Smithsonian Channel™ takes viewers to new heights with an all-new aviation series, On The Fly: Adventures at Altitude (8×60′), premiering February 18 as part of the channel’s nationwide free preview event. Up in the air, everyday people do extraordinary things. In each episode of On the Fly, three stories come together to help define the passion, excitement and stakes of general aviation. Some fly for fun and adventure, while others for medical care, rescue, science, or wildlife. They fly Cessnas, Lears, Copters, Drones, Gliders, Ultralights and homemade experiments. While flight is the organizing principle of this series, character development and human drama propel it. Their passion for flight is matched only by their desire to make a difference. On The Fly: Adventures at Altitude premieres Sunday, February 18 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Smithsonian Channel in Canada during the channel’s nationwide free preview, on now until March 31. Smithsonian Channel is also available via Prime Video Channels and Apple TV+ with On The Fly: Adventures at Altitude available to stream simultaneously from February 18.
Canadian audiences can expect to see even more aviation-themed programming on Smithsonian Channel throughout the winter months with Ice Airport Alaska, Season 4. Witness wild weather, emergency landings, and animal invaders at Ted Stevens International Airport in Anchorage, Alaska, one of the world’s busiest cargo airports, premiering February 10 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. Followed by Extreme Airport Africa, where in the wilds of Southern Africa, aviation takes over where roads don’t go, bringing you into the world of high-octane, high-risk bush flying where pilots brave rough runways, wildfires and wild animals, premiering March 9 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
The first three episodes of On The Fly: Adventures at Altitude include:
Episode 1 – Flying With Dreams
February 18 at 8 p.m. ET/PT
In this episode, three stories come together to help define the passion for general aviation. Female skydivers come from all over the world to try to break a world record to honour the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage; an airline mechanic who calls himself Mel The Traveler refurbishes an old aerobatic plane to both push himself and inspire a new generation; and an aerobatic glider competition reveals the silent poetry of flying to the edge of the envelope – using only gravity as your engine.
Episode 2 – Walking On Air
February 25 at 8 p.m. ET/PT
For these folks, there’s no such thing as an ordinary flight. In this episode of On the Fly, a family of wing walkers puts their daughter’s boyfriend to the test, a real life superhero shows that you don’t need a plane to fly, and a group of devoted animal-lovers race against time to fly 38 stray dogs from near certain death in Puerto Rico to new lives and new families on the mainland.
Episode 3 – Challenges Accepted
March 3 at 8 p.m. ET/PT
Three stories of three very different challenges. First, 76 year-old Wayne Davis has the challenge of keeping both people and sharks safe, as he flies as an “aerial shark spotter” off the Massachusetts coast. Then aerobatic pilot Kyle Fowler and motorcycle daredevil Billy Kohut face the challenge of pulling off an audacious combined stunt that just might propel Kyle’s airshow career to new heights. Finally, a group of kids take to the sky, transcending their disabilities with the pilots of Challenge Air
