Flying Heavy Metal

Flying Heavy Metal is a five-part British television series produced by Ricochet and originally broadcast in the UK and Europe on the Discovery Channel, premiered on 19 January 2005, and subsequently repeated on Discovery Wings in the UK.

Air date: 19 January 2005 The development of the de Havilland Comet and the Boeing 707 herald the end of an era for propeller-driven airliners such as the Douglas DC-3.

Air date: 26 January 2005 Jet travel becomes available to the masses with the development of the Hawker Siddeley Trident and the Boeing 727.

Air date: 9 February 2005 Jetliner safety enhancements, including the automatic landing capabilities of the Hawker Siddeley Trident, the fly-by-wire capabilities of the Airbus A320 (and lack thereof in the Boeing 737) as well as other safety features currently in development.

Air date: 16 February 2005 New records in airliner size, fuel economy, and passenger comfort with the Airbus A380 and the Boeing 787 (known as the 7E7 at the time).