The World S Greatest Civil Aircraft

Commercial air travel began just over a century ago. In that time, there have been groundbreaking civilian aircraft, such as flying boats, the first pressurized cabin aircraft, jet and supersonic aircraft, as well as immense changes in the capacity of aircraft - in the 1920s aircraft could carry 20 passengers, today it can be up to 800 passengers. The World's Greatest Civil Aircraft features 52 of the greatest civilian aircraft, from the 1920s Dornier Do J flying boat to Concorde and the Boeing 747, from narrow-bodied to wide-bodied, propeller to jet, from small Jetstreams to Ilyushin Il-62, once the world's largest earlier, to today's double-decker Airbus 380. Each entry includes a brief description of the aircraft's development and history, a colour profile artwork, key features and specifications. Packed with more than 200 artworks and photographs, The World's Greatest Civil Aircraft is a colourful guide for the aviation and transport enthusiast. 200 colour artworks and photographs

Drawings, photographs, and text describe a variety of civilian aircraft, both U.S. and foreign, including the Cessna planes, Satic Beluga, Boeing 747, Vikers VC10, and the European Airbus.

Which are the finest aircraft ever to have flown? The finest military aircraft, the finest airliners, the finest planes of today, and yesterday? This book answers these questions comprehensively, and with photographs and illustrations which help convey just what is so special about each aircraft. Over 250 of the world's most important, influential aircraft, from the first powered aircraft, the Wright Brother's 'Flyer' to Northrop's highly advanced B-2 stealth bomber. Commercial aircraft such as the Douglas DC-3 Dakota and the new A380 double decker Airbus, are detailed as are many of the classic fighters and bombers from World War II, such as the Supermarine Spitfire, North American P-51 Mustang and Boeing B-17 Fortress. All the essential detail is here. Fascinating histories of the design, development, manufacture, and service life of each aircraft are accompanied by a technical specification highlighting on its most important variants. Each is illustrated by a large and detailed color side view artwork, a three-view general arrangement line drawing, and supported with additional photographs.

Contains 300 of the most influential aircraft in civilian service over the past 80 years. These range from the earliest pioneers to the massive passenger jets of the modern age.

"Features 300 of the most important attack, multi-role, and other military jets flown since World War II, including the Messerschmitt Me 262, Mikoyan-Gurevich, MiG-21, Dassault Mirage, and Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit. Full dimensions, weights, powerplant and armament details provided in metric and imperial for each aircraft. Expert text explains each aircraft's development and service history. Includes 300 profile artworks."--Page 4 of cover