Airborne

NARRATOR: YOU'VE JUST TAKEN OFF.

MAYBE YOU'RE GOING TO SEE FAMILY OR HEADING OFF ON A BUSINESS TRIP.

BUT THE GROUND'S NOW FAR BENEATH YOU, AND YOU'VE GOT THOUSANDS OF MILES AHEAD.

YOU'RE AIRBORNE.

TO US PASSENGERS, THIS IS THE MOST UNEVENTFUL PART OF ANY FLIGHT.

BUT BEHIND THE SCENES, THERE'S A HIDDEN ARMY KEEPING YOU UP IN THE AIR... BECAUSE TO GET YOU SAFELY TO YOUR DESTINATION, YOU NEED FAR MORE THAN JUST A BOARDING PASS.

IT TAKES AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS TO CLEAR YOUR ROUTE THROUGH THE SKY, DOCTORS TO KEEP YOU SAFE IN FLIGHT...

SO HE IS HAVING TROUBLE BREATHING, AND THE REPEAT PULSE IS 240.

IS THAT CORRECT?

OVER.

NARRATOR: CARGO HANDLERS TO COPE WITH EVERY IMAGINABLE TYPE OF AIR FREIGHT... [NEIGH] [THUNDER] NARRATOR: EXPERTS TO PROTECT YOUR PLANE.

SCHUSS.

[ELECTRICAL BUZZING] AND ALL THIS IS HAPPENING WHILE YOU'RE AT 30,000 FEET.

THIS IS THE CITY IN THE SKY, A CITY WHOSE POPULATION CONSISTS OF THE ONE MILLION PEOPLE AIRBORNE AT ANY TIME AND WHO ARE UP THERE RIGHT NOW, A FLYING CITY THAT STRADDLES NOT JUST COUNTRIES, BUT CONTINENTS.

IT'S BUILT OUT OF THE 100,000 FLIGHTS THAT CRISS-CROSS THE PLANET EVERY SINGLE DAY.

THIS CITY IS AN INCREDIBLE FEAT OF ENGINEERING, DEPENDENT UPON ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY AND GLOBAL NETWORKS, A HIDDEN WORLD RARELY GLIMPSED BY OUTSIDERS... UNTIL NOW.

WELCOME ABOARD.

NARRATOR: WE'VE BECOME SO USED TO JETTING AROUND THE GLOBE, WE TAKE FLIGHT COMPLETELY FOR GRANTED.

WITHOUT THE SLIGHTEST THOUGHT, YOU FIND YOURSELF IN THE SKY.

YOU GET SETTLED FOR THE LONG FLIGHT AHEAD.

THE HOURS ROLL ON BY, PUNCTUATED BY WELCOME DISTRACTIONS.

YOU MIGHT WATCH AN IN-FLIGHT MOVIE OR TRY TO GET SOME SLEEP AND HOPE THAT WHEN YOU WAKE UP, YOU'LL BE AT YOUR DESTINATION.

BUT HAVE YOU EVER CONSIDERED WHAT A MIRACLE IT IS THAT WHILE YOU'RE ENJOYING THAT NAP, YOU'RE CRUISING ALONG AT 30,000 FEET?

STAYING AIRBORNE IS ONE OF THE GREAT ACHIEVEMENTS OF MODERN ENGINEERING, AND IT ALL RELIES UPON A HANDFUL OF FUNDAMENTAL LAWS OF PHYSICS...

WHETHER YOU'RE A PASSENGER JET OR SOMETHING MUCH SMALLER.

THESE MAY LOOK LIKE ORDINARY MEN, BUT THEY'RE MORE THAN JUST THAT.

THEY'RE AIRCRAFT WITH WINGS LESS THAN 7 FEET ACROSS.

THEIR BODIES ACT LIKE AN AIRCRAFT'S FUSELAGE, AND JUST LIKE A LARGE PASSENGER PLANE, THEY'RE POWERED BY 4 JET ENGINES.

THEY CALL THEMSELVES THE JET-MEN, AND THE PRINCIPLES THEY USE TO STAY IN FLIGHT ARE EXACTLY THE SAME AS THOSE THAT KEEP US PASSENGERS UP THERE.

SO TO UNDERSTAND HOW ALL AIRCRAFT FLY, IT HELPS TO SEE HOW THE JET-MEN TAKE TO THE SKIES.

IT MIGHT NOT LOOK LIKE YOUR AVERAGE IN-FLIGHT EXPERIENCE.

THEY DON'T TAKE OFF FROM A RUNWAY.

THEY JUMP FROM A HELICOPTER.

BUT ONCE THEY'RE FLYING ON THEIR OWN, THERE'S A LOT MORE IN COMMON THAN YOU MIGHT THINK.

INITIALLY THEY PLUMMET TOWARDS THE GROUND WITH THEIR JET PACKS ON FULL THRUST TO PICK UP SPEED AND INCREASE AIR FLOW OVER THEIR WINGS...

THE SAME THING A PASSENGER PLANE MUST DO BEFORE IT CAN TAKE OFF.

AND JUST LIKE A PLANE, THE SHAPE OF THEIR WING CAUSES LOWER PRESSURE ON ITS TOP SURFACE THAN ON THE BOTTOM, CREATING A FORCE CALLED LIFT.

BUT THE KEY TO CONTROLLING THE FLIGHT OF ANY JET AIRCRAFT IS THE ANGLE OF THE WING.

WHEN THE JET-MEN ARCH THEIR BACKS, THEIR WINGS TILT UPWARDS, JUST ENOUGH THAT THE LIFT COUNTERACTS THE PULL OF GRAVITY.

THIS CREATES CONTROLLED, LEVEL FLIGHT.

WHERE AIRLINERS USE A RUDDER AND AILERONS TO STEER, THE JET-MEN USE THEIR HANDS AND BODIES.

BUT THE PRINCIPLE OF LIFT IS THE SAME.

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE MOTION OF AIR AND SPEED.

WHEN YOU'RE IN FLIGHT, AIR RUSHES UNDER AND OVER THE WINGS, KEEPING YOUR PLANE IN THE SKY, AND IT MIGHT NOT FEEL LIKE IT, BUT IN THOSE LONG HOURS CRUISING AT 30,000 FEET, YOU'RE MOVING AT OVER 500 MILES AN HOUR.

THAT'S SO FAST THAT IF YOUR PLANE WAS POINTED IN JUST SLIGHTLY THE WRONG DIRECTION, YOU'D END UP HUNDREDS OF MILES OFF COURSE.

THERE'S LITTLE ROOM FOR NAVIGATIONAL ERROR, SO PILOTS NEED A TOTALLY RELIABLE SYSTEM TO FIND THEIR WAY THROUGH THE SKY.

TONIGHT, LUFTHANSA SENIOR PILOT CAPTAIN JOACHIM SCHWARZENBERG IS FLYING ONE OF THE BIGGEST PASSENGER JETS IN THE WORLD, WITH 480 PEOPLE ON BOARD, FROM FRANKFURT TO DELHI.

PROBLEM IS, FOR MOST OF THE 4,000-MILE JOURNEY, HE CAN'T SEE A THING OUT OF THE WINDOW.

[INDISTINCT RADIO TRANSMISSION] SO HOW DOES HE KNOW WHERE TO GO?

THE ANSWER LIES WITH ONE OF THE CITY IN THE SKY'S MOST IMPORTANT HIDDEN NETWORKS: A WEB OF LOCATION MARKERS DOTTED ACROSS THE PLANET KNOWN AS WAYPOINTS.

