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Flying into Danger

Episode 1 of 5

A look at the hidden world of the skies above us and the stories of people who spend their life in flight. This episode explores how our skies are safeguarded.

In the first episode, Skies Above Britain explores how our skies are safeguarded - air traffic controllers deal with an unidentified aircraft flying across Gatwick's flight path, and the RAF scramble a typhoon jet to intercept an unresponsive plane.

We follow the RAF pilots training to fly Britain's front-line combat aircraft - the Typhoon. The supersonic jet flies at twice the speed of sound and becoming a Typhoon pilot is the pinnacle of the RAF. Trainees face a gruelling series of mental and physical tests, including being subject to high gravitational forces in a centrifuge and experiencing rapid air decompression and training for emergency scenarios, like ejecting over water.

In Humberside, the helicopter crews of HM Search and Rescue are often the only aircraft that fly when the skies are treacherous. We follow the crew on a dangerous mountain rescue, flying through thick fog, just feet away from a mountain's rock face to reach an injured hiker. When fog descends over London's airports, NATS must rapidly cut the number of planes allowed to enter British airspace.

Elsewhere, two vintage plane enthusiasts - brothers Nick and Giles English - explore their continued passion for flight, despite having faced personal tragedy in the air.

59 minutes

Last on

Wed 12 May 2021 20:00

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Credits

Role Contributor
Production Company The Garden Productions Ltd
Executive Producer Chloe Solomon
Series Producer Dollan Cannell
Producer Christian Collerton
Director Christian Collerton
Participant Nick English
Participant Giles English
Participant Flt Lt Simon
Participant Kate Willoughby
Participant Jez Attridge
Participant Juliet Kennedy

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