OPERATION JETLINER

[Music] [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Man down through the ages has envied the flight of birds bound to the Earth. He has watched with wonder and longing their swift and graceful motions in the air. Among the legends of ancient Greece is the tale of Icaris, who used a pair of wax wings to escape from an island. Flying too high, the sun melted his wings and he was lost. This was one of man's early dreams of flight. In the 15th century, Leonardo da Vinci, artist, engineer, and genius of boundless imagination, studied the flight of birds and developed a sound theory of aerodynamics. From this, he drew plans for wings that would, he believed, enable man to fly. Only a few years after the American Revolution, men were already floating above the earth in balloons. Balloons rise when filled with hot air or gases, making them lighter than the cold air through which they rise. But ballooning was not flying. The floating balloon was at the mercy of the winds and drifted where it was blown. Then on December 17th, 193, the Wright brothers flew the first heavier than air machine at Kittyhawk, North Carolina for a distance of only 120 ft. 5 years later they flew this improved airplane for more than 2 hours. In 199 Louis Blio flew across the English Channel from France to England. Man had at last truly learned to fly. The airplane developed rapidly. Changes in design, engine power, and size took place so quickly that within 25 years after the first flight of the Wright brothers, airliners were in regular service between American cities. Until just before the end of the Second World War, all airplanes were powered with propellers driven by piston engines, differing only in their design from engines used in automobiles. Just as a drill cuts through wood, so the propeller drills its way through the air, pulling the airplane after it, the big airliners of today are propelled by jet engines using kerosene for fuel. Because of their enormous power, they can lift much greater loads and fly faster and farther without refueling than can airplanes using gasoline engines and propellers. A jet engine works like this. Air is sucked into the front of the engine and is then compressed by swiftly revolving blades that force it at high pressure into the burner section of the engine. Here fuel is sprayed into the compressed air which is then ignited by a spark creating hot gases which are forced out through the rear of the engine. As this gas hurls itself against the outer air, it causes a thrust which drives the airplane forward. Much as air escaping under pressure from inside a toy balloon forces the balloon forward. To fly, a bird must flap its wings. The airplane's wings remain stationary, but the principle of lift remains the same. This is why birds can often soar for long periods in the air without moving their wings. This cross-section of a wing shows how air flowing over the upper surface of the wing lifts the plane into flight. 70% of the lifting power is above the wing. Air flowing beneath the wing surface accounts for only 30% of the total lift. This is one of the laws of aerodynamics studied by Leonardo da Vinci centuries ago and is responsible for the design of all airplane wings today. As the airplane rushes forward, the air flowing over and beneath the wing surfaces lifts it from the ground. The speed and distance necessary to lift the plane into the air depend upon its size, weight, design, and the power of its engines. Just as a ship travels through and on water, an airplane travels through and on a gas that we call air. An airplane is steered by means of its tail surfaces. This section is called the vertical stabilizer. And the part near the back of it is called the rudder. This is the horizontal stabilizer. And the movable section at each edge is known as an elevator. When the rudder is turned, the pressure of air against it forces the tail of the plane to one side or the other, changing its direction. [Music] Raising the elevator causes the air to force the tail downward and the plane climbs. Lowering the elevator makes the plane's nose point downward. The ailerons at the tips of the wings are used to tilt the wings when making a turn. [Music] This is one of the largest of modern jetliners called a DC8. More than 150 ft long, it is 30 feet longer than the total distance flown by the Wright brothers in 193. With a wingspan of over 142 feet, it has four huge jet engines, each of which delivers more than 15,000 lb of thrust, enough power to move a heavy freight train. With a full load of 120 passengers, crew, fuel, baggage, and mail, this plane weighs 240,000 lbs or 120 tons. It flies at speeds up to 600 m an hour at altitudes up to 40,000 ft above sea level and can easily fly from California to New York without landing to refuel. The smooth operation of a passenger airline requires modern airport facilities and equipment, plus skilled and experienced personnel working with clock-like precision. As air travel has become an important factor in our economic life, the rapid servicing of planes and efficient movement of passengers is essential. When an arriving airplane stops in an exact