0:00:02 > 0:00:03This is Absolute Genius.
0:00:03 > 0:00:08Dive into a world of action, adventure and explosions.
0:00:08 > 0:00:12Each show will introduce you to a different genius.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16An amazing person who had a genius idea which shaped the world.
0:00:16 > 0:00:20And they will inspire us to come up with our own
0:00:20 > 0:00:22genius idea at the end of each show.
0:00:22 > 0:00:28- But will it be any good?- Will it be any good?! It'll be absolute genius!
0:00:30 > 0:00:33On today's show, the two men behind flight...
0:00:33 > 0:00:34Which means double the trouble...
0:00:34 > 0:00:37Let's have it.
0:00:37 > 0:00:38Double the action...
0:00:40 > 0:00:42And double the danger...
0:00:42 > 0:00:45As one of us gets the flight of our lives....
0:01:20 > 0:01:23Since the dawn of time, man has dreamt of inventing
0:01:23 > 0:01:25a flying machine.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27Many have tried, but many have also failed...
0:01:27 > 0:01:29But these two actually cracked it, when, in 1903,
0:01:29 > 0:01:32they achieved the first powered flight in an aeroplane.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35Ladies and gentlemen, we give you...
0:01:35 > 0:01:38- Mind your head. - ..the Wright Brothers!
0:01:38 > 0:01:40Where have you landed us?
0:01:40 > 0:01:41I don't know, bro!
0:01:41 > 0:01:43Inspired by their genius idea,
0:01:43 > 0:01:46we'll be coming up with our genius idea later in the show.
0:01:46 > 0:01:51When one of us takes the most extreme flight of our lives.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56But first, let's find out how the Wright Brothers
0:01:56 > 0:01:58managed to get their idea off the ground.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01Right, lads, chocks away. On you go.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07Today, we take flying for granted.
0:02:07 > 0:02:11Right now, there's around half a million people up in the air,
0:02:11 > 0:02:13travelling around the world.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17All this because of two brothers from Ohio, USA -
0:02:17 > 0:02:20Wilbur and Orville Wright.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24In their day, things were very different...
0:02:24 > 0:02:27This simple toy is about as close as you could get to powered flight
0:02:27 > 0:02:30when the Wright Brothers were children in the late 1800s.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33They had one just like this, and they played with it until it broke.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36Orville and Wilbur were bitten by the flying bug,
0:02:36 > 0:02:37and it was never going to leave them.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40Their fascination with flight was going to take them
0:02:40 > 0:02:42and the human race up into the sky.
0:02:42 > 0:02:43- Right, you ready?- Ready?
0:02:43 > 0:02:45After three. One, two, three... Fly!
0:02:47 > 0:02:51People had dreamed of flying for thousands of years.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53A few had managed to get a plane up into the air, but the problem
0:02:53 > 0:02:57was actually controlling it and keeping it up there.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00The brothers originally built bikes for a living,
0:03:00 > 0:03:02but when new, lightweight engines were developed,
0:03:02 > 0:03:05they turned their hand to building an aircraft.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07The world was never the same again.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12The Wright Brothers' genius idea was to pull off the first ever
0:03:12 > 0:03:14powered and controlled flight.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18In 1903, in North Carolina, they finally cracked the key to
0:03:18 > 0:03:21controlling a plane whilst up in the sky
0:03:21 > 0:03:23and kept it up there for a record 12 seconds.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25Genius!
0:03:25 > 0:03:26That went surprisingly well!
0:03:26 > 0:03:31So, how did the Wright brothers finally crack flying?
0:03:31 > 0:03:35The answer was in what they called the three axis control system.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38Early planes all borrowed from their original design,
0:03:38 > 0:03:42like this one - the Bristol Boxkite at the Shuttleworth Collection,
0:03:42 > 0:03:45the closest thing you'll find to a Wright Brothers plane in the UK,
0:03:45 > 0:03:49designed just seven years after their first ever flight.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54There aren't many people alive now who can control this beautiful
0:03:54 > 0:03:56and dangerous-looking machine.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59But genius pilot Dodge Bailey can!
0:03:59 > 0:04:01- All right, Dodge? - Hi there.- Hiya, Dodge.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03The plane we're stood in front of right now isn't
0:04:03 > 0:04:05exactly like the Wright Brothers' design, is it?
