Chasing the Sun (2001– )

The history and romance of 20th-century commercial passenger aviation.

Stars:

Ken Howard, Rene Auberjonois, Neil Ross

Cast

Series cast summary:
Ken Howard	...	Narrator (4 episodes, 2001)
Rene Auberjonois		(4 episodes, 2001)
Neil Ross		(4 episodes, 2001)
Dan Woren		(3 episodes, 2001)
Wally Burr		(2 episodes, 2001)
John Erwin		(2 episodes, 2001)
Nicholas Guest		(2 episodes, 2001)
Vanessa Marshall		(2 episodes, 2001)
Michael McConnohie		(2 episodes, 2001)
Jean-Paul Vignon		(2 episodes, 2001)
Greg Allen Johnson		(2 episodes, 2001)
Danny McMaster		(2 episodes, 2001)
Marion Ross		(2 episodes, 2001)
Dave Walsh		(2 episodes, 2001)

Storyline

This 4-part documentary mini-series traces the development of commercial passenger aviation in the 20th century, from the Wright Brothers to the Concorde and beyond. In episode 1, "Heroes and Daredevils" rule the skies after the Wrights invent the first controllable powered airplane. Air travel is expensive, dangerous, and slow. Air mail becomes the big money-maker for the fledgling airlines after World War I. Passengers are not a priority--if there is room, they sit among the bags of mail. The public's interest in air travel is piqued by the adventures of Charles Lindbergh and the writings of his wife, Anne Morrow Lindbergh, perhaps the most well-known airplane passenger. In episode 2, "The Visionaries" develop new aircraft and build the infrastructure for worldwide air travel. Designers and engineers such as Donald Douglas, the Lockheed brothers, Jack Northrop, and William Boeing construct larger, faster, and safer airplanes, while airline executives such as Juan Trippe of Pan ...

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Plot Keywords:

airline | travel | jet | airplane | aviation | 

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Genres:

Documentary

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Details

Official Sites:

PBS

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 July 2001 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

KCET

Technical Specs

Runtime:

224 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Features Hell's Angels (1930)

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