Executed in a cool, detached, and glossy manner, Granada TV's and PBS's Warplane is a marvelously informative and entertaining look at the swift evolution of warplanes, from the first flimsy cloth and wood prototype built by the Wright Brothers, to today's sleek, deadly F-22 Raptor. Warplane isn't just a roll call of famous planes throughout the history of aerial combat, though; it's a fascinating look at the history of military aviation, illustrated by interviews with the aviation experts, pilots and military historians, as well as intriguing, illuminating demonstrations of the aerodynamics behind these incredible planes.

Split up into four, one-hour parts, Warplane vividly illustrates what incredible strides have been made in aviation, all within a short one hundred years, and how those advances in aircraft technology have come through the necessities of military use. Starting at the very beginning in 1903, with the brilliant Wright Brothers perfecting a 81% efficient propeller and offering their airplane to an indifferent U.S. Army, Warplane tells its history lesson like a fast-moving novel, rapidly progressing through the decades as the warplane goes from rickety reconnaissance spotter in WWI, to the high-tech pilotless drones of today that are almost too complicated for pilots to use.

What I found most impressive about Warplane were the filmed demonstrations of the aerodynamics of flight, as well as the mechanics of some of the military applications associated with these warplanes, performed by enthusiastic scholars from all over the world. There's a terrific sequence where two WWII bombardiers try and use the famous Norden bomb site after over forty years, in a refurbished B-17. With the bomb site shaking like a leaf, it's really quite thrilling to see these old pros wrestle with it, trying to nail a tiny little target in the California desert (one of the vets lands a bomb in the kill zone). Clearly exhibiting a pure love of not only science but also discovery for its own sake, these scientists and historians bring a giddy kick to Warplane, while offering more than an adequate classroom in basic principles of flight for the average viewer. I don't know the first thing about the physics of flight, but after watching Warplane, I felt I could fake a conversation in it pretty well - how many documentaries can you say that about? As well, Warplane is beautiful to watch, as well. The production is first-rate, with an expensive-looking gloss to the cinematography, and a generous budget that allowed filming in England, France and the United States. All the tech credits are top-notch, with well-chosen vintage newsreel footage, maps, and CGI graphs further embellishing the documentary.

Here are the 4, one-hour episodes of Warplane, as described on PBS's web site (some kind of individual description of each of the episodes should have been included somewhere on the DVD case or on a paper insert):

AIRPLANE TO AIR FORCE
After their first successful powered flight, the Wright Brothers turned to the U.S. Army, well aware of the potential military value of their airplane. In 1903, with no looming threat of war, the government rejected their $100,000 asking price, but within five years, the entire Western world would embrace the idea of powered flight. World War I ushered in the airplane's first military roles as armies used planes for aerial reconnaissance, and then for artillery spotting. With aviation still in its infancy, aerial combat took longer to develop, but the evolution of fighter tactics was inevitable as planes became more sky-worthy. The results transformed combat from fly-by pot-shots to fast, furious duels. By the end of the war, the airplane had been defined as an "eye in the sky" - a role that remains as vital over the deserts of the Middle East today as it was over the trenches of France in 1914. Every country recognized the potential of the warplane, and the growing necessity to take control of the skies.

AIR FORCE TO AIR POWER
World War II was an era of rapid innovation and terrible destruction from above. From the invention of radar to the birth of the fighter ace, and from Hitler's blitzkriegs to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, this was the period where national air forces came of age, where individual planes coalesced into unstoppable squadrons, and where wartime tactics were dictated from the sky down. Evolving from their roles as spotters, reconnaissance planes transformed into bombers. Germany rained shells down on London, the Allies executed precision bombing raids by day and frightful carpet bombing missions by night. Pathfinders led bomber squadrons to their targets, and fighters protected other planes as they flew. By the time America dropped the atomic bomb - once and for all illustrating the effectiveness of destruction from above - each airplane had its own role, and together, they had made the world a much smaller place to wage war.

JET AGE
Missed opportunities, a vital arms race and the secrets hidden among the spoils of war come vividly to life in the third program of WARPLANE. In the latter days of World War II, Britain and Germany feverishly advanced early dreams of a jet airplane, a defining piece of mid- 20th-century technology that would revolutionize existing airplane roles and create an entirely new generation of mission-specific machines. With the world in the grip of the Cold War, combat planes became faster and more agile, spy planes cruised over enemy territory at dizzying heights and dazzling speeds, and jet-powered helicopters entered military service. Designers, test pilots and combat crews took huge risks as they pushed the technological envelope, and within 58 years of Orville Wright's historic flight at Kitty Hawk, man had broken through the boundaries of both sound and space.

AGE OF STEALTH
Over the trenches of World War I, the "eye in the sky" had been indispensable. Since that time, developers have worked endlessly to make planes harder to spot and shoot down. Speed worked at first, then the ability to fly high, but each advance was eventually met by a counter-advance that all but neutralized it. Until, that is, the birth of the computer. With the computer age came avionics - systems to control planes that humans could never fly. These systems, combined with new materials, designs and paints, as well as the unwavering commitment and singular vision of men like Skunk Works' Ben Rich, gave rise to the most recent revolution in military aviation - stealth planes that are all but invisible to enemy eyes. Like the jet engine before it, stealth technology has transformed warfare, and together with ever-advanced precision ordnance and purely autonomous planes, has positioned the world's most advanced air forces for a future where in-cockpit pilots may no longer be necessary.

The DVD:

The Video:
Warplane is one good looking documentary, with crisp, clean cinematography and a big-screen eye for beautiful compositions. The widescreen, enhanced for 16x9 TVs, 1.85:1 video image is super-sharp, with no artifacting or transfer issues. Colors are modulated well, and blacks are solid.

The Audio:
The English 2.0 stereo mix for Warplane is adequate, but it would have been a blast to hear those sleek, beautiful F-86 Saber jets in 5.1.

The Extras:
There are no extras for Warplane.

Final Thoughts:
Everything you could possibly want to know about warplanes, including a thorough -- yet simple and entertaining -- lesson in aerodynamics, is included in the beautiful-to-look-at Warplane. Warplane skillfully moves through the major innovations in military warplanes, making the exciting historical progression from cloth and wood propeller planes to high-tech pilotless drones sound like a breathless thriller. It's one of the most entertaining documentaries I've seen this year. I highly recommend you see Warplane.