Richard Hammond's Crash Course

- Season 1

(2012)

BBC reporter and cars expert Richard Hammond tries his hand at the most daunting US Army land vehicle, the Abrams tank. In only one week, he goes trough a specially designed simulator - and real field experience speed course, leading up to the real test of his ability to function as driver, gunner or commander. Despite a sadistic twist to the target choice, testing his command loyalty extra, he passes every time, even in gym which he wasn't warned for at all, and charms the professionals.

In Orgeon, Richard joins a logging company's lumberjacks to learn how to use their heavy equipment. It's extremely dangerous, containing giant saws that cut a huge tree in a second and swinging the heavy masses that may crush the handler's cabin. With fear and confusion, he still learns how to cut trees, process them into logs and loads those on trucks. He even invents a precision sort, 'log darts', for professionals to demonstrate confidently their accurate skill acquired over the years.

In Denver, Richard must learn to use three huge machines to handle mountains of trash on a public landfill. A mega-bulldozer gathers and spreads it, a compactor crushes it and the last one reshapes the residue. In between, another minivan is squashed, a falcon control the seagulls and bio-gas is 'sampled'. He does well on each machine individually, but the combined exam proves impossible, as professionals admit they needed years of experience.

In Dallas, Texas, Richard joins the huge airport's standby fire fighters. He's spared neither outdated physical tests not chores and hazing. A three years training course is condensed into three weeks, the targets lowered somewhat. He learns the different functions of the utterly gigantic fire engine, which has two water cannons and damages paths worse then a tank, which it borrowed some technology from. Just after passing his exams, in time, he witnesses a real call to put out a wild fire on the meadow grounds.

Richard learns handling the heavy machinery used by a Dixie demolition company. The professionals' obvious boyish enthusiasm over the feeling of power it gives rubs off, and he learns to appreciate the green side of the business. Richard proves in his exam he learned to swing the wrecking ball precisely, so as to spare walls and rooms, sort the rubble and recycle the 80% that is salvageable.

Richard Hammond has his hands full as he heads down to Louisiana to salvage scrap metal. He must conquer the Crane, the Claw and the Electro-Magnet, all of which are essential tools used to break down oil rigs and select the reusable material. Carrying anywhere between 4,000 pounds to 150 tons at one time, these are some heavy-lifting machines!