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Wee.

Greetings winged scouts.

Hey, it's Commander Airhead.

Hello there Commander Airhead.

Gumdrop, Vroomer, it's that time again.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it,

is to discover all about

the most fascinating machine of all.

Planes.

Planes.

Exactly.

You will travel all over the world, across time,

space, and beyond.

You must keep your little metal noses pointed ahead,

your motors humming and your wings perked at all times,

we depend on you to do the best job possible.

Are you ready for your assignment?

As ready as a long-winged plane on a windy day Commander.

My engine's revving on overdrive.

We're ready for our mission Commander Airhead.

This is sure to be a challenging mission little ones.

Cloudless skies, oh I love challenging missions.

Endless horizons, me too.

I'm sending you two on a mission

to learn about the world's fastest jets.

The world's fastest jets, how cool?

Yeah.

It's up to you to learn all about it

and report back to me with what you've discovered.

Let's do it.

This is going to be an incredible adventure.

What can you tell us about the world's fastest jets,

Commander Airhead?

Well just imagine winged scouts,

pushing your throttles back and feeling the rush

of your engines pushing you to speeds faster

than anything alive has ever achieved.

Amazing, incredible, life changing.

Wow, I can't wait to find out more.

The world's fastest jets sounds absolutely amazing.

As you know, Vroomer and Gumdrop, to help educate

the little planes of the future you must find out

and learn tons of amazing facts about airplanes.

Yes Commander Airhead.

we will.

Excellent.

You must also know there is a question

that all the brightest flying minds,

all over the world skies have not been able to answer

about the world's fastest jets.

We need you two winged scouts to help us answer

the Who Flew question about the world's fastest jets.

Who Flew question, love it.

What is the question Commander Airhead?

Which jet holds the record

for the longest hypersonic flight in history,

and when was it set?

That's a great question Commander Airhead.

We'll have the answer in the flip of a wing, I'm sure.

I will assign you the best winged scout helper

in the world, his name is Willie Widget,

he's a robotic encyclopedia of aircraft knowledge.

He will assist you on your mission.

Our most valuable player.

Come on down Willie Widget.

Be sure to ask a lot of questions winged scouts.

You know, Mr. Widget can handle it.

Yeah.

Winged scouts ready to fly Commander Airhead.

Winged scouts.

Hurray.

Winged scouts.

Ha-ha ready to get started on your next adventure?

Yes super ready.

Totally ready.

Remember winged scouts, any and all questions you have

I am here to answer them.

Where do we begin?

On December 17th 1903, Orville Wright

finally achieved something that mankind had dreamed of

for the entirety of human history.

He made the first sustained and controlled

heavier than air powered flight.

And even though that pioneering flight was only

120 feet long, Orville and brother Wilbur inspired

a thousand others to build bigger, better,

and above all faster flying machines in the century

that followed their historic achievement.

Whoa.

There are very many jets that have exceeded

the speed of Mach 2.0

some of them are research aircraft, some are military

and some are simply flying for reconnaissance purposes.

But, there is always something special

with supersonic aircraft.

To see some of the fastest jets ever built,

we need to take a tour around the world.

Wings away guys.

Yeah.

In the United States, 47 years after it first flew

the f-15 was developed by McDonnell Douglas,

now Boeing, and it was one of the first

to gain air supremacy in aerial combat.

The twin engine tactical fighter first entered service

in the US air force in 1976

and has become one of their longest lasting fighter

since that time.

Production of the model is expected to continue

until the year 2019.

So what's the top speed of the f-15?

The McDonnell Douglas f-15 eagle has a top speed

of 1,650 miles per hour.

Incredible, hit my plane brain

with more awesome plane facts Willie Widget.

In Russia, the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 Foxbat

was a supersonic reconnaissance and interceptor aircraft

that combined phenomenal speed

with advanced radar detection systems.

It did have one fundamental weakness,

which was its large wings that were needed to lift

the exceptionally heavy aircraft into the air.

It has a top speed of 2,190 miles per hour

and was eventually replaced by the Mikoyan MiG-31.

Blasting engines, that's amazing.

The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird

is another United States jet that was introduced in 1966,

only 32 Blackbirds were built and all were used

for reconnaissance and experimental research.

It featured stealth technology, but if it was,

against all odds, spotted by enemy forces,

it could outrun the interceptors, or surfaced air missiles

that were fired at it, due to its fantastic speed

in excess of 2,300 miles per hour.

