Documentary

The Best Episodes of Great Planes

Every episode of Great Planes ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Great Planes!

No description available

Airs on
DiscoveryMilitary Channel
BestEpisodes
WorstEpisodes
BestSeasons
AllEpisodes

Seasons2

All12

Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    Click to reveal
    Great Planes Season 1 Episode 1 - Douglas Skyraider
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #1 - Douglas Skyraider

    S1:E1

    The Douglas Skyraider was a propeller-driven bomber and ground attack weapons system, unglamorous but almost perfectly suited to its various roles. In the closing years of World War II it was realized that fighter airplanes had become so advanced, so speedy, that the great weight of the rear gunner, his turret, and his equipment in torpedo and dive bombers were redundant. Douglas was given a contract to construct a single-engined, single seat bomber and attack airplane for use aboard Navy carriers, and they came up with a winner. It was a big airplane with a radial engine, and it could carry a huge load of ordinance -- a better bomb load than a B-17, or a nuclear weapon. First flown in 1945, it was finally retired after service in Korea and Vietnam, sometime in the 1960s.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  2. Great Planes Season 1 Episode 2 - P-40 Warhawk
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #2 - P-40 Warhawk

    S1:E2

    No description available

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  3. Great Planes Season 1 Episode 3 - P51 Mustang
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #3 - P51 Mustang

    S1:E3

    No description available

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  4. Great Planes Season 1 Episode 4 - North American B-25 Mitchell
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #4 - North American B-25 Mitchell

    S1:E4

    The B-25, nicknamed "the sweetheart of the forces," was one of the stars of World War II. Known for its adaptability, this bomber was flown by the Air Force, the Navy and the Marines.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  5. Great Planes Season 1 Episode 5 - F-15 Eagle
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #5 - F-15 Eagle

    S1:E5

    No description available

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  6. Great Planes Season 1 Episode 6 - F-16 Fighting Falcon
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #6 - F-16 Fighting Falcon

    S1:E6

    No description available

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    7. Trending NowTRENDING NOW

    The 20 WORST Episodes of Great Planes

    READ
  7. Great Planes Season 1 Episode 7 - F/A 18 Hornet
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #7 - F/A 18 Hornet

    S1:E7

    No description available

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  8. Great Planes Season 1 Episode 8 - PBY Catalina
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #8 - PBY Catalina

    S1:E8

    The wings were of taut canvas covered with dope. The wings were thick to provide lift and carried thousands of gallons of fuel, providing long range and flying time, exactly the requirement for a reconnaissance aircraft. Range could be increased to 4,000 miles by cutting one engine. The metal fuselage had to be unusually strong because every marine take off and landing bounces the ship around and stresses all the joints. The result was a sleek hull that was an airplane on top and a boat on the bottom. The initial Navy order was for 60, in 1936, and they were called PB-Ys -- "PB" for patrol boat, "Y" for Consolidated. When war broke out the British bought them and called them the Catalina. The name stuck. They were used in every theater of the war and in every imaginable role. One even managed to launch torpedoes at the Japanese fleet during the Battle of Midway.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  9. Great Planes Season 1 Episode 9 - Republic F84
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #9 - Republic F84

    S1:E9

    The early models of the F-84 looked rather neat, like a tube or a cigar humidor, with an opening in the nose and another in the tail, as if the jet engine had been supplied and the airplane built around it. It had nothing particularly new but was a summation of what at the time was known about jets and about aeronautical engineering. At the outbreak of war in Korea, the USAF found itself with three different airplanes. The F-86 was obviously the fighter of the group. The F-84 went through several models and was adapted for the ground attack role. It carried a good deal of ordinance and could be fitted with a nuclear bomb. In addition to the usual six .50 caliber machine guns favored by the USAF at the time, it could carry a number of 5-inch rockets, useful against tanks. The low speed and lack of maneuverability were no handicap in attacking ground targets.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  10. Great Planes Season 1 Episode 10 - F-104 Starfighter
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #10 - F-104 Starfighter

    S1:E10

    Lockheed's F-104 Starfighter first appeared in the mid-50s. Its appearance is beguiling. It looks like an unusually long, shiny silver bullet to which someone has attached two small stubby wings and a delicate empennage. It looks fast -- and it was. It was intended to be a replacement for the fleet of aging F-86s and F-84s and in fact it was an improvement in many respects over the older airplanes, especially in speed. It was a relatively unsophisticated lightweight airplane and the USAF wasn't very enthusiastic about it. It had little range, its stubby wings couldn't carry any ordinance, and it lacked the radar that would have made it operable in poor weather. But NATO too was looking for a standard interceptor for Europe, an environment for which the Starfighter wasn't well suited.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  11. Great Planes Season 2 Episode 1 - F100 Super Sabre
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #11 - F100 Super Sabre

    S2:E1

    No description available

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  12. Great Planes Season 2 Episode 2 - F4 Phantom
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #12 - F4 Phantom

    S2:E2

    No description available

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  13. Great Planes Season 2 Episode 3 - SR71 Blackbird
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #13 - SR71 Blackbird

    S2:E3

    No description available

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  14. Great Planes Season 2 Episode 4 - A7 Corsair
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #14 - A7 Corsair

    S2:E4

    The F4U was arguably the finest propeller-driven fighter on the Allied side. It was the first single-engine American fighter to break 400 miles per hour in level flight. It was first driven by a Pratt & Whitney Double Wasp engine of 1800 horsepower, about as powerful as they could get at the time. Vought simply built the smallest airframe they could around the huge radial engine. To maximize performance, a 13-foot Hamilton Standard Propeller was used. It was originally designed to be operated from an aircraft carrier but the US Navy decided it was unsuitable for precise landings and take offs, so they handed it over to the Marines for land-based use. It proved highly successful both as a fighter and in the ground attack role. It continued in use as an attack airplane through the Korean war, and the last Corsair was produced in 1953.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  15. Great Planes Season 2 Episode 5 - A26 Invader
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #15 - A26 Invader

    S2:E5

    The A-26 Invader was introduced in October, 1944, and was involved in every conflict that followed until finally retired in 1969. There was no other airplane quite like it. It was a twin-engine medium bomber or ground attack aircraft that excelled at both tasks. The famous B-17 heavy bomber could carry about 8,000 pounds of bombs and could make a top speed of about 270 miles per hour. The A-26 carried half that load at 350 miles per hour and, with emergency boosters, up to more than 370. The ground attack version carried eight .50 caliber machine guns in the nose. The top turret carried two more and could be aimed ahead to supplement the eight fixed guns. With cheek packs added, the total came to eighteen heavy machine guns.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  16. Great Planes Season 2 Episode 6 - P39 Aircobra
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #16 - P39 Aircobra

    S2:E6

    No description available

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  17. Great Planes Season 2 Episode 7 - Chinook
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #17 - Chinook

    S2:E7

    No description available

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  18. Great Planes Season 2 Episode 8 - Bell UH-1 Huey
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #18 - Bell UH-1 Huey

    S2:E8

    No description available

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  19. Great Planes Season 2 Episode 9 - B52 Stratofortress
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #19 - B52 Stratofortress

    S2:E9

    No description available

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

Best Episodes Summary

"Douglas Skyraider" is the best rated episode of "Great Planes". It scored /10 based on 0 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 10/29/2008. This episode scored 0.0 points higher than the second highest rated, "P-40 Warhawk".