1 00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:05,400 NARRATOR: Over the last century, 2 00:00:05,480 --> 00:00:07,676 the world has become a much smaller place. 3 00:00:09,120 --> 00:00:10,519 People and ideas 4 00:00:10,600 --> 00:00:14,514 have travelled from continent to continent at ever greater speeds. 5 00:00:14,600 --> 00:00:15,920 Two days have accelerated 6 00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:18,753 this revolution in mobility more than any other. 7 00:00:19,760 --> 00:00:23,071 The sending of the first wireless message across the Atlantic 8 00:00:23,160 --> 00:00:26,710 and Concorde's first transatlantic flight to New York. 9 00:00:27,680 --> 00:00:31,913 This is a dramatisation of events as they happened on those two days. 10 00:00:40,600 --> 00:00:42,398 It is 1901. 11 00:00:43,280 --> 00:00:47,399 On the Isle of Wight, Queen Victoria dies at the age of 81. 12 00:00:48,240 --> 00:00:53,110 In Nice, Gottlieb Daimler built his first Mercedes automobile. 13 00:00:54,680 --> 00:00:59,595 Rioters set St Petersburg alight during a protest against tsarist rule. 14 00:01:00,520 --> 00:01:02,557 And in St John's, Newfoundland, 15 00:01:02,640 --> 00:01:06,395 the world is about to wake up to the power of wireless. 16 00:01:15,600 --> 00:01:17,637 December, 1901. 17 00:01:17,720 --> 00:01:20,758 The world lives in almost total radio silence. 18 00:01:23,360 --> 00:01:26,478 With electromagnetic waves virtually unknown to science, 19 00:01:26,560 --> 00:01:31,111 radio, television and mobile phones haven't even been dreamt of. 20 00:01:33,600 --> 00:01:36,513 The preferred method of long-distance mobile communication 21 00:01:36,600 --> 00:01:38,398 is by carrier pigeon. 22 00:01:39,720 --> 00:01:42,519 But one of the greatest amateur inventors of all time 23 00:01:42,600 --> 00:01:44,318 is set on changing all that 24 00:01:45,240 --> 00:01:50,189 Guglielmo Marconi is obsessed by one goal, 25 00:01:50,280 --> 00:01:53,193 something that no-one else believes will ever be possible... 26 00:01:55,080 --> 00:01:58,710 To send a wireless message 150 times further 27 00:01:58,800 --> 00:02:00,950 than anyone else in history. 28 00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:05,871 1,800 miles across the Atlantic Ocean. 29 00:02:21,160 --> 00:02:23,310 Poldhu, Cornwall, 30 00:02:23,400 --> 00:02:26,995 home to what's been dubbed the "thunder factory" 31 00:02:27,080 --> 00:02:30,596 Inside is experimental electrical equipment 32 00:02:30,680 --> 00:02:33,638 designed by Marconi for his grand enterprise. 33 00:02:34,480 --> 00:02:38,713 It's 100 times more powerful than anything ever built 34 00:02:38,800 --> 00:02:43,510 Today this equipment will be pressed into service for a unique experiment 35 00:02:45,200 --> 00:02:48,477 Chief engineer William Entwistle has received a telegram 36 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:50,870 from his boss, Marconi. 37 00:02:50,960 --> 00:02:53,270 Riviera is a secret codeword. 38 00:02:53,360 --> 00:02:55,397 It's the instruction for Poldhu 39 00:02:55,480 --> 00:02:59,758 to start transmitting electromagnetic signals from 300 p.m. 40 00:03:01,440 --> 00:03:04,432 Entwistle has exactly four and a half hours 41 00:03:04,520 --> 00:03:06,750 to make sure all the machinery Is ready. 42 00:03:10,080 --> 00:03:14,551 When the transmission begins, 20,000 volts of electricity 43 00:03:14,640 --> 00:03:18,235 will leap between the two brass spheres of the spark gap. 44 00:03:29,920 --> 00:03:31,115 (ALARM RINGING) 45 00:03:31,200 --> 00:03:35,478 At this exact moment, 1,800 miles across the Atlantic, 46 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:37,471 Newfoundland is waking up. 47 00:03:40,080 --> 00:03:42,469 In the luxurious Cochrane Hotel, 48 00:03:42,560 --> 00:03:44,836 one of the guests is hoping to change history 49 00:03:45,640 --> 00:03:49,679 by being the first to harness the power of this mysterious new medium 50 00:03:50,920 --> 00:03:53,639 known as electromagnetic radio waves. 51 00:03:56,080 --> 00:03:59,471 They were discovered in 1886 by the German physicist, 52 00:03:59,560 --> 00:04:00,880 Heinrich Hertz. 53 00:04:02,960 --> 00:04:06,954 Since then the race has been on to profit from them commercially. 54 00:04:08,880 --> 00:04:13,556 In France, Eugene Ducretet has sent a Wireless message over two miles 55 00:04:13,640 --> 00:04:16,678 from the Eiffel Tower to the roof of the Pantheon. 56 00:04:17,640 --> 00:04:22,714 In Germany, Professor Slaby has sent a signal over 13 miles. 57 00:04:23,360 --> 00:04:26,830 Marconi is desperate not to be overtaken by his rivals. 58 00:04:27,760 --> 00:04:29,637 But he makes an unlikely challenger 59 00:04:29,720 --> 00:04:31,916 to the luminaries of the scientific establishment. 60 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:36,311 The son of an Irish mother and an Italian father, 61 00:04:36,400 --> 00:04:39,313 he has almost no formal education. 62 00:04:39,400 --> 00:04:42,995 But he's been obsessed with wireless since he was eight 63 00:04:43,080 --> 00:04:46,152 At 22, he was still conducting experiments 64 00:04:46,240 --> 00:04:49,073 in his parents' attic in Italy. 65 00:04:49,160 --> 00:04:54,519 At 25, he sent a message 30 miles across the English Channel 66 00:04:54,600 --> 00:05:00,357 Now age 27, he's gambling everything on what he calls his great experiment. 67 00:05:00,440 --> 00:05:01,839 (KNOCKING) 68 00:05:01,920 --> 00:05:02,955 Yes? 69 00:05:04,200 --> 00:05:07,477 Good morning, Mr Marconi. I thought you might want to read this. 70 00:05:07,560 --> 00:05:08,675 Thank you, Mr Kemp. 71 00:05:08,760 --> 00:05:10,876 NARRATOR: George Kemp is what Marconi has called 72 00:05:10,960 --> 00:05:13,634 his first assistant, collaborator and friend. 73 00:05:13,720 --> 00:05:15,518 KEMP: Third page, top left. 74 00:05:15,600 --> 00:05:16,795 NARRATOR: Two days ago, 75 00:05:16,880 --> 00:05:21,431 the first ever Nobel Prize has been awarded for brilliance in physics. 76 00:05:21,520 --> 00:05:25,514 Marconi knows that the hours ahead could also bring him fame and fortune. 77 00:05:25,600 --> 00:05:28,638 MARCONI: Several members of the royal family now at Stockholm. 78 00:05:28,720 --> 00:05:32,315 NARRATOR: Or they may lead to scientific ridicule and financial ruin. 79 00:05:33,560 --> 00:05:36,120 MARCONI: The mere memory of it makes me shudder. 80 00:05:37,520 --> 00:05:41,593 To me, it was a question of the life and death of my future. 81 00:05:44,200 --> 00:05:46,430 NARRATOR: Marconi's already in the public eye. 82 00:05:46,520 --> 00:05:50,275 He's been nicknamed by the press "the wonderful wizard of wireless". 83 00:05:51,160 --> 00:05:53,037 MARCONI: Any indication about the weather? 84 00:05:53,120 --> 00:05:56,670 NARRATOR: His experiments have been funded through family connections. 85 00:05:56,760 --> 00:06:00,754 His mother belongs to the Jameson family, makers of Irish whiskey. 86 00:06:00,840 --> 00:06:03,354 Their friends have backed Marconi heavily. 87 00:06:03,440 --> 00:06:05,113 In the coming days 88 00:06:05,200 --> 00:06:09,797 heavy storms are expected, occasioning a potential danger to shipping... 89 00:06:10,760 --> 00:06:13,354 It would appear the weather is against us. 90 00:06:23,880 --> 00:06:26,599 NARRATOR: From Marconi's hotel on the Newfoundland coast, 91 00:06:26,680 --> 00:06:30,435 it's a short walk to the location he's chosen for his experiment. 92 00:06:43,320 --> 00:06:47,518 High on a cliff overlooking the Atlantic is Signal Hill 93 00:06:47,600 --> 00:06:51,355 It was here that the first successful telegraph cable connecting Britain 94 00:06:51,440 --> 00:06:56,230 with the American continent had been laid in 1866. 95 00:06:56,840 --> 00:06:58,160 Thirty five years on, 96 00:06:58,240 --> 00:07:03,360 Marconi's dream is to make long-distance communication wireless. 97 00:07:09,800 --> 00:07:11,996 Disregarding conventional opinion, 98 00:07:12,080 --> 00:07:17,075 Marconi is convinced that radio waves can somehow travel beyond the horizon. 