In air testing it actually achieved a speed

of 2,600 miles per hour.

Zoinks, very fast indeed.

What happened next Willie?

Excellent question Gumdrop.

The SR-71 was flown extensively over hostile ground

during the Vietnam war, despite an estimated 800 missiles

being fired at the Blackbird, not one single plane

was ever shut down, although mechanical failures

plagued its reliability and about 12 of them were lost

due to this problem.

Whoa.

So are all the fastest jets always maned by humans?

That's a very good question Vroomer, no, they are not.

In fact the fastest among them are the unmanned jets

because they pose no danger to the pilots.

The Boeing X-51 Waverider is one of these jets

that are capable of hypersonic speeds in excess

of mach five.

The NASA X-43 is also an unmanned aircraft.

Woohoo.

So what is the fastest maned aircraft Willie?

The North American X-15 developed in the late 1950s

through a joint effort between North American Aviation,

who created the air frame, and Reaction Motors

who developed the engines, is the fastest maned jet,

it's rocket powered and capable of hypersonic speeds

in excess of 4,500 miles per hour or mach six.

It broke the record for the fastest speed ever achieved

by a maned jet.

Very nice.

So which is the fastest unmanned aircraft Willie?

Excellent question Vroomer, that will be,

the NASA X-43 which is an experimental unmanned

hypersonic aircraft developed by NASA

as part of its Hyper-X program.

It is the fastest aircraft on record with a top speed

of an incredible mach 9.6

or 7,310 miles per hour.

What is hypersonic speed Willie?

Very good question Vroomer, I see you are paying attention

a hypersonic speed is one that is highly supersonic

the term has generally been assumed to refer to speeds

of mach five and above.

An example of a hypersonic jet is the X-15

which is rocket powered.

How do jets handle hypersonic speed?

New materials and very powerful engines

capable of handling high temperatures and pressure

were developed to handle this rate of speed.

Whoa.

What engines power the fast SR-71 Blackbird jet?

The SR-71 Blackbird is powered by twin,

Pratt & Whitney J58 jets, which are capable of producing

up to 34,000 pounds of thrust each.

Whoa, tooting turbines, that's incredible.

Do you now that the SR-71 Blackbird

is still recognized as the fastest fighter jet

and in over 25 years of service has never once

been hit by a missile.

It was built to fly up to mach 3.4 speeds.

That's approximately 2,500 miles per hour on land.

Yipee.

Yay.

Over the years the aviation improvements

have come a long way, and these fast jets

are proof of that.

All of these machines have very different aims.

Some are bombers, others are fighters, some are interceptors

and one or two are designed for stealth recon.

They all have one thing in common though.

The ability to fly very very very fast.

Blue skies.

Technological advances have ensured

the continual improvement of modern jets

as mankind looks to break existing records

and set new ones on the path to discovery.

Which jet holds the record for the longest

hypersonic flight in history, and, and when was it set?

The Boeing X-51 Waverider in May 2013

set the record for the longest hypersonic flight in history.

It flew at speeds in excess of mach five

for 210 seconds.

Hey Gumdrop, I think we just found the answer

to Commander Airhead Who Flew question.

You are right Vroomer the Boeing X-51 Waverider

holds the record

for the longest hypersonic flight in history.

Ah, congratulations on finding the answer

to this mission's Who Flew question, winged scouts.

Commander Airhead will be proud of you.

No pistons about it.

Fantastic work winged scouts.

Your mission was a great success.

I'm starting to really admire you two.

Vroum vroum, awesome.

Say were you, were you able to find the answer

to this mission's Who Flew question?

Yes Commander Airhead we sure did.

The Boeing X-51 Waverider sets the record

for the longest hypersonic flight in history.

The Boeing X-51 Waverider in May 2013

flew at speeds in excess of mach five

for 210 seconds, setting the record

for longest hypersonic flight in history.

That's great, good job winged scouts.

What's our next mission Commander Airhead?

Your next mission is going to be your most amazing yet.

We want you to learn about space shuttles.

Space shuttles, wow, cool!

For all the bumpy flights, can't wait to get started.

Yay.

Winged scouts ready to fly Commander Airhead.

Winged scouts.

Hurray.

I've always been interested in space shuttles

and I've flown up up up but I just can't get

into outer space.

That's probably a good thing Vroomer,

I don't think we're equipped for outer space.

Gumdrop, Vroomer, gas up those engines

and get those propellers spinning, it's that time again.

Your mission is to discover all about

the most fascinating machine of all.