0:04:05 > 0:04:09- But what are the similarities? - It's a big biplane, as you can see.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11The engine is behind and pushes the plane with
0:04:11 > 0:04:14a propeller from the back, and it has a tail on both ends.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17The Wright Brothers plane only had a tail on the front.
0:04:17 > 0:04:18It all looks quite flimsy.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21It's made out of wood. There's these flimsy wires all over the place,
0:04:21 > 0:04:24and these wings are so thin.
0:04:24 > 0:04:26The material is like a drum.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29In order to make an aeroplane fly, it has to be light,
0:04:29 > 0:04:31but it has to be strong, as well.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34What the Wright Brothers brought was their knowledge of making
0:04:34 > 0:04:37strong structures light from their design of bicycles.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39- It's the same kind of principal. - Oh, OK.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42Now, we need to learn more about three axis control.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45Is there any way you can kind of simplify this for us?
0:04:45 > 0:04:48Indeed. The best way of doing that is to put you in the cockpit.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50- Can we have a ladder?- A step?
0:04:52 > 0:04:56- You want to swing the steps towards you now.- Splinter!- Swing the steps.
0:04:56 > 0:04:57Foot on here?
0:05:00 > 0:05:02You need to get behind those wires.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05Dodge, what are the three axes that we need to think about
0:05:05 > 0:05:06when we're controlling this.
0:05:06 > 0:05:10- OK, well, that stick, if you move it forward, watch what happens.- Ah!
0:05:10 > 0:05:12The front flap goes up and down. OK.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14So that'll make the plane either go up or down?
0:05:14 > 0:05:18- That makes it pitch.- So pitch basically means going up and down.
0:05:18 > 0:05:23Yeah. The roll axis is to roll the aeroplane, rock it side to side.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25This is controlled by the stick, in that sense.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29So that means doing this?
0:05:29 > 0:05:33Yes, it does. You need a third axis, which is the yaw axis down here.
0:05:33 > 0:05:38We call these the rudder pedals, and they are moving a vertical surface
0:05:38 > 0:05:41at the back of the aeroplane, which will make the aeroplane yaw,
0:05:41 > 0:05:45- in this sense.- And that's just a bit like a handlebar on a bike, really?
0:05:45 > 0:05:47- Indeed, yeah.- So, just those three controls gets you anywhere in
0:05:47 > 0:05:49- the sky you want to go.- Indeed.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53MIMICS FAILING ENGINE
0:05:53 > 0:05:54Oh, we've crashed.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59Clearly we're not ready to be let loose in the sky just yet.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03But Dodge is made of sterner stuff.
0:06:03 > 0:06:07The wind and the drizzle are against him, so can he get this
0:06:07 > 0:06:10fragile contraption up into the air?
0:06:10 > 0:06:12Right, it's getting into position now.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15It'll be really interesting to find out whether Dodge can match
0:06:15 > 0:06:17the first ever flight, which was 37 metres along in just 12 seconds.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22His team have left. They're running away.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24They want nothing to do with him anymore.
0:06:26 > 0:06:27Here we go.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29Here we go! Go on!
0:06:29 > 0:06:31It just doesn't look like it's supposed to fly.
0:06:33 > 0:06:34- Here we go!- We have lift off!
0:06:39 > 0:06:42Can you imagine what it was like when the Wright Brothers did it
0:06:42 > 0:06:43for the first ever time?
0:06:43 > 0:06:46When something like that actually took off from the ground?
0:06:46 > 0:06:48Oh, it's coming down.
0:06:48 > 0:06:49Touchdown!
0:06:49 > 0:06:53It might look like just a short hop, but, at 24 seconds, it's double
0:06:53 > 0:06:57the duration of the Wright Brothers' very first flight.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00Amazing flying skills from Dodge,
0:07:00 > 0:07:02using pitch to control his height,
0:07:02 > 0:07:05combined with yaw to turn left and right,
0:07:05 > 0:07:07with roll from side to side.
0:07:09 > 0:07:13Those three controls can take you anywhere in the air, as we'll
0:07:13 > 0:07:18be finding out later in our most extreme genius idea so far!