99 00:07:17,160 --> 00:07:18,673 Unlike his contemporaries, 100 00:07:18,760 --> 00:07:22,799 he has an instinctive grasp of their practical potential 101 00:07:22,880 --> 00:07:24,871 MARCONI: These waves might furnish mankind 102 00:07:24,960 --> 00:07:28,112 with a new and powerful means of communication, 103 00:07:28,200 --> 00:07:31,079 utilisable not only across continents and seas, 104 00:07:31,160 --> 00:07:33,470 but also on board ships, 105 00:07:33,560 --> 00:07:37,030 bringing with it a vast diminution of the dangers of navigation. 106 00:07:41,560 --> 00:07:43,710 NARRATOR: Eighteen hundred miles across the Atlantic, 107 00:07:43,800 --> 00:07:47,156 it's less than two hours before the transmission begins. 108 00:07:49,200 --> 00:07:53,990 Blasting an electromagnetic signal such a distance will require enormous power. 109 00:07:55,680 --> 00:07:56,954 To achieve this, 110 00:07:57,040 --> 00:08:00,237 an oil engine has been connected to an industrial alternator, 111 00:08:00,320 --> 00:08:04,154 capable of generating 25 kilowatts of electricity. 112 00:08:06,920 --> 00:08:08,911 Marconi hopes this will be enough 113 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:11,469 to make the wireless signals leap across the Atlantic 114 00:08:11,560 --> 00:08:14,951 to where he and Kemp are waiting in Newfoundland. 115 00:08:22,280 --> 00:08:24,920 Marconi has set up his receiving station 116 00:08:25,000 --> 00:08:27,469 in an abandoned barracks on Signal Hill 117 00:08:29,240 --> 00:08:30,389 Over in Cornwall, 118 00:08:30,480 --> 00:08:34,599 transmitting the wireless signals may require 26,000 volts. 119 00:08:34,680 --> 00:08:38,913 But here, in Newfoundland, Marconi's attempt to receive those signals 120 00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:41,560 will rely on just 12 volts of batteries. 121 00:08:59,400 --> 00:09:03,997 Marconi has brought across with him state-of-the art Edwardian equipment. 122 00:09:23,560 --> 00:09:25,517 At the heart of the system is 123 00:09:25,600 --> 00:09:29,389 a device to detect radio waves known as a coherer. 124 00:09:30,280 --> 00:09:33,193 Marconi designed it in Italy when he was 21. 125 00:09:35,400 --> 00:09:39,189 If a Morse signal is picked up by the aerial outside, 126 00:09:39,280 --> 00:09:43,353 it will pass through the coherer, completing an electric circuit 127 00:09:44,840 --> 00:09:47,036 Once the signal has passed through, 128 00:09:47,120 --> 00:09:50,272 Marconi has come up with a primitive yet effective way 129 00:09:50,360 --> 00:09:52,033 of breaking the circuit again. 130 00:09:57,440 --> 00:10:01,229 His system will then be ready to receive another dot or dash. 131 00:10:05,120 --> 00:10:09,318 Marconi's assistant Kemp is also a wireless expert 132 00:10:09,400 --> 00:10:12,995 Before joining Marconi in 1896, he'd been in the Navy 133 00:10:13,080 --> 00:10:15,754 as an electrical and torpedo instructor. 134 00:10:18,440 --> 00:10:20,351 While serving in the North Atlantic 135 00:10:20,440 --> 00:10:23,751 he also learned how to keep out the winter chills. 136 00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:37,389 All seems to be in order. 137 00:10:43,880 --> 00:10:45,154 Thank you, Mr Kemp. 138 00:10:45,240 --> 00:10:48,517 Could you check the inker for me, please? 139 00:10:54,840 --> 00:10:59,073 NARRATOR: The Morse inker is crucial to Marconi's experiment. 140 00:10:59,160 --> 00:11:03,074 Transmissions from Cornwall will start in less than two hours' time. 141 00:11:03,160 --> 00:11:05,436 If Marconi picks up any signals, 142 00:11:05,520 --> 00:11:08,831 the Morse tape will provide hard evidence of his success. 143 00:11:35,720 --> 00:11:37,836 Marconi's desktop equipment is now prepared 144 00:11:37,920 --> 00:11:40,434 to receive signals later this morning 145 00:11:41,400 --> 00:11:45,553 but his obsessive preparations for the day have been going on for months. 146 00:11:47,640 --> 00:11:51,235 MARCONI: Here's the problem, which is with this pole here... 147 00:11:51,320 --> 00:11:52,833 NARRATOR: Three months earlier, 148 00:11:52,920 --> 00:11:55,912 Marconi is on the other side of the Atlantic in Cornwall 149 00:11:57,080 --> 00:12:00,835 The outcome of his experiment will depend on one thing above all else, 150 00:12:01,800 --> 00:12:03,916 his design for the transmitting aerial 151 00:12:08,040 --> 00:12:11,032 He's arrived at its dimensions by trial and error. 152 00:12:11,320 --> 00:12:12,549 MARCONI: I cannot understand 153 00:12:12,640 --> 00:12:15,439 why the scientists do not see this thing as I do. 154 00:12:15,520 --> 00:12:20,469 It is perfectly simple and depends merely on the height of wire used. 155 00:12:20,560 --> 00:12:22,233 We found several years ago 156 00:12:22,320 --> 00:12:26,075 that if we doubled the height of our aerial wire, we quadrupled the effect 157 00:12:27,320 --> 00:12:30,870 NARRATOR: But the scale of his ambition is completely unprecedented. 158 00:12:30,960 --> 00:12:32,712 He's determined to send a signal 159 00:12:32,800 --> 00:12:36,759 150 times further than anyone else before him. 160 00:12:36,840 --> 00:12:38,956 To stand any chance of success, 161 00:12:39,040 --> 00:12:41,919 an aerial of appropriate proportions will be needed. 162 00:12:43,240 --> 00:12:47,359 His design for a ring of masts is nearing completion. 163 00:12:47,440 --> 00:12:52,230 200 feet up, riggers are lashing the remaining masts into place. 164 00:12:53,840 --> 00:12:58,073 Marconi has been warned that his masts are structurally unsound. 165 00:12:58,920 --> 00:13:00,296 The success of our venture at least... 166 00:13:00,320 --> 00:13:02,152 NARRATOR: But he's pressing on regardless. 167 00:13:02,240 --> 00:13:06,154 Any delay could result in being overtaken by one of his rivals. 168 00:13:07,600 --> 00:13:08,749 But in his haste, 169 00:13:08,840 --> 00:13:12,879 Marconi has overlooked one unavoidable feature of Cornish life... 170 00:13:14,080 --> 00:13:15,639 the Atlantic weather. 171 00:13:17,040 --> 00:13:21,557 Just hours after his inspection, a violent storm brews over the Atlantic. 172 00:13:26,480 --> 00:13:28,278 Marconi has ignored warnings 173 00:13:28,360 --> 00:13:31,637 that the aerial has insufficient guy ropes securing it 174 00:13:33,000 --> 00:13:36,516 And he's about to discover if these warnings have been justified. 175 00:13:46,640 --> 00:13:49,359 Marconi's ambitions lie in ruins. 176 00:13:50,680 --> 00:13:53,991 MARCONI: For some days I had visions of my experiment having to be postponed 177 00:13:54,080 --> 00:13:57,436 for several months or longer. 178 00:14:00,720 --> 00:14:04,509 And then I decided that it might be possible to make a preliminary trial 179 00:14:04,600 --> 00:14:06,238 with a simpler aerial 180 00:14:08,000 --> 00:14:12,597 NARRATOR: 70 get this far has taken Marconi unwavering determination. 181 00:14:12,680 --> 00:14:14,478 He's not about to give up now. 182 00:14:15,680 --> 00:14:19,799 He gives Kemp orders to salvage what he can from the wrecked masts. 183 00:14:21,520 --> 00:14:23,955 Testing his engineering skills to the full, 184 00:14:24,040 --> 00:14:26,634 Kemp sets to work on his boss' new design. 185 00:14:29,920 --> 00:14:33,276 Within a week, the salvaged aerial is ready. 186 00:14:33,360 --> 00:14:36,955 Marconi can now finalise his travel plans to cross the Atlantic. 187 00:14:42,640 --> 00:14:43,710 At the end of November, 188 00:14:43,800 --> 00:14:47,270 Marconi finally sets sail from Liverpool to Newfoundland. 189 00:14:49,080 --> 00:14:52,471 He's still deeply uncertain of the outcome of his experiment, 190 00:14:53,720 --> 00:14:57,350 so he's decided to keep its true nature a closely-guarded secret 191 00:14:59,240 --> 00:15:00,992 A moment of your time, Mr Marconi, please? 192 00:15:01,080 --> 00:15:02,798 Certainly. 193 00:15:02,880 --> 00:15:04,029 May I ask, 194 00:15:04,120 --> 00:15:07,112 is it true, as some have conjectured, that you are intending to send 195 00:15:07,200 --> 00:15:09,635 radio waves across the Atlantic? 