The World's Most Significant and Magnificent Aircraft

Evolution of the Modern Airplane. This book showcases the world's most remarkable aircraft that have made a valuable contribution to the development and evolution of the airplane as we know it today. A total of 142 planes were chosen by the author because of their importance in the advancement of design in power plant, flight concept, major production, and detail refinement. Beginning with the earliest pre-flight designs, 'The World's Most Significant and Magnificent Aircraft' provides exciting details of each plane's engineering, design, and flight accomplishments. Illustrated with pre-production diagrams and historical photos, the book is divided into seven parts representing the major stages of airplane development in a chronological order. From Legend Through 1902: Establishing the Fundamentals 1903 Through 1913: The Wright Flyer to the Dep Racer 1914 Through 1920: WWI to Transatlantic Flight The Demonstration Years: 1921 Through 1938 World War II 1939 Through 1945: The Foundation for Future Development Development Unlimited: 1946 Through 2000 The Near Future: 2001 Through 2020. These are just some of the famous designs covered: Boeing 747 Concorde Curtiss June Bug Douglas DC-3 Fokker D-VIIF Etrich Taube Grumman F4F 'Wildcat' Handley-Page H.P. 42 Lockheed A-12 McDonnell 'Phantom II' Messerschmitt ME-109 North American F-100 Super Sabre P-51 Mustang Sikorsky S-42B Supermarine Spitfire the Wright Flyer.