SCHWARZENBERG: TO FLY FROM "A" TO "B," WE HAVE TO HAVE AN IDEA HOW WE WOULD LIKE TO FLY, SO WE FILE A FLIGHT PLAN WHICH GOES FROM LANDMARK TO LANDMARK TO LANDMARK IN EARLIER TIMES.

NOWADAYS, WE ARE FLYING FROM WAYPOINT TO WAYPOINT TO WAYPOINT.

NARRATOR: MOST WAYPOINTS AREN'T PHYSICAL BEACONS OR EVEN REAL PLACES ON THE GROUND.

SCHWARZENBERG: THERE USED TO BE PHYSICAL OBJECTS IN EARLIER DAYS, BUT NOWADAYS WITH THE USE OF GPS, IT'S ALL COORDINATES.

WE DEFINE POINTS IN THE AIR SOMEWHERE OVER THE EARTH, GIVE THEM A NAME-- IT'S A 5-LETTER NAME-- AND THEN WE FLY FROM WAYPOINT TO WAYPOINT.

NARRATOR: WAYPOINTS ARE LIKE IMAGINARY SIGNPOSTS REACHING INTO THE SKY.

THESE VIRTUAL LANDMARKS TELL THE PLANE'S NAVIGATION SYSTEMS EXACTLY WHERE IT IS AND WHICH WAY IT'S HEADING.

THEY GIVE PILOTS A TRAIL TO FOLLOW THROUGH THE NIGHT.

AND ON A FAMILIAR ROUTE, THEIR NAMES GET BURNED INTO A PILOT'S MEMORY.

OUR NEXT WAYPOINT IS NEVIV, AND WE ARE FLYING FURTHER ON TO PATAX, MESRA, AND PAVLO, AND PAVLO IS THE ENTRY POINT TO INDIA, AND IT'S ALSO THE EXIT POINT OF, UH, AFGHANISTAN.

SO FOLLOWING THESE WAYPOINTS, IT'S JUST LIKE FOLLOWING A TRAIL OF BREADCRUMBS.

UH, WE HAVE ABOUT 5,000, 6,000 MILES, AND SOMETIMES THE SPACING OF THESE WAYPOINTS IS JUST 20, 40 MILES, SO IT'S QUITE A LOT.

NARRATOR: WHILE WE PASSENGERS ARE WATCHING THE NEXT MOVIE, THE PILOT IS WATCHING OUT FOR THE NEXT WAYPOINT.

BUT JUST LIKE THE GPS IN YOUR CAR, THE NAVIGATION SYSTEM CAN'T TELL A PILOT WHAT ALL THE OTHER TRAFFIC IS DOING, AND SOMETIMES THERE ARE A LOT OF OTHER AIRCRAFT TO THINK ABOUT.

EACH ONE OF THESE LINES REPRESENTS THE PATH OF A REAL PLANE BASED ON RADAR AND TRANSPONDER DATA.

OVER 24 HOURS, AIR TRAFFIC REACHES INTO EVERY CORNER OF THE GLOBE, ADDING UP TO OVER 100,000 FLIGHTS CRISS-CROSSING OUR PLANET EVERY SINGLE DAY.

BY 2034, IT'S PREDICTED THERE WILL BE OVER 44,000 PASSENGER JETS IN OPERATION WORLDWIDE.

BUT WHILE ANOTHER PLANE ZIPPING BY YOUR WINDOW MAY LOOK TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT, IT'S NO ACCIDENT THAT MIDAIR COLLISIONS ARE RARE.

BECAUSE THERE'S SOMEONE WATCHING OVER IT ALL... A HIGHLY SKILLED GLOBAL ARMY OF AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS.

ONE OF THEIR MOST IMPORTANT NERVE CENTERS IS JUST OUTSIDE ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

80% OF AMERICANS LIVE WITHIN 3 HOURS' FLYING TIME OF ATLANTA, AND TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHTS CONTINUALLY CROSS THE AREA.

THE 130,000 SQUARE MILES OF AIRSPACE ABOVE ATLANTA ARE CRITICAL TO THE ENTIRE U.S. AVIATION SYSTEM.

IT'S THE BUSIEST AIRSPACE ON THE PLANET, AND IT'S ALL MANAGED FROM THIS UNASSUMING ROOM.

[INDISTINCT RADIO TRANSMISSION] THE JOB OF THE CONTROLLERS HERE IS TO SEE THAT PLANES NEVER COLLIDE BY FINE-TUNING THEIR ROUTES.

AIR TRAFFIC MANAGER SHAUN SANDERS HAS ULTIMATE RESPONSIBILITY FOR ENSURING THIS VITAL SYSTEM WORKS WITHOUT A HITCH.

SO, WHAT YOU'RE SEEING BEHIND ME IS THE CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES AND UP NORTH, CANADA, AND SOUTH, MEXICO, AND THAT'S EVERY PLANE THAT'S FLYING OVER THE CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES RIGHT NOW.

THAT'S ALMOST 6,000 PLANES YOU SEE BEHIND ME, UM, TRANSITIONING, LANDING, DEPARTING, WHEREVER THEY MAY BE GOING.

SO IT MIGHT LOOK LIKE A DISORGANIZED SWARM, BUT IT'S ACTUALLY QUITE ORGANIZED.

THEY'RE FOLLOWING AN INVISIBLE HIGHWAY IN THE SKY, AND THEY'RE SEPARATED BY WHAT WE CALL OUR STANDARD SEPARATION.

THEY'LL EITHER BE 1,000 FEET VERTICAL OR 5 MILES LATERAL, SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE SCREEN, IT LOOKS LIKE THEY'RE ALL OVER THE PLACE, THEY'RE ON TOP OF ONE ANOTHER, BUT IN ACTUALITY, THEY'RE SPACED OUT BY AT LEAST 5 MILES AND 1,000 FEET.

NARRATOR: AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS ACROSS THE WORLD SHARE THE SAME SYSTEM FOR PREVENTING COLLISIONS.

BY HERDING AIRCRAFT INTO THOSE INVISIBLE HIGHWAYS IN THE SKY, THEY KNOW THAT PLANES WILL BE FOLLOWING PREDETERMINED LANES.

THIS ALLOWS THEM TO CONTROL THEIR SPEED AND SPACING MORE EASILY.

BUT UNLIKE HIGHWAYS ON THE GROUND, THOSE AIRWAYS ARE ACTUALLY DEEP CANYONS WITHIN THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE, AND THAT EXTRA THIRD DIMENSION GIVES THE CONTROLLERS VERTICAL SPACE TO WORK WITH WHEN TRAFFIC INCREASES.

[INDISTINCT RADIO TRANSMISSION] ON AN ORDINARY DAY, ATLANTA'S AIRSPACE IS BUSY ENOUGH.

BUT THIS IS THE BUILDUP TO THANKSGIVING.

THE ATLANTA CONTROLLERS ARE DEALING WITH MORE FLIGHTS THIS WEEK THAN AT ANY OTHER TIME OF THE YEAR... [INDISTINCT RADIO TRANSMISSION] RISING TO A STAGGERING PEAK OF 9,000 FLIGHTS CROSSING THEIR AIRSPACE IN A DAY.

THAT MEANS ON AVERAGE, AROUND ONE NEW PLANE APPEARS ON THEIR SCREENS EVERY 10 SECONDS.

THEY'VE GOT TO DO EVERYTHING IN THEIR POWER TO PREVENT AVIATION GRIDLOCK.

IT TAKES INTENSE FOCUS AND CONCENTRATION.

EVERY HOUR OF THEIR WORKING DAY, THE CONTROLLERS HOLD THE LIVES OF OVER 50,000 PASSENGERS IN THEIR HANDS.

ONE SMALL ERROR COULD BE FATAL.

