwhelming.

686
00:41:08,990 --> 00:41:11,310
It's so exciting to get a chance to be able to be in here.

687
00:41:11,310 --> 00:41:12,657
I get a sense of what it was like.

688
00:41:12,657 --> 00:41:14,580
I'm really glad I got to do this with you,

689
00:41:14,580 --> 00:41:15,900
and thank you so much, man.

690
00:41:15,900 --> 00:41:17,390
Sean, it's been great fun.

691
00:41:17,390 --> 00:41:18,290
Oh, it has been fun,

692
00:41:18,290 --> 00:41:19,899
and I still want to push all these buttons, though.

693
00:41:19,899 --> 00:41:22,149
(laughing)

694
00:41:24,690 --> 00:41:27,940
Concorde shrinks the globe like never before.

695
00:41:27,940 --> 00:41:30,710
The people who sit in those seats can wake up in London,

696
00:41:30,710 --> 00:41:33,900
have breakfast, fly supersonic to New York, have lunch,

697
00:41:33,900 --> 00:41:36,170
close a business deal, get back on Concorde,

698
00:41:36,170 --> 00:41:37,850
and be home in time for dinner.

699
00:41:37,850 --> 00:41:39,550
It is a game-changer,

700
00:41:39,550 --> 00:41:44,439
but flying that fast does have one serious pitfall,

701
00:41:44,439 --> 00:41:47,606
(tense, sparse music)

702
00:41:49,960 --> 00:41:54,160
the sonic boom, formed by the rapid change in air pressure

703
00:41:54,160 --> 00:41:57,153
over the fuselage at supersonic speeds.

704
00:41:59,260 --> 00:42:01,690
And because there's a pressure change at the nose

705
00:42:01,690 --> 00:42:06,260
and at the tail, it's not one but two, a double boom,

706
00:42:06,260 --> 00:42:08,440
and it's loud enough to rattle the windows

707
00:42:08,440 --> 00:42:10,386
all the way on the ground.

708
00:42:10,386 --> 00:42:13,219
(soft, sad music)

709
00:42:14,215 --> 00:42:17,270
Concorde's unavoidable sonic boom

710
00:42:17,270 --> 00:42:20,593
means it's banned from flying over populated areas,

711
00:42:21,580 --> 00:42:23,853
including mainland United States.

712
00:42:28,560 --> 00:42:32,593
In 2003, the Concorde fleet is retired.

713
00:42:40,080 --> 00:42:42,870
So, is commercial supersonic travel

714
00:42:42,870 --> 00:42:45,250
banished to the history books forever?

715
00:42:45,250 --> 00:42:46,783
Well, maybe not.

716
00:42:47,640 --> 00:42:50,890
(sparse ambient music)

717
00:43:01,090 --> 00:43:02,500
Engineers may have mastered

718
00:43:02,500 --> 00:43:04,510
the science of supersonic flight,

719
00:43:04,510 --> 00:43:07,080
but tackling its noisy side effect,

720
00:43:07,080 --> 00:43:09,833
the sonic boom, that's a tougher nut to crack.

721
00:43:13,150 --> 00:43:16,770
To get commercial supersonic flights airborne again,

722
00:43:16,770 --> 00:43:18,320
NASA is joining forces

723
00:43:18,320 --> 00:43:20,873
with aviation specialist Lockheed Martin.

724
00:43:22,740 --> 00:43:26,420
Together, they're researching ways to radically redesign

725
00:43:26,420 --> 00:43:31,153
the supersonic aircraft of the future using the F-18 jet.

726
00:43:32,750 --> 00:43:35,840
So a large part of the research is understanding

727
00:43:35,840 --> 00:43:38,760
how the sonic boom travels from the aircraft and makes it

728
00:43:38,760 --> 00:43:41,330
down to somebody on the ground that would hear it

729
00:43:41,330 --> 00:43:43,071
and maybe be bothered by it.

730
00:43:43,071 --> 00:43:45,760
(tense, exciting music)

731
00:43:45,760 --> 00:43:47,650
But how loud is the boom?

732
00:43:47,650 --> 00:43:50,593
With a little help from James, I'm about to find out.

733
00:43:54,830 --> 00:43:55,810
The F-18.

734
00:43:55,810 --> 00:43:58,410
Two onboard engines are capable of propelling the aircraft

735
00:43:58,410 --> 00:44:00,800
up to about 1,200 miles an hour.

736
00:44:00,800 --> 00:44:03,123
That's nearly twice the speed of sound.

737
00:44:11,660 --> 00:44:12,740
At these speeds,

738
00:44:12,740 --> 00:44:15,173
the impact on the ground should be unmistakable.

739
00:44:19,737 --> 00:44:22,610
(booming)

740
00:44:22,610 --> 00:44:26,333
Wow, you feel that shockwave in your chest, that is loud.

