Filmed in Russia, the United States, Japan, China, Italy, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Great Britain and Sweden, Wings Over the World pulls together a series of mammoth proportions. Containing much previously unseen footage from around the world, each hour long documentary tells the story of 20th century flight as seen through the eyes of those who were boys at the time of the Wright brothers memorable first flight - boys who grew into the men who built world aviation. After a decade of producing nothing but war machines, Great Britain's aircraft industry built the first passenger jet airliner, the de Havilland Comet. Its momentous first flight in July 1949, however, brought only short-lived prominence. After many disasters the aircraft's airworthiness certificate was withdrawn. A wreck salvaged from the sea was subjected to incredible investigative work to find the cause of its failure. Airframes were modified and the Nimrod eventually emerged as another aircraft of great promise - but a promise only partly fulfilled. Embroiled in controversy, the AEW Nimrod variant was scrapped, but its Maritime variant is destined to live on into the next century.
Wings Over the World: Comet into the 21st Century is a 2007 documentary with a runtime of 49 minutes.
