Percy Pilcher's Flying Machine

Could an unknown Englishman have been the first person ever to fly? To mark the hundredth anniversary of the Wright brothers inaugural flight, Horizon tells the remarkable story of Percy Pilcher. He could have been the most famous aviator of them all. Four years before the Wright brothers, he had constructed his own aeroplane. But on the day it was due to take off for the very first time, something so terrible happened that he was denied the chance of ever flying it. So Horizon has rebuilt his long lost flying machine to see if Percy Pilcher, the British amateur, could have claimed the glory and been the first person ever to fly. This film mixes dramatic reconstruction with fabulous contemporary scenes and gripping science. With a specially assembled team of historians, aviation experts and our own test pilot, Horizon painstakingly rebuilds Pilcher's flying machine and puts it to the test. The results will leave you cheering.

Other episodes for this season

The Mystery Of Easter Island
Episode 1 - The Mystery Of Easter Isl...
Living Nightmare
Episode 2 - Living Nightmare
Averting Armageddon
Episode 3 - Averting Armageddon
Dirty Bomb
Episode 4 - Dirty Bomb
Sexual Chemistry (Update)
Episode 5 - Sexual Chemistry (Update)
The Day We Learned To Think
Episode 6 - The Day We Learned To Thi...
Trial and Error
Episode 7 - Trial and Error
Earthquake Storms
Episode 8 - Earthquake Storms
Life On Mars (Update)
Episode 9 - Life On Mars (Update)
The Secret Life Of Caves
Episode 10 - The Secret Life Of Caves
God On The Brain
Episode 11 - God On The Brain
Flight 587
Episode 12 - Flight 587
SARS: The True Story
Episode 13 - SARS: The True Story
The Big Chill
Episode 14 - The Big Chill
The Bible Code
Episode 15 - The Bible Code
Last Flight of the Columbia
Episode 16 - Last Flight of the Columb...
The Hunt for an AIDS Vaccine
Episode 17 - The Hunt for an AIDS Vacc...
Percy Pilcher's Flying Machine
Episode 18 - Percy Pilcher's Flying Machine
Time Trip
Episode 19 - Time Trip