Planes.

Planes.

Exactly.

You will travel all over the world, across time and space

and beyond, you must keep your little metal noses

pointed ahead, your motors humming

and your wings perked at all times.

We depend on you to do the best job possible.

Are you ready for your assignment?

Whoop whoop we're mega ready.

My chassis is quaking with anticipation commander.

Plane scouts, ready for our mission Commander Airhead.

This is sure to be a challenging mission little ones.

Looking forward to it, I love challenging missions.

You're not the only one Gumdrop.

I'm sending you two on a mission

to learn about space shuttles.

Space shuttles, yes.

Can't wait.

It's up to you to learn all about it,

and report back to me with what you've discovered.

Flapping fun wings.

We're gonna have an awesome time.

What can you tell us about the space shuttles

Commander Airhead?

Mankind finally figured out how to launch space shuttles

only a few decades ago, though up until the present

only five space shuttles have been launched.

Wow, I can't wait to find out more.

Space shuttles, sounds absolutely amazing.

As you know, Vroomer and Gumdrop,

as part of your mission description,

you must find out and learn tons of amazing facts

about flying machines.

Yes Commander Airhead.

Vroom vroom, we will.

Excellent.

You must also know that there's a question

that all the brightest flying minds all over the world skies

have not been able to answer about space shuttles.

We need you two winged scouts to help us answer

the Who Flew question about space shuttles.

Who Flew question, love it.

What is the question Commander Airhead?

Which US president commissioned the development

of the first space shuttle to travel into space

and in what year?

That's a great question Commander Airhead.

I will assign you the best winged scout helper

in the world, his name is Willie Widget.

He is a robotic encyclopedia of aircraft knowledge.

He will assist you on your mission.

We can't fail with Willie.

Yay.

We can never get too much Willie Widget.

Be sure to ask a lot of questions winged scouts.

And may the wind stay under your wings.

Yay.

Winged scouts ready to fly Commander Airhead.

Winged scouts.

Hurray.

Winged scouts, ready to get started

on your next adventure?

Yes super ready.

Oh totally ready.

Remember winged scouts,

any and all questions you have, I'm here to answer them.

Where do we begin?

In the US.

Here the space shuttle was a spacecraft

which was used by the National Aeronautics

and Space Administration or NASA.

Space shuttles were used to carry astronauts

and cargo into space.

In the 1970s the prototype craft, Enterprise,

was launched but it was only used for tests,

and never flew into space.

The first space shuttle the Columbia,

was launched in April of 1981 and since then,

a total of five shuttles were built and launched.

Whoa.

The shuttle launches like a rocket,

orbits like a spacecraft and lands like a plane.

The space shuttle is one of the most complex

and innovative machines ever built.

It was a huge leap in technology when the first shuttle

was launched as it represented the first ever spacecraft

that was reusable.

Really, that's very smart.

The first space shuttle, enterprise, orbital vehicle 101

or ov 101 was not built for space missions.

It was used for unpowered test flights

at NASA Dryden test flight center

at the Edwards Air Force base in California.

The shuttle was lifted atop a modified

Boeing 747 shuttle carrier aircraft,

and made five test flights totalling 19 minutes

of free flight.

The first flight was made in August 1977

and the last in October of that same year.

Where is this space shuttle Enterprise now?

The Enterprise is on display

at the Smithsonian Institution's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center

near Washington D.C USA.

When Discovery replaces it at the museum,

Enterprise will be moved

to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York.

Really, I'll make sure to visit and check it out.

The Columbia was the first shuttle to fly to space

and as the oldest member of the fleet

it was slightly heavier than its successors,

which benefited from advances in technology.

The first four flights of Columbia put the space craft

through its paces.

It was equipped with ejection seats,

activated for the first test flights

and removed after the ninth flight.

Blasting engines, that's amazing.

The Columbia was destroyed during re-entry

in February 2003, when it was coming back home

from its 28th flight, sadly, all seven astronauts aboard

died from the crash.

How sad.

What happened next Willie?

Excellent question Gumdrop.

The Challenger was built as structural test article,

STA 099, after studying the work needed

to make Enterprise space worthy, NASA calculated that it was

less expensive to rebuild STA 099 as ov 099.

The challenger made its first flight on the sts six mission

in April 1983 and became the work course

of NASA's fleet during the early years of shuttle operations

Challenger flew on 85% of all missions,

up to 1985.

The Challenger was destroyed during the launch

of its 10th mission, in January 1986, again,

killing seven crew members.

