Supersonic aircraft took a giant leap forward when the French and British governments signed a treaty to join forces on designing Concorde on 29th November, 1962. Up until this point, the two countries had been developing their aircraft separately - which had already cost the United Kingdom £150 million.
Technologically superior and far more luxurious than a ... Show More
Yesterday
Desert Island Discs' First Castaway
The BBC broadcast the first ever edition of Roy Plomley’s ‘Desert Island Discs’ - the world’s longest-running interview programme - on 29th January, 1942. Opening, as the show still does, with Eric Coates’s theme music ‘By the Sleepy Lagoon’, the episode welcomed comedian Vic Oli ... Show More
13m 54s
Jan 28
Lego Shifts To Plastic
Stud-and-tube bricks, which paved the way for Lego to become one of the most successful companies in Denmark, were patented on 28th January, 1958. But this family business had already been in existence for 26 years, mostly making wooden toys. It later emerged, however, that the p ... Show More
11m 23s
May 2023
747 Boeing 747, the Queen of the Skies
This episode focuses on the “Queen of the Skies,” the Boeing 747. The last Boeing 747. Photo by @Jetcitystar. Boeing 747 We look at the history of the Boeing 747, some facts and figures, our memories of the plane, the 747 in the news, and we discuss a few of the accidents and inc ... Show More
1h 26m
Jan 2020
Boeing vs Airbus - Get Your Wings | 1
<p>It’s the 1950s, the dawn of the jet age. And leading the world into this era of faster, less shaky flights is the British-made De Havilland Comet.</p><p>But when disaster strikes, a hungry American military plane maker called Boeing spots a golden opportunity to break into the ... Show More
23m 42s
Oct 2023
770 Boarding the Airplane
The airline boarding process, Leap-1A engine compressor stalls, the $19 billion Kennedy Airport transformation project, SpaceX Starlink Internet connectivity on planes, an update on the oldest skydiver, another Australia Desk report, and great listener mail. Boarding a United Air ... Show More
1h 24m
Nov 2022
Climate tech to save the planet: How to keep flying
<p>As more people fly, aviation is on track to becoming a much bigger problem for climate change. Host Pilita Clark, FT columnist and climate journalist, looks at the potential for a more sustainable aviation industry, a sector that’s struggled to come up with new technology to c ... Show More
24m 30s