KNIGHT FLIGHT
DAVID JASON: PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES Gold, 9pm
AS Del Boy, he was famous for driving a knackered threewheeled yellow Reliant Regal. But it turns out Sir David Jason is quite the transport nut, and can turn his hand to driving anything with an engine – whether it’s got two, three or four wheels, wings, rotors or tracks.
He’s taking on the adventure of a lifetime for this new travelogue series, travelling 1200
miles down the west coast of America from Seattle to Los Angeles, using pretty much every form of transport imaginable.
He’s as excitable as a little boy, getting to have a go behind the wheels of some of the oldest, newest, fastest, most historic and most expensive pieces of machinery available.
A self-confessed petrol head, Sir David used to be a car mechanic before he turned to acting, and is also a qualified helicopter pilot. So he’s the perfect person to guide us on this remarkable journey.
In this first episode, he splash lands into Seattle on a float plane, then goes to explore the vast Boeing factory and meet one of the original test pilots who flew the first test flight of the world’s largest civilian aircraft – the Boeing 747 – in 1967.
He takes the controls of a vintage Douglas DC3 airplane himself, and also learns how to drive a model T Ford – the car that changed the world.
Then it’s back on track and onto a vintage timberland steam train to travel through Washington State and Oregon.