Oh no, sad factoid.

After the destruction of the Challenger, what happened?

That's a very good question Vroomer.

The hardest working shuttle of all, the Discovery,

made 39 successful missions across 27 years of service

since its first launch in August 1984.

It was used to deliver the Hubble space telescope into orbit

it was the shuttle tasked with the two

return to flight missions

after the Challenger and Columbia accidents.

Amazing.

What about the fourth space shuttle to be built?

The Atlantis was the fourth vehicle built.

Since October 1985, it has flown 32 missions.

In 1989 it deployed the unmanned spacecrafts

Magellan to Venus, and Galileo to Jupiter.

It lofted the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory

to orbit in 1991 as well.

Atlantis was the first shuttle to dock with a space station,

when it linked up with Russia's Mir space station in 1995.

It also delivered Europe's Columbus laboratory

to the International Space Station in 2008.

Whoa that's an amazing machine.

Which space shuttle was the quickest Willie?

Excellent question Vroomer.

According to statistics, the Atlantis was the fastest

built space shuttle as it took only about half the time

it took to complete the first operational craft, Columbia.

The Atlantis has also had the fewest technical problems.

And where is the Atlantis space shuttle now?

Very good question Vroomer.

After it was decommissioned, the Atlantis space shuttle

was handed over to the Kennedy Space Center

visitor complex for display.

Cool, hey, what spacecraft is the youngest member

of the space shuttle program?

The Endeavor is the youngest fleet member,

making its maiden voyage in may of 1992.

It was built as a replacement for Challenger,

using the spare structural parts of Discovery and Atlantis.

It was the first shuttle at the International Space Station

in 1998, delivering node one, the station's first US element

Whoa, how many space missions did the Endeavor fly?

The Endeavor completed 25 space missions

before it was decommissioned.

Whoa, tooting turbines, that's incredible.

The Endeavor was the last space shuttle

launched into space in September 2010.

It was also the 134th space shuttle flight.

Woohoo.

Yay.

Ha, it takes only eight minutes for the space shuttle

to accelerate to a speed of more than 17,000 miles per hour.

The lift off weight of the space shuttle

is 4.5 million pounds.

The main engine on the space shuttle weighs as much

as a train locomotive, but puts out as much horsepower

as 39 locomotives.

That's massive.

The space shuttle systems has four major components,

two solid rocket boosters, the external tank,

three main engines and the orbiter add-ons.

The external fuel tank is the only part

that cannot be reused as it burns up in the atmosphere

after launch.

I have a question.

Which president commissioned the development

of the first space shuttle to travel into space,

and in what year?

President Richard Nixon announced the intent to develop

the first space shuttle for travel into space

on January 5th, 1972.

Hey Gumdrop, I think we just found the answer

to Commander Airhead's Who Flew question.

You are right Vroomer.

President Richard Nixon holds the record

for the president to commission

the first space shuttle travel into space.

Congratulations on finding the answer

to this mission's Who Flew question winged scouts.

Commander Airhead will be proud of you.

No thunderclouds about it.

Fantastic work winged scouts.

Your mission was a great success.

You're well on your way

to being our most valuable fleet members ever.

Awesome.

Say, were you able to find the answer

to this mission's Who Flew question?

Yes Commander Airhead we sure did.

President Richard Nixon holds the record

for the president to commission the first

space shuttle travel into space.

President Richard Nixon announced the intent

to develop the first space shuttle for travel into space

on January 5th 1972.

That's great.

Good job winged scouts.

What's our next mission Commander Airhead?

Your next mission is going to be your most incredible yet.

We want you to learn about seaplanes.

Seaplanes, wow, cool.

For all the bumpy flights, can't wait to get started.

Yay, winged scouts, ready to fly Commander Airhead.

Winged scouts.

Hurray.

I thought about becoming a seaplane a couple of times.

Can we do that?

Well as the aviation world shows us winged scouts,

with a little know how and ingenuity, anything is possible.

This is sure to be a challenging mission little ones.

Stormy skies challenging?

Full throttles ahead.

I am sending you two on a mission

to learn about, seaplanes.

Seaplanes, how cool.

Yes, I love seaplanes.

It's up to you to learn all about it,

and report back to me with what you've discovered.

Take off tastic.

This is going to be an incredible adventure.

What can you tell us

about the seaplanes, Commander Airhead?

Seaplanes are pretty amazing machines.