SANDERS: TO US, THIS IS WHAT WE DO.

THIS IS WHAT WE GET PAID TO DO.

IT'S NORMAL.

THIS IS YEARS AND YEARS OF TRAINING, YEARS AND YEARS OF DOING IT OVER AND OVER AND OVER, DAY IN AND DAY OUT.

UM, WE DON'T THINK ABOUT THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE ON THE PLANES.

IT'S JUST ONE PLANE AT A TIME, GETTING IT FROM POINT "A" TO POINT "B," GETTING IT THERE AS FAST AS WE CAN, AS EFFICIENT AS WE CAN, AND AS SAFE AS WE CAN, AND THAT'S HOW WE LOOK AT IT.

I'VE NEVER WOKEN UP AT NIGHT WITH HOT SWEATS THINKING ABOUT, "OH, MY GOD!

THERE'S THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS--" ONE PLANE AT A TIME IS HOW WE ALWAYS LOOK AT IT.

NARRATOR: BUT AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS AREN'T THE ONLY PEOPLE MONITORING YOUR FLIGHT.

WE'VE ALL WONDERED ABOUT THAT PASSENGER-- YOU KNOW, THE ONE JUST A FEW ROWS BEHIND YOU WHO WAS PALE AND SWEATING AND DIDN'T LOOK SO GOOD.

WELL, HE MIGHT BE MOMENTS AWAY FROM A HEART ATTACK.

[SIREN] AND IF THE WORST HAPPENS, THERE'S A TEAM OF EMERGENCY SPECIALISTS YOUR CABIN CREW CAN CALL ON.

BANNER UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER SEES A STEADY STREAM OF EMERGENCY PATIENTS FROM PHOENIX.

BUT MANY OF THE MEDICAL DRAMAS THEY DEAL WITH HERE TAKE PLACE THOUSANDS OF MILES AWAY.

PLEASE GO AHEAD WITH THE PASSENGER AGE, GENDER, AND SEAT ASSIGNMENT.

DIFFERENT WOMAN: OK, YOU GO AHEAD AND MAKE THE MEDICAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CHILD.

NARRATOR: IF YOU'RE FLYING ON A MAJOR AIRLINE AND YOU GET SICK, THE CHANCES ARE THE CABIN CREW WILL TALK TO THE MEDICS IN THIS VERY ROOM TO FIND OUT WHAT TO DO, NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE IN THE WORLD.

THIS IS ONE OF SEVERAL COMPANIES THAT HANDLE MID-AIR MEDICAL EMERGENCIES.

DR. BHOW AT MEDLINK.

HOW DO YOU COPY?

OVER.

NARRATOR: DR. MONEESH BHOW HAS JUST STARTED HIS SHIFT AND IS RESPONDING TO HIS FIRST EMERGENCY, A CALL FROM AN AIRCRAFT TRAVELING FROM THE MIDDLE EAST TO BANGKOK, 8,000 MILES AWAY, SOMEWHERE OVER THE INDIAN OCEAN.

I UNDERSTAND AN 82-YEAR-OLD MALE WITH A POSSIBLE STROKE.

WHAT WAS THE CONDITION, UH, THAT BROUGHT HIM TO YOUR ATTENTION?

OVER.

NARRATOR: FOR DR. BHOW, PRESSURE'S NOW ON TO MAKE A QUICK DIAGNOSIS.

BHOW: OK.

COPY THAT.

SO THE PASSENGER WAS STANDING.

HE PASSED OUT, IS CURRENTLY ON THE FLOOR.

IS HE ABLE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS?

OVER.

OK. IS HE--IS HE BREATHING ON HIS OWN?

NARRATOR: HE'S DEPENDING ON THE CAPTAIN AND CABIN CREW TO ACCURATELY RELAY THE PATIENT'S SYMPTOMS.

OK, COPY THAT.

SO, WHAT WE NEED TO FIND OUT, IF HE'S STILL NOT RESPONDING BUT HE IS BREATHING, I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HIS VITAL SIGNS ARE, AND IS THERE ANY SPONTANEOUS MOVEMENT TO HIS ARMS OR LEGS, OR IS THERE A PART OF HIS BODY THAT HE'S NOT MOVING?

OVER.

I'M SORRY.

THAT LAST TRANSMISSION CUT OUT.

COULD YOU PLEASE REPEAT?

OVER.

CAPTAIN, ARE YOU STILL ON THE LINE?

OVER.

NARRATOR: THEY'VE LOST CONTACT.

BHOW: STROKE.

DUBAI TO LAGOS.

OK. NARRATOR: IF IT DOES TURN OUT TO BE A STROKE, THEY'LL NEED TO GET THE PATIENT ON THE GROUND AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

AFTER THAT... NARRATOR: FIRST, THE TEAM NEEDS TO CONSULT THEIR DATABASE AND DETERMINE WHICH AIRPORTS HAVE THE RIGHT MEDICAL FACILITIES CLOSE BY.

OF THE AIRPORTS WITHIN RANGE, ONLY TWO HAVE THE NECESSARY EQUIPMENT TO TREAT A STROKE.

NEITHER ARE EN ROUTE.

OPTION ONE IS DELHI, 700 MILES OUT OF THEIR WAY.

OPTION TWO IS BEHIND THEM BUT CLOSER--MUSCAT.

NARRATOR: A FEW MINUTES LATER, AND THE CREW ARE BACK ON THE LINE.

IS THE PASSENGER AWAKE NOW?

OVER.

CAN HE--CAN HE SPEAK AT ALL?

IS HE ABLE TO SPEAK NORMALLY TO HIS SON?

OVER.

OK, SO HE STARTED CHOKING, AND THAT'S WHAT CAUSED HIM TO FAINT.

IS THAT WHAT I'M UNDERSTANDING?

NARRATOR: IT SEEMS THAT THE PASSENGER COLLAPSED NOT BECAUSE OF A STROKE BUT BECAUSE HE HAD CHOKED ON FOOD, UNNOTICED BY THE CABIN CREW.

HE HAS NOW WOKEN UP AND, FOR THE MOMENT, APPEARS TO HAVE RECOVERED.

OK, BUT WE WOULD STILL LIKE AN UPDATE IN 30 MINUTES AS TO HIS CONDITION.

OVER.

NARRATOR: THIS EMERGENCY SEEMS TO BE OVER.

BUT WITH A MILLION PEOPLE IN THE AIR AT ANY ONE TIME, MEDICAL CRISES IN FLIGHT ARE INEVITABLE.

WHEN SHE FAINTED, UH, DID SHE FALL DOWN FROM A STANDING POSITION?

WAS SHE IN HER SEAT?

NARRATOR: THE TEAM IN PHOENIX HANDLE 38,000 CALLS A YEAR.

OK. IS SHE ACTIVELY RETCHING NOW?

NARRATOR: THEIR OPERATORS FIELD THE CALLS TO EMERGENCY DOCTORS TRAINED IN HANDLING MEDICAL SITUATIONS OVER A SATELLITE PHONE.

I'D LIKE YOU TO GIVE HER ONE TABLET... NARRATOR: DR. DAVID STREITWIESER IS THE SENIOR EMERGENCY DOCTOR TASKED WITH OVERSEEING THIS FACILITY.

STREITWIESER: WITH NAUSEA, VOMITING, IT'S RARELY ANYTHING SERIOUS.

I CAN MANAGE MOST OF THE SYMPTOMS.

BUT WHEN I'M TRYING TO RULE OUT A SERIOUS PROBLEM, THAT'S THE HARD PART.

SO I CAN'T SEE PASSENGERS.

I CAN'T TALK DIRECTLY TO THEM.

