TV Horizon - Season 40 Episode 18 : Percy Pilcher's Flying Machine Horizon - Season 40 Episode 18 : Percy Pilcher's Flying Machine 7.516/10 by 32 users Could an unknown Englishman have been the first person ever to fly? To mark the hundredth anniversary of the Wright brothers inaugural flight, Horizon tells the remarkable story of Percy Pilcher. He could have been the most famous aviator of them all. Four years before the Wright brothers, he had constructed his own aeroplane. But on the day it was due to take off for the very first time, something so terrible happened that he was denied the chance of ever flying it. So Horizon has rebuilt his long lost flying machine to see if Percy Pilcher, the British amateur, could have claimed the glory and been the first person ever to fly. This film mixes dramatic reconstruction with fabulous contemporary scenes and gripping science. With a specially assembled team of historians, aviation experts and our own test pilot, Horizon painstakingly rebuilds Pilcher's flying machine and puts it to the test. The results will leave you cheering. Details Casts Posters Images Title Horizon - Season 40 Episode 18 : Percy Pilcher's Flying Machine Alternative Titles BBC Horizon First Air Date 1964-02-04 Last Air Date 2024-07-22 Number of Episodes 1169 Number of Seasons 60 Genres Documentary, Networks BBC Two, Casts Plot Keywords , Episodes List Horizon Season 40 :Episode 1 The Mystery Of Easter Island The Mystery Of Easter Island 2003-01-09 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 2 Living Nightmare Living Nightmare 2003-01-16 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 3 Averting Armageddon Averting Armageddon 2003-01-23 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 4 Dirty Bomb Dirty Bomb 2003-01-30 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 5 Sexual Chemistry (Update) Sexual Chemistry (Update) 2003-02-13 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 6 The Day We Learned To Think The Day We Learned To Think 2003-02-20 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 7 Trial and Error Trial and Error 2003-02-27 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 8 Earthquake Storms Earthquake Storms 2003-03-06 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 9 Life On Mars (Update) Life On Mars (Update) 2003-03-27 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 10 The Secret Life Of Caves The Secret Life Of Caves 2003-04-03 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 11 God On The Brain God On The Brain 2003-04-17 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 12 Flight 587 Flight 587 2003-05-08 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 13 SARS: The True Story SARS: The True Story 2003-05-29 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 14 The Big Chill The Big Chill 2003-11-13 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 15 The Bible Code The Bible Code 2003-11-20 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 16 Last Flight of the Columbia Last Flight of the Columbia 2003-11-27 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 17 The Hunt for an AIDS Vaccine The Hunt for an AIDS Vaccine 2003-12-04 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 18 Percy Pilcher's Flying Machine Percy Pilcher's Flying Machine 2003-12-11 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 19 Time Trip Time Trip 2003-12-18 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before.