196 00:15:09,720 --> 00:15:13,315 Not in the least. I have never suggested such an idea 197 00:15:13,400 --> 00:15:16,040 and, though the feat may be accomplished some day, 198 00:15:16,120 --> 00:15:17,872 it has yet hardly been thought here. 199 00:15:17,960 --> 00:15:18,995 REPORTER: Thank you, sir. 200 00:15:19,080 --> 00:15:20,832 NARRATOR: A well-publicised failure 201 00:15:20,920 --> 00:15:25,153 would expose Marconi to ridicule from the scientific establishment, 202 00:15:25,240 --> 00:15:28,039 who scoff at his mad, wireless dreams. 203 00:15:28,120 --> 00:15:29,554 Got that, didn't you? 204 00:15:33,360 --> 00:15:37,149 NARRATOR: The press doesn't quite know what to make of the young inventor. 205 00:15:37,240 --> 00:15:39,151 REPORTER: Though a purely Italian name, 206 00:15:39,240 --> 00:15:42,949 there is nothing of the foreigner in Mr Marconi's appearance. 207 00:15:44,480 --> 00:15:48,394 His speech is that of an educated scientific Englishman, 208 00:15:48,480 --> 00:15:50,278 and his dress and general manner 209 00:15:50,360 --> 00:15:53,193 are those of a pleasant, young, English gentleman. 210 00:16:01,800 --> 00:16:03,950 NARRATOR: 70 justify his trip to Newfoundland, 211 00:16:04,040 --> 00:16:06,350 Marconi has fabricated a cover story. 212 00:16:06,440 --> 00:16:07,776 - Leaving our shores again, sir? - Indeed. 213 00:16:07,800 --> 00:16:09,916 Officially, he'll merely be conducting 214 00:16:10,000 --> 00:16:13,197 short-range wireless tests from ship-to-shore. 215 00:16:15,640 --> 00:16:18,280 His baggage raises no suspicions. 216 00:16:18,360 --> 00:16:19,555 But its contents 217 00:16:19,640 --> 00:16:22,871 are hardly those typical of a travelling Edwardian gentleman. 218 00:16:26,000 --> 00:16:29,709 Reception instruments, aerial wire... 219 00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:33,469 NARRATOR: If word gets out about what's inside, 220 00:16:33,560 --> 00:16:36,791 the young inventor fears he'll be written off by many as a crank. 221 00:16:36,880 --> 00:16:41,317 Two balloons, hydrogen gas. 222 00:16:44,320 --> 00:16:47,438 NARRATOR: But it's not just Marconi's reputation that's at stake. 223 00:16:47,520 --> 00:16:49,158 It's his finances, too. 224 00:16:51,040 --> 00:16:54,556 MARCONI: My experiment involved risking at least £50,000, 225 00:16:54,640 --> 00:16:56,916 to achieve a result which had been declared impossible 226 00:16:57,000 --> 00:16:59,913 by some of the principle mathematicians of the time. 227 00:17:02,240 --> 00:17:06,438 NARRATOR: Almost nothing is known to science about how radio waves work. 228 00:17:08,600 --> 00:17:10,557 They seem to have magical properties 229 00:17:10,640 --> 00:17:14,838 and have been shown to travel through air, wood and even stone and metal 230 00:17:17,400 --> 00:17:20,950 Marconi is as baffled as everyone else as to how they do this. 231 00:17:23,360 --> 00:17:27,911 One of Marconi's rivals, a professor of electricity at Oxford University, 232 00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:32,233 is even convinced that radio waves may be used to communicate with the dead. 233 00:17:45,760 --> 00:17:47,398 The scientific establishment believes 234 00:17:47,480 --> 00:17:51,872 that transmitting radio waves across the Atlantic is impossible. 235 00:17:53,280 --> 00:17:56,557 But that's exactly what Marconi is intending to do. 236 00:17:59,600 --> 00:18:03,230 It's thought that radio waves behave just like light waves. 237 00:18:04,120 --> 00:18:07,875 And everyone knows that light waves travel in straight lines. 238 00:18:09,480 --> 00:18:11,994 They don't follow the curve of the Earth's surface, 239 00:18:12,080 --> 00:18:14,276 but disappear off into space. 240 00:18:24,840 --> 00:18:29,073 Because of the Earth's curvature there is effectively a wall of water 241 00:18:29,200 --> 00:18:32,830 100 miles high between Britain and Newfoundland. 242 00:18:37,840 --> 00:18:42,038 Marconi has no idea whether radio waves actually travel through water 243 00:18:42,120 --> 00:18:43,952 or skim across its surface. 244 00:18:45,360 --> 00:18:48,239 But he's not a scientist. He's an inventor. 245 00:18:49,200 --> 00:18:51,157 And he's got an overwhelming hunch 246 00:18:51,240 --> 00:18:54,232 that somehow his signals will make it across. 247 00:18:58,800 --> 00:19:02,509 Sixteen days later, Marconi has arrived in Newfoundland. 248 00:19:04,880 --> 00:19:06,632 It's the day of transmission 249 00:19:06,720 --> 00:19:09,519 and he's still struggling to pick up a signal from Cornwall 250 00:19:11,640 --> 00:19:15,520 He's devised a unique way of raising his aerial hundreds of feet into the air 251 00:19:15,600 --> 00:19:17,477 to improve reception. 252 00:19:17,560 --> 00:19:19,392 He'll be using a kite. 253 00:19:21,120 --> 00:19:25,079 The Levitor kite is the British Army's latest secret weapon. 254 00:19:25,160 --> 00:19:28,232 It's the brainchild of Colonel Robert Baden-Powell 255 00:19:30,760 --> 00:19:33,434 He claims that a stack of his kites 256 00:19:33,520 --> 00:19:37,036 can lift a volunteer soldier hundreds of feet into the air. 257 00:19:37,120 --> 00:19:41,557 This would give commanders a bird's-eye view of the enemy's position in battle. 258 00:19:44,920 --> 00:19:47,389 Rather than carrying human cargo, 259 00:19:47,480 --> 00:19:49,278 Marconi is intending to trail 260 00:19:49,360 --> 00:19:53,354 his receiving aerial made of copper wire 500 feet long. 261 00:20:24,400 --> 00:20:27,233 At this precise moment, with 11 minutes to go, 262 00:20:27,320 --> 00:20:30,756 William Entwistle prepares his team for transmission. 263 00:20:32,040 --> 00:20:33,997 One of the workers recalled... 264 00:20:34,080 --> 00:20:35,696 WORKER: We all put cotton wool in our ears 265 00:20:35,720 --> 00:20:38,633 to lessen the force of the electric concussion, 266 00:20:38,720 --> 00:20:42,600 which was not unlike the successive explosions of the Maxim gun. 267 00:20:58,280 --> 00:21:00,874 MARCONI: The critical moment has come, 268 00:21:00,960 --> 00:21:04,999 for which I have been preparing for six years 269 00:21:05,080 --> 00:21:07,833 in which I have faced numerous kinds of criticism 270 00:21:07,920 --> 00:21:12,073 and attempts to discourage me and turn me from my ultimate purpose. 271 00:21:14,480 --> 00:21:17,598 NARRATOR: In Cornwall, Entwistle's orders from Marconi are 272 00:21:17,680 --> 00:21:20,991 to transmit the letter "S" from exactly 3.00. 273 00:21:22,160 --> 00:21:25,755 In Morse code, "S" is made up of three dots. 274 00:21:26,960 --> 00:21:29,952 (CLOCK CHIMING) 275 00:21:34,680 --> 00:21:36,512 - Circuits stable. - Check. 276 00:22:14,080 --> 00:22:16,640 NARRATOR: Tapping out even this simplest of signals 277 00:22:16,720 --> 00:22:19,360 puts a huge strain on the power plant 278 00:22:22,520 --> 00:22:24,955 A worker at Poldhu remarked... 279 00:22:25,040 --> 00:22:27,759 WORKER: When the door of the enclosure was opened, 280 00:22:27,840 --> 00:22:32,516 the roar of the discharge could be heard for miles along the coast. 281 00:22:32,600 --> 00:22:34,910 This smashing discharge was noteworthy. 282 00:22:37,960 --> 00:22:43,399 Every metal gutter, drainpipe or object on the site resonated freely. 283 00:23:00,040 --> 00:23:03,192 - That's another one gone. - How many have we got left? 284 00:23:05,040 --> 00:23:06,075 Two. 285 00:23:06,160 --> 00:23:08,879 NARRATOR: Thirty two minutes into the broadcast from Cornwall, 286 00:23:08,960 --> 00:23:11,236 Marconi still hasn't heard anything. 287 00:23:12,240 --> 00:23:15,232 Of his six kites, four have now been lost 288 00:23:24,560 --> 00:23:27,439 in Cornwall, dusk is already falling. 289 00:23:36,440 --> 00:23:39,671 Another kite has been launched and is in the air. 290 00:23:39,760 --> 00:23:43,230 But Marconi's Morse inker has still not been activated. 291 00:23:44,240 --> 00:23:47,995 He is totally isolated and has no way of contacting Cornwall 292 00:23:48,080 --> 00:23:50,674 to see whether anything's wrong at their end. 293 00:23:52,560 --> 00:23:54,949 Tell your man to keep the kite steady! 