If the 20th Century can be accurately characterized as the "American Century," surely it is the achievement of flight--from the Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk to a handful of American astronauts on the surface of the Moon--that makes it so.

In celebration of this achievement, the new Public Television documentary series, "PIONEERS IN AVIATION: THE RACE TO THE MOON," profiles four of America's legendary aerospace pioneers--William Boeing, Donald Douglas, Dutch Kindelberger, and James McDonnell--whose achievements led the nation and the world from the era of open-cockpit biplanes to the very threshold of Space.

Interweaving the stories of the four aviation pioneers with on-camera interviews from several of America's foremost aviation scholars, "PIONEERS" structures this seminal chapter of American history into three one-hour episodes:

• Episode I: "The Early Years"
• Episode II: "The War Years"
• Episode III: "The Race to the Moon."

"PIONEERS IN AVIATION: THE RACE TO THE MOON" will be broadcast nationwide on Public Television during the coming months. Please check listings with local PBS stations for exact time and date.