Reaching for the Skies

Infobox nature documentary
bgcolour =
show_name = Reaching for the Skies


caption = VHS Video cover of "Reaching for the Skies" Vol 1
picture_format = 4:3
audio_format = Stereo
runtime = ~55 minutes
Production Company = BBC Pebble Mill
developer =
Series_Producer = Ivan Rendall
editor = Greg Miller
narrated = Anthony Quayle
music = Misc
country = United Kingdom
language = English
network = BBC
first_run = BBC Two
first_aired = 12/9/1998 - 28/11/1988
last_aired =
num_episodes = 12
website =
imdb_id = 0243083
tv_com_id =

"Reaching for the Skies" was a groundbreaking television series made by the BBC Pebble Mill in association with CBS Fox. First transmitted in the UK on 12/9/1988 and in the US in 1989,TNT, [http://aerofiles.com/RFTS-ad.jpgadvertisement] , Detroit News, TV listings p. 33, 1989-09-10, retrieved 2008-05-12] it is widely acclaimed as one of the best aviation series ever made.

Narrated by British actor Anthony Quayle, and by Robert Vaughn for its American and International releases, It was divided into 12 programs (each of around 55 minutes' duration). The series producer was Ivan Rendall [ [http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/420986 BFI | Film & TV Database | Pioneers (1988) ] ] . Music used was sourced from a number of composers, from J.S. Bach to the rock band Europe.

Filming techniques

The series included many aerial sequences specifically filmed for the series, together with archive footage. This was combined with interviews of those involved, the aerial footage was usually accompanied by music sequences.

Interviews

The series was notable for the large number of famous aviators that were interviewed. Normally interviewed against a black backdrop, a selection of those interviewed include; Chuck Yeager, Scott Crossfield, Jimmy Doolittle, Bob Hoover, Sir Frank Whittle, Hanna Reitsch, Captain Eric "Winkle" Brown to mention but a few.

Music

The series blended impressively shot aerial footage with a wide variety of music from different composers. Combined with Anthony Quayle's narration, this is one of the factors that contributed to making the series so popular.

The title music (theme tune) was actually created and performed by Roger Lamb of the BBC Radiophonic workshop [ [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDKnRbAQjhw YouTube | Reaching for the Skies - Fighters (excerpt) ] ]

Episodes

12 episodes were filmed, first transmitted in the UK on BBC2 on the 12/9/1988 [ [http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/491735/credits.html screenonline: Quayle, Anthony (1913-1989) Credits ] ] . The episodes are listed below, along with accompanying background text from the VHS Videos:

1. "The Pioneers"

From the Cover: "From the Wright Brothers' first controlled-powered flight in 1903 to the advent of the space shuttle - come to know the key figures in aviation history - the people and the machines that pushed the limits of daring and technology to find ways to fly faster, higher and farther. Here is a chronicle of the raw determination and pioneer spirit that carries Louis Bleriot across the Channel in 1909, and, more recently, carried Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager around the world in their Rutan Voyager on a single tank of fuel

2. "The Adventures Of Flight"

This is the account of the master aviators who pushed back the frontiers and found new ways to use aircraft...of test pilots, who displayed that rare combination of qualities: coolness under pressure, courage, flying skill, technological knowledge, and military acrobatics. About pilots who pushed their aircraft to the peak of performance...and of the barnstormers and flying circus performers who demonstrated their daring from country airfields to Hollywood film reels, where all the world could witness their dazzling magic. Notable appearances include former test-pilot Bob Hoover and the first female Boeing 747 flight commander Lynn Rippelmeyer.

3. "The Aeroplane goes to War"

Over France in World War I, where man and flying machines were first forged into a formidable fighting unit. At the start of the war, the adversaries could muster only a few hundred frail aircraft between them. Yet, in less than 4 years, Britain had commissioned an independent Air Force, had built over 50,000 aircraft and trained 26,000 pilots for observation, strafing, bombing and whatever was necessary to protect its air space. Then, when Anthony Fokker mounted a machine gun on an aeroplane, he changed the face of war forever.

This program is a unique historical document, as it features interviews with many World War I aviators from both sides including pre-war veterans, and sheds valuable light on these periods of history. The men's recollections are valuable as many of them were already quite old at the time, and such a set of reminiscences can never be recorded again.

