Episode 8 - Aircraft Carrier
Rise of the Machines uses stunning CGI animation to explode open the world’s biggest aircraft carrier – the USS Ronald Reagan – to reveal the extraordinary technology it employs defend the United States.
At the helm of this mighty warship, Captain Chris Bolt, has just 12 hours to qualify 40 navy pilots for carrier operations. As the ship’s nuclear-powered steam turbines power the supercarrier to top speed, her flight-deck crew risk life and limb to launch and land a constant stream of fighter jets. At critical moments, spectacular CGI will crack open the steel hull of the Aircraft Carrier and plunge us deep into its inner workings. Uncovering the engineering breakthroughs within this lethal leviathan reveals surprising stories of how the technology evolved, inspired by extraordinary lessons from nature and history.
What connects a spider’s web with a landing aircraft? How did a Leonardo da Vinci sketch inspire the carrier’s launch system? And how does a 19th century French lighthouse save pilot’s lives? As day turns to night, the landing operation becomes fraught with danger. The smallest mistake from pilot or crew could kill someone. Can Captain Bolt get all his aircraft safely back on board? Only one thing’s certain: it will all go down to the wire.