WE HAVE TO RELY ON THE CABIN CREW DOING THAT, SO THEY LITERALLY ARE OUR EYES AND EARS AND HANDS UNTIL WE CAN GET, PERHAPS, A MEDICAL PERSON INVOLVED.

NARRATOR: MEDAIRE HANDLES EMERGENCIES FROM AROUND THE GLOBE, SO THE CALLS CAN COME IN AT ANY TIME OF DAY OR NIGHT.

IT'S A CONSTANT STREAM.

BUT SOMETIMES THERE'S A MEDICAL PROBLEM THAT'S SIMPLY TOO SEVERE TO BE TREATED IN THE AIR.

HE IS NOW HAVING TROUBLE BREATHING, AND THE REPEAT PULSE IS 240.

IS THAT CORRECT?

OVER.

NARRATOR: DR. MONEESH BHOW HAS BEEN CALLED BACK BY THE FLIGHT HE WAS HELPING OUT AN HOUR AGO.

THE PASSENGER WHO THEN SEEMED TO BE RECOVERING HAS NOW TAKEN A TURN FOR THE WORSE.

BHOW: LET'S CONTINUE THE OXYGEN, UH, AND LET'S PLAN TO LAND, UH, AT THE CLOSEST POSSIBLE OPTION.

LET'S PLAN TO DIVERT INTO MUMBAI.

WE WILL HAVE MEDICAL PERSONNEL MEET YOU ON ARRIVAL.

THEY ARE TURNING.

THEY ARE TURNING?

YEAH.

NARRATOR: DR. BHOW SUSPECTS HIS PASSENGER'S SYMPTOMS MAY BE DUE TO A SERIOUS HEART CONDITION, SO HE ADVISES THE CAPTAIN TO DIVERT TO MUMBAI.

A FLIGHT DIVERSION LIKE THIS CAN COST AN AIRLINE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS.

BUT IT'S A DILEMMA THE DOCTORS HERE FACE EVERY DAY.

BHOW: IN A 24-HOUR PERIOD, WE'RE PROBABLY DIVERTING ONCE OR TWICE.

BHOW: OUR ULTIMATE PRIORITY IS TO TAKE CARE OF THE PASSENGER, SO IF WE FEEL THAT THE PASSENGER IS--IS IN CRITICAL NEED OF GETTING ON THE GROUND, THEN, YOU KNOW, COST IS A SECONDARY CONSIDERATION.

UM, BUT IT IS PROBABLY THE MOST STRESSFUL CALL THAT WE TAKE WHEN WE MAKE A DECISION FOR A DIVERSION.

NARRATOR: AS SOON AS THE FLIGHT LANDS, THEY'LL RUSH THE PATIENT TO A HOSPITAL, WHERE LOCAL DOCTORS WILL TAKE OVER.

AS WITH MOST OF THESE CASES, DR. BHOW MAY NEVER FIND OUT WHETHER HIS PATIENT LIVES OR DIES.

THANKFULLY, NOTHING LIKE THAT IS HAPPENING ON YOUR FLIGHT, SO SIT BACK, RELAX, AND MAYBE SLIP OFF YOUR SHOES.

BUT CONSIDER THAT WHILE YOU'RE IN THE AIR, THERE MIGHT BE A LOT MORE STOWED BENEATH YOUR FEET THAN JUST YOUR BAGGAGE BECAUSE MOVING YOU IS ONLY ONE FUNCTION OF THE CITY IN THE SKY.

LIKE ANY CITY WITH TRUCKS ON THE ROAD AND TRAINS ON THE RAILS, THERE'S A WHOLE HOST OF CARGO MOVING ALONGSIDE YOU, AND OUR MODERN WAY OF LIFE DEPENDS ON IT REACHING ITS DESTINATION.

BUT AT 30,000 FEET, THAT SOMETIMES PRESENTS A CONSIDERABLE CHALLENGE, ESPECIALLY IF THE CARGO IN QUESTION IS EXPENSIVE, FRAGILE, AND HAS 4 LEGS.

[HORSE NEIGHS] THESE SHOW JUMPING HORSES NEED TO BE IN HONG KONG, OVER 6,000 MILES AWAY, BY 5 P.M.

TOMORROW AFTERNOON.

THEY'RE DESTINED FOR THE PRESTIGIOUS LONGINES MASTERS COMPETITION.

[HORSE NEIGHS] FIRST JOB FOR VET GORDON SIDLOW IS TO MAKE SURE EVERY HORSE IS DISEASE-FREE.

THEY'LL NEED THE ALL-CLEAR BEFORE BEING GIVEN A BOARDING PASS.

SIDLOW: BASICALLY WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERY HORSE IS HEALTHY BEFORE IT GETS ON THE PLANE.

THE IMPORTING COUNTRY WANTS TO KNOW THAT WE'RE NOT BRINGING DISEASED HORSES INTO THE COUNTRY.

NARRATOR: THE LOADING TEAM HAVE JUST 7 HOURS TO GET ALL 64 HORSES HEALTH-CHECKED AND BOARDED ONTO THEIR OWN SPECIALLY CHARTERED PLANE-- EASIER SAID THAN DONE.

SIDLOW: JUST OCCASIONALLY, YOU WILL GET A HORSE THAT WE'RE NOT EXPECTING A PROBLEM WITH WILL HAVE A PROBLEM.

IT'S THE SORT OF JOB WHERE SOMETHING CAN GO WRONG-- VERY, VERY WRONG, VERY, VERY QUICKLY.

NARRATOR: IN TWOS AND THREES, THEY'RE GUIDED INTO SPECIALLY DESIGNED AVIATION HORSE BOXES THE SAME SIZE AS A STANDARD CARGO CONTAINER.

THAT MAKES IT EASY TO LOAD THEM ONTO THE PLANE.

BUT THE SEATING PLAN NEEDS SPECIAL ATTENTION.

SIDLOW: THERE ARE A FEW RULES.

ALL THE HORSES HAVE TO TRAVEL FACING FORWARDS.

WE GENERALLY TRY AND PUT THE STALLIONS AT THE FRONT.

STALLIONS--THE NATURAL REACTION TO A STALLION, IF IT'S--IF IT'S STANDING 6 INCHES BEHIND A MARE, UM, AND IT CAN SMELL THE MARE IN FRONT OF IT, IS THAT, UM, STALLIONS WILL DO WHAT STALLIONS DO, UM, AND THAT'S NOT WHAT YOU WANT TO HAPPEN, UM, WHEN YOU'RE AT 30,000 FEET.

NARRATOR: IN TOTAL, THEY'LL HAVE AROUND 32 TONS' WORTH OF HORSES ON THE FLIGHT, SO IT'S CRUCIAL THE CARGO HANDLERS LOAD UP THE BOXES EVENLY THROUGHOUT THE PLANE TO MAKE SURE IT ISN'T UNBALANCED.

AND JUST LIKE US HUMANS, THE PASSENGERS GET WHAT THEY PAY FOR.

YOU CAN HAVE 3 HORSES IN A BOX, WHICH IS ECONOMY FLIGHT, OR ONE OR TWO HORSES IN A BOX, WHICH IS BUSINESS CLASS.

NARRATOR: BY 7 P.M., ALL 64 HORSES ARE SAFELY ON BOARD.

FLIGHT EK9320 DEPARTS BELGIUM, EMBARKING ON ITS 6,000-MILE JOURNEY THROUGH THE NIGHT.

ITS DESTINATION, HONK KONG, IMPORTS AND EXPORTS MORE CARGO THAN ANY OTHER AIRPORT IN THE WORLD.

THIS PLACE IS KNOWN AS THE GATEWAY TO CHINA AND ITS 1.4 BILLION CITIZENS.

