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.
| Title | Horizon - Season 40 Episode 18 : Percy Pilcher's Flying Machine |
|---|---|
| Alternative Titles | BBC Horizon |
| Subtitle Available |
 ETC.
|
| First Air Date | 1964-02-04 |
| Last Air Date | 2024-07-22 |
| Number of Episodes | 1169 |
| Number of Seasons | 60 |
| Genres | Documentary, |
| Networks | BBC Two, |
| Casts | |
| Plot Keywords | , |
Episodes List
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Horizon Season 40 :Episode 1 The Mystery Of Easter Island The Mystery Of Easter Island
2003-01-09Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before.
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Horizon Season 40 :Episode 2 Living Nightmare Living Nightmare
2003-01-16Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before.
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Horizon Season 40 :Episode 3 Averting Armageddon Averting Armageddon
2003-01-23Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before.
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Horizon Season 40 :Episode 4 Dirty Bomb Dirty Bomb
2003-01-30Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before.
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Horizon Season 40 :Episode 5 Sexual Chemistry (Update) Sexual Chemistry (Update)
2003-02-13Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before.
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Horizon Season 40 :Episode 6 The Day We Learned To Think The Day We Learned To Think
2003-02-20Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before.
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Horizon Season 40 :Episode 7 Trial and Error Trial and Error
2003-02-27Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before.
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Horizon Season 40 :Episode 8 Earthquake Storms Earthquake Storms
2003-03-06Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before.
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Horizon Season 40 :Episode 9 Life On Mars (Update) Life On Mars (Update)
2003-03-27Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before.
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Horizon Season 40 :Episode 10 The Secret Life Of Caves The Secret Life Of Caves
2003-04-03Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before.
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Horizon Season 40 :Episode 11 God On The Brain God On The Brain
2003-04-17Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before.
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Horizon Season 40 :Episode 12 Flight 587 Flight 587
2003-05-08Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before.
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Horizon Season 40 :Episode 13 SARS: The True Story SARS: The True Story
2003-05-29Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before.
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Horizon Season 40 :Episode 14 The Big Chill The Big Chill
2003-11-13Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before.
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Horizon Season 40 :Episode 15 The Bible Code The Bible Code
2003-11-20Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before.
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Horizon Season 40 :Episode 16 Last Flight of the Columbia Last Flight of the Columbia
2003-11-27Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before.
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Horizon Season 40 :Episode 17 The Hunt for an AIDS Vaccine The Hunt for an AIDS Vaccine
2003-12-04Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before.
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Horizon Season 40 :Episode 18 Percy Pilcher's Flying Machine Percy Pilcher's Flying Machine
2003-12-11Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before.
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Horizon Season 40 :Episode 19 Time Trip Time Trip
2003-12-18Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before.
