''Air Aces'' is a

Cineflix Cineflix Media is a Canadian global media production and distribution company. Headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, it has branches in Toronto, New York City, London, and Dublin. Subsidiaries include United Kingdom-based Cineflix Rights, ...

produced series that airs on

History History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

channel in Canada. The series originally aired in the UK titled ''Heroes of the Skies'' on September 20, 2012. The series premiered in Canada as Air Aces on January 7, 2013 on History and also aired on Military Channel later in 2013. The show tells the stories of the most heroic airborne combat missions in history. The series uses real vintage aircraft and re-creates mid-air combat sequences. Featuring

Spitfires The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. It was the only British fighter produced continuously throughout the ...

, Lancaster bombers, and Phantom fighters and aerial stunt teams, the series dramatizes the exploits of the world's greatest Air Aces. The series also features interviews with the last surviving veterans and military historians and rare archival footage.

Alternative titles

Air Aces is called ''Heroes of the Skies'' in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and airs on Channel 5.

Episodes

Season 1

Episode 1 - George Beurling

Canadian

George Beurling George Frederick "Buzz" Beurling, (6 December 1921 – 20 May 1948) was the most successful Canadian fighter pilot and flying ace of the Second World War. Beurling was recognized as "Canada's most famous hero of the Second World War", as "The ...

broke every rule in the book yet became one of the greatest fighter pilots of World War II. The part of George Beurling is played by British actor Adam Drew.

Episode 2 - Douglas Bader

Using bold but controversial tactics,

Douglas Bader Group Captain Sir Douglas Robert Steuart Bader, (; 21 February 1910 – 5 September 1982) was a Royal Air Force flying ace during the Second World War. He was credited with 22 aerial victories, four shared victories, six probables, one shared ...

beats all the odds to help turn the tide in the Battle of Britain and become Britain's most celebrated air ace. The part of Douglas Bader is played by British actor Mark Stanley.

Episode 3 - Wing Walker

The crew of Lancaster ME669 had one of the most dangerous jobs in the Air Force, but the tactic called "

total war Total war is a type of warfare that includes any and all (including civilian-associated) resources and infrastructure as legitimate military targets, mobilises all of the resources of society to fight the war, and gives priority to warfare ov ...

" overshadowed their legacy. Yet, for the more than one hundred thousand volunteers – half of who would not return – there was no other option.

Episode 4 - Red Tails

Pressure from

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

activist groups pushed President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

to initiate a Blacks-only fighter pilot training program during World War II. What happened next gave birth to a potent fighting force against Nazi Germany and change the course of American history.

Episode 5 - Robin Olds

In July 1966, North Vietnam's fleet of MiG-21s is hammering the US Air Force. With the help of his pilots, Colonel

Robin Olds Robin Olds (born Robert Oldys Jr.; July 14, 1922 – June 14, 2007) was an American fighter pilot and general officer in the United States Air Force (USAF). He was a "Flying ace, triple ace", with a combined total of 17 victories in World War II ...

masterminds

Operation Bolo Operation Bolo was a United States Air Force mission during the Vietnam War, considered to be a successful combat ruse. The mission was a response to the heavy losses sustained during the Operation Rolling Thunder aerial-bombardment campaign o ...

; a death-defying bait-and-switch tactic that he hopes will wipe out the MiGs once and for all.

Episode 6 - Gabby Gabreski

Against the backdrop of World War II, American pilots race to shoot down the most German planes and be crowned the countries top-flying ace. US Air Force Pilot Francis Gabby Gabreski makes it his personal mission to be the best there ever was.

References

{{Reflist, refs= Channel 5 http://www.channel5.com/shows/heroes-of-the-skies Anderson, Kelly.''Cineflix takes flight with Air Aces''. Playback, 2012.

External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20130105024156/http://www.history.ca/airaces * http://www.cineflixrights.com/sections/19-Programming/shows/air-aces 2012 Canadian television series debuts History (Canadian TV network) original programming 2010s Canadian documentary television series