City in the Sky
This is a BBC series which I originally watched via YouTube bootlegs, which have since been pulled but now the show is apparently airing on PBS and available to watch online:
http://www.pbs.org/city-in-the-sky/episodes/
It's a look at all the behind-the-scenes logistics etc. necessary to support the "city in the sky" of people (they claim 1 million airborne at any given moment on average, citation needed, but still interesting to think about)
Vignettes cover subjects such as:
- extreme cold-weather operations in Yakutsk (things like, when the plane gets to the gate, all the wheel assemblies are wrapped in insulating blankets so that the residual heat from the brakes keeps the rubber tires warm and pliable)
- the amazingly intricate and automated baggage handling system in Dubai
- the mind-boggling scale of sourcing in-flight meals
- assembly process of the A380
- the ground medical team that answers calls for one of the in-flight medical emergency networks and consults on patient care and whether they should divert
- a how-to-cope type seminar for people with severe fear of flying, culminating in a "graduation" flight
- cargo handling, including in this episode a large number of horses traveling from Dubai to Hong Kong for a show-jumping competition
http://www.pbs.org/city-in-the-sky/episodes/
It's a look at all the behind-the-scenes logistics etc. necessary to support the "city in the sky" of people (they claim 1 million airborne at any given moment on average, citation needed, but still interesting to think about)
Vignettes cover subjects such as:
- extreme cold-weather operations in Yakutsk (things like, when the plane gets to the gate, all the wheel assemblies are wrapped in insulating blankets so that the residual heat from the brakes keeps the rubber tires warm and pliable)
- the amazingly intricate and automated baggage handling system in Dubai
- the mind-boggling scale of sourcing in-flight meals
- assembly process of the A380
- the ground medical team that answers calls for one of the in-flight medical emergency networks and consults on patient care and whether they should divert
- a how-to-cope type seminar for people with severe fear of flying, culminating in a "graduation" flight
- cargo handling, including in this episode a large number of horses traveling from Dubai to Hong Kong for a show-jumping competition