TO KEEP THIS VAST FLOW OF GOODS MOVING THROUGH THE SKIES, HONK KONG HAS BUILT THE BIGGEST CARGO HUB ON THE PLANET.

[MAN SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE] NARRATOR: WHEN THE HORSES ARRIVE IN A FEW HOURS, THEY WILL BE JOINING THE ASTONISHING VARIETY OF AIR FREIGHT THAT ENDS UP HERE.

BUT SOME GOODS HAVE TO REACH THEIR DESTINATION WITHOUT DELAY.

THIS IS THE HANDLING ZONE FOR PERISHABLE CARGO, THE STUFF THAT MUST REACH CUSTOMERS WHILE IT'S STILL FRESH... FROM ALASKAN CRAB TO FLOWERS FROM ECUADOR, SNAILS FROM TAIWAN... AND EXOTIC FRUIT FROM COLOMBIA.

WE VERY OFTEN COME ACROSS WITH STRANGE THINGS, BUT TO US, IT'S LIKE WE'RE ACCUSTOMED TO IT.

ALL THE CARGO COMES FROM DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS.

ALL THE AIRCRAFTS PARKED IN THE APRONS WAITING TO DEPART-- SOMETIMES IT WILL BE VERY ODD-SIZED CARGO, UH, WHICH HAS TO BE MOVED OUT IN A VERY TIGHT TIME FRAME BEFORE THE DEPARTURE TIME.

NARRATOR: DELIVERIES OF TIME-CRITICAL CARGO ARE ONLY POSSIBLE THANKS TO AVIATION.

AIR FREIGHT IS THE ONLY WAY TO TRANSPORT IT AROUND THE WORLD FAST ENOUGH.

BUT IT'S NOT JUST CRABS, SNAILS, AND MYSTERY FRUIT COMING IN AND OUT OF HONK KONG.

1 IN EVERY 15 AIR CARGO SHIPMENTS TRAVELING AROUND THE GLOBE ORIGINATES HERE, AND THIS BUILDING IS AT THE EPICENTER.

THIS IS SUPER TERMINAL ONE, THE WORLD'S LARGEST AIR CARGO TERMINAL...

ABLE TO PROCESS UP TO 3.5 MILLION TONS OF AIR FREIGHT A YEAR, ARRIVING FROM EVERY PART OF THE GLOBE.

IT'S SORTED AND STORED UNTIL READY TO BE SENT OUT AGAIN TO ANOTHER PART OF THE WORLD.

THE CLICK OF YOUR MOUSE ON THE "BUY" BUTTON DOESN'T ONLY HAVE CONSEQUENCES IN THE VIRTUAL WORLD.

IT SETS IN MOTION GIGANTIC CARGO TERMINALS LIKE THIS.

IT'S EXCITING, REALLY EXCITING.

UH, IT'S LIKE THE WORLD IS CHANGING ALL THE TIME, AND YOU HAVE TO RECEIVE ALL THE CHALLENGES THAT YOU CANNOT PREDICT.

AND YET WE HAVE TO THINK OF THE SOLUTION, HOW YOU CAN MOVE THINGS OUT WITHIN THE TIME THAT IS REQUIRED BY THE CUSTOMERS.

NARRATOR: THE SUPER TERMINAL HAS AN INGENIOUS SYSTEM FOR ORGANIZING THE ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF CARGO THAT ARRIVES HERE.

NONPERISHABLE GOODS ARE FED INTO A VAST NETWORK OF ROBOTIC CRATES THAT TRAVEL THROUGH MILES OF HIDDEN TUNNELS TO BE STORED ON ONE OF 10,000 SHELVES... UNTIL IT'S CALLED UP FOR THE NEXT STAGE OF ITS JOURNEY.

AND DESPITE THE CONSTANT ACTIVITY, THERE'S NOT A SINGLE HUMAN AT WORK HERE.

THIS IS A VERTICAL CITY OPERATED BY ROBOTS.

THE SUPER TERMINAL HAS TO BE ABLE TO HANDLE EVERY CONCEIVABLE TYPE OF CARGO, AND SOME OF THE MOST PRICELESS OF ALL IS ABOUT TO LAND.

THE 64 SHOW JUMPING HORSES FROM BELGIUM ARE COMING IN RIGHT ON TIME.

THE SUPER TERMINAL IS USED TO DEALING WITH LARGE ANIMALS, BUT AFTER 16 HOURS IN THE AIR, THE HORSES ARE TIRED AND IMPATIENT.

WITH ONLY TWO DAYS TO GO BEFORE THE COMPETITION, IT'S CRUCIAL TO GET THEM AWAY TO THEIR STABLES FOR SOME REST AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.

VET GORDON SIDLOW MADE THE JOURNEY ALONGSIDE THEM AND NOW HAS TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE READY TO COMPETE.

SIDLOW: HORSES DO GET JET LAG, SOME MORE SO THAN OTHERS, UM, BUT IT'S RELATIVELY POORLY UNDERSTOOD BECAUSE IT'S MORE DIFFICULT TO TELL IF A HORSE IS JET-LAGGED OR JUST SIMPLY TIRED.

WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WHEN THE HORSES GET IN THE STABLES THEY ALL START EATING AND DRINKING STRAIGHTAWAY.

DEHYDRATION AND TRAVEL SICKNESS ARE THE MAIN THINGS WE'RE LOOKING FOR, AND THE SIGN OF THAT IS A HORSE THAT ISN'T EATING, ISN'T DRINKING, AND LOOKING MISERABLE.

NARRATOR: IN TWO HOURS FLAT, EVERY LAST HORSE HAS BEEN WHISKED AWAY TO ITS STABLE.

SIDLOW: THEY GET A DAY OFF TOMORROW, AND AFTER THAT, IT'S--IT'S BACK TO WORK, SO, UM, IT'S--IT'S NOT AN EASY LIFE FOR THEM.

IT'S, UH--IT'S A TOUGH-- IT'S A TOUGH GAME.

NARRATOR: WHETHER IT'S HORSES, FRUIT, OR YOU, EVERYTHING TRANSPORTED BY AIR HAS TO REACH ITS DESTINATION SAFELY.

TO MAKE SURE OF THAT, A PLANE HAS TO SURVIVE EXTRAORDINARILY PUNISHING STRESSES AND STRAINS.

IT'S NO MEAN FEAT TO KEEP 92,000 POUNDS OF AIRPLANE ALOFT, NOT TO MENTION ANOTHER 59,000 POUNDS OF PASSENGERS, FUEL, AND CARGO.

SO HOW DOES A JET WITH WALLS ONLY A FRACTION OF AN INCH THIN COPE WITH THE EXTREME FORCES IT ENCOUNTERS IN THE SKY?

PARTLY IT'S DOWN TO THE MATERIALS OF WHICH IT'S MADE, AND IF YOU'RE TRAVELING ON A PLANE MANUFACTURED IN THE LAST FEW YEARS, IT MIGHT BE BUILT LARGELY OF A RADICAL NEW KIND OF MATERIAL, A MATERIAL WITH SOME EXTRAORDINARY PROPERTIES.

IT'S LED TO THE BIGGEST CHANGE IN AVIATION DESIGN SINCE ALUMINUM REPLACED WOODEN PLANES BACK IN THE 1920s.

AND IT'S ENABLING THE CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW GENERATION OF JETS.

ONE OF THE FIRST WAS THE BOEING 787, AKA THE DREAMLINER.

WITH THIS AIRCRAFT, IT'S NOT ABOUT THE SIZE.

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE WEIGHT.