0:07:21 > 0:07:24So the Wright Brothers had figured out a way of controlling
0:07:24 > 0:07:26a plane once up in the air, but where did
0:07:26 > 0:07:30they go to get inspiration for their ground-breaking design?
0:07:30 > 0:07:32They went... Birdwatching?!
0:07:32 > 0:07:34Ooh, I like birds. I wonder if we'll see a blue tit.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36You might well see a blue tit.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46That is NOT a blue tit!
0:07:50 > 0:07:53Orville and Wilbur spent hours watching the turkey vultures
0:07:53 > 0:07:55flying near their home.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59Wilbur noticed that the vultures were flexing and changing
0:07:59 > 0:08:02the shape of their wings when they wanted to change direction.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05The key to control in the air.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08This is bird of prey genius Kyle Hudson.
0:08:08 > 0:08:12A man who knows all about the birds that helped change history.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14Meet Bernard and Matthew,
0:08:14 > 0:08:16two vultures that don't do
0:08:16 > 0:08:18- exactly what they're told. - Remind you of anyone?
0:08:19 > 0:08:22- Oh, I don't know about these guys. - They look a bit lively, eh?
0:08:22 > 0:08:24They're having a fight.
0:08:24 > 0:08:26How did these birds inspire the Wright Brothers?
0:08:26 > 0:08:28I mean, look at the state of them.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30You have to remember where they were watching these.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33They would have been over some mountains or a big gorge,
0:08:33 > 0:08:35so, effectively, they would have had a lot of lift
0:08:35 > 0:08:37and thermals to help them out.
0:08:37 > 0:08:41- Come on, that's it.- Yes! Come and say hello to your Uncle Dom.
0:08:41 > 0:08:43Argh!
0:08:43 > 0:08:45Smacked me in the face!
0:08:45 > 0:08:47If these vultures do know the secret of wing control,
0:08:47 > 0:08:49they're not telling.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51- Don't panic!- I'll get it.
0:08:51 > 0:08:55They may be little, but you can definitely see the way
0:08:55 > 0:08:57they're using their wings.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00They're kind of pulling them in and out and changing the direction
0:09:00 > 0:09:03and shape - the long distance, short distance.
0:09:08 > 0:09:10- No!- No flight there.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12You're meant to be showing all the viewers
0:09:12 > 0:09:15how you inspired the aeroplane!
0:09:15 > 0:09:17It wasn't all the flapping around that inspired
0:09:17 > 0:09:20the Wright Brothers, it was the vultures'
0:09:20 > 0:09:24amazing flexible wings that - even when gliding - make tiny
0:09:24 > 0:09:27adjustments to their shape to change their direction in the air.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29Heck, Wilbur, that's genius!
0:09:29 > 0:09:32Watching these birds gave them the idea to build
0:09:32 > 0:09:34planes with adjustable wings, which allowed them
0:09:34 > 0:09:37to stay fully in control. They called it wing warping.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41Modern day planes do something similar using flaps on their wings.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45But some flight pioneers were not so clever.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48It's the Not So Genius Idea!
0:09:48 > 0:09:51In the race for powered flight, others had been copying birds
0:09:51 > 0:09:53with slightly less successful results.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57Ornithopters used the flapping motion of bird wings
0:09:57 > 0:09:58to take to the skies.
0:09:58 > 0:10:00Except they never really did manage to take to the skies
0:10:00 > 0:10:03and often flapped themselves to bits instead.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07'So we've discovered
0:10:07 > 0:10:10'how the Wright Brothers were influenced by a couple of turkeys.'
0:10:10 > 0:10:12Come and say hello to your Uncle Dom.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14Agh! Smacked me in the face!
0:10:14 > 0:10:18'And learned how they managed to control a plane while up in the air.'
0:10:18 > 0:10:20Wow!
0:10:20 > 0:10:23'Later on in the show, we'll be taking to the skies
0:10:23 > 0:10:26'for our most extreme genius idea so far.'
0:10:26 > 0:10:28I'm upside down!
0:10:28 > 0:10:32'But how do you get a plane up there in the first place?'
