FLIGHT OF THE CENTURY
Junk Yard Wars (Channel 4 / Discovery Channel)
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first flight by the Wright brothers, teams from U.S., U.K. and France built flying machines capable of stopping exactly at the red line located in the middle of a dry lakebed in California's Mojave Desert - using materials salvaged from a junk yard and built with tools from the 1900s. Limited to 20 hours build time and a modern FAA-approved engine to power the aircraft the three teams competed to get airborne.
Wendy Sheppard, the only female competitor, was part of the successful British team known as the "British Buzzrds" who triumphed as the only team to get their aircraft airborne three times. At one point, whilst the US team were failing to start their own engine, Wendy's expertise was called upon to help them out.
"British Buzzards" Team Mates: Bill Brookes, Darren Arkwright and Ian Evans