Birth of Flight: A History of Civil Aviation

This package actually presents just the first eight episodes of a 13-part Australian TV series, originally called "The Amazing World of Aviation: Past, Present & Future," dating from 2009. Each episode runs about 52 minutes, and for those with a reasonably sustained attention span, it offers plentiful film footage--not previously in widespread circulation--depicting all kinds of aircraft from 1903 through the 1960s.The series does not offer detailed reenactments of the prehistory of powered flight, as in the memorable 1936 movie "Conquest of the Air." Far more surprising, it almost completely skips over the role of aircraft in World War II (some of which can be seen in the series "Victory at Sea," also available cheaply from Mill Creek Entertainment). The viewer periodically wonders how the series' creators decided what to include; for instance, Wiley Post is mentioned as the first aviator to make a solo flight around the world, but I don't recall any mention of his tragic death.To be sure, the "Birth of Flight" videos do take us well beyond the BIRTH of flight. But given the excision of nearly 50 years of modern aviation history, the title has inevitably been amended to remove the "present" and "future" of the original series name.In general, the film clips are organized topically rather than in strict chronological sequence; they are at times slightly repetitive, at other times brisk enough that one has to listen carefully to keep the names and dates straight. Fluent narration is provided by Stuart Sykes, who has a Scottish accent but does a creditable job of pronouncing foreign names. Understandably, the visual quality of the film footage--some of it more than 100 years old--is uneven. The background score, played on a synthesizer, is just annoying enough that the occasional insertion of excerpts from newsreels and promotional films with vintage music comes as a relief.Perhaps the most exciting moments come in episode 2, as we view some of the long-ago daredevil stunts known as barnstorming (not "brainstorming" as indicated on the back of the package!). Episodes 6, 7, and 8 include an entertaining look at how advertisers and other media sold the public on the idea of commercial air travel, especially during the fifties and early sixties, along with glimpses of the primitive computer systems used for booking flight reservations. In between, the interest level is likely to wane a little, unless you're intrigued by statistics regarding wing structures, engine types, horsepowers, and kilometers per hour.In short, this is a cost-effective opportunity to watch the first eight installments of an unusually detailed documentary series. Real aviation buffs will wish they had acquired all 13 episodes. An audience of nonspecialists, however, might prefer a three- or four-hour reedit, incorporating a bit more focus on the role of airplanes in battle situations (and maybe in early Hollywood movies), along with some insights on more recent developments in air and space travel.

This product contains three discs with eight segments on various topics on commercial aviation from the birth of flight to the jet age.The series begins with the birth of flight and covers lighter-than-air craft in the form of the first balloons to dirigibles then moves to the Wright brothers' flights and highlights early pioneers in flying - both men and women - and their accomplishments. Obviously, Lindberg is profiled but the series also brings to light a series of famous and lesser known early aviators. Segments on early passenger airlines and seaplanes are particularly good. The series moves on to post-WWII civil aviation with the advent of jet aircraft such as the De Havilland Comet and the Boeing 707. There's a segment that focuses on airlines and even shows Aeroflot - the Soviet Union's airline known for "service with a scowl instead of service with a smile".The segments are not in cronological order and there is some overlap resulting in the viewer watching the same thing several times. The narrator is from the UK and, although he pronounces words from the European continent correctly, he mispronounces American names of people, places and aircraft sometimes. The DVDs often use period promotional films in their entirety showing mundane matter such as the first "computerized" booking system (with punch cards), improvements in baggage handling systems or the British woman who was an airline employee and also a world record holder in bicycling. Really, a lot of the footage in the series seemed very much like "filler" and - quite literally - put me to sleep on several occasions. Really, I didn't want to see the evolution of steward and stewardess uniforms from the 1930's to the 1960's.To be sure, there's a lot of good viewing on the 3-disc, 8-segment series. Unfortunately, there's a lot of boring filler to sit through in between. This is a so-so product and gets three stars.

This seemed an excellent value for the price for my aviation-loving grandfather. It focuses on civil and commercial aviation, but not much about military planes. There are 8 episodes about aviation, each covering a different time frame/chapter over the course of the last 200 years. The episodes are broken up into manageable chunks so you don't have to find a stopping point midway through a chapter. It has about seven hours of footage and was well-packaged with an interesting cover and back. I would purchase it again for other aviation-buffs. I purchased it for a present and it came very quickly and was packaged in clear plastic cellophane. The actual case was new without worn corners or wrinkled paper. As far as the actual DVD, My grandfather was very impressed with the footage and appreciated the fact it went back many years and covered the early history of aviation, along with later marvels and technology. The footage quality was understandably difficult in places due to the fact the footage was over 100 years old, however it appears to have at least been partially restored so it was easy to watch. There was also quite a bit of footage that he hadn't seen before, and he's watched many aviation videos. He is anxious to share it with other relatives with whom he flies.

Overall this is very interesting. However, as the series progresses it begins to repeat itself quite regularly. There is not a lot about modern aviation here, and what there is tends to be unnecessarily mixed in with historical clips shown many times before. The commentary is clear with a slight Scottish burr, and at the price this is certainly good value.

Title : The Birth of Flight - A History of Civil Aviation. A better title would be - A HISTORY OF COMMERCIAL AVIATION. The near 7-hour 3-disk box contains interesting clips of early aviation and post WW2 development of world airlines, airliners and airports. Nothing though is mentioned on the growth of private flying and of business aircraft. Good commentary and incidental music. The only inaccuracy noticed was when talking about the Vickers Viscount pictures of the Bristol Britannia and Vickers Vanguard are shown.

Yes. Excellent footage. Love it. There was footage that I had not seen in others DVD that I owe concerning this subject.

Bought for an aviation nerd who loves all things planes! I liked the look and he liked flipping though it and checking out stuff!

Factual and well put together. a good addition to my collection of aviation documentaries.