0:10:34 > 0:10:36'Testing their new designs in the sky was risky business,
0:10:36 > 0:10:39so the Wright Brothers found a way to test stuff out
0:10:39 > 0:10:43whilst on the ground - in a home-made wind tunnel.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46Now, we haven't got time to build our own so we've come to Nuneaton,
0:10:46 > 0:10:51home of the biggest, baddest, windiest tunnel in the UK today.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56Giant fans suck air through the tunnel,
0:10:56 > 0:11:00generating wind speeds of up to 85mph.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03If you want to understand how a plane gets up in the air,
0:11:03 > 0:11:07- this is the place to do it. - And the person to do it is Fran.
0:11:07 > 0:11:11This is Fran. She just loves experimenting...
0:11:13 > 0:11:15..to help explain the ideas of our geniuses.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19And she's sure to pop up just when you really need her.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23- In you go!- Wow!- I'm going in.
0:11:27 > 0:11:32- Wow!- Whoa!- That's amazing! Incredible. Look at those fans!
0:11:32 > 0:11:37So, air has push, and it's that push that lifts planes into the sky.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41So, basically, it's all about how air flows around an object
0:11:41 > 0:11:46- and I've got something that makes the invisible visible.- What is it?
0:11:46 > 0:11:50- It's this! My smoke wand. Isn't it beautiful?- Magic!
0:11:50 > 0:11:55So my smoke wand allows you to see how the air flows around the object.
0:11:55 > 0:11:59This is a cross-section of a wing, so if we look at the smoke
0:11:59 > 0:12:01- when it's going over the top... - Yeah.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05- ..can you see that it's quite spread out?- Yeah, yeah, loads of it.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09That means the air's spread out. But if I put it underneath...
0:12:09 > 0:12:11you see, it's less spread out.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13Oh, yeah, it's really hugging the bottom of it.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16It totally is, and that means that there's more push.
0:12:16 > 0:12:21- So that's what actually lifts the wing up into the air.- Got it.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24So, a fast-moving plane uses the push of air
0:12:24 > 0:12:27hitting the underside of its wing to lift off the ground.
0:12:27 > 0:12:28Genius!
0:12:30 > 0:12:35'But did the Wright Brothers ever test the push of air on themselves?
0:12:35 > 0:12:38'The 85mph winds this tunnel can generate
0:12:38 > 0:12:41'are classed as hurricane force.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44'I want to experience for myself the push of air that is
0:12:44 > 0:12:46'the secret of flight.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48'That's right!'
0:12:48 > 0:12:49Let's have it!
0:12:49 > 0:12:51'I'm taking this tunnel to the max.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56'We start him off with a gentle breeze.'
0:12:56 > 0:13:01This is a bit like the breeze you'd get if you went outside on a ship.
0:13:01 > 0:13:06- You can already feel the push on your arms, just a little bit.- 30mph.
0:13:06 > 0:13:08He's starting to lean into it now.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11I'm having to control how I stand now.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17The aim is to get him flying backwards.
0:13:18 > 0:13:20DICK CHUCKLES
0:13:22 > 0:13:27- I feel like a plane! - He's trying to fly!- Look at him!
0:13:28 > 0:13:32- Whoa-ho-ho!- 58mph.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37He's still talking. That means it's not high enough.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42He said, "Higher." He wants to go higher.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44Crank it up! "More," he's saying!
0:13:50 > 0:13:53Actually, you know, he might be saying, "Stop."
0:13:53 > 0:13:54I think he's saying, "More."
0:13:58 > 0:14:00He's having the best time!
0:14:07 > 0:14:10I know it looks like he's in pain. He's having a lovely time.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12HE YELLS
0:14:12 > 0:14:13Let's go and see him.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17- How was that?- That was incredible.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19You literally went flying right over your own head!
0:14:19 > 0:14:23'So we've established that some objects have lift...
0:14:23 > 0:14:24'and some don't.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28'Thankfully, the Wright Brothers didn't waste time messing around
0:14:28 > 0:14:31'in their wind tunnel, and took the human race up into the sky.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34'But even they could never have imagined
0:14:34 > 0:14:36'the incredible planes that would follow.'
0:14:36 > 0:14:41It's the genius top five, kicking off with the world's biggest plane -
0:14:41 > 0:14:45the Antonov 225, with an 88-metre wingspan.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48That's 55 times bigger than...
