PBS Nova - 2007.12.18 - Missing in MiG Alley (720p.HDTV.AC3-SoS)

"In the early 1950s, epic battles unfolded in the skies over North Korea as American and Russian fighters faced off in history's first jet war. This program explores the Korean War's aerial tactics, technology, and grim aftermath for downed pilots, many of whom disappeared without a trace. The Korean War pitted the two most advanced fighters of their day, the American F-86 Sabre and the Soviet MiG-15, in furious air battles in North Korea's notorious "MiG Alley." With the help of dramatic reconstructions, rare archival footage, and interviews with veteran American and Soviet pilots, NOVA puts viewers in the cockpit to experience the lethal split-second duels that erupted in MiG Alley.

"Missing in MiG Alley" investigates the pioneering engine technology and cutting-edge aerodynamic designs that gave both the Sabre and MiG their phenomenal performance capabilities. The MiG, for example, was a brilliant blend of borrowed elements: Like the Sabre, the MiG's raking swept wing was inspired by the Nazi high-speed, swept-wing fighter design, while its engine was a direct copy of an advanced Rolls-Royce model that the British rashly handed over to the Russians in a post-war trade agreement. Both fighters were so well matched that human factors—superior training and tactics—as well as plain luck proved to be crucial in deciding MiG Alley's harrowing dogfights. The program also follows the poignant efforts of family members to trace what happened to airmen who disappeared over 50 years ago. The files are still open on over two dozen Sabre pilots who were shot down behind enemy lines and whose fate has never been definitively established. Years after the Korean War ended in 1953, rumors persist of pilots held captive by the Soviets. Although the Soviet Union was not officially a combatant in the Korean War, it supplied its latest aircraft, the MiG-15, to North Korea and China, and the skill of the MiG pilots soon caused Americans to suspect they were dealing not just with Soviet planes but with Soviet pilots, who were among the best in the world."

more info: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/warplanes/
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Runtime: 51:51
Source: OTA High Definition 1080i
Video Encoding: xvid.1280x720.4091kbps
Audio Encoding: ac3.384kbps-5.1chan
File Size: 1.62GB

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