Heroes of the Skies
tv show

6 total episodes
-
1 seasons
First Aired September 20, 2012
Genres:
Overview
Heroes Of The Skies is a new six-part documentary series, which airs on Channel 5 from Thursday 20th September at 8pm. Presented by Lord Ashcroft, Heroes Of The Skies is an ambitious, ground-breaking programme that tells the stories of some of the most heroic airborne combat missions from history. Using vintage aircraft such as Spitfires fighters and Lancaster bombers, aerial stunt teams and state-of-the-art camera technology, the series brings to life the exploits of the world's greatest military air heroes. The series features realistic mid-air combat sequences, revealing interviews with the last surviving veterans, rare archive footage and cutting-edge CGI to transport viewers back in time to experience the reality of air combat.
Robin Olds
Season 1 - Episode 5 - 1h 45m
Air Date
October 18, 2012
Overview
Michael Ashcroft profiles Brigadier General Robin Olds, the Second World War veteran who took command of the US Air Force's embattled 8th Tactical Fighter Wing in 1966. In July 1966, North Vietnam’s fleet of MiG-21s is hammering the US Air Force, and the embattled men of the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing need a hero to whip them into shape. Enter Colonel Robin Olds, a WWII veteran airman, who charges in and commands respect. With the help of his pilots, Olds masterminds Operation BOLO; a death-defying bait-and-switch tactic that he hopes will whip out the MiGs once and for all. Then on January 2, 1967, Olds and his men provoke a ferocious dogfight and attempt to change the course of the Vietnam War.