4. "Victory over the Sea"

Since the Second World War, aircraft have played an important role in naval operations...defending the fleet against attack by making it possible for pilots to spot the enemy beyond the horizon. The advantages of naval air power became indisputable with the advent of the aircraft carrier - and the expanded capability to deploy this tactical asset across the vast stretches of the ocean. Having proven themselves from the sinking of the Bismarck to the Pacific War, from Suez and Vietnam to the Falklands, here is military air technology at its most daring, where precision is crucial, and the interface between man and machines reaches the ultimate intimacy

The greatest exponents of Naval air power are featured in interviews, particularly the masterful Captain Eric Brown, who in his time has flown virtually every Naval aircraft of World War II, and was a regular contributor to Air International at this period. His introduction of carrier-borne jets is also extremely interesting. The film culminates in the review of the modern carrier.

5. "Bombers"

Dresden...London...Vietnam...Tokyo..their names alone are dramatic testimony to the awesome power of the bomber. These aircraft came to dominate military strategy during World War II, and still played a critical role in the cold war. Even today, one side finds new ways for the bomber to do its jobs, as the other side seeks ways to stop it. From the activity on board to the devastation below, reaching for the skies looks at the bombers, the pilots who fly them, and the struggle between nations to maintain the ultimate combination of weaponry and technology...a chilling reminder of the ability aviation has given to society to annihilate itself.

The film begins with the Boeing B-52, and its effect on the populace of Vietnam. Thereafter, the Heinkel 111, and the bombing of Guernica. This marks the maturity of the Bomber as an instrument of war and of terror. In a similar measure, the Junkers Ju-87 Stuka is reviewed, with interviews of pilots. After this, the next great bomber examined is the Avro Lancaster and its campaign at night over the Third Reich. Then, the Boeing B-17 and daylight bombing over the Reich.

The final bomber examined is the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, and its career over Japan where it gained the name of Bni-Ju, the fire dragon. To complete the film, and thus the maturity of the Bomber as a tool of war, the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki with the first and so far last use of Nuclear Weapons in international warfare.

6. "Fighters"

Few aspects of the history of aviation match the vitality, drama and scale of the World War II fighter planes. As the strategists discovered the advantages of these warships of the skies, armies rarely moved across the battlefield without the security of air cover. This episode evokes the life and times of the fighter pilot and his aircraft, from World War II to the present...of individual determination and technological innovation working together in synchronous perfection. From Korea to the Middle East, to Vietnam, here is the testing ground for skill, technology,and, above all, human courage and self-sacrifice.

The film begins with the EAP, and by far the most romantic musical expression of the main theme, played on piano. The first fighter looked at after the credits is the General Dynamics F-16, accompanied by a soft-rock electric guitar solo.

The first fighter looked at in detail is the North American P-51 Mustang. Film of preserved airworthy examples of the Confederate Airforce is used, and among the group formation is the sole airworthy P-51H. P-51 aces discuss their memories of combat over Germany in conjunction with bomber forces, and include Brig. General Robin Olds, and Brig. General Charles Yeager.

The Spitfire is examined in passing, and intriguingly a test pilot of the Dornier 335 "Pfiel" talks about his impressions.

The development of Jet fighters is next, and a short amount of time is spent examining the Gloster E38/39 Pioneer, followed by the Messerschmidt 262 "Schwalbe". Thereafter the Korean War becomes the subject. MiG Alley, and the contest between Sabre and MiG-15 is again reminisced about by the Aces. General Olds is again a fund of information, with humorous comments about early Sabre strength and reliability, though with praise for more mature variants.

Thereafter, Vietnam, at the time the last significant air engagement the USAF had fought. General Olds again gives much insight into the weakness of the missile-only F-4 Phantom. Randy Cunningham, and other aces talk about their experiences with SAM's, and the experiences gained being instrumental in the development of the Top Gun weapons school as well as the Aggressor Squadron of the USAF for pilot training.

The film ends with an examination of future technologies for fighter aircraft, some of which have long been abandoned, and others which are modern tactical reality.