AND THE MATERIAL THAT'S MADE IT POSSIBLE IS CARBON COMPOSITE, AN INGENIOUS BLEND OF CARBON FIBER AND PLASTIC.

KIM PASTEGA IS RESPONSIBLE FOR DREAMLINER PRODUCTION AND KNOWS WHAT A REVOLUTION IT REPRESENTS.

WELL, I'VE GOT A PIECE OF ALUMINUM HERE, WHICH IS, OF COURSE, WHAT WE TRADITIONALLY HAVE MANUFACTURED AIRPLANES WITH, AND A PIECE OF OUR COMPOSITE STRUCTURE HERE.

WELL, FIRST OF ALL, ONE OF THE HUGE DIFFERENCES YOU'D BE ABLE TO FEEL IF YOU WERE HOLDING THEM IS JUST THE WEIGHT BETWEEN THE TWO.

IT'S A MASSIVE DIFFERENCE IN TERMS OF HOW THE AIRPLANE PERFORMS WITH FUEL.

UM, MAYBE TO GIVE YOU SOME IDEA, UH, WE'VE GOT NOW OVER 300 AIRPLANES FLYING IN SERVICE.

WE'VE BEEN IN SERVICE SINCE THE END OF 2011, AND IN JUST THOSE SHORT, YOU KNOW, 3 1/2, 4 YEARS, WE'VE ALREADY SAVED OVER 5 BILLION POUNDS OF FUEL WITH OUR 787 FLEET.

THAT'S 20% TO 25% MORE FUEL-EFFICIENT THAN THE AIRPLANES THAT IT'S REPLACING.

NARRATOR: BUT LIGHTER COMPOSITES DON'T JUST SAVE FUEL.

THEY ALSO GIVE THE AIRCRAFT SOME ENTIRELY NEW PROPERTIES.

AT MANCHESTER UNIVERSITY'S COMPOSITES TESTING FACILITY IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, PROFESSOR ANDREW WALKER IS PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES OF THIS EXTRAORDINARY MATERIAL.

TO BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND ITS STRANGE PROPERTIES, FIRST YOU NEED TO KNOW HOW IT'S MADE.

AT FACILITIES LIKE THIS, CARBON FIBERS ARE WOVEN INTO LAYERS ALMOST LIKE A FABRIC, WHICH THEN GETS HARDENED WITH PLASTIC RESIN.

IT'S BEYOND DOUBT THAT IT'S LIGHTER THAN ALUMINUM.

BUT CAN A PLANE MADE OF COMPOSITE REALLY BE AS STRONG AS ONE MADE OF METAL?

TO PUT IT TO THE TEST, PROFESSOR WALKER IS USING AN INSTRON MACHINE, A DEVICE THAT MEASURES A MATERIAL'S BREAKING POINT.

FIRST UP, THE ALUMINUM.

YOU CAN'T SEE THE MACHINE MOVING, BUT THE TWO PLATENS ARE ACTUALLY MOVING APART VERY SLOWLY NOW.

IT'S ABOUT 650 KILOGRAMS.

THAT'S ABOUT, UH, 6 OR 7 PEOPLE OR A SMALL MOTORCAR.

THE STRETCH AT THE MOMENT, IT'S ABOUT 6 MILLIMETERS-- WE CAN SEE THIS ON THE COMPUTER-- AND THE LOAD APPLIED IS ABOUT 700 KILOGRAMS.

AND WE SHOULD SEE IT BEGIN TO FAIL.

THERE WE GO.

NARRATOR: WHEN LOADED WITH THE WEIGHT OF AROUND ONE AND A HALF THOUSAND POUNDS, THE ALUMINUM STRETCHES AROUND 1/4 OF AN INCH BEFORE SNAPPING.

NOW FOR THE CARBON COMPOSITE.

WALKER: YOU CAN HEAR PINGS, AND THOSE ARE CARBON FIBERS BREAKING IN THE SAMPLE.

IT'S ABOUT 7 TIMES THE FAILURE LOAD OF THE ALUMINUM.

NARRATOR: NOT ONLY IS THE COMPOSITE MATERIAL ABLE TO RESIST A FAR GREATER FORCE, IT'S HARDLY STRETCHING AT ALL.

IT'S NOW SUPPORTING 10 TIMES THE WEIGHT THAT TOOK THE ALUMINUM TO ITS BREAKING POINT.

WALKER: THERE WE ARE.

NARRATOR: WHERE THE ALUMINUM BROKE WHEN LOADED WITH THE WEIGHT OF 10 PEOPLE, THE CARBON COMPOSITE CAN TAKE THE WEIGHT OF A SCHOOL BUS.

SIGNIFICANTLY STRONGER AND STIFFER THAN EXISTING ALUMINUM ALLOYS.

NARRATOR: THE STRENGTH AND STIFFNESS OF COMPOSITES HAVE RADICALLY CHANGED HOW AIRCRAFT ARE DESIGNED, IN SOME UNEXPECTED WAYS.

WHEN COMPOSITES FIRST BECAME AVAILABLE, BOEING SOUGHT TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THEIR UNIQUE PROPERTIES TO TRANSFORM THE PASSENGER EXPERIENCE, A CHALLENGE PASSED DOWN TO AIRPLANE INTERIORS DESIGN GURU BLAKE EMERY.

EMERY: SO, WHAT WE'RE SEEING HERE IS WHAT WE CALL OUR--OUR FULL DOME AT ENTRY.

IT REALLY PROVIDES AN INCREDIBLE TRANSITION BETWEEN THE JETWAY, WHICH CAN KIND OF COMPRESS YOU PSYCHOLOGICALLY, TO THIS: THIS SENSATION OF NOTHING ABOVE YOU, SO IT REALLY KIND OF PROVIDES A PSYCHOLOGICAL RELIEF.

NARRATOR: INTERIOR DESIGN IS ONE THING, BUT THERE'S SOMETHING INVISIBLE THAT HAS A BIGGER IMPACT ON PASSENGERS: THE UNPLEASANT FEELING WE LOOSELY REFER TO AS JET LAG.

AND SOME OF THE SENSATIONS WE ASSOCIATE WITH IT COULD BE DUE TO NOT HAVING QUITE ENOUGH OXYGEN TO BREATHE WHEN WE'RE IN FLIGHT.

OUTSIDE THE WINDOW OF A PLANE AT 30,000 FEET, THE AIR IS SO THIN, IF YOU WERE EXPOSED TO IT, YOU WOULD BECOME UNCONSCIOUS IN SECONDS.

SO TO STOP US DYING FROM LACK OF OXYGEN, AIRPLANE CABINS ARE PUMPED FULL OF AIR.

BUT IT'S CONSIDERABLY LESS AIR THAN AT GROUND LEVEL.

THERE'S A VERY GOOD REASON WHY MORE AIR CAN'T BE PUMPED IN.

EVERY TIME THE CABIN IS PRESSURIZED, THE ALUMINUM HULL OF A TRADITIONAL PLANE STRETCHES A TINY BIT...

PULLING AGAINST RIVETS AND JOINS.

SO TO REDUCE STRAIN ON THE FUSELAGE, MOST PLANES ARE PUMPED UP WITH THE MINIMUM AMOUNT OF AIR REQUIRED TO KEEP US COMFORTABLE.

BUT COMPOSITE PLANES HARDLY STRETCH AT ALL, SO YOU CAN PUMP IN MORE AIR WITHOUT DAMAGING THEM.

SOME RESEARCH NOW SUGGESTS THAT HAVING MORE AIR TO BREATHE MIGHT REDUCE SOME SYMPTOMS WE ASSOCIATE WITH JET LAG.