0:14:48 > 0:14:52Four - the world's smallest plane, the Bumble Bee,
0:14:52 > 0:14:57buzzing in with a pipsqueak 1.6-metre wing span. Aww!
0:14:57 > 0:14:59Three is the fastest plane ever,
0:14:59 > 0:15:01the SR-71 Blackbird,
0:15:01 > 0:15:03that flew well over twice the speed of sound.
0:15:03 > 0:15:04Two is supersonic, as well.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07Concorde, the fastest and, many would say, most beautiful
0:15:07 > 0:15:10passenger jet ever, unlike...
0:15:10 > 0:15:11The Super Guppy, contender for
0:15:11 > 0:15:13the world's ugliest plane.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15Hey! Looks aren't everything, you know!
0:15:15 > 0:15:17Sorry, Super Guppy.
0:15:19 > 0:15:21'So, we've got ourselves into a flap,
0:15:21 > 0:15:23'finding out all about the Wright Brothers.'
0:15:23 > 0:15:25Ow! Stop nipping my arm!
0:15:25 > 0:15:27'We've been blown away
0:15:27 > 0:15:29'discovering how they got a plane off the ground in the first place.'
0:15:29 > 0:15:31Woo-hoo!
0:15:34 > 0:15:36'And we've learned that it was the Wright Brothers who worked out
0:15:36 > 0:15:39'a way to control a plane whilst up in the air,
0:15:39 > 0:15:41'using pitch to go up and down,
0:15:41 > 0:15:43'yaw to turn left and right
0:15:43 > 0:15:45'and roll to tilt from side to side.
0:15:46 > 0:15:50'Now, over 100 years later, modern aeroplanes are still using
0:15:50 > 0:15:53'the same basic principles, as we're going to find out
0:15:53 > 0:15:59'in the cockpit of this 737, where everything is state of the art.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01'Apart from the pilots!'
0:16:01 > 0:16:05Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. This is Captain Dick speaking.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08Welcome to this DND Airways flight to Amsterdam.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11We'll be flying at a cruising altitude of 5 metres.
0:16:14 > 0:16:18'This flight simulator is used to train professional pilots,
0:16:18 > 0:16:21'so it has to look and move exactly like the real thing.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23'It's also worth £10 million,
0:16:23 > 0:16:27'so they're not going to let us loose in it without some expert help.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31'So, meet Unash Daswani, a genius pilot
0:16:31 > 0:16:33'who is going to teach us to fly.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36'Or at least not to crash!'
0:16:37 > 0:16:39- UNASH:- Full power, full power.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42- Whoa!- Oh, my life!
0:16:42 > 0:16:46'We're trying out the controls by flying from virtual Gatwick
0:16:46 > 0:16:51'to Virtual Amsterdam - but it's so lifelike that the fear is real!'
0:16:51 > 0:16:54- There we go. First off is to pull the landing gear up.- Landing gear!
0:16:54 > 0:16:56Nice and gently. There we go.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59Pitch forward. You're getting a bit too steep.
0:16:59 > 0:17:00Little bit more, little bit more.
0:17:00 > 0:17:04There we go. Just hold it level. Just hold it level there.
0:17:04 > 0:17:08Hello, ladies and gentlemen. This is your first officer, Dominic Wood.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12- Hope you're having a... A lovely flight.- Stop it!
0:17:12 > 0:17:14Why, why are we...?!
0:17:14 > 0:17:16Don't start screaming whilst I'm talking to the passengers!
0:17:16 > 0:17:18Let me get it straight!
0:17:18 > 0:17:20If you're on a flight and you hear, "What are you doing?!"
0:17:20 > 0:17:24Let me get it straight!
0:17:24 > 0:17:27I'm sorry if you're feeling a bit of turbulence.
0:17:27 > 0:17:29DICK GIGGLES
0:17:29 > 0:17:31If you could just get into your brace positions...
0:17:31 > 0:17:34Oh, we're back. We're all right.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37'Safely up in the air, it's time to try out the Wright Brothers'
0:17:37 > 0:17:39'three-axis control for ourselves.'