294 00:23:55,920 --> 00:23:59,038 Tell your man to keep the kite steady! 295 00:24:02,640 --> 00:24:06,156 NARRATOR: The coherer Marconi designed in Italy six years before 296 00:24:06,240 --> 00:24:08,516 is still receiving no signals. 297 00:24:11,160 --> 00:24:16,394 He makes a difficult decision to abandon his own coherer 298 00:24:16,480 --> 00:24:19,313 and to try a mercury coherer instead. 299 00:24:30,200 --> 00:24:35,400 This new coherer is more sensitive, but it has one major drawback. 300 00:24:36,000 --> 00:24:38,833 It's not compatible with the Morse printer. 301 00:24:39,640 --> 00:24:42,792 Marconi will have to rely on his hearing alone. 302 00:24:43,560 --> 00:24:46,393 MARCONI: The receiver on the table before me was very crude. 303 00:24:47,840 --> 00:24:50,992 I placed a single earphone on my ear and started listening. 304 00:24:54,360 --> 00:24:58,069 NARRATOR: But the change of coherer makes no difference. 305 00:25:04,600 --> 00:25:07,831 Poldhu has been blasting out dots for an hour. 306 00:25:09,440 --> 00:25:12,398 (ELECTRIC SIGNAL CRACKLING) 307 00:25:35,440 --> 00:25:36,669 Kemp. 308 00:25:40,080 --> 00:25:41,878 Can you hear anything, Mr Kemp? 309 00:25:44,240 --> 00:25:50,589 (ELECTRIC SIGNAL CRACKLING) 310 00:25:51,640 --> 00:25:53,119 Yes, I think I can. 311 00:25:57,480 --> 00:26:03,999 (ELECTRIC SIGNAL CRACKLING) 312 00:26:05,720 --> 00:26:07,119 Three dots! 313 00:26:11,160 --> 00:26:12,992 NARRATOR: For the first time in history, 314 00:26:13,080 --> 00:26:16,550 a radio signal is bridging two continents. 315 00:26:23,080 --> 00:26:26,152 MARCONI: The electric waves, which were being sent out from Poldhu, 316 00:26:26,240 --> 00:26:31,076 had traversed the Atlantic, serenely ignoring the curvature of the earth, 317 00:26:31,160 --> 00:26:34,357 which so many doubters considered would be a fatal obstacle 318 00:26:36,800 --> 00:26:38,359 Time check, Mr Kemp. 319 00:26:40,640 --> 00:26:42,119 12:30 exactly. 320 00:26:46,480 --> 00:26:47,959 MARCONI: In my earliest experiments 321 00:26:48,040 --> 00:26:51,556 I had always held the belief, almost an intuition, 322 00:26:51,640 --> 00:26:55,429 that radio signals would some day be sent across greater distances. 323 00:26:57,640 --> 00:27:01,315 I now knew that all my anticipations had been justified. 324 00:27:01,880 --> 00:27:03,154 We've done it. 325 00:27:04,640 --> 00:27:05,994 Well done, chaps. 326 00:27:10,400 --> 00:27:13,631 NARRATOR: Marconi's predictions were soon fulfilled. 327 00:27:13,720 --> 00:27:17,918 His daring Newfoundland success caught the world by surprise. 328 00:27:18,680 --> 00:27:21,832 May I propose a toast? To our great success. 329 00:27:21,920 --> 00:27:24,639 - KEMP: Here, here. - ALL: Success! 330 00:27:25,320 --> 00:27:27,277 NARRATOR: Feted by the world's press, 331 00:27:27,360 --> 00:27:30,000 Marconi became a household name overnight 332 00:27:30,800 --> 00:27:33,519 He was still just 27 years old. 333 00:27:33,600 --> 00:27:36,831 MARCONI: If I could ask you to capture the moment for us? 334 00:27:36,920 --> 00:27:37,955 Certainly. 335 00:27:53,000 --> 00:27:54,600 NARRATOR: The pioneering work of the man, 336 00:27:54,640 --> 00:27:57,439 who described himself as an ardent amateur, 337 00:27:57,520 --> 00:28:01,115 was recognised by the scientific establishment 338 00:28:01,200 --> 00:28:05,797 in 1909, eight years after the Nobel Prize was established, 339 00:28:05,920 --> 00:28:08,594 Marconi was awarded the prize for physics. 340 00:28:12,960 --> 00:28:17,477 The practical value of his equipment was dramatically proven three years later 341 00:28:17,560 --> 00:28:20,120 when the Titanic sank just off Newfoundland. 342 00:28:22,480 --> 00:28:27,316 Its wireless distress signals were picked up by a nearby ship. 343 00:28:27,400 --> 00:28:32,349 The press credited Marconi for the 712 lives that were saved. 344 00:28:44,520 --> 00:28:46,989 Wireless had come of age. 345 00:28:47,080 --> 00:28:49,276 As the 20th century continued, 346 00:28:49,360 --> 00:28:51,556 the invisible web of wireless communication 347 00:28:51,640 --> 00:28:56,430 that Marconi started weaving spread around the world 348 00:28:56,520 --> 00:28:57,874 and beyond. 349 00:28:58,520 --> 00:28:59,640 RADIO ANNOUNCER: This is 2LO 350 00:28:59,720 --> 00:29:02,872 the London station of the British Broadcasting Company calling. 351 00:29:07,280 --> 00:29:11,672 MAN: I am speaking to you from the Cabinet room 352 00:29:11,760 --> 00:29:13,398 at 10 Downing Street 353 00:29:13,480 --> 00:29:17,633 The opening programme will now be repeated on the Marconi-EMI system... 354 00:29:17,720 --> 00:29:20,280 Apollo 11, this is Houston, how do you read? 355 00:29:20,360 --> 00:29:22,590 ARMSTRONG: It's one small step for man... 356 00:29:22,680 --> 00:29:23,816 MAN: And good morning, everyone, 357 00:29:23,840 --> 00:29:25,816 and welcome to the exciting new sound of Radio 1... 358 00:29:25,840 --> 00:29:28,878 WOMAN: The Vodafone you have called has not responded. 359 00:29:28,960 --> 00:29:32,032 ARMSTRONG: one giant leap for mankind. 360 00:29:32,120 --> 00:29:35,112 NARRATOR: Marconi's mastery over radio waves triggered 361 00:29:35,200 --> 00:29:37,794 a revolution in communication. 362 00:29:37,880 --> 00:29:41,874 Seventy six years later, the world's first supersonic passenger plane 363 00:29:41,960 --> 00:29:44,600 beckoned a revolution in travel 364 00:29:44,680 --> 00:29:46,398 But it would be travel at a price. 365 00:29:53,080 --> 00:29:54,639 It's 1977. 366 00:29:55,520 --> 00:29:58,831 In Tenerife, 574 people die 367 00:29:58,920 --> 00:30:02,151 as two jumbo jets collide at Las Palmas airport. 368 00:30:03,240 --> 00:30:07,313 Elvis Presley is found dead at his home in Memphis, Tennessee. 369 00:30:07,400 --> 00:30:09,038 Egypt's President Sadat 370 00:30:09,120 --> 00:30:12,636 becomes the first Arab leader to make a state visit to Israel 371 00:30:13,920 --> 00:30:15,672 And at Toulouse Airport, 372 00:30:16,320 --> 00:30:21,076 the world's fastest airliner is standing Idle beside Runway 15. 373 00:30:26,240 --> 00:30:28,880 The 17th of October, 1977. 374 00:30:28,960 --> 00:30:32,840 The most controversial passenger plane ever built is in the dock. 375 00:30:36,520 --> 00:30:38,750 The Supreme Court in Washington DC 376 00:30:38,840 --> 00:30:42,037 is deciding whether this triumph of European technology 377 00:30:42,120 --> 00:30:44,999 can land at America's busiest airport.. 378 00:30:46,200 --> 00:30:48,999 France's leading test pilot, Jean Franchi, 379 00:30:49,080 --> 00:30:52,994 is standing by for the most important flight of his career. 380 00:30:53,080 --> 00:30:54,753 (SPEAKING IN FRENCH) 381 00:30:54,840 --> 00:30:57,036 And British Airways pilot, Brian Walpole, 382 00:30:57,120 --> 00:31:01,114 is marking time while Concorde's odds are weighed up in America. 383 00:31:03,760 --> 00:31:05,751 If the Supreme Court says yes, 384 00:31:05,840 --> 00:31:09,196 it could result in hundreds more Concordes flying commercially 385 00:31:09,280 --> 00:31:11,157 in the decades ahead. 386 00:31:12,840 --> 00:31:16,754 If it says no, the most expensive passenger plane ever built 387 00:31:16,840 --> 00:31:19,719 will become a museum piece overnight.. 388 00:31:21,720 --> 00:31:24,838 Concorde has already proven its supersonic credentials. 389 00:31:30,240 --> 00:31:34,916 The world's most glamorous plane has flown to the most glamorous cities. 390 00:31:44,680 --> 00:31:46,830 But none of them will ever make it any money. 391 00:31:48,200 --> 00:31:51,079 Only one city has sufficient millionaires per square mile 392 00:31:51,160 --> 00:31:52,992 to keep Concorde in the air. 393 00:31:53,080 --> 00:31:55,310 It's the route Concorde's been designed for. 394 00:31:57,080 --> 00:31:58,400 New York. 395 00:32:01,320 --> 00:32:04,870 Of all the world's flights, three-quarters cross the Atlantic. 396 00:32:04,960 --> 00:32:08,794 And of these, almost half touch down in the Big Apple. 397 00:32:08,880 --> 00:32:13,158 If it's to have any commercial future, Concorde needs New York. 398 00:32:14,160 --> 00:32:16,720 But New York doesn't want Concorde. 