741
00:44:27,745 --> 00:44:28,578
Can you imagine what it would be like

742
00:44:28,578 --> 00:44:30,883
to live in the flight path of that every day?

743
00:44:38,610 --> 00:44:43,610
This remarkable image shows supersonic shock waves

744
00:44:43,900 --> 00:44:48,103
from an F-18 as it passes in front of the sun.

745
00:44:50,260 --> 00:44:53,970
So if you can't get rid of the sonic boom,

746
00:44:53,970 --> 00:44:55,360
can you deaden it a little bit?

747
00:44:55,360 --> 00:44:57,540
Yes, so you can spread it out.

748
00:44:57,540 --> 00:45:01,720
Long, skinny aircraft with a series of weaker shock waves

749
00:45:01,720 --> 00:45:04,240
will produce a wave that hits the ground

750
00:45:04,240 --> 00:45:07,090
that sounds more like a thump than a sharp crack.

751
00:45:07,090 --> 00:45:08,270
A thump.
<v ->Right.

752
00:45:08,270 --> 00:45:09,590
And that's just about spreading it out

753
00:45:09,590 --> 00:45:11,060
so you don't get that crack.

754
00:45:11,060 --> 00:45:12,420
You get a (humming).

755
00:45:12,420 --> 00:45:15,913
It's like focusing a flashlight or spreading out the beam.

756
00:45:17,750 --> 00:45:20,610
Supersonic aircraft create powerful shock waves

757
00:45:20,610 --> 00:45:22,343
at the nose and tail,

758
00:45:23,240 --> 00:45:26,796
creating two distinct booms on the ground.

759
00:45:26,796 --> 00:45:29,600
(booming)

760
00:45:29,600 --> 00:45:33,490
But research shows, planes that are longer and narrower

761
00:45:34,400 --> 00:45:36,890
spread out the shock waves,

762
00:45:36,890 --> 00:45:39,533
making them weaker and quieter at the surface.

763
00:45:43,810 --> 00:45:46,640
So I guess the obvious question is, how's it going?

764
00:45:46,640 --> 00:45:51,217
We're in the process of building the X-59 QueSST aircraft.

765
00:45:51,217 --> 00:45:53,630
The test aircraft to prove these principles?

766
00:45:53,630 --> 00:45:55,390
Yes, it's going to demonstrate

767
00:45:55,390 --> 00:45:57,290
that you can make a low-boom aircraft.

768
00:45:58,780 --> 00:46:00,680
The research looks promising.

769
00:46:02,240 --> 00:46:06,490
Scaled model experiments and computer simulations

770
00:46:06,490 --> 00:46:09,860
show the next generation of supersonic aircraft

771
00:46:09,860 --> 00:46:11,343
will be much quieter,

772
00:46:13,940 --> 00:46:18,770
as soft as closing a car door.
(airplane engine roaring)

773
00:46:18,770 --> 00:46:21,060
We hope in the future supersonic aircraft

774
00:46:21,060 --> 00:46:23,570
can crisscross the country, fly over land,

775
00:46:23,570 --> 00:46:26,353
fly over cities, and nobody really hears them.

776
00:46:27,210 --> 00:46:28,970
A softer sonic boom

777
00:46:28,970 --> 00:46:31,733
could allow commercial aircraft to double their speed,

778
00:46:33,850 --> 00:46:37,340
accelerating us once more to supersonic speeds,

779
00:46:37,340 --> 00:46:40,593
and slashing our travel times around the world.

780
00:46:42,650 --> 00:46:44,700
And when it does, it won't just be fighter pilots

781
00:46:44,700 --> 00:46:47,313
flying supersonic, it'll be the rest of us.

782
00:46:48,520 --> 00:46:51,700
But there are some engineers who still won't be satisfied.

783
00:46:51,700 --> 00:46:54,003
They want to go much, much faster.

784
00:46:56,836 --> 00:46:59,960
(intriguing, delicate music)

785
00:46:59,960 --> 00:47:03,063
Today's aviation pioneers are aiming high.

786
00:47:05,430 --> 00:47:08,610
Their dream is to accelerate from supersonic

787
00:47:08,610 --> 00:47:13,263
to hypersonic speeds, almost 4,000 miles an hour,

788
00:47:15,600 --> 00:47:17,743
at the very edge of space.

789
00:47:23,330 --> 00:47:26,170
Nestled near the foothills of the Rocky Mountains,

790
00:47:26,170 --> 00:47:29,283
plans for hypersonic flight are taking shape.

791
00:47:32,170 --> 00:47:35,620
I'm standing on the future site of the Colorado Space Board.

792
00:47:35,620 --> 00:47:36,610
In the years to come,

793
00:47:36,610 --> 00:47:38,510
sites like this will be launching aircraft

794
00:47:38,510 --> 00:47:40,940
that will revolutionize the way we fly,

795
00:47:40,940 --> 00:47:43,948
taking passengers higher and faster than ever before.