position under the direction of a member of the ground crew, these devices known as jetways move out to the doors of the plane. The jetway provides safety and convenience for the passengers who now enter the terminal without walking across exposed areas. While the air travelers are leaving the plane, especially designed preloaded containers filled with luggage are lowered onto trucks which will speed the containers to the terminal where the passengers claim their baggage. During this same time, mail and parcel post are unloaded from another door in the plane. While the plane is being unloaded, refueled, and reloaded, an air conditioning unit keeps the inside of the plane at the proper temperature for the comfort of the passengers. At most modern airports, the big jet liners are refueled from pipelines laid under the ground. This special truck pumps the fuel into the plane's tanks after passing it through a filtering unit. Hot and cold food containers with the required number of servings for a particular flight are lifted by trucks with elevator bodies to the height of the plane's doors. Crewmen then put the containers aboard into special compartments. After all checking and servicing of the jetliner have been completed, one of the crew called the flight engineer makes a thorough inspection to be certain that nothing has been overlooked. [Music] Within a maximum of 6,000 flying hours, airliners of this type go into the maintenance shops for a complete overhaul. In large modern hangers, experienced specialists go over every part of the jetliner. Everything that will make the airplane like new is done here, including repainting and refernishing the interior. These jet engines are taken to the shop and rebuilt after 4,400 hours of flying time. After overhaul, they are run on a block and carefully tested before being remounted on the plane for further service. The huge tires, which support the enormous weight of the jetliner on the ground, must be changed after about 80 landings. United Airlines has announced their flight 22 non-stop from San Francisco to New York. Takeoff time is 9:15 a.m. Let's telephone for a flight reserv. The nerve center of every airport is the control tower which is operated under the direction of the Federal Aviation Agency. Before taking off or landing, all airplanes must receive clearance from the tower. Here the staff is in touch at all times by radio and when visibility is poor also by radar with approaching aircraft. The pilot has just received clearance for flight 22's departure. He will check with the tower again for permission to take off when he has taxied to the end of the field. As airplanes must take off into the wind. The pilot will taxi about a mile to the far end of the field where he will turn the plane around for the run down the paved landing strip. [Music] With permission to take off, the jetliner moves forward with its great engines roaring, then rushes down the runway under full power until it reaches a speed of about 160 mph, at which point it becomes airborne. During the initial climb, full power is maintained and the wheels are retracted. As the plane gains altitude, the passengers relax and some accept magazines to read during the flight ahead. The jetliner climbs swiftly, rising above tufts of cloud, seemingly alone in an empty sky. But although the passengers probably will not see them, other planes are flying their plotted courses coming toward San Francisco or flying eastward to Kansas City, St. Louis, Chicago, or New York. In what seems a very short time, the snow-covered peaks of the Rocky Mountains of Colorado appear below. A 100 years ago, covered wagons spent weeks toiling through the difficult mountain passes. Today's swift planes pass above them in comfort and safety in a matter of minutes. [Music] For those who want to rest, there are pillows and blankets for added comfort. In 2 hours from San Francisco, the jetliner is far above the middle of the United States. At 30,000 ft, it's difficult to see the Earth through the haze, but here and there can be seen patches of land. America's Midwest. [Music] More clouds like drifting cotton surround the plane. Now flying at 540 mph, 9 m each minute. It's lunchtime, a pleasant break from dozing or reading. Complete meals, including appetizers, salads, and desserts, are served by the efficient stewardises. These tasty dishes were prepared at the airlines flight kitchen and placed aboard in containers that keep the food hot or cold as required. The jetliner is flying much lower now as it approaches Kennedy International Airport on Long Island exactly on schedule. The pilot has received clearance for landing and with wing flaps down to help reduce speed, the plane approaches the runway. As soon as the jetliner touches the earth, its engines will be reversed and their power used as brakes. 4 hours and 55 minutes after leaving San Francisco, the jetliner lands near New York City. The plane and its passengers have traveled more than 2600 miles over land, rivers, and mountains through heat and cold from the Pacific to the Atlantic oceans. All in comfort and safety, a tribute to the imagination and inventiveness of man. [Music]