They are motor powered, fixed wing aircraft

that can take off and land on water.

Wow, I can't wait to find out more.

Seaplanes sound super sweet.

As you know Vroomer and Gumdrop

to win the annual Planes with Brains contest,

you must find out and learn tons of amazing facts

about airplanes.

Yes Commander Airhead.

we will.

Excellent.

You must also know there is a question that all

of the brightest flying minds all over the world skies

have not been able to answer about seaplanes.

We need you two winged scouts to help us answer

the Who Flew question about seaplanes.

Who Flew question, love it.

What is the question Commander Airhead?

What seaplane completed the first 'round the world flight?

And who was the pilot.

That's a great question Commander Airhead.

We'll have the answer in the spin of a propeller, I'm sure

I will assign you the best winged scout helper

in the world, his name is Willie Widget.

He's a robotic encyclopedia of aircraft knowledge.

He will assist you on your mission.

Oh yeah, we can't go wrong with the Widg.

Ha ha, Willie's the bomb.

Be sure to ask a lot of questions winged scouts.

You can never possess too much knowledge.

Yay.

Winged scouts ready to fly Commander Airhead.

Winged scouts.

Hurray.

Winged scouts, ready to get started on your next adventure

Yes, super ready.

Totally ready.

Remember winged scouts, any and all questions you have

I am here to answer them.

Where do we begin?

Let's start in the land of the Eiffel Tower and croissants

let's start in France.

The French man Alphonse Penaud filled the first patent

for a flying machine with a boat hull

and retractable landing gear in 1876.

Follow me guys, let's take a quick fly over

into Austria next.

Here, Austrian Wilhelm Kress is credited with building

the first seaplane, Drachenflieger in 1898.

Although its two engines were inadequate for take off

and it later sank when one of its two floats collapsed.

Whoa.

In the early years, many pioneers made various attempts

to attach floats to aircraft in Britain, Australia,

France and the United States.

But most of them met with little or no success.

Bummer.

Super sea drag.

In 1905, Gabriel Voisin took off and landed

on the river Seine towed kite glider on floats.

The first of his unpowered flights went 150 yards.

He later built a powered floatplane

in partnership with Louis Bleriot,

but the machine was unsuccessful.

What's a floatplane Willie?

A floatplane has slender pontoons, or floats,

mounted under the fuselage.

Two floats are common and only the floats of a floatplane

normally come into contact with the water.

The fuselage remains above water.

Some small land aircraft can be modified

to become floatplanes and in general,

floatplanes are small aircraft, they're limited

by their inability to handle high waves.

Incredible.

Hit my plane brain with more cool H2O factoids Willie.

In march 1910, Frenchman Henri Fabre

flew the first successful powered seaplane,

the Gnome Omega-powered hydravion, a trimaran floatplane.

Fabre's first successful take off and landing

by a powered seaplane inspired other aviators,

and he designed floats for several other flyers.

Blasting engines, that's amazing.

The first hydro-aeroplane competition was held in Monaco

in 1912, featuring aircraft using floats

from Fabre, Curtiss, Tellier and Farman.

This led to the first scheduled seaplane passenger services,

using a five-seat Sanchez-Besa.

The French Navy ordered its first floatplane in 1912.

Very interesting.

What happened next?

Excellent question Gumdrop.

In Switzerland, Emile Taddeoli equipped the Dufaux 4 biplane

with swimmers and successfully took off in 1912.

A seaplane was used during the Balkan Wars in 1913,

when a Greek Astra Hydravion did a reconnaissance

of the Turkish fleet and dropped four bombs.

The breakout of World War one saw advancement

in flying boat designs with better practical hulls.

The Model H-4, the Curtiss H-12

and the Felixstowe F-1 to F-5, the Curtiss F-5L

and Macchi M.5 and the German Hansa-Brandenburg GW

are some of the earliest successful seaplanes.

Whoa, fun factoid, but, uh, how did we get

from those small seaplanes to the sleek, modern seaplanes?

That's a very good question Vroomer.

World War two also saw the need for improved seaplanes

but the end of the war saw a rapid decline in their use.

They lost the water advantage

due to the increased availability of land airports.

The Canadian Viking Twin Otter 400S,

is one of the world's best seaplanes.

It is designed for the commercial sector for short

to medium length flights.

The Viking 400S has a 20 passenger carrying capacity

and is a big development in the seaplane community.

Woohoo.

What advantage do aircraft have over seaplanes Willie?