399 00:32:18,760 --> 00:32:22,594 We're mad as hell and we're not going to take it any more. 400 00:32:22,680 --> 00:32:24,456 NARRATOR: Thousands living under the flight path 401 00:32:24,480 --> 00:32:27,598 to New York's John F Kennedy airport are up in arms. 402 00:32:27,680 --> 00:32:29,910 (PROTESTERS CHANTING) 403 00:32:30,000 --> 00:32:33,789 They're highly-organised, highly-vocal, middle-class Americans. 404 00:32:33,880 --> 00:32:36,520 And if they don't get their way, they've got enough clout 405 00:32:36,600 --> 00:32:39,160 to bring the country's busiest airport to a standstill 406 00:32:39,240 --> 00:32:40,469 Keep Concorde out of JFK. 407 00:32:40,560 --> 00:32:44,110 Spearheading the campaign to kill Concorde is Carol Berman, 408 00:32:44,200 --> 00:32:46,589 a 52-year-old resident of Long Island. 409 00:32:47,840 --> 00:32:52,038 As her campaign gains momentum, Concorde gets dragged into the dock. 410 00:32:52,800 --> 00:32:56,236 Official hearings assess the evidence for and against Concorde 411 00:32:56,320 --> 00:32:59,870 known in America as a supersonic transport or SST. 412 00:33:01,200 --> 00:33:04,238 "The building shook. I held my ears." 413 00:33:04,760 --> 00:33:08,958 "The SST is charged with doing everything but causing ingrown toenails" 414 00:33:09,040 --> 00:33:11,554 "and I'll be surprised if the misinformers do not find" 415 00:33:11,640 --> 00:33:13,074 "a way to do that." 416 00:33:13,160 --> 00:33:17,950 "Please, consider our fate carefully." 417 00:33:18,040 --> 00:33:19,917 NARRATOR: Concorde's fate has been placed 418 00:33:20,000 --> 00:33:22,389 in an indefinite holding pattern. 419 00:33:22,480 --> 00:33:25,632 The risk of Concorde losing its case becomes so great, 420 00:33:25,720 --> 00:33:28,997 that the British government sends over its Minister for Industry. 421 00:33:29,080 --> 00:33:32,675 Is that I like campaigns to present accurate facts 422 00:33:32,760 --> 00:33:35,991 and this is just a hysterically inaccurate campaign. 423 00:33:36,080 --> 00:33:39,277 NARRATOR: After 19 months caught up in the American legal system, 424 00:33:39,360 --> 00:33:41,874 the Supreme Court makes its decision. 425 00:33:41,960 --> 00:33:44,873 Concorde can land at JFK. 426 00:33:44,960 --> 00:33:50,478 They will fly a proving flight into JFK this coming Wednesday, 427 00:33:50,560 --> 00:33:52,233 the day after tomorrow. 428 00:33:52,320 --> 00:33:54,277 (CROWD PROTESTING) 429 00:33:57,040 --> 00:33:59,077 Okay, that's not... That's not gonna stop it. 430 00:34:04,440 --> 00:34:07,159 NARRATOR: Aerospatiale headquarters in Toulouse 431 00:34:07,240 --> 00:34:10,358 is the French birthplace of Concorde. 432 00:34:10,440 --> 00:34:12,829 Concorde Sierra Bravo can now be readied 433 00:34:12,920 --> 00:34:16,038 for its historic transatlantic flight to New York. 434 00:34:17,280 --> 00:34:18,793 The Concorde project has been 435 00:34:18,880 --> 00:34:21,554 a joint investment by the British and French Governments. 436 00:34:23,240 --> 00:34:25,959 So today's Concorde has a suitable livery. 437 00:34:26,040 --> 00:34:29,670 One side of the tailfin has been painted with the British Airways colours. 438 00:34:29,840 --> 00:34:32,150 The other with the Air France logo. 439 00:34:33,680 --> 00:34:36,240 The evening before they are due to take off for New York, 440 00:34:36,320 --> 00:34:38,516 the pilots are called to a room nearby. 441 00:34:39,440 --> 00:34:40,794 What do you say to the accusation 442 00:34:40,880 --> 00:34:44,794 that Concorde is the noisiest commercial aircraft that's ever flown? 443 00:34:44,880 --> 00:34:49,158 Well, uh, again I would come back to the fighter planes, 444 00:34:49,240 --> 00:34:52,471 which are to be counted by the thousands 445 00:34:52,560 --> 00:34:56,269 flying over Vietnam and, uh, over... 446 00:34:56,360 --> 00:34:59,398 NARRATOR: The pilots must train for six months to fly Concorde. 447 00:34:59,480 --> 00:35:01,278 But something they've not been prepared for 448 00:35:01,360 --> 00:35:03,112 is how to deal with a hostile press. 449 00:35:03,200 --> 00:35:05,760 fuel burnt by Concorde could adversely affect 450 00:35:05,840 --> 00:35:07,576 the weather patterns, the global weather patterns... 451 00:35:07,600 --> 00:35:08,776 NARRATOR: When they get to New York, 452 00:35:08,800 --> 00:35:12,156 these pilots will be the human face of Concorde. 453 00:35:12,240 --> 00:35:14,516 Their mission will not just be to fly the plane, 454 00:35:14,600 --> 00:35:16,796 but to win the hearts and minds of the public. 455 00:35:16,880 --> 00:35:20,191 Uh, we have a few Concordes flying, we might... 456 00:35:20,280 --> 00:35:24,239 NARRATOR: Jean Franchi will command this historic Concorde flight 457 00:35:24,320 --> 00:35:26,197 the planes going all over the world... 458 00:35:26,280 --> 00:35:28,920 NARRATOR: During his 33 years as a test pilot, 459 00:35:29,000 --> 00:35:32,231 he's had little time to spare for diplomatic niceties. 460 00:35:32,320 --> 00:35:35,790 501 can't really see the point of your questions. 461 00:35:35,880 --> 00:35:39,157 There are very clear procedures in place to reduce the amount of... 462 00:35:39,240 --> 00:35:41,834 NARRATOR: Brian Walpole started his flying career 463 00:35:41,920 --> 00:35:44,434 as an ace in the Royal Air Force aerobatics team. 464 00:35:44,520 --> 00:35:48,070 No, no, there are many other aircraft, you know, which create noise. 465 00:35:48,160 --> 00:35:50,696 You can't fly an aircraft without creating noise, but Concorde isn't... 466 00:35:50,720 --> 00:35:54,634 NARRATOR: After British Airways bought five Concordes in 1975, 467 00:35:54,720 --> 00:35:57,951 it was not long before he was put in charge of the Concorde fleet. 468 00:35:58,040 --> 00:35:59,951 - You'll admit there is a risk? - No. 469 00:36:00,040 --> 00:36:01,075 Well, we've been told 470 00:36:01,160 --> 00:36:03,913 that the sonic boom, for example, on landing is going to... 471 00:36:04,000 --> 00:36:08,551 Yes, well, you must realise that if we did land at sonic speed, 472 00:36:08,640 --> 00:36:11,314 we would have a far greater problem than noise. 473 00:36:11,400 --> 00:36:13,471 NARRATOR: Concorde seems to be polarising opinion 474 00:36:13,560 --> 00:36:15,836 like no other aircraft in history. 475 00:36:15,920 --> 00:36:18,056 - FRANCHI: on the approach... - What about the accusation of... 476 00:36:18,080 --> 00:36:19,896 - WALPOLE: It's a false accusation. - Where are the proofs? 477 00:36:19,920 --> 00:36:21,696 WALPOLE: No, I think you'll find that's not true at all 478 00:36:21,720 --> 00:36:23,136 or pollution in the upper atmosphere. 479 00:36:23,160 --> 00:36:24,753 No, it's been extensively tested. 480 00:36:24,840 --> 00:36:26,433 With respect, we have been told 481 00:36:26,520 --> 00:36:28,496 - that the amount of fuel.. - There's no danger, no. 482 00:36:28,520 --> 00:36:31,176 NARRATOR: Some newspaper stories have blamed Concorde for everything 483 00:36:31,200 --> 00:36:36,320 from the melting of the icecaps to the unusually cold winter of '76-'77. 484 00:36:36,400 --> 00:36:39,119 drove a herd of cattle off a cliff in Switzerland in 1968. 485 00:36:39,200 --> 00:36:41,191 - What, what was the cause of that... - 1968. 486 00:36:41,280 --> 00:36:42,315 (STAMMERING) 487 00:36:42,400 --> 00:36:44,357 Concorde's just a plane for the rich, isn't it? 488 00:36:44,440 --> 00:36:45,696 These people are movers and shakers. 489 00:36:45,720 --> 00:36:49,315 They're people who are going to bring prosperity to New York 490 00:36:49,400 --> 00:36:51,232 as well as to Europe. 491 00:36:51,320 --> 00:36:53,118 Thank you, gentlemen. 492 00:36:55,760 --> 00:36:57,080 - Well done, gents. - Thank you. 493 00:36:57,160 --> 00:36:59,256 NARRATOR: The grilling has not been conducted by a journallist 494 00:36:59,280 --> 00:37:01,920 but by a PR man from the British Airways press office. 