796
00:47:43,948 --> 00:47:46,955
(airplane engine roaring)

797
00:47:46,955 --> 00:47:51,490
(fast-paced, exciting music)

798
00:47:51,490 --> 00:47:54,380
This is an exciting vision of the future,

799
00:47:54,380 --> 00:47:58,580
a plane so fast you could breakfast in New York

800
00:47:58,580 --> 00:48:03,513
and lunch in Australia 10,000 miles away on the same day.

801
00:48:05,460 --> 00:48:08,590
But such a leap in speed requires a new revolution

802
00:48:08,590 --> 00:48:10,023
in engine technology.

803
00:48:11,110 --> 00:48:14,203
Reaction Engines Limited are trailblazing the way.

804
00:48:16,950 --> 00:48:18,140
So we call it SABRE.

805
00:48:18,140 --> 00:48:19,687
It's an air-breathing rocket engine,

806
00:48:19,687 --> 00:48:23,190
and the idea is to take the incoming air at high velocity,

807
00:48:23,190 --> 00:48:26,790
cool it down, and flow it through an air-breathing engine,

808
00:48:26,790 --> 00:48:29,120
and then eventually into a rocket cycle.

809
00:48:29,120 --> 00:48:30,543
So this differs from other rocket engines

810
00:48:30,543 --> 00:48:32,960
in that it breathes air from the atmosphere.

811
00:48:32,960 --> 00:48:34,850
Exactly, so you can take off normally,

812
00:48:34,850 --> 00:48:36,760
and then you can cruise at high speed.

813
00:48:36,760 --> 00:48:38,520
Rather than burning up all your propellants,

814
00:48:38,520 --> 00:48:40,633
you can sit and burn just like a jet.

815
00:48:42,460 --> 00:48:45,563
The SABRE engine is a fusion of technology.

816
00:48:47,130 --> 00:48:49,380
It breathes air like a jet,

817
00:48:49,380 --> 00:48:52,623
but utilizes rocket engineering for increased power.

818
00:48:54,190 --> 00:48:56,080
But operating at Mach Five

819
00:48:56,080 --> 00:48:58,063
comes with a new set of challenges.

820
00:48:59,070 --> 00:49:00,760
So what are the things you need to accomplish

821
00:49:00,760 --> 00:49:02,990
to make a SABRE engine?

822
00:49:02,990 --> 00:49:05,090
So you do have to slow the air that's coming in,

823
00:49:05,090 --> 00:49:06,220
and you need to cool that air

824
00:49:06,220 --> 00:49:08,140
before it enters the cycle of the engine.

825
00:49:08,140 --> 00:49:11,250
Right, so the incoming air is going too fast,

826
00:49:11,250 --> 00:49:13,040
and it's way too hot, and it's so hot

827
00:49:13,040 --> 00:49:15,230
because you're moving so fast, and there's so much pressure.

828
00:49:15,230 --> 00:49:17,890
Correct, you need to cool it down very rapidly,

829
00:49:17,890 --> 00:49:19,870
in a fraction of a second.

830
00:49:19,870 --> 00:49:20,703
How do you do that?

831
00:49:20,703 --> 00:49:22,470
I mean, that seems like a tall order, right?

832
00:49:22,470 --> 00:49:23,303
For sure.

833
00:49:23,303 --> 00:49:25,580
So we have a very efficient heat exchanger

834
00:49:25,580 --> 00:49:27,640
made up of thousands of tubes,

835
00:49:27,640 --> 00:49:30,520
each of which is the thickness of a human hair.

836
00:49:30,520 --> 00:49:32,100
The SABRE's heat exchanger

837
00:49:32,100 --> 00:49:34,023
is an engineering marvel.

838
00:49:35,440 --> 00:49:38,620
30 miles of lightweight tubes are crammed

839
00:49:38,620 --> 00:49:41,203
into a space the size of a small fridge.

840
00:49:43,090 --> 00:49:45,343
The tubes carry supercooled helium,

841
00:49:46,800 --> 00:49:49,320
designed to chill the incoming air

842
00:49:49,320 --> 00:49:53,693
by over 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit in a fraction of a second.

843
00:49:58,230 --> 00:50:02,430
Simulating the blistering heat that SABRE will experience

844
00:50:02,430 --> 00:50:05,790
means building a test rig and heating it

845
00:50:05,790 --> 00:50:08,403
with the hottest air source the team can find,

846
00:50:09,585 --> 00:50:12,663
(roaring)
a jet engine.

847
00:50:17,722 --> 00:50:21,880
But before placing SABRE's heat exchanger inside the rig,

848
00:50:21,880 --> 00:50:25,150
Dan needs to be sure the apparatus alone

849
00:50:25,150 --> 00:50:27,343
will withstand the searing temperatures.

