When World War I began in 1914, the air forces of the opposing nations consisted of handfuls of rickety biplanes from which pilots occasionally took pot shots at one another with rifles. By the war's end, the essential blueprint of the modern fighter aircraft had emerged: it was now an efficient killing machine that limited the average life expectancy of a front line pilot to just a few weeks.
General Note: Closed-captioned. In English.Limited public performance rights.Originally broadcast as part of the television series Nova on the PBS network.Widescreen format.