0:17:39 > 0:17:43- So go to the left?- Yeah, you can see we're slowly turning to the left.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46- And you can see the secondary effect of yaw is roll.- Yeah, right.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49Because the right-hand wing is now travelling faster than the left,
0:17:49 > 0:17:52it's generating more lift, which is now rolling the aircraft.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55- Whoa! What's going on? - Gently, gently, gently, gently.
0:17:55 > 0:17:59A little bit right. Turn right. Level the wings.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02So yaw to the right.
0:18:02 > 0:18:06So this is turning the rudder on the tail of the aircraft.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09You're rolling in the aircraft at the same time.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12It's using all the same principles we saw Dodge using in the box cart.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14The pitch, the roll, the yaw.
0:18:14 > 0:18:18It's just, nowadays, there's a few more buttons!
0:18:19 > 0:18:23'Even in a simulator, what goes up must come down.'
0:18:23 > 0:18:27- Cabin crew ready for landing, cabin crew ready for landing.- Excellent.
0:18:27 > 0:18:31Thank you. Now, if we crash this, are we going to feel it?
0:18:31 > 0:18:34Er, yeah, you will, so you don't want to crash it.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37- We'll actually get a full simulation?- Yeah, that's it.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40- Don't crash!- I'll try not to! - Pitch forward, turn right.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42It's unbelievable how sensitive this is.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45You just touch it slightly and the whole plane just...
0:18:45 > 0:18:46- Don't worry about talking! - All right!
0:18:46 > 0:18:48- The runway's over there. - I can see it.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51Then why are you nowhere near it?
0:18:51 > 0:18:54- A little bit right. - DICK AND DOM YELL
0:18:54 > 0:18:57- Pull up!- I am pulling up. - Left, left, left, left!
0:18:57 > 0:19:02- Close the power. Press that button and...- What are you doing?!
0:19:02 > 0:19:06- I'm trying to get it straight! - A little bit left.
0:19:06 > 0:19:08- No!- Reverse on. Reverse on.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12This one there. Now try it again.
0:19:12 > 0:19:13Push forward, push forward.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16- Push forward?- Now try it again.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19Use the rudders to get back on the line. There we go.
0:19:19 > 0:19:20Gently, gently.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22DICK YELLS AND GIGGLES
0:19:24 > 0:19:26I don't think these two have the WRIGHT stuff.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29I see what you did there, Wilbur.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32You didn't crash. You survived that. Reverse off.
0:19:32 > 0:19:38- I'm sweating buckets!- Reverse off. Put the brake on, turn the power off.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41We have felt the pitch, the roll and the yaw
0:19:41 > 0:19:43in the most realistic place we could ever be.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45- Yeah. - Thank you very much.- Not a problem.
0:19:45 > 0:19:49- Right, where's the ejector seat? - Excellent landing.
0:19:49 > 0:19:50So we know how the Wright Brothers
0:19:50 > 0:19:53got their first aeroplane into the sky.
0:19:53 > 0:19:55And how they controlled it when they were up there.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57How do we combine all of this
0:19:57 > 0:20:00to make a fitting tribute for the Wright Brothers?
0:20:00 > 0:20:03- Right!- Write?- Write the Wright Brothers' name in the sky -
0:20:03 > 0:20:05- skywriting!- Right. Brilliant! OK, Genius.
0:20:05 > 0:20:07But whereabouts are we going to do this?
0:20:07 > 0:20:10- Are we going to fly through the Grand Canyon?- No.- No?
0:20:10 > 0:20:14- Are we going to fly into New York, where Concorde used to arrive?- No.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17We're going to Goodwood in Sussex, just outside Chichester.
0:20:17 > 0:20:19I love Goodwood,
0:20:19 > 0:20:20in Sussex,
0:20:20 > 0:20:21just outside Chichester.
0:20:23 > 0:20:24Here's the plan.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26Our genius idea - to take to the skies
0:20:26 > 0:20:29in a super-manoeuvrable stunt plane.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32Our challenged - to push its controls to the limits
0:20:32 > 0:20:35and flight W for Wilbur and then O for Orville.
0:20:35 > 0:20:41Our problem - it's going to be absolutely terrifying!
0:20:41 > 0:20:44Ah! It's absolutely terrifying!
0:20:44 > 0:20:46So where is our skywriting expert?