EMERY: WHAT WE DISCOVERED IS, MUCH FEWER SYMPTOMS AND FEWER PEOPLE EXPERIENCING SYMPTOMS ON THE DREAMLINER THAN ON OTHER AIRPLANES.

IF YOU ARE A PASSENGER THAT EXPERIENCES THE SYMPTOMS ASSOCIATED WITH HIGH ALTITUDE, YOU EITHER ARE NOT GOING TO HAVE THOSE SYMPTOMS AT ALL, OR IF YOU DO HAVE THOSE SYMPTOMS, THEY'RE GOING TO BE MUCH LESS SEVERE-- SYMPTOMS LIKE HEADACHE, MUSCLE ACHE.

SOME PEOPLE EXPERIENCE A--A COLDNESS IN THEIR FINGERTIPS OR THEIR FEET.

THINGS LIKE THAT.

NARRATOR: THE JURY'S STILL OUT ON EXACTLY HOW AIR PRESSURE AFFECTS JET LAG, BUT THANKS TO THE SHIFT TO COMPOSITE PLANES, FEELING ROUGH AFTER A LONG FLIGHT COULD SOON BE A THING OF THE PAST.

IT MAY NOW BE POSSIBLE TO KEEP PASSENGERS COMFORTABLE IN THE AIR.

BUT WITH 100,000 FLIGHTS CROSSING OUR SKIES EVERY DAY, ENSURING THE PHYSICAL WELL-BEING OF THE AIRCRAFT THEMSELVES REMAINS A HUGE CHALLENGE.

[THUNDER] EVERY DAY, PLANES ENTER THE MOST HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT IMAGINABLE.

FLYING HIGHER THAN MOUNT EVEREST, BATTERED BY WINDS OF HUNDREDS OF MILES AN HOUR, WE JUST EXPECT THEM TO FUNCTION PERFECTLY, FLIGHT AFTER FLIGHT.

BUT AS THEY RACK UP AIR MILES, THERE'S ONE EXTREME HAZARD ALL AIRCRAFT WILL INVARIABLY RUN INTO... [THUNDER] LIGHTNING... BY FAR THE MOST DANGEROUS, POWERFUL FORCE OF NATURE YOUR PLANE IS EVER LIKELY TO ENCOUNTER.

DOWN ON THE GROUND, GETTING STRUCK BY LIGHTNING IS A RARE EVENT.

NOT SO UP IN THE AIR.

IN FACT, EVERY PLANE GETS STRUCK BY LIGHTNING ONCE A YEAR ON AVERAGE.

THAT MEANS ACROSS A TYPICAL JET'S LIFETIME, IT'LL GET ZAPPED AN ASTONISHING 25 TIMES.

SO WHY AREN'T PASSENGERS REGULARLY GETTING ELECTROCUTED IN FLIGHT?

IT'S THANKS IN PART TO THE KIND OF RESEARCH THEY DO HERE IN DARMSTADT, GERMANY.

[SPEAKS GERMAN] AT DARMSTADT UNIVERSITY'S HIGH VOLTAGE LAB, PROFESSOR VOLKER HINRICHSEN AND HIS TEAM STUDY LIGHTNING PROTECTION.

A CAR OFFERS YOU MUCH THE SAME PROTECTION AS A PLANE.

THEY'RE BOTH METAL BOXES WITH PEOPLE INSIDE.

THE LAB'S LIGHTNING GENERATOR IS DESIGNED TO BUILD UP ENOUGH ELECTRICAL CHARGE TO FIRE A TWO MILLION VOLT BOLT OF ELECTRICITY.

THAT'S A SMALL BUT VERY REALISTIC LIGHTNING STRIKE... MORE THAN ENOUGH ELECTRICITY TO TURN VOLKER INTO A SMOKING HEAP.

HINRICHSEN: SO I HAVE JUST TO WAIT.

THEY ARE CHARGING THE GENERATOR NOW, AND VERY SUDDENLY, IT WILL BE DISCHARGED.

MAN: FUNF, VIER, DREI, ZWEI, EINS, SCHUSS.

WOW.

THAT WAS--HA!

SO WE HAVE NOW THE DISCHARGE, AND YOU SEE, NOTHING HAPPENED TO ME.

IT'S ABSOLUTELY SAFE IN THE CAR.

SCHUSS.

[CRACK OF ELECTRICITY] SCHUSS.

YOU SEE I AM STILL ALIVE.

NARRATOR: A SINGLE BOLT IS TOO QUICK TO SEE IN DETAIL, BUT THE LAB CAN GENERATE A SLOWER ELECTRIC PULSE TO HELP SHOW WHAT HAPPENS WHEN LIGHTNING HITS A METAL ENCLOSURE.

THIS CAR MAY BE ON THE GROUND, BUT ELECTRICITY FLOWS THROUGH A PLANE IN THE AIR IN A VERY SIMILAR WAY.

HINRICHSEN: IT'S A QUITE SIMPLE PRINCIPLE IN ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING.

SO THIS--THAT IS WHAT WE NAME THE FARADAY CAGE.

THAT MEANS THE STRIKE TERMINATES ON THE CAR, UH, IT DISCHARGES ON THE CAR, THE CHARGE FLOWS OVER THE METALLIC SURFACE OF THE CAR, BYPASSES ME, DOESN'T FLOW THROUGH MY BODY, AND THAT IS WHY I AM SURVIVING THAT.

NARRATOR: IT'S THANKS TO THE FARADAY EFFECT THAT WE ARE KEPT SAFE WHEN A METAL PLANE GETS STRUCK BY LIGHTNING.

[CRACK OF ELECTRICITY] THAT'S ALL VERY WELL FOR PASSENGER PLANES STILL MADE OF METAL, BUT IT POSES A PROBLEM FOR THE NEW BREED OF COMPOSITE AIRCRAFT.

COMPOSITE DOESN'T DISPERSE ELECTRICITY IN THE SAME WAY AS METAL, SO WITHOUT PROTECTION, THESE PLANES AND THEIR PASSENGERS WOULD BE IN REAL DANGER.

HERE IN A NONDESCRIPT INDUSTRIAL ZONE IN SOUTH WALES, A RESEARCH TEAM IS STUDYING HOW COMPOSITE PLANES ARE AFFECTED BY LIGHTNING.

TO HELP ILLUSTRATE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A NONMETALLIC PLANE COMPONENT FAILS TO DISPERSE A LIGHTNING STRIKE, THEY'VE OFFERED TO DEMONSTRATE ON THIS RATHER CHARMING NONMETALLIC GARDEN ORNAMENT.

THE ONLY WAY TO CAPTURE THE MOMENT OF IMPACT IS BY USING AN ULTRA-HIGH-SPEED CAMERA INSULATED IN A BLAST-PROOF BOX.

[BEEPING] THE GNOME DIDN'T FARE TOO WELL.

IT'S THE JOB OF PROFESSOR MANU HADDAD TO MAKE SURE THE DESTRUCTIVE POWER OF LIGHTNING NEVER HAS THIS IMPACT ON A PLANE, AND NONMETALLIC COMPOSITE PARTS GAVE HIM A REAL HEADACHE.

HADDAD: THE REASON WHY WE DO THIS RESEARCH IS THAT YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT ANY MATERIAL THAT YOU USE IN AIRCRAFT IS ACTUALLY SAFE WHEN IT'S HIT BY LIGHTNING.

IF, UM, THERE WAS NO LIGHTNING PROTECTION DESIGN, YOU WOULD HAVE A VERY DISASTROUS EFFECT, UM, DUE TO A LIGHTNING STRIKE.

NARRATOR: SO, WHAT HAPPENS TO UNPROTECTED COMPOSITE WHEN IT'S ZAPPED BY AN ARTIFICIAL LIGHTNING BOLT?