Because the flotation structures offer greater resistance

to the air than wheel type landing gear,

seaplanes were, until recently, less efficient

and slower for any given horsepower requirement

than land based aircraft.

However, developments in small and retractable

flotation structures have eliminated that inefficiency

and have made supersonic jet powered seaplanes possible.

Whoa, really, impressive.

What are the other modern seaplanes Willie?

Excellent question Vroomer.

The SeaMax M-22, which can be powered

using premium auto fuel, is a modern seaplane

with awesome features.

The Cessna 206 on Wipline 3450 floats

is another awesome sleek seaplane.

What seaplanes are great for family trips Willy?

Very good question Vroomer.

The Seawind 300c's cabin can fit two adults

and three children, it has a panoramic view,

which is an awesome feature for those wishing

to take in the sights.

It is also fast, with a cruising speed of 190 miles per hour

making it a great choice for family trips.

What other countries build modern seaplanes?

The Chinese Jiaolong AG600 also called,

the World's Largest Flying Boat, is currently

the largest seaplane in the world, the French startup

Lisa Airplanes also have the Akoya,

which is more than just a seaplane as it can operate

on land, water and snow.

Whoa, which is currently the best seaplane?

The ICON A5 amphibious light-sport aircraft

debuted in 2014 and is a next generation seaplane.

It's really light, with foldable wings for easy towing

behind your car, like a boat, and it can run

on aviation fuel or regular gasoline

available at any gas station.

Whoa, turbo toots.

That's incredible.

The largest seaplane ever built is the Hughes H-4 Hercules

and it was mainly constructed with plywood.

The Hughes H-4 Hercules had a wingspan of 332 feet

and a cruise speed of 250 miles per hour.

It's actually disputed whether it flew once or never.

What?

I guess they can't get the facts right.

The Saunders-Roe SR.A/1 is the first

jet seaplane ever built, it had a maximum speed of 445

miles per hour.

Only three were built and two of those were lost

to testing accidents.

Stormy skies.

The fastest jet seaplane ever built

is the Convair F2Y Sea Dart, with a top speed

of 825 miles per hour.

It's also the world's only supersonic seaplane.

I have a question.

What seaplane completed the first 'round the world flight?

And who was the pilot?

In December 1990, pilot Tom Casey completed

the first 'round the world flight in a seaplane

with only water landings, using a Cessna 206,

named Liberty 2.

Hey Gumdrop, I think we just found the answer

to Commander Airhead's Who Flew question.

You are right Vroomer.

The Cessna 206, named Liberty 2,

holds the record for first 'round the world flight

on a seaplane.

Ah, congratulations on finding the answer

to this mission's Who Flew question winged scouts.

Commander Airhead will be proud of you, no pistons about it.

Fantastic work winged scouts.

Your mission was a great success.

You two scouts are impressive beyond words.

Yeah, you know us.

Say, were you able to find the answer to this mission's

Who Flew question?

Yes Commander Airhead we sure did.

A Cessna 206 holds the record for first

'round the world flight on a seaplane.

In December 1990, Pilot Tom Casey set the record

for first 'round the world flight in a seaplane,

with only water landings using a Cessna 206 named Liberty 2

That's great, good job winged scouts.

What's our next mission Commander Airhead?

Your next mission is going to be your most incredible yet.

We want you to learn about hot air balloons.

Hot air balloons, wow, how cool.

For all the bumpy flights, can't wait to get started.

Yay.

Winged scouts ready to fly Commander Airhead.

Winged scouts.

Hurray.

Hey Gumdrop, this one will be right over your cloud,

you're totally full of hot air.

Oh very funny wise guy.

Today's mission is to discover all about

the most fascinating machine of all.

Flying machines.

Flying machines.

Yes, you will travel all over the world,

across time, space, and beyond.

You must keep your little metal noses pointed ahead

your motors humming and your wings perked at all times.

We depend on you to do the best job possible.

Are you ready for your assignment?

Wow my little wings are fluttering with thrills.

My little motor is vrooming with excitement.

Plane scouts ready for our mission Commander Airhead.

This is sure to be a challenging mission little ones.

Fluffy white clouds I love challenging missions.

Brilliant blue skies, me too.

I am sending you two on a mission

to learn about hot air balloons.

Hot air balloons wow cool.

Can't wait.

It's up to you to learn all about it

and report back to me with what you've discovered.

Flying fuselages.

This is going to be a totally fun adventure.

What can you tell us

about the hot air balloons Commander Airhead?