0:20:46 > 0:20:49- He said he'd meet us here. - Haven't got a clue.- No.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51We've been waiting ages.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54- Late.- Look at the time!
0:20:55 > 0:20:57THEY YELL
0:21:00 > 0:21:02I didn't think a plane could do that!
0:21:03 > 0:21:05- Look, look, look!- Oh!
0:21:08 > 0:21:10I mean, one thing that's good out of watching this
0:21:10 > 0:21:13is that at least we know he is in full control of his plane.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16- It doesn't look like it, though, does it?- No, it doesn't.
0:21:19 > 0:21:23'Yes, one of us really will be getting in that plane...
0:21:23 > 0:21:27'with this man, genius aerobatics pilot Mark Greenfield.
0:21:27 > 0:21:32'Better known to his fellow bonkers stunt pilots as Greeners.'
0:21:32 > 0:21:35- You must be Greeners.- Hello. - Hi, I'm Rich.- Nice to see you, Rich.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37- How you doing, Greeners?- Hello, Dom.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40A plane isn't supposed to do those kind of things, really, is it?
0:21:40 > 0:21:43Well, this is a very extreme, cutting-edge aeroplane that,
0:21:43 > 0:21:45as well as using all the conventional flying forces,
0:21:45 > 0:21:49uses a few others, as well. So it's a very capable piece of kit.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52We've been learning about the pitch, the roll and the yaw.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54You must have been using those three over and over.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57When we fly aerobatics, you're right - we use all of those.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59So, what do we do first? What's the first step?
0:21:59 > 0:22:01The first thing to do is get in the classroom,
0:22:01 > 0:22:03- chat about how it works in principle.- Yeah.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06- Then we need to figure out who's coming flying with me.- BOTH:- He is.
0:22:08 > 0:22:12'Not only is this a genius idea - it's a terrifying idea,
0:22:12 > 0:22:16'more extreme than anything we've tried before.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19'And there's only one spare seat on the stunt plane.'
0:22:19 > 0:22:24- So we're going to dive down like this...- 'Basic training...
0:22:24 > 0:22:28'Greeners is looking for the air cadet that shows most promise.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30'Or least fear.'
0:22:30 > 0:22:34So, diving down, 250mph, smoke on, 3G pull, smoke off,
0:22:34 > 0:22:40gentle roll onto our back and, as we join at the beginning of the loop,
0:22:40 > 0:22:42we turn the smoke off just there.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44'Basic training complete,
0:22:44 > 0:22:47'it's time for one of us to take on the ultimate challenge.
0:22:47 > 0:22:49'It's time for a hero.'
0:22:50 > 0:22:52Ah! I've been looking for you.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55Parachute. Shades. Good luck.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59So, to operate the aeroplane, in our three axes,
0:22:59 > 0:23:02this is the primary control, the control column or the stick.
0:23:02 > 0:23:06If you put the stick all the way over to your knee, before it
0:23:06 > 0:23:09gets to your knee, the airplane will have completely rolled around.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12- Wow!- Be very gentle. And that's the rudder pedal.
0:23:12 > 0:23:17- Are they working now, Rich? Can you see them?- Oh, yeah!
0:23:17 > 0:23:19- Are you ready for this? - I certainly am.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22- I'm actually tingling a bit with excitement.- Good. Who can blame you?
0:23:22 > 0:23:25- Let's do it.- Shades. - All right, then.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27You need to be able to see the fear clearly here.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30- You might be able to smell the fear, as well.- Enjoy!
0:23:30 > 0:23:33There's this self-preservation thing goes on in your head,
0:23:33 > 0:23:34which says, "Don't do it."
0:23:34 > 0:23:36This is not a natural thing for a human.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38We have got wings. We shouldn't be up there.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41'There's no turning back now.'
0:23:43 > 0:23:45ENGINE STARTS
0:23:45 > 0:23:46Adios!
0:23:48 > 0:23:50Oh, he was smiling.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52Right, let's put the pitch, yaw and roll to the test
0:23:52 > 0:23:56in this ultimate flight. Come on, Dom! Yeah!
0:23:57 > 0:23:59Up, up and away!
0:24:02 > 0:24:04Wow!
