What a gem this is! This series, co-hosted by Dallas Campbell and Dr Hannah Fry, who is a lecturer in the Mathematics of Cities, Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis at University College London (who puts paid to the ill-conceived theory that mathematics is only for disheveled men!). Hannah and Dallas bring much enthusiasm and knowledge to this series which has 3 episodes: Departure, Airborne, Arrival. The series takes Dallas and Hannah all around the world (they would have accumulated heaps of frequent flyer points for sure), with each episode covering about 6 or so stories.
For instance in Airborne, the hosts cover people who are afraid of flying, and the courses they undertake to overcome this (and hopefully be a future income stream for airlines $$$ if you know what I mean), how aircraft are built to withstand thunder (a plane will be struck by thunder on average once a year - don't tell that to the people who are phobic about flying), and how non-human passengers (e.g. horses) are transported. It was touching seeing Dallas reunited with a horse who travelled to Hong Kong.
One thing is missing - sort of the elephant in the room, and a fourth episode could have dealt with the after-effects of 9/11 on flight. I would like to have seen Hannah and Duncan cover topics like: how paranoia has caused some jittery flight attendants to unfairly single out Muslim (or Middle eastern looking) passengers and get them thrown off the flight or be received by police at the destination, whether airport security people (Exhibit A: the TSA) conduct racial profiling, and single out non-white folks like Bollywood stars if you know what I mean, passengers who are phobic about going through security and risk being unreasonably fondled by airport security folk, and how airport security folk who travel feel when they get unreasonably fondled by other airport security folk (perhaps they have a secret handshake that exempts them from such indignities if you know what I mean?).
Another thing I would like for the series to cover (maybe in series 2?) is the self-satisfaction that business class people feel, and the lengths economy class folk go to for an upgrade. The saddest scene is when you see an economy class passenger all suited up, resigned to the fact that he was unsuccessful in a business class upgrade.
For instance in Airborne, the hosts cover people who are afraid of flying, and the courses they undertake to overcome this (and hopefully be a future income stream for airlines $$$ if you know what I mean), how aircraft are built to withstand thunder (a plane will be struck by thunder on average once a year - don't tell that to the people who are phobic about flying), and how non-human passengers (e.g. horses) are transported. It was touching seeing Dallas reunited with a horse who travelled to Hong Kong.
One thing is missing - sort of the elephant in the room, and a fourth episode could have dealt with the after-effects of 9/11 on flight. I would like to have seen Hannah and Duncan cover topics like: how paranoia has caused some jittery flight attendants to unfairly single out Muslim (or Middle eastern looking) passengers and get them thrown off the flight or be received by police at the destination, whether airport security people (Exhibit A: the TSA) conduct racial profiling, and single out non-white folks like Bollywood stars if you know what I mean, passengers who are phobic about going through security and risk being unreasonably fondled by airport security folk, and how airport security folk who travel feel when they get unreasonably fondled by other airport security folk (perhaps they have a secret handshake that exempts them from such indignities if you know what I mean?).
Another thing I would like for the series to cover (maybe in series 2?) is the self-satisfaction that business class people feel, and the lengths economy class folk go to for an upgrade. The saddest scene is when you see an economy class passenger all suited up, resigned to the fact that he was unsuccessful in a business class upgrade.