7. "Giants of the Air"

We take them - the jumbo jets - for granted today, yet overwhelming obstacles had to be overcome to first get these giants off the ground. The challenge to build larger aircraft has tantalized designers and pilots since the dawn of aviation. Meet the visionaries who overcame these obstacles: Sikorsky, Caprioni, Howard Hughes and others...the pioneers who forged ahead to find the mix of size and engine power necessary to fulfil their dreams - and the quest for yet larger and larger aircraft.

8. "Rivals over the Atlantic"

The development of the jet engine represented a quantum leap in aviation, and revolutionised commercial aviation. Although first developed for fighter aircraft, this engineering triumph changed the world and led to the development of the jet airliner - especially the one which would set the pace for long distance air travel for the next decade - the Boeing 707. Thereafter America supplied the world with jet transports, creating the international network of air routes upon which the whole world has come to depend. Then Europe responded with the Concorde

The disaster of the Comet, the dead-end development of the Bristol Brabazon begin the film. The development of the Jet Set is reviewed, including a quick humorous look at Ronald Reagan as related by Anthony Cookin his glory days as a Hollywood star. We then go on to the 747, and the view expressed by experienced captains.

After this, we move on the Concorde, and its development program. We also get to see come film of the vehement opposition by ordinary people in the USA which prevents Concorde from having a market share in the USA, limiting it to the trans-atlantic route.

9. "Trail Blazers"

Broadcast,

10. "The Quest for Speed"

This film begins with the SR-71 Blackbird, expressed as the ultimate expression in the quest for speed. The film, after credits, begins with the 1905 Curtiss biplane, owned and flown by a venerable gentleman who had been a boy when the aircraft was new. Thereafter the film moves on the Schneider Cup competition, and features unique footage of the Napier Lion-powered Supermarine S.5 with its blood-curdling scream over the water. Concluding the Schneider Cup is the S.6 and S.6b

Thereafter Jimmy Haizlip talks about the pre-war American air-races, and about his experiences of the GeeBee R1 while winning the Bendix and Thompson Trophies.

During WWII, speed increased sequentially in military aircraft, but the desperately brilliant developments of Germany for air defence justifiably deserve special mention - Hanna Reitsch describes the volcanic power and acceleration of the Me-163 Komet rocket-fighter.

Brig. General Yeager's flight of the Bell XS-1 through the sound barrier in 1947 is reviewed, along with other X-planes, culminating in the incredible North American X-15 hypersonic research aircraft.

Thereafter the conclusion of the film details the flight performance and pilots of the Lockheed SR-71, concluding with high speed conceptions of future air-travel, particularly the National Aerospace Plane and HOTOL.

11. "Lighter than Air"

Broadcast,

12. "Vertical Flight"

Examining the history of vertical flight, the program begins with the early helicopters, and then deals the with the pivotal breakthrough of the Cierva Rotor-head, followed by an explanation by the modern master of the Autogyro, Ken Wallis accompanied by the last movement of Bach's 3rd Brandenburg Concerto.

Thereafter we move forward to Igor Sikorsky's helicopter, with interview with the great designer at the time of its development.

Thereafter the focus moves then to the two great periods of helicopter lifesaving, the Korean War and Vietnam, where the helicopter truly went to war and heroes were made. The calm recollections of several very decorated veterans of the conflict make for compelling viewing, combined with previously unseen film fottage of the conflict.

For the 1980s, Ken Robinson demonstrates that a helicopter such as his remarkable R-22 represent the pinnacle of point-to-point transport in a small helicopter, and the XV-22 is demonstrated as the true pinnacle of the Helicopter.

Of course helicopters are not the only things that go straight up, and the tailsitters such as the Ryan XV-13 Vertijet, and the Pogo are examined with a humorous interview with the test pilot, Skeets Coleman. The European experiments are reviewed, such as the Short SC-1, and the Dassault Balzac, finishing with the Harrier, the early Kestrel and Harrier programs being discussed in detail by Bill Bedford, their test pilot and a then-contemporary demonstration of the capability of the craft in Operation Corporate in the Falklands.

VHS and book

The series was available as a 6 volume VHS set.

The book, "Reaching for the Skies: The Adventure of Flight" by Ivan Rendall (who was also the TV Series Producer) was published in 1990 and made to accompany the series. ISBN 0563209135, ISBN 978-0563209133.

References

External links