The first dream of flight began with the early use

of unmanned hot air balloons in China,

during the three kingdoms era from 220 to 280 A.D.,

these unmanned balloons were used as airborne lanterns

for military signaling.

These lanterns are known as Kongming lanterns.

Wow, I can't wait to find out more.

Hot air balloons sounds absolutely amazing.

As you know Vroomer and Gumdrop,

to deliver what we need here, you must find out

and learn tons of amazing facts about hot air balloons

which are also a flying mode of transportation.

They're our cousins in the air.

Yes Commander Airhead.

Balloon cousins?

Fun.

Excellent, you must also know there is a question

that all the brightest flying minds all over the world skies

have not been able to answer about hot air balloons.

We need you two winged scouts to help us answer

the Who Flew question about hot air balloons.

Who Flew question, love it.

What is the question Commander Airhead?

Who completed the first 'round the world flight

in a hot air balloon and in what year?

That's a great question Commander Airhead.

We'll have the answer in a gust of wind I'm sure.

I will assign you

the best winged scout helper in the world.

His name is Willie Widget, he's a robotic encyclopedia

of aircraft knowledge

and he will assist you one your mission.

Willie, Willie, he's our bot of bots.

Bring out Willie.

Be sure to ask a lot of questions winged scouts,

Willie's big brain downloads are the fastest

and best information shots around.

Just try him.

Yay, winged scouts ready to fly Commander Airhead.

Winged scouts.

Hurray.

Winged scouts, ready to get started

on your next adventure?

Yes super ready.

Totally ready.

Remember winged scouts, any and all questions you have

I'm here to answer them.

Where do we begin?

The history of ballooning, both with hot air and gas,

spans many centuries.

It has been demonstrated that manned hot air balloons

can be built using ancient materials.

Before the 18th century, the mongolian army

studied Kongming lanterns from China and used them

in the battle of Legnica

during the mongol invasion of Poland.

This is the first time ballooning was known

in the western world.

Right.

To trace the beginning of when man

had the first dream of flight, we need to go back

all the way to the 17th and 18th centuries.

Let's take a tour around the world and visit

some of the early fathers of flying.

Yeah.

Here we are scouts.

On September 19th 1783 in Annonay, Ardeche, France,

two brothers, Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Etienne Montgolfier

built a hot air balloon and publicly demonstrated

an unmanned flight which lasted for about 10 minutes.

After experimenting with unmanned balloons

the first balloon flight with humans aboard,

a tethered flight, performed in 1783,

by Jean-Francois Pilatre de Rozier

who made at least one tethered flight from the yard

of the Reveillon workshop in the Faubourg Saint-Antoine.

Later that same day,

Pilatre de Rozier became the second human

to ascend into the air,

reaching an altitude of 85 feet, the length of the tether.

What's an unmanned flight Willie?

Unmanned flight refers to flying objects

of any kind with no human pilot or passenger,

that is either uncontrolled or remotely controlled.

Incredible.

Hit my plane brain

with more balloon factoids, Willie Widget.

In 1785, French balloonist Jean-Pierre Blanchard

and his American co-pilot John Jeffreys

became the first people to fly across the english channel.

In these early days of ballooning, the english channel

was considered the first step to long-distance ballooning.

So this was a large benchmark in ballooning history.

Unfortunately this same year, Pilatre de Rozier

was killed in his attempt at crossing the channel.

His balloon exploded half an hour after takeoff.

Due to the experimental design of using a hydrogen balloon

and hot air balloon tied together.

Blasting engines, that's too bad.

The word pilot is derived from Pilatre,

named after Pilatre de Rozier, the first person

to command an areal vehicle.

Very interesting.

What else Willie?

On January 7th, 1793, Jean-Pierre Blanchard

set another record and became the first person

to fly a hot air balloon in North America.

George Washington was present to see the balloon launch.

Whoa, fun factoid.

But how did we get from those really slow baskets

to modern hot air balloons with engines?

That's a very good question Vroomer.

Over one hundred years later in August of 1932,

a Swiss scientist named Auguste Piccard

became the first to achieve

a manned flight to the stratosphere.

He reached a height of 52,498 feet,

setting the new altitude record.

Over the next couple of years, altitude records continued

to be set and broken every couple of months.

The race was on to see who would reach the highest point.

This was the turning point in hot air ballooning.

Woohoo.

So who is the father

of modern hot air ballooning Willie Widget?

Ed Yost is credited with developing the modern,

propane burning hot air balloon.