850
00:50:28,820 --> 00:50:30,270
All right, oh, I can see the whole system

851
00:50:30,270 --> 00:50:31,420
laid out here, nice.

852
00:50:31,420 --> 00:50:32,390
That's right, so we've got

853
00:50:32,390 --> 00:50:33,860
all of our data parameters going,

854
00:50:33,860 --> 00:50:35,960
and we're about ready to start the engine.

855
00:50:37,290 --> 00:50:39,163
Advancing from idle to mil power.

856
00:50:41,200 --> 00:50:42,729
What is mil power?

857
00:50:42,729 --> 00:50:44,980
Military power.
<v ->Military power, right.

858
00:50:44,980 --> 00:50:45,963
Afterburners lit.

859
00:50:47,790 --> 00:50:50,182
We're gonna cycle through some of the valves now.

860
00:50:50,182 --> 00:50:52,349
(roaring)

861
00:50:56,580 --> 00:50:58,320
Afterburner boost pump is active.

862
00:50:58,320 --> 00:50:59,643
I can hear it.

863
00:51:02,280 --> 00:51:04,280
LA one at 100%.

864
00:51:04,280 --> 00:51:06,380
So that's 100%, that's full open, right there.

865
00:51:06,380 --> 00:51:07,270
That's right, and we're gonna watch

866
00:51:07,270 --> 00:51:08,720
some of these temperatures creeping up

867
00:51:08,720 --> 00:51:10,570
as the afterburner continues running.

868
00:51:12,430 --> 00:51:14,930
The jet's exhaust heats the rig

869
00:51:14,930 --> 00:51:19,930
to over a thousand degrees, and thankfully,

870
00:51:19,960 --> 00:51:23,203
the test apparatus withstands the searing temperature,

871
00:51:26,480 --> 00:51:31,163
meaning soon, the team can conduct a similar test,

872
00:51:32,030 --> 00:51:34,913
this time with the SABRE's heat exchanger inside.

873
00:51:36,670 --> 00:51:38,070
Reducing throttle to idle.

874
00:51:39,840 --> 00:51:40,810
So far, so good, huh?

875
00:51:40,810 --> 00:51:41,710
So far, so good.

876
00:51:43,299 --> 00:51:45,358
(sighing)

877
00:51:45,358 --> 00:51:48,300
(intriguing, energetic music)

878
00:51:48,300 --> 00:51:50,193
It's a significant step forward,

879
00:51:51,380 --> 00:51:54,600
one of many stages in a long line,

880
00:51:54,600 --> 00:51:57,873
which promises even greater speed in the skies.

881
00:52:00,280 --> 00:52:03,150
Hypersonic flight might still be a few years off,

882
00:52:03,150 --> 00:52:04,720
but when it comes, it's going to lead

883
00:52:04,720 --> 00:52:09,323
to another seismic shift in the way we experience our world.

884
00:52:11,570 --> 00:52:14,050
With the SABRE engine comes the promise

885
00:52:14,050 --> 00:52:16,630
of a new breed of aircraft

886
00:52:16,630 --> 00:52:18,490
that will speed us around the world

887
00:52:18,490 --> 00:52:20,693
at an altitude of 100,000 feet,

888
00:52:22,190 --> 00:52:25,053
three times higher than today's commercial jets.

889
00:52:26,610 --> 00:52:29,830
From up there, you'll be treated to a spectacular view,

890
00:52:29,830 --> 00:52:32,113
one normally reserved for astronauts.

891
00:52:33,500 --> 00:52:35,850
Flying in this aircraft, look up,

892
00:52:35,850 --> 00:52:38,453
and you'll stare into the blackness of space.

893
00:52:41,080 --> 00:52:43,500
Look down, and you'll clearly see

894
00:52:43,500 --> 00:52:44,903
the curvature of the Earth.

895
00:52:46,530 --> 00:52:49,823
But what's really mind-blowing is your speed.

896
00:52:51,450 --> 00:52:54,623
You'll be traveling at almost 4,000 miles an hour,

897
00:52:55,860 --> 00:52:58,853
allowing you to experience something incredible.

898
00:53:02,900 --> 00:53:04,860
Flying at hypersonic speeds

899
00:53:05,720 --> 00:53:08,603
is perhaps the closest we'll get to time travel,

900
00:53:09,620 --> 00:53:13,093
reaching anywhere on the planet in a matter of hours.

901
00:53:14,320 --> 00:53:17,400
Do that, and the world could truly change

902
00:53:18,510 --> 00:53:20,850
as the boundaries and borders that divide us

903
00:53:21,760 --> 00:53:23,197
vanish with speed.

904
00:53:23,197 --> 00:53:26,947
(expansive, inspiring music)

905
00:53:54,311 --> 00:53:57,811
(airplane engine roaring)