History Channel - Fly Past (2001) Part 4 The Cutting Edge

The dream of flight was finally realized on a North Carolina beach in 1903. In the century since then, innovations have come fast and furious, and the skies have filled with extraordinary creations. This 4-part documentary mini-series looks at key developments in powered flight. Fly past tells the story of the legendary figures and machines that pepper the history of aviation, breathing new life into a story that is as vital today as it was when it began almost one hundred years ago.

Part 4 The Cutting Edge

Peer into the future of aviation as Fly Past features craft like the stealthy, robotic Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle and a solar-powered flyer designed to stay aloft for months at a time! The 4th and final episode, “The Cutting Edge”, explores future developments in aviation such as stealth technology, hypersonic flight, lifting bodies, solar power, remotely-piloted vehicles, and mini-spy-planes no bigger than an insect. A glimpse at the future of flight technology, including the stealth-like Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles (UCAV's); Mini-UAV's (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles), tiny 8-inch long vehicles that fly to equip special forces behind enemy lines; solar powered aircraft designed to stay aloft for months; and the X-planes from X-32/X-35 JSF Joint Strike Fighter concepts to X-43 hypersonic test vehicle.

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