Great Planes

Magna Home

R4 DVD Collection

Many years ago this series came out on videotapes. My tapes are worn out now to the point that they are unusable, so it is good to see Magna Pacific has re-released the full series on DVD in a 25-disk set. Each plane in the series is covered in great detail using such footage as is still available. In the case of the World War II aircraft that footage is usually of poor quality, but it’s all there is. The WW2 planes have a lot of gun camera film that is quite spectacular and gives you a good idea of the high speed of a dogfight. The narration is well informed and researched making each film a comprehensive reference for the plane concerned.

The planes have been carefully chosen based on how much footage is available and what the plane’s impact on aviation was at the time. This gives us a really strange but important collection of aircraft. You may not agree with the choice of planes but the reason for including them is often only revealed during the film. As an example, the U.S. Navy has always preferred its own aircraft designed to fit their specs for extended over-the-water work, rather than take an off-the-shelf aircraft and try to fit it on a carrier. They prefer aircraft that can be folded up to fit more onto the hangar deck, twin engines for greater reliability, and sufficient speed and armament to mix it with the best land-based fighters. Many aircraft simply didn’t fit the bill, but every now and then one came along that did a superb job by Navy standards. Such aircraft include the F-4/F of WW2 and the later Tomcat.

Even the mundane aircraft that never did anything spectacular are included. What documentary set would be complete without Douglas’ DC3 / C-47 (the Dakota was the military term)? This aircraft was slow and unarmed but it could carry almost anything from supplies to paratroops and although rarely noticed it was always there in the background plodding away. It was even used as a glider tug for the Normandy invasion, a tribute to its versatility and strength. In Vietnam in a final moment of glory the plane was loaded with machine guns and ammunition and used to “hose down” areas of jungle where the enemy might be hiding. The soldiers and airmen nicknamed these gunship models “Puff the Magic Dragon”. Truly a Great Plane.

Most of the warbird glory goes to the more glamorous fighters and bombers. Aviation took a tremendous leap forward in World War II and these aircraft showed it – metal skins, four engines, trans-Atlantic flight ability, and for the bombers a level of armament that even a pre-war fighter couldn’t match. Above all they were reliable, essential if you were crossing the Atlantic or carrying bombs from Britain to Europe. Perhaps the ultimate in heavy bombers was Boeing’s B29, used to drop the first atomic bombs. Fighter development was close behind as the big bombers needed to be escorted across Europe. There are many worthy fighters in the series – the P-51 Mustang, the Thunderbolt and the P-38 Lockheed Lightning for instance.

After the War aviation regrouped and prepared for a new innovation that came out of Germany during the War – the jet engine. Every country tried to build its own aircraft with varying degrees of success, but it was only the military who could afford them. Early jet fighters looked similar since they came from the same source – Messerschmitt’s designs captured after the war. So did the later swing-wing aircraft.

Pre-War Atlantic passenger crossings were restricted to the huge flying boats like Boeing’s Clipper. During the War seaplanes also developed. Perhaps the greatest one was the PBY Catalina. As the early jet engines became more reliable and less thirsty passenger jets became feasible. Boeing used its expertise in heavy bombers to produce the classic 707, one of the most widely used jet passenger aircraft in the world and another truly Great Plane. They followed it with the huge and equally successful 747. They did not forget their military support, however, and came up with the great B52 bomber, still in use today.

Another greatly underappreciated modern aircraft is Lockheed’s C-130 Hercules. This is another truly Great Plane with its ability to land on bad runways, carry huge amounts of freight and generally do what the old C47 did. It is being phased out of service now after 35 years of manufacture so the DVD reissue is timely.

There are so many aircraft in the series that covering them all will take up too much space, but the list shows the range of aircraft –

C-47 Dakota, C-130 Hercules, Consolidated Catalina PBY, Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, North American XB-70 Valkyrie, Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, Consolidated B-24 Liberator, Douglas A-26 Invader, Boeing B-29 Superfortress, Convair B-26 Peacemaker (the Flying Wing), Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, Martin B-57 Canberra, Rockwell B-1B Lancer bomber, Lockheed P-38 Lightning, North American P-51 Mustang, Chance Vought F-4U Corsair, Grumman F-4/F Wildcat and F-6/F Hellcat, Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, Republic F-105 Thunderchief, McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom, General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark, Grumman F-14 Tomcat, McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle, General Dynamics F-16 Falcon, and McDonnell Douglas F-18 Hornet. There is something in there for every aircraft fan.

If I have a regret about the set it is that German World War II planes are not covered. I would like to have seen the Messerschmitt 262, the first production jet fighter, covered as well as the Ju87 Stuka that took dive bomber technology to its peak. I guess it’s all a matter of time and research. Meanwhile this set covers just about every aircraft of interest from World War II onwards.

Some items from the series have been republished on DVD as part of the Discovery Channel’s “Wings” set but as far as I know this is the first time the whole set has been presented. Guess what I will be asking for as a Christmas present.

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