0:24:07 > 0:24:10Right, just put your hand on the stick and follow me through.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13'We warm up with a cheeky little roll.'
0:24:13 > 0:24:18OK, so we're going to use the stick to roll the airplane.
0:24:20 > 0:24:22Aargh! We're upside down.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24'Well, the controls work!
0:24:24 > 0:24:27'Looks like we've reached the moment of truth.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30'I channel the genius of the Wright Brothers.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32'I channel the daring of Dodge.
0:24:32 > 0:24:36'I channel Bernard and Matthew.'
0:24:37 > 0:24:39Here we go! Smoke's on!
0:24:41 > 0:24:43- Aargh!- Look at that!
0:24:44 > 0:24:48- Aargh! I'm upside down!- Can't watch.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51- Aargh!- It's making ME feel sick.
0:24:51 > 0:24:53I really don't want to crash!
0:24:58 > 0:24:59Oh, my goodness!
0:25:00 > 0:25:03There's the W!
0:25:03 > 0:25:05'Well, sort of.'
0:25:05 > 0:25:09- Now for the, er, tricky bit. The O. - I feel totally weightless.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12- Here it is.- Here we go!
0:25:12 > 0:25:13HE GRUNTS
0:25:13 > 0:25:19- All the way round. All the way back to the top.- Aargh!
0:25:19 > 0:25:21Oh, it's great!
0:25:26 > 0:25:28This doesn't look right, does it?
0:25:28 > 0:25:31But there was the O. He's done it!
0:25:31 > 0:25:35- That was nuts.- Go on, Dom!
0:25:36 > 0:25:39'We pushed the controls to the limit,
0:25:39 > 0:25:44'flying in the shape of a W for Wilbur and an O for Orville...
0:25:44 > 0:25:46I'm upside down!
0:25:46 > 0:25:49'..the two brothers who changed the world. Genius!'
0:25:52 > 0:25:56- And that's it.- That's it! I need to come down now.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02And there it is! A safe landing.
0:26:02 > 0:26:06Yes! I bet he's glad to be down.
0:26:06 > 0:26:08I've got to say, I'm very proud of him.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11All right? What was it like?
0:26:11 > 0:26:14I don't know what it looked like for you guys on the ground,
0:26:14 > 0:26:15- but up there...- It looked wrong!
0:26:15 > 0:26:18I've never... My mind has never experienced anything
0:26:18 > 0:26:20- quite like that in my life. - It was hard to watch.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24It's incredible what a difference the pitch, yaw, roll -
0:26:24 > 0:26:28just a small movement - made to not only the aeroplane
0:26:28 > 0:26:29but to my brain, as well.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32One thing I could say is that you've got to work on your handwriting.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35- Oh, no! Really? - You've got a wonky W.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38So, when we found out we were doing a show about flight,
0:26:38 > 0:26:41we really weren't prepared for the journey that we've just been on.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44We now know about the three axes - pitch, roll and yaw -
0:26:44 > 0:26:46and pretty much how a plane flies.
0:26:46 > 0:26:47'We've seen how the Wrights
0:26:47 > 0:26:50'influenced everything from the earliest planes to high-tech jets.
0:26:50 > 0:26:55'And found out how air moving around a wing is the secret to lift.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58'We've met even the birds that inspired their designs.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01'I hoped they liked our big smoky W and O,
0:27:01 > 0:27:04'even if they were a bit hard to read.'
0:27:04 > 0:27:08Wilbur, Orville, the Wright Brothers, you are absolute geniuses!
0:27:08 > 0:27:12Oh, no, it's those two idiots! Pitch up, Wilbur. Pitch up.
0:27:12 > 0:27:16- Yes, siree, Orville. - Next stop, North Carolina.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19Woo-hoo! Look at us flying in a picture frame! Yee-ha!
0:27:25 > 0:27:28Agh! Smacked me in the face!
0:27:28 > 0:27:30- Dom's!- Oh, no!
0:27:30 > 0:27:31THEY GIGGLE
0:27:31 > 0:27:35- What are you doing?! - Let me get it straight!
0:27:36 > 0:27:39- Oh!- But what's all that? What's all the black stuff?
0:27:39 > 0:27:41Hey-hey!
0:27:41 > 0:27:44THEY CHUCKLE