SR-71 Blackbird: The Secret Vigil

The X-15 was the last in a line of manned rocket-powered research airplanes built during the 1950s to explore ever-faster and higher flight regimes. Nineteen years before Space Shuttle, the X-15 showed it was possible to fly into, and out of, space. Launched from the wing of a modified B-52 bomber, the ship rocketed higher and faster than any manned aircraft of the time. There had never been anything like the X-15; it had a million-horsepower engine and could fly twice as fast as a rifle bullet. In the joint X-15 hypersonic research program that NASA conducted with the Air Force, the Navy, and North American Aviation the aircraft flew over a period of nearly 10 years and set unofficial speed and altitude records, in a program to investigate all aspects of piloted hypersonic flight. Information gained from the highly successful X-15 program contributed to the development of the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo piloted spaceflight programs as well as the Space Shuttle program.

On 21 December 1988 a Pan Am 747 jet exploded over the small Scottish town of Lockerbie. On the 25th anniversary of the worst terrorist attack on British soil, this is the story.

An exceptional documentary which presents, for the first time colorized archives, on Charles Lindbergh's life, the hero of the first crossing of the Atlantic Ocean on May 21, 1927.

An eccentric history buff lives in a cabin in the woods but spends most of his time flying his biplane.

Wings Over Water tells the fascinating story of naval aviation's critical role in making the U.S. a world power. Film highlights include archival footage of some of the most terrifying and intense airspace battles fought and the intriguing interviews of the veterans who took part in them. This is the story of naval aviation from its conception to the important role it played in battles fought, won, and lost, all the while examining American foreign policy, foreign relations, and long-simmering international conflict. An evocative, powerful, and informative documentary, Wings Over Water is the story behind the story: how and why America developed maritime aviation technology, what it meant to our past, and what it means to our future.