ZDF Studios Launches Aviation History Documentary

ZDF Studios is launching to the global market the brand-new two-part documentary Race for the Sky, which takes a look at the history of aviation.

Produced by Spiegel TV in association with ZDF, ARTE and ZDF Studios, Race for the Sky tells the stories of aviation pioneers. It goes on to reveal how aircraft developed to become a weapon of destruction.

The first part of the documentary tells the story of people who had the courage to cross borders and risk their lives and ultimately made flying an experience for everyone. Otto Lillenthal, the Wright brothers and Louis Blériot are some of the innovators of that era, as well as such pioneering women as Amelia Earhart, who was the first woman to cross the Atlantic in her plane.

The second part of Race for the Sky traces the developments and technical achievements in aviation from World War II to the challenges facing aviation today.

Ralf Rueckauer, VP of unscripted at ZDF Studios, said: “Traveling by plane, for many people, is such a common means of transport today that you take it for granted and forget that as recently as the beginning of the 20th century, attempting to fly was usually akin to calculated suicide. Race for the Sky makes you realize how fast aviation has developed in such a short space of time.”