495 00:37:02,000 --> 00:37:03,880 And, erm, sorry about the lights and everything, 496 00:37:03,960 --> 00:37:05,976 but we just wanted to make it as realistic as possible for you. 497 00:37:06,000 --> 00:37:07,115 Yes. 498 00:37:07,200 --> 00:37:10,238 Now we think there'll be about 500 of them 499 00:37:10,320 --> 00:37:12,197 baying for Concorde's blood tomorrow so... 500 00:37:12,280 --> 00:37:14,616 NARRATOR: Tomorrow's Concorde flight to New York will culminate 501 00:37:14,640 --> 00:37:15,869 in a huge press conference. 502 00:37:15,960 --> 00:37:18,200 Erm, easy on the references to Vietnam, things like that. 503 00:37:18,240 --> 00:37:19,719 We don't want to antagonise, 504 00:37:19,800 --> 00:37:22,176 although I did like the way you dealt with the red herring I threw in 505 00:37:22,200 --> 00:37:25,158 about the sonic boom on landing. Very good. 506 00:37:25,240 --> 00:37:27,356 Now we've got a selection here 507 00:37:27,440 --> 00:37:29,875 of the press coverage we've been getting in advance. 508 00:37:29,960 --> 00:37:35,160 Erm, 1,500 cars disrupt traffic to protest at SST. 509 00:37:35,240 --> 00:37:38,517 SST aeroplane of tomorrow breaks windows, cracks walls, 510 00:37:38,600 --> 00:37:43,071 stampedes cattle and will hasten the end of the American wilderness. 511 00:37:43,160 --> 00:37:45,800 Oh, yes. So... 512 00:37:45,880 --> 00:37:48,474 NARRATOR: 70 win over a sceptical New York public, 513 00:37:48,560 --> 00:37:51,154 the pilots will need every bit of help they can get. 514 00:37:51,240 --> 00:37:53,080 - Oh, Brian, just a word before you go. - Yeah. 515 00:37:53,120 --> 00:37:55,560 Erm, tomorrow night is the final of the World Baseball Series, 516 00:37:55,640 --> 00:37:57,631 the LA Dodgers against the New York Yankees... 517 00:37:57,720 --> 00:37:58,790 - Right. - Erm, 518 00:37:58,880 --> 00:38:00,917 can you use it to break the ice? 519 00:38:01,000 --> 00:38:02,320 -Ah, yes, good ideal -Yeah, okay? 520 00:38:02,400 --> 00:38:03,576 - I'll see what I can do. - All the best to you. 521 00:38:03,600 --> 00:38:04,696 - All right, thanks very much. - Bye-bye. 522 00:38:04,720 --> 00:38:06,416 RADIO: Yankee Stadium over in the West Bronx tonight, 523 00:38:06,440 --> 00:38:09,034 it's the big one between the Yankees and the Dodgers... 524 00:38:09,120 --> 00:38:11,077 - Around seven. - Go, Yankees/ 525 00:38:11,160 --> 00:38:12,576 Well, I'm having a little trouble with my car... 526 00:38:12,600 --> 00:38:14,318 NARRATOR: 4,000 miles across the Atlantic, 527 00:38:14,400 --> 00:38:18,314 protest leader, Carol Berman, is making preparations to meet Concorde. 528 00:38:18,400 --> 00:38:20,616 RADIO ANNOUNCER: white suits for the biggest hit of the summer. 529 00:38:20,640 --> 00:38:22,677 It's the Bee Gees and Night Fever. 530 00:38:22,760 --> 00:38:24,637 Not again. 531 00:38:24,720 --> 00:38:27,155 Okay, so what do you reckon, Joe? Yeah. 532 00:38:27,240 --> 00:38:30,676 Well, it's supposed to be touching down around 10:00 533 00:38:30,760 --> 00:38:33,832 so if I'm with you by 6:30, is that good? 534 00:38:33,920 --> 00:38:35,991 Uh... Yeah, I know it's a little early, 535 00:38:36,080 --> 00:38:38,993 but, you know, I'm woken up super-early these days anyway. 536 00:38:39,080 --> 00:38:40,639 NARRATOR: Having lost the court case, 537 00:38:40,720 --> 00:38:44,236 some protesters Carol knows are considering desperate measures 538 00:38:44,320 --> 00:38:46,118 to keep Concorde out of their backyards. 539 00:38:46,200 --> 00:38:49,795 Well, beat this. This assembly women rang me yesterday. 540 00:38:49,880 --> 00:38:53,396 Yeah, she had this idea. We take a bunch of kites. 541 00:38:53,480 --> 00:38:57,758 Yeah, kites. Yeah. We fly them over the landing approaches at JFK. 542 00:38:57,840 --> 00:39:01,310 Yeah. Yeah, well, I know... 543 00:39:04,000 --> 00:39:05,718 NARRATOR: Across the Atlantic in Toulouse, 544 00:39:05,800 --> 00:39:09,839 it's the night before Concorde's maiden flight to New York. 545 00:39:09,920 --> 00:39:12,833 If Concorde's arrival is not met with approval, 546 00:39:12,920 --> 00:39:15,912 the two-billion-pound project will be doomed. 547 00:39:30,680 --> 00:39:32,796 On the morning of October the 19th, 548 00:39:32,880 --> 00:39:36,874 Concorde Sierra Bravo is readied for its four-hour flight 549 00:39:37,840 --> 00:39:42,630 in a nearby office, Captain Franchi is conducting the pre-flight briefing. 550 00:39:42,720 --> 00:39:46,076 So, now, for the fuel flight plan... 551 00:39:47,280 --> 00:39:48,793 (MUTTERING IN FRENCH) 552 00:39:48,880 --> 00:39:52,794 FRANCHI: Okay, so the total is 93.5 tonnes, 553 00:39:52,880 --> 00:39:57,477 I like you to check on the centre of gravity on the CG. 554 00:39:57,560 --> 00:39:59,597 ENGINEER: So 93.5 tonne... 555 00:39:59,680 --> 00:40:02,479 NARRATOR: The flight engineer double-checks their fuel needs 556 00:40:02,560 --> 00:40:04,119 for the 4,000 mile trip. 557 00:40:04,200 --> 00:40:05,713 a burnout of approximately a tonne 558 00:40:05,800 --> 00:40:09,111 which is more or less equal to what we use as taxi fuel.. 559 00:40:10,720 --> 00:40:14,793 NARRATOR: Concorde's fuel tanks can hold up to 95 tonnes of fuel 560 00:40:14,880 --> 00:40:17,872 On a full flight, this equates to almost one tonne of fuel 561 00:40:17,960 --> 00:40:19,792 being burned per passenger. 562 00:40:22,440 --> 00:40:25,193 This is more than triple that of its subsonic rivals 563 00:40:25,280 --> 00:40:29,069 and has placed Concorde at the top of the environmentalists' blacklist 564 00:40:29,160 --> 00:40:32,039 - No... - Rather sorry to interrupt, Jean, but... 565 00:40:32,120 --> 00:40:36,273 NARRATOR: JFK Airport is surrounded by large residential areas. 566 00:40:36,360 --> 00:40:39,637 We have some problems with the local population... 567 00:40:39,720 --> 00:40:42,473 NARRATOR: Concorde's battle for the hearts and minds of New Yorkers 568 00:40:42,560 --> 00:40:45,074 will rest, above all, on one thing. 569 00:40:45,160 --> 00:40:48,118 What disturbs the most is noise. 570 00:40:51,640 --> 00:40:53,836 4,000 miles across the Atlantic, 571 00:40:53,920 --> 00:40:56,912 New York is six hours behind French time. 572 00:40:59,560 --> 00:41:03,110 Carol Berman has been living in her house for 22 years. 573 00:41:06,040 --> 00:41:11,035 When she moved here in 1955, every hour, nine planes landed. 574 00:41:12,240 --> 00:41:14,800 Now this has risen to almost 30, 575 00:41:16,280 --> 00:41:20,353 The prospect of supersonic planes also using JFK 576 00:41:20,440 --> 00:41:23,717 is too much for local residents and has set them on the warpath. 577 00:41:40,040 --> 00:41:43,351 The crew for today's flight has been chosen very carefully. 578 00:41:43,440 --> 00:41:46,478 Two are French, two are British. 579 00:41:49,040 --> 00:41:51,919 They've been briefed to expect a hostile reception. 580 00:41:54,360 --> 00:41:57,193 If they don't present a convincing case in New York, 581 00:41:57,280 --> 00:42:00,750 Concorde's battle for commercial survival will be lost. 582 00:42:02,200 --> 00:42:05,591 Today's flight will be carrying no fare-paying passengers. 583 00:42:05,680 --> 00:42:08,320 It is a technical proving flight only. 584 00:42:10,080 --> 00:42:12,549 The crew need to convince the New York authorities 585 00:42:12,640 --> 00:42:16,599 that Concorde can be treated like any other commercial aircraft 586 00:42:29,200 --> 00:42:31,555 B4, start checklist, please. 587 00:42:31,640 --> 00:42:34,200 - Master CBs. - Set. 588 00:42:34,280 --> 00:42:36,351 NARRATOR: Concorde's flight deck is crammed 589 00:42:36,440 --> 00:42:38,954 with the latest microchip technology. 590 00:42:39,040 --> 00:42:41,429 - Complete. - Oxygen. 591 00:42:41,520 --> 00:42:44,558 NARRATOR: More than a hundred items need to be checked and cross-checked 592 00:42:44,640 --> 00:42:46,551 before the engines can be started. 593 00:42:48,000 --> 00:42:49,229 On. 594 00:42:49,320 --> 00:42:52,039 - And anti-stall systems. - On. 595 00:43:00,160 --> 00:43:01,514 WALPOLE: Engine starting. 596 00:43:05,320 --> 00:43:07,789 Engines four and one starting. 