BBC Archive | 1976: FLYING PLANES that WEIGH LESS than a FEATHER | Nationwide | Weird and Wonderful | BBC Archive @BBCArchive | Uploaded May 2024 | Updated October 2024, 20 hours ago.
Equal parts British eccentricity and scientific know-how, welcome to the unlikely, gravity-defying world of micro-film gliders.

They’re painstakingly constructed model planes that actually fly for up to half an hour. They weigh less than a feather, their wings are constructed from material a few microns thick, and if you breath too heavily while building one, you’ll probably damage it.

Around thirty people across the UK make and fly them, often in huge hangars, as winds would destroy them. Hold your breath and let’s fly.



Clip taken from Nationwide, originally broadcast on BBC One on Wednesday 12 May, 1976.





You have now entered the BBC Archive, a time machine that will transport you back to the golden age of TV to educate, entertain and enlighten you with classic clips from the BBC vaults.

Make sure you subscribe so that you never miss a single stop on our amazing journey through the BBC Archive - youtube.com/c/BBCArchive?sub_confirmation=1