His development work was conducted under

a US military contract, in October 1955,

Ed flew his first prototype

of a kerosene powered tethered balloon.

This balloon, which was made up of plastic film

had several problems which he worked on until October,

when he made his first free flight

in a propane powered hot air balloon from Bruning, Nebraska.

This first flight is reported to have lasted

for one hour and 35 minutes.

Ed continued to refine his design, and in 1963,

made the first crossing

of the english channel in a hot air balloon.

Whoa, very daring.

Who won the Atlantic challenge Willie?

Excellent question Vroomer.

In 1978, the Double Eagle 2 became the first balloon

to cross the atlantic, another major benchmark

in the history of ballooning.

After many unsuccessful attempts,

the expensive ocean was finally crossed

by a helium filled model, carrying three passengers.

Ben Abruzzo, Maxie Anderson and Larry Newman.

They set a new flight duration time of 137 hours.

That's nearly six days.

Who won the pacific challenge Willie?

Very good question Vroomer,

I see you are paying attention.

The first pacific crossing was achieved in 1981.

The Double Eagle 5, launched from Japan on November 10th

and landed 84 hours later

in Mendocino National Forest, California.

The four pilots set a new distance record of 5,678 miles.

In 1984, captain Jo Kittinger flew 3,535 miles

on the first solo transatlantic balloon fight,

setting yet another record.

Who holds the record for highest solo flight

in a hot air balloon?

In 1988, Per Lindstrand set the record

for highest solo flight ever recorded in a hot air balloon.

65,000 feet.

Whoa, how does the hot air balloon work?

The basis of how the balloon works is that

warmer air rises in cooler air.

This is because hot air is lighter than cool air

as it has less mass per unit of volume.

Mass can be defined by the measure of how much matter

something contains, the actual balloon has to be

so large because it takes such a large amount of heated air

to lift it off the ground.

For example, to lift 1,000 pounds worth of weight,

you would need almost 65,000 cubic feet of heating air.

To help keep the balloon in the air and rising,

hot air needs to be prepare upwards into the envelope

using the burner.

Whoa.

Tooting turbines, that's incredible.

A hot air balloon is made up of three main parts.

The envelope, which is the actual fabric balloon

which holds the air, the burner, which is the unit

which propels the heat up inside the envelope,

and the basket, which is where the passengers

and pilots stand during the flight.

Weehee.

The burner of a hot air balloon uses propane gas

to heat up the air in the envelope, moving the balloon

off the ground and into the air, the pilot must keep

firing the burner at regular intervals throughout the flight

to ensure that the balloon remains stable.

Naturally, the hot air will not escape from the hole

at the very bottom of the envelope, as, firstly,

hot air rises and secondly, the buoyancy keeps it moving up.

Cool skies.

In 1784, Miss Thible was the first woman

to ever fly in a hot air balloon.

Who completed the first 'round the world flight

in a hot air balloon and in what year?

Bertrand Picard and Brian Jones set the world record

for the first around the world flight in a hot air balloon

in 1999, starting from Switzerland and landing in Africa,

they also set new distance records, flying for 19 days,

21 hours and 55 minutes.

Hey Gumdrop, I think we just found out

the answer to Commander Airhead's Who Flew question.

You are right Vroomer, Bertrand Picard

and Brian Jones hold the world record

for the first around the world flight in a hot air balloon.

Congratulations on finding the answer

to this mission's Who Flew question winged scouts,

Commander Airhead will be proud of you.

No pistons about it.

Fantastic work winged scouts.

Your mission was a great success.

You've both far exceeded my expectations

with these missions, genius lads.

awesome.

Say, were you able to find the answer

to this mission's Who Flew question?

Yes Commander Airhead, we sure did.

Bertrand Picard and Brian Jones

hold the world record for the first

around the world flight in a hot air balloon.

Bertrand Picard and Brian Jones set the world record

for the first around the world flight

in a hot air balloon in 1999, starting from Switzerland

and landing in Africa, they also set new distance records

flying for 19 days, 21 hours and 55 minutes.

That's great, good job winged scouts.

What's our next mission Commander Airhead?

Your next mission is going to be your most incredible yet

we want you to learn about helicopters.

Helicopters, wow, cool.

For all the bumpy flights, can't wait to get started.

Yay, winged scouts ready to fly Commander Airhead.

Winged scouts.

Hurray.

I knew a helicopter once, he was kind of flighty.

Flighty he said.

Oh my goodness.

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