597 00:43:09,200 --> 00:43:10,235 Oh, shit. 598 00:43:38,400 --> 00:43:41,358 NARRATOR: Carol Berman finally sets off to organise opposition 599 00:43:41,440 --> 00:43:43,078 to Concorde's landing. 600 00:43:44,720 --> 00:43:47,997 Blagnac Tower, Concorde Sierra Bravo taxi. 601 00:43:53,160 --> 00:43:54,434 Roger, Sierra Bravo. 602 00:44:02,440 --> 00:44:05,319 Visor down, nose to fly. 603 00:44:08,520 --> 00:44:12,115 Three, two, one, now. 604 00:44:40,480 --> 00:44:43,871 NARRATOR: At takeoff, Concorde's four Rolls-Royce engines 605 00:44:43,960 --> 00:44:47,715 have the same power as 6,000 family cars. 606 00:44:52,880 --> 00:44:57,397 In the first 1,000 feet of the climb alone, a tonne of fuel is used. 607 00:45:03,240 --> 00:45:07,313 Five minutes after takeoff, Concorde leaves Toulouse air space. 608 00:45:07,520 --> 00:45:09,716 (SPEAKING IN FRENCH) 609 00:45:27,520 --> 00:45:31,036 At 28,000 feet, the crew are ready to show why the claims 610 00:45:31,120 --> 00:45:34,795 that Concorde is the future of air travel should be taken seriously. 611 00:45:35,800 --> 00:45:40,636 Subsonic airliners reach their maximum speed at Mach .80, 612 00:45:40,720 --> 00:45:43,030 far short of the sound barrier. 613 00:45:43,120 --> 00:45:47,114 But Concorde is still warming up at these subsonic speeds. 614 00:45:48,640 --> 00:45:51,439 It's the world's only supersonic airliner. 615 00:45:53,600 --> 00:45:56,479 To create enough power to punch through the sound barrier, 616 00:45:56,560 --> 00:45:59,837 afterburners, known as reheats, are required. 617 00:45:59,920 --> 00:46:04,710 Although these use up more fuel, they increase the thrust by 25%. 618 00:46:06,080 --> 00:46:08,390 Inboard reheats. 619 00:46:09,880 --> 00:46:13,111 Selected and... stable. 620 00:46:14,320 --> 00:46:19,759 - Outboard reheats. - Selected and... stable. 621 00:46:30,240 --> 00:46:34,837 Community. SSTs are killing our community... 622 00:46:34,920 --> 00:46:38,072 NARRATOR: By taking on the leadership of the anti-Concorde campaign, 623 00:46:38,160 --> 00:46:42,119 Carol Berman has found a suitable outlet to channel her political energies. 624 00:46:42,200 --> 00:46:45,989 SSTs are not for me. Make love not noise. 625 00:46:46,960 --> 00:46:49,429 NARRATOR: She and her fellow protestors have come up with 626 00:46:49,520 --> 00:46:53,639 a novel way of turning their cars into weapons of mass civil protest. 627 00:46:53,720 --> 00:46:54,869 SSTs are not for me. 628 00:46:54,960 --> 00:46:57,031 NARRATOR: Carol's placard has been left over 629 00:46:57,120 --> 00:47:01,717 from an organised protest she took part in at JFK three days before. 630 00:47:03,360 --> 00:47:08,753 A convoy of over 500 cars crawled around the approach roads at 5 miles an hour. 631 00:47:10,720 --> 00:47:16,193 Keep Concorde out of JFK. Keep Concorde out of JFK. 632 00:47:16,280 --> 00:47:18,669 We'll be here till 2 o'clock. Be sure to get in line. 633 00:47:18,760 --> 00:47:21,957 NARRATOR: This was the latest in a series of drive-slows 634 00:47:22,040 --> 00:47:26,034 that has brought traffic using JFK to a virtual standstill 635 00:47:28,080 --> 00:47:31,835 But these drive slows have done nothing to block the plans being made 636 00:47:31,920 --> 00:47:34,070 for Concorde's arrival 637 00:47:38,840 --> 00:47:42,515 Concorde crosses into American air space over the mid-Atlantic. 638 00:47:44,520 --> 00:47:46,875 The plane is famous, not just for its speed, 639 00:47:46,960 --> 00:47:49,395 but for the extravagance of its food. 640 00:47:49,480 --> 00:47:51,949 Although there are no paying passengers on board, 641 00:47:52,040 --> 00:47:55,351 one cardinal rule is still strictly observed. 642 00:47:55,440 --> 00:47:59,035 The captain and co-pilot cannot be served with the same dish 643 00:47:59,120 --> 00:48:02,317 in case they both come down with food poisoning. 644 00:48:02,480 --> 00:48:04,994 Merci. 645 00:48:05,440 --> 00:48:09,149 Carol has arrived at the house of fellow protester, Joseph Lewis. 646 00:48:09,280 --> 00:48:14,036 If we let Concorde in, more SSTs will follow. 647 00:48:15,320 --> 00:48:20,599 Two, the deafening noise caused by Concorde 648 00:48:20,680 --> 00:48:24,469 is above the threshold of pain. 649 00:48:24,600 --> 00:48:25,874 Am I going to fast, Joe... 650 00:48:25,960 --> 00:48:28,839 NARRATOR: Fears about the ozone layer had not been on the agenda 651 00:48:28,920 --> 00:48:31,799 when Concorde was conceived in the early 1960s. 652 00:48:31,880 --> 00:48:36,317 The impact of Concorde on the ozone layer has been well documented 653 00:48:36,400 --> 00:48:40,712 and has been proven to cause skin cancer and air pollution. 654 00:48:42,600 --> 00:48:45,831 NARRATOR: The air at 58,000 feet is crystal clear. 655 00:48:45,920 --> 00:48:48,912 Concorde's cruise altitude is four miles higher 656 00:48:49,000 --> 00:48:50,718 than that of any other airliner. 657 00:48:55,600 --> 00:48:58,877 From this vantage point, over twice the height of Mount Everest, 658 00:48:58,960 --> 00:49:04,080 the crew has a clear view of the Earth's curve on the horizon 300 miles away. 659 00:49:14,440 --> 00:49:15,919 At twice the speed of sound, 660 00:49:16,000 --> 00:49:18,514 the serenity inside the cockpit is deceptive. 661 00:49:19,840 --> 00:49:21,797 At 1,500 miles an hour, 662 00:49:21,880 --> 00:49:25,953 Concorde is travelling 10 miles an hour faster than a speeding rifle bullet 663 00:49:27,840 --> 00:49:30,116 (SPEAKING IN FRENCH) 664 00:49:36,400 --> 00:49:40,633 You know, I was going over slogans. "Make love not noise." 665 00:49:40,720 --> 00:49:42,518 No, it doesn't sound right to me. 666 00:49:42,600 --> 00:49:44,432 "SSTs are not for me." 667 00:49:44,520 --> 00:49:46,750 NARRATOR: As the leading voice against Concorde, 668 00:49:46,840 --> 00:49:49,878 Carol knows that every news channel in America will be lining up 669 00:49:49,960 --> 00:49:51,256 to interview her later this morning. 670 00:49:51,280 --> 00:49:52,816 What do you think? I think that's good. 671 00:49:52,840 --> 00:49:54,797 Oh, wait a minute, shh. This is it. This is it. 672 00:49:54,880 --> 00:49:56,456 RADIO ANNOUNCER: JFK in, oh, let's see... 673 00:49:56,480 --> 00:49:58,256 - Okay, 10:00. Okay. - about an hour and a half. 674 00:49:58,280 --> 00:50:01,398 - We've gotta make a move. - Dig out those binoculars, folks. 675 00:50:01,480 --> 00:50:03,360 NARRATOR: The plight of Carol and her neighbours 676 00:50:03,400 --> 00:50:05,630 has become the focus of world press attention. 677 00:50:05,720 --> 00:50:08,553 How can you live with this? And that's one of the quieter ones. 678 00:50:08,640 --> 00:50:10,039 That's a 747. 679 00:50:11,040 --> 00:50:13,270 - So, I mean... - That's flying high. 680 00:50:13,360 --> 00:50:15,536 If we stand here long enough, you're gonna see a lot more of this 681 00:50:15,560 --> 00:50:16,736 and you're gonna hear a lot more noise. 682 00:50:16,760 --> 00:50:20,640 Now if that was the SST, forget about it. Our eardrums would pop. 683 00:50:22,240 --> 00:50:24,240 NARRATOR: 70 assess whether Concorde really will be 684 00:50:24,320 --> 00:50:26,197 as loud as its critics claim, 685 00:50:26,280 --> 00:50:30,478 JFK ground staff set up noise monitors around the perimeter fence. 686 00:50:34,120 --> 00:50:36,714 AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER: Concorde, good morning. Squawk ident. 687 00:50:36,800 --> 00:50:38,279 New York City right, Concorde. 688 00:50:38,360 --> 00:50:42,433 5-552-0, descending, request pass... 689 00:50:42,520 --> 00:50:44,113 NARRATOR: The engines are pulled back 690 00:50:44,200 --> 00:50:48,876 as Flight Sierra Bravo approaches New York for the first time in its career. 691 00:50:53,680 --> 00:50:55,830 The visor and nose are lowered 692 00:50:55,920 --> 00:50:59,515 to improve the pilot's visibility on the approach. 693 00:51:05,600 --> 00:51:09,514 It's half an hour before Concorde is due to touch down at JFK. 694 00:51:11,560 --> 00:51:14,029 In the corridor outside Hangar 17, 695 00:51:14,120 --> 00:51:17,875 security for the upcoming press conference is unprecedented. 