3, 2, 1.

NARRATOR: WHEN THIS ORDINARY CARBON COMPOSITE IS HIT BY LIGHTNING, STRIPS OF CARBON FIBER ARE BLASTED OFF THE SURFACE.

YOU REALLY WOULDN'T WANT THAT TO HAPPEN TO YOUR AIRCRAFT'S HULL AT 10,000 FEET.

IT WAS A HUGE CHALLENGE TO FIND A WAY OF PROTECTING THE NEW GENERATION OF COMPOSITE PLANES FROM THIS TYPE OF DAMAGE.

AFTER DECADES WITH NO LARGE JETS LOST TO LIGHTNING STRIKES, NOBODY WANTED TO SEE THIS THREAT RE-EMERGE.

SO ENGINEERS CAME UP WITH A BRILLIANTLY SIMPLE PLAN.

HADDAD: FORTUNATELY WE HAVE A VERY GOOD SOLUTION, AND THIS IS USING A COPPER MESH, A VERY THIN COPPER MESH, THAT YOU WOULD PUT ON TOP OF THE CARBON COMPOSITE, AND THAT WILL ALLOW, THEN, THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE CURRENT UNIFORMLY ON THE SURFACE AND AVOID THE DAMAGE THAT YOU SEE HERE.

AND THIS IS THE PROTECTED SIDE, WHICH HAS THE MESH.

NARRATOR: THE DELICATE LAYER OF COPPER WEBBING EMBEDDED ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PLATE SHOULD, IN THEORY, PROTECT A COMPOSITE PLANE.

HADDAD: AS YOU CAN SEE, THERE IS VERY LITTLE DAMAGE ON THE SURFACE OF THE PANEL THIS TIME.

UH, WHAT THE PROTECTION, OR THE MESH THAT WE PUT HERE, DID-- IT GUARANTEED THAT THE CURRENT IS ACTUALLY DISTRIBUTED UNIFORMLY, AND AS YOU CAN SEE, THIS IS A VERY GOOD DEMONSTRATION ON HOW LIGHTNING PROTECTION OF CARBON COMPOSITES WORKS.

NARRATOR: SO EVERY NEW PLANE MADE WITH CARBON COMPOSITE NOW ROLLS OFF THE ASSEMBLY LINE WITH A FINE PROTECTIVE COPPER MESH BENEATH THE PAINTWORK, AN INNOVATION KEEPING YOU, THE PASSENGER, SAFE FROM A 100 MILLION VOLT LIGHTNING STRIKE.

HADDAD: WITHOUT THIS, THE CONSEQUENCES COULD BE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS, BOTH FOR THE PLANE AND FOR PEOPLE.

OF COURSE IT'S VERY SATISFACTORY TO SEE SOMETHING LIKE THIS, THAT THE PROTECTION IS WORKING AS DESIGNED AND IT'S DOING ITS JOB EFFECTIVELY.

NARRATOR: WHETHER YOUR PLANE IS MADE OF COMPOSITE OR ALUMINUM, WHAT'S CERTAIN IS IT'S GOT TO WORK.

IT'S GOT TO KEEP YOU SAFE, KEEP YOU IN THE AIR, AND IT'S GOT TO DO IT OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN, AND THAT ISN'T EASY.

LARGE PASSENGER JETS ARE AMONG THE MOST SOPHISTICATED AND COMPLEX MACHINES EVER BUILT.

THIS AIRCRAFT HAS AN INCREDIBLE 4 MILLION PARTS.

IF ANYTHING WERE TO GO SERIOUSLY WRONG WITH ANY ONE OF THEM, EVEN ONCE, THE RESULTS COULD BE CATASTROPHIC.

IN ITS LIFETIME, IT MAY BE REQUIRED TO FLY 2,000 TIMES AROUND THE EARTH, EQUIVALENT TO OVER 100 JOURNEYS TO THE MOON AND BACK.

IN THE 8 YEARS SINCE THE FIRST AIRBUS A380s CAME INTO SERVICE, A HUNDRED MILLION PEOPLE HAVE FLOWN ON THEM.

REMARKABLY, IN ALL THAT TIME, NOT A SINGLE LIFE HAS BEEN LOST IN ONE DUE TO MALFUNCTION.

THAT'S THANKS IN PART TO SOME AMAZING BEHIND-THE-SCENES WORK THAT MOST OF US PASSENGERS NEVER GET TO SEE.

HERE IN DUBAI, EMIRATES AIRLINES' FLEET OF A380s HAS REACHED A MAJOR MILESTONE.

SOME OF THESE PLANES HAVE CLOCKED UP CLOSE TO 13 MILLION AIR MILES, AND THAT HAS TAKEN ITS TOLL, SO THEY'RE NOW BEING CALLED IN FOR THE ULTIMATE SAFETY CHECK: THE STRIP-DOWN.

TO INSPECT THE AIRCRAFT FOR WEAR AND TEAR, IT'S STRIPPED BACK TO THE BARE BONES.

OVER AN 8-WEEK PERIOD, ENGINEERS WILL CAREFULLY REMOVE 1,600 KEY PARTS.

THEN THEY'LL PORE OVER EVERY INCH OF THE EMPTY SHELL.

ANIL VAZ IS THE ENGINEER IN CHARGE.

NARRATOR: WHEN AN AIRCRAFT IS IN FLIGHT, THE WINGS HANDLE PHENOMENAL STRESSES.

TINY CRACKS CAN FORM IN THE WINGS' INTERNAL STRUCTURE.

IF JUST ONE WERE LEFT TO GROW INTO A MAJOR FLAW, IT COULD BRING DOWN A PLANE.

NARRATOR: THE STRIP-DOWN IS ALL ABOUT SPOTTING POTENTIAL PROBLEMS BEFORE THEY BECOME SERIOUS.

AND ONCE THEY PUT IT BACK TOGETHER, THIS A380 SHOULD FLY FOR ANOTHER 6 YEARS BEFORE ITS NEXT MAJOR OVERHAUL.

THANKS IN PART TO THIS LEVEL OF SAFETY CHECKING, FLYING IS NOW SAFER THAN EVER BEFORE.

NARRATOR: THE INCREDIBLE SAFETY RECORD OF MODERN AIRCRAFT IS LITTLE SHORT OF AN ENGINEERING MIRACLE.

THIS ACHIEVEMENT HAS BEEN KEY TO THE GROWTH OF AVIATION INTO WHAT IT IS TODAY.

BUT KEEPING A MILLION PASSENGERS CONSTANTLY IN THE AIR, ALONGSIDE A PARALLEL WORLD OF FLYING CARGO, IS AN ASTONISHING FEAT THAT MOST OF US TAKE FOR GRANTED.

NONE OF THIS WOULD BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT AN INVISIBLE ARMY OF PEOPLE KEEPING YOU AND YOUR PLANE SAFE.

AND THANKS TO THEIR SKILL AND CARE, YOUR FLIGHT IS ABOUT TO REACH ITS DESTINATION.

[TIRES SCREECH] Narrator: You're 30,000 feet up in the sky.

But what goes up must come down.

You're going to have to do one crucial thing... land.

It takes pilots who are ready for anything.

Plane Alert: Terrain ahead.

Narrator: Specialists making sure your route is clear and safe.

Specialist: It's hundreds of lives that are at stake.

Narrator: Engineers watching over your plane from the other side of the globe.

Engineer: You wouldn't even be aware any of this was happening.

♪♪ ANNOUNCER: "CITY IN THE SKY" IS AVAILABLE ON DVD.

TO ORDER, VISIT SHOPPBS.ORG OR CALL 1-800-PLAY-PBS.