At any one time, there are a million people airborne somewhere in the world. It’s a city in the sky. A city that straddles not just countries but continents and it’s made up of the 100,000 flights that criss-cross the world daily.
So what does it take to run a ‘city’ at 30,000 feet? In this new series, Science broadcaster Dallas Campbell and Mathematician Dr Hannah Fry set off around the world to uncover the invisible global networks and complex logistics that make it all possible and discover the extraordinary engineering and technology that keeps this city aloft.
This city is set to double in size in the next two decades, and keeping it airborne is testing our ingenuity to its absolute limits.
At some of the biggest, busiest, coldest and most remote airports in the world, they meet the people who keep it all running, uncovering a fascinating world that has transformed the way we live in the 21st century.
City in The Sky was first broadcast on BBC Two on Sunday 5th June 2016. Full broadcast details, and links to watch online where available, can be found on bbc.co.uk.
- Learn more about the design and engineering of aeroplanes
- Returning to a STEM career? Try our free toolkit
- Explore more about engineering
- Delve deeper into design
- View the episode guides for City in the Sky
Learn more about the design and engineering of aeroplanes
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Aeroplane Design and Engineering
Ever wondered what happens to lost luggage or why plane windows are the shape they are? Take a tour of our interactive aeroplane to find out.
Read nowAeroplane Design and EngineeringLevel: 1 Introductory
Returning to STEM?
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Reboot Your STEM Career
Returning to a STEM career? Reboot Your STEM Career is a comprehensive interactive toolkit to help you relaunch your career and navigate your way back into the world of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. Build on areas such as work-life balance, professional skills, entering the world of work, how to present yourself, searching for jobs and how to network.
Take part nowReboot Your STEM CareerLevel: 1 Introductory
City In The Sky: The videos
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Why do planes get dumped in the desert?
Our series City In The Sky travelled to Arizona to see a plane come to its final destination.
Watch nowWhy do planes get dumped in the desert?Level: 1 Introductory
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How do planes take off?
They're massive, and heavy. And yet they fly in the air. City In The Sky gets to grips with the physics of flight.
Watch nowHow do planes take off?Level: 1 Introductory
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What happens when you fall ill on a plane?
If you get sick during a plane flight, the doctors treating you will most likely be thousands of miles away.
Watch nowWhat happens when you fall ill on a plane?Level: 1 Introductory
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How do planes survive lightning strikes?
As planes carry us through the sky, they can - and do - come under attack from lightning strikes. Good design keeps us safe, though, in the City In The Sky.
Watch nowHow do planes survive lightning strikes?Level: 1 Introductory
Explore engineering
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Introducing engineering
Engineering encompasses a broad range of disciplines from design to manufacturing. This free course, Introducing engineering, introduces a number of key themes that explore how engineering is undertaken in our modern world. These themes include engineering design, rules that govern engineers, manufacturing for products and electricity generation using solar energy.
Learn moreIntroducing engineeringLevel: 1 Introductory
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Engineering: The nature of problems
Engineering is about extending the horizons of society by solving technical problems, ranging from the meeting of basic human needs for food and shelter to the generation of wealth by trade. In this free course, Engineering: The nature of problems, we learn that engineers see the problems more as challenges and opportunities than as difficulties. What they appear to be doing is solving problems, but in fact they are busy creating solutions, an altogether more imaginative activity.
Learn moreEngineering: The nature of problemsLevel: 2 Intermediate
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Engineering: The challenge of temperature
Engineering is about extending the horizons of society by solving technical problems, ranging from the meeting of basic human needs for food and shelter to the generation of wealth by trade. This free course, Engineering: The challenge of temperature, looks at the impact of changes in temperature on a variety of objects and looks at the problem of how to boil water.
Learn moreEngineering: The challenge of temperatureLevel: 2 Intermediate
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Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)
From microscopic electronic devices to super structures like dams, bridges and towers, engineering has a vast scope that touches every area of our lives. The BEng (Hons) is a fascinating and thorough general engineering degree course that explores the fundamentals of this creative and analytical subject, and provides a firm foundation on which to build a successful career. It covers the range of techniques, concepts and knowledge required by professional engineers – from materials and mechanics to design and modelling – and you’ll have the opportunity to specialise in a number of areas: engineering design, environmental technologies, or energy and sustainability. Learning outcomes have been defined to fulfil the Engineering Council’s requirements under UK-SPEC, and early on in your studies you’ll compile a development plan aimed to fulfil your personal and professional aims. You’ll work on real projects and there are two compulsory week-long residential schools where you’ll team up with other students to create innovative solutions to challenging problems.
Learn moreBachelor of Engineering (Honours)
Explore design
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Design thinking
Are you ever frustrated with something that you thought you could design better? This free course, Design thinking, will show you how to structure your natural creativity to come up with solutions to all kinds of problems, and have fun in the process too!
Learn moreDesign thinkingLevel: 1 Introductory
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People-centred designing
Designed products surround us all and range from bus tickets to buildings. This free course, People-centred designing, focuses firmly on usability and the increasingly important phenomenon of people-centred design. It aims to inform consumers of design (i.e., all of us) about this crucial characteristic of design. In addition to stimulating interest in areas of concern for producers of design, the course might also provide an introduction to engineering, manufacturing and business studies.
Learn morePeople-centred designingLevel: 1 Introductory
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Design
This free course looks at the process of design, from assessing the complexity of design as an activity to exposing the difficulty in making general conclusions about how designers work. You will be able to identify innovation in a wide variety of designed objects and evaluate the impact of this innovation.
Learn moreDesignLevel: 1 Introductory
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BA/BSc (Honours) Design and Innovation
Design and innovation play a central role in society, finding solutions to problems of all sizes in many aspects of our lives, not just the creative industries. The Open University is at the forefront of teaching in this field; with a reputation for producing ground-breaking courses featuring online design studios, social networking, and inspiring study materials. The BA/BSc (Honours) Design and Innovation will develop your understanding of the huge impact that design can have. You’ll develop skills and abilities that will be useful in a wide range of careers. Your study will focus on three key aspects: the process of design; working with and for others; and applying design and innovation in real-world contexts. Each of the core modules has a significant practical component. We offer four distinct pathways through this degree course, combining design and innovation with either arts, business, engineering or environment.
Learn moreBA/BSc (Honours) Design and Innovation
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