696 00:51:19,280 --> 00:51:23,035 A hardcore of protesters has threatened to gatecrash the event. 697 00:51:25,240 --> 00:51:26,799 (PEOPLE CHATTERING) 698 00:51:26,880 --> 00:51:30,032 NARRATOR: With hundreds of extra police drafted in for the day, 699 00:51:30,120 --> 00:51:33,795 Carol Berman can't get any closer than the perimeter fence. 700 00:51:36,400 --> 00:51:38,789 Okay, we want a lot of noise too. 701 00:51:53,240 --> 00:51:56,073 NARRATOR: Dozens of helicopters have been hired by journalists 702 00:51:56,160 --> 00:51:58,879 to give them a bird's-eye view of Concorde's landing. 703 00:52:00,360 --> 00:52:04,399 REPORTER: Northwest 202... 704 00:52:14,800 --> 00:52:16,757 NARRATOR: With Concorde Just minutes away, 705 00:52:16,840 --> 00:52:19,354 the noise monitors are activated. 706 00:52:19,440 --> 00:52:22,671 If Sierra Bravo's decibel count registers too high, 707 00:52:22,760 --> 00:52:26,390 it may be banned from all commercial operations to JFK. 708 00:52:26,480 --> 00:52:29,359 (PROTESTERS CHANTING) 709 00:52:51,280 --> 00:52:55,990 SSTs are not for me, SSTs are not for me. 710 00:53:08,600 --> 00:53:09,776 NARRATOR: Concorde touches down 711 00:53:09,800 --> 00:53:12,997 at 10:08 in the morning, East Coast time. 712 00:53:13,800 --> 00:53:17,919 By outpacing the rotation of the Earth, Concorde has, in effect, 713 00:53:18,000 --> 00:53:21,595 arrived more than two hours before it took off from Toulouse. 714 00:53:31,320 --> 00:53:33,216 REPORTER: What did you think of the Concorde landing? 715 00:53:33,240 --> 00:53:35,834 It was like a, like a vulture, you know, 716 00:53:35,920 --> 00:53:41,677 pouring down black, acrid smoke on our communities, polluting the atmosphere. 717 00:53:41,760 --> 00:53:43,671 It was an awesome sight. 718 00:53:43,760 --> 00:53:47,355 It was like a, you know, it was like a big bird swooping down. 719 00:53:47,440 --> 00:53:49,556 NARRATOR: It has been a textbook flight, 720 00:53:49,640 --> 00:53:52,951 but the fate of the most expensive commercial aircraft ever built 721 00:53:53,040 --> 00:53:54,872 still hangs in the balance. 722 00:53:54,960 --> 00:53:57,759 - Who won the World Series? - The Yankees. 723 00:53:57,840 --> 00:54:00,116 New York does not need Concorde. 724 00:54:00,200 --> 00:54:04,433 JFK and its residents do not need the Concorde. 725 00:54:05,080 --> 00:54:07,549 NARRATOR: While Concorde is being checked over outside, 726 00:54:07,640 --> 00:54:10,359 its crew confront the press in Hangar 17. 727 00:54:10,440 --> 00:54:12,317 WALPOLE: New York and for Concorde. 728 00:54:12,400 --> 00:54:16,633 I'm told that the New York Yankees won the World Series last night, 729 00:54:16,720 --> 00:54:19,633 after all they have been through 730 00:54:19,720 --> 00:54:23,156 and Concorde is here today, after all we've been through 731 00:54:23,240 --> 00:54:25,231 and it has been a lot. 732 00:54:25,320 --> 00:54:30,793 New York is the city on the western side of the Atlantic 733 00:54:30,880 --> 00:54:32,837 for which Concorde was designed. 734 00:54:32,920 --> 00:54:35,799 It's gonna be devastating, devastating. 735 00:54:35,880 --> 00:54:39,350 This aircraft has flunked every hearing test it's had. 736 00:54:39,720 --> 00:54:43,031 NARRATOR: The opening salvo of questions does not bode well for Concorde. 737 00:54:43,120 --> 00:54:46,078 REPORTER: The question is, does Jean Franchi feel 738 00:54:46,160 --> 00:54:50,836 that people living around Kennedy have a right to be afraid 739 00:54:50,920 --> 00:54:52,718 and fear for the aeroplane? 740 00:54:52,800 --> 00:54:57,795 If they believe what they read about it, they have a right to be afraid of. 741 00:54:58,320 --> 00:55:00,675 But what I question is what they read about it. 742 00:55:00,760 --> 00:55:03,673 It's gonna ruin our city, you know? We do not need the Concorde. 743 00:55:03,760 --> 00:55:05,910 JFK doesn't not need the Concorde, 744 00:55:06,000 --> 00:55:09,038 the people of New York don't need the Concorde. 745 00:55:09,120 --> 00:55:10,360 The average speed, therefore... 746 00:55:10,400 --> 00:55:13,040 NARRATOR: While the flight crew face a barrage of questions, 747 00:55:13,120 --> 00:55:16,112 Concorde's PR team execute their master plan 748 00:55:16,200 --> 00:55:20,080 to let the plane and its media critics stand face to face. 749 00:55:20,160 --> 00:55:23,437 MAN: We'll stop the talking for just a few minutes 750 00:55:23,520 --> 00:55:27,354 till they get the aeroplane in and turn off the tractor. 751 00:55:27,800 --> 00:55:30,269 Our lovely bird has arrived, so we'll be quiet for a minute. 752 00:55:30,360 --> 00:55:31,936 NARRATOR: With many journalists awestruck 753 00:55:31,960 --> 00:55:33,678 by their first look at Concorde, 754 00:55:33,760 --> 00:55:36,434 the odds of it getting a favourable press 755 00:55:36,520 --> 00:55:38,591 start to shift in the aeroplane's favour. 756 00:55:39,480 --> 00:55:41,710 This is just a ploy by the airlines 757 00:55:41,800 --> 00:55:45,680 uh, while the press are still interested and it's all gonna change... 758 00:55:45,760 --> 00:55:47,433 NARRATOR: Now backed by Concorde, 759 00:55:47,520 --> 00:55:49,955 the mood among the flight crew becomes more confident. 760 00:55:50,080 --> 00:55:52,674 Well, its about the 620th Landing I've done in an aircraft 761 00:55:52,760 --> 00:55:54,990 and it looked like all the others. 762 00:55:55,080 --> 00:55:56,400 And, uh, 763 00:55:57,320 --> 00:55:59,596 the runway looked like a runway to me... 764 00:56:00,720 --> 00:56:02,597 And to be honest with you, 765 00:56:02,680 --> 00:56:06,196 I didn't fly a special approach for New York. 766 00:56:06,280 --> 00:56:08,157 I wouldn't want to treat the people in New York 767 00:56:08,240 --> 00:56:11,870 any better than I treat the people in Toulouse, my own family. 768 00:56:11,960 --> 00:56:15,112 This is proven to be one of the worlds noisiest aircrafts, 769 00:56:15,200 --> 00:56:16,235 if not the noisiest. 770 00:56:16,320 --> 00:56:19,790 NARRATOR: Concorde and is crew are holding up well under press scrutiny. 771 00:56:19,880 --> 00:56:22,156 But it still faces one crucial test 772 00:56:22,240 --> 00:56:26,154 that Carol is sure will vindicate her campaign, its takeoff. 773 00:56:26,240 --> 00:56:28,016 What do you think will happen at takeoff tomorrow? 774 00:56:28,040 --> 00:56:32,079 I'm confident that tomorrow the noise monitors here will register very high. 775 00:56:32,160 --> 00:56:35,516 The "beat the meter" business is not the object of the exercise, 776 00:56:35,600 --> 00:56:40,037 it is to satisfy the communities that we are going to be a good neighbour. 777 00:56:43,800 --> 00:56:45,234 NARRATOR: Critics accused Concorde 778 00:56:45,320 --> 00:56:49,791 of having loudest takeoff of any civilian aircraft in service. 779 00:56:49,880 --> 00:56:54,272 If it registers higher than the legal limit of 112 decibels, 780 00:56:54,360 --> 00:56:57,034 Concorde will be dragged through the American legal system 781 00:56:57,120 --> 00:56:58,633 for a second time. 782 00:57:06,400 --> 00:57:09,438 But even when Concorde's afterburners are activated, 783 00:57:09,520 --> 00:57:11,909 the noise monitors are not even triggered. 784 00:57:14,680 --> 00:57:19,117 Concorde finally passes Hts New York hearing test, silencing its critics. 785 00:57:25,000 --> 00:57:27,389 The anti-Concorde campaign may have stalled, 786 00:57:27,480 --> 00:57:29,869 but with all the press exposure she's gained, 787 00:57:29,960 --> 00:57:32,839 Carol Berman's political ambitions take off. 788 00:57:34,160 --> 00:57:37,516 In 1978, she's elected to the US Senate. 789 00:57:50,400 --> 00:57:52,437 (PEOPLE CHEERING) 790 00:57:53,920 --> 00:57:57,959 After paying its way for 26 years on the transatlantic route 791 00:57:58,040 --> 00:58:02,637 Concorde made its final landing at London Heathrow in 2003 792 00:58:12,280 --> 00:58:16,751 With this revolutionary aircraft destined to become a museum exhibit, 793 00:58:16,840 --> 00:58:20,959 all hopes of future supersonic civilian flight remain grounded, 794 00:58:22,400 --> 00:58:24,391 for the time being.