| 50 of the greatest aircraft in the history of flight | History Of Aviation


	01 MONTGOLFIER BalLOON On November 1783, two Frenchmen, Jean-Francois Pilatre de Rozier and the Marquis d'Arlandes, became the first men in history to accomplish an aerial voyage when they sailed over the rooftops of Paris in a balloon made by two other celebrated Frenchmen, Etienne and Joseph Montgolfier. This first man-carrying balloon derived its buoyancy from hot air. The heating operation was done by burning chopped straw and wool just inside the neck of the balloon, and the duration of flight depended on the amount of'fuel' carried. Later balloons employed hydrogen gas (discovered by Henry Cavendish in l766) as the lifting agent, and much longer flights became possible; the first such balloon flew at Paris on December 1, 1783.
	02 PILCHER HANG-GLIDER To Percy Pilcher in Britain and Otto Lilienthal in Germany belongs the credit for ushering in the dawn of man-carrying wingborne flight. Between 1895 and 1899 Pilcher built a number of gliders, one weighing as little as 451b. The pilot was suspended under the main structure (thus giving the device the name hang-glider) and control was exercised by moving the body in the appropriate direction. The pilot launched himself and his glider by running down a steep hill until he became airborne. The length of glide was governed by the length and steepness of the slope, and the pilot landed by running as he touched down.
	03 LEBAUDY AIRSHIP The objection to the balloon as a vehicle of utility was that it could not be made to fly in any direction except downwind. The advent of engines enabled, literally, another dimension to be encompassed, and the first practicable man-carrying steerable balloon, or dirigible, was built by the Lebaudy brothers in France. It was streamlined so as to generate as little resistance as possible to the forward motion. On November 12, 1903, (little more than a month before the Wright brothers' first powered flight) it covered a distance of 38 miles. The 190ft airship was made of rubberised fabric, and could maintain a speed of 30 mph.
	04 WRIGHT FLIER The mostfamous and significant aeroplane of all time was the Wright brothers' Flyer. On December 17, 1903, at the Kill Devil Hills, near Kitty Hawk in North Carolina, USA, it accomplished the first sustained flights by a man-carrying heavier than-air machine. The pilot, Orville Wright, kept the aircraft in the air for 12 secs., covering about 120ft into a strong wind. Three other flights were made that morning, Orville taking turns with his brother Wilbur. The longest of 852ft lasted for 59 seconds. The Flyer spanned 40ft and was sustained by a 12 hp petrol engine driving two propellers. It is now an honoured exhibt at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC.
	05 CORNU HELICOPTER The first helicopter to make a successful 'free' flight with a man aboard is generally accepted as being that of the Frenchman Paul Cornu. On 13 November 1907 near Lisieux,.the twin-rotor helicopter rose about 1ft into the air and remained there for about 20 sees. with its designer- pilot Cornu at the controls. The rotors, covered with fabric, were fixed to two bicycle-type wheels, which were driven by belts from a 24 hp engine. The machine was heavy, unstable, clumsy and unreliable. Nevertheless it demonstrated (simultaneously with another French helicopter by Louis Breguet and Professor Richet) the feasibility of rotary-winged flight.
	06 MAURICE FARMAN BIPLANE In the years leading up to the First World War few aeroplanes gained so much respect and popularity as the series of biplanes designed by the French brothers Henri and Maurice Farman. Flown by many noted pilots, Farmans were seen at every flying meeting, and were widely copied, a notable example being the Bristol Boxkite. The MF.II version appeared in 1912. With a 70 hp Renault engine it could fly at nearly 70 mph. As the Maurice Farman Shorthorn (to distinguish it from the Longhorn, which had an elevator in front of the wing) it was adopted by Britain to equip the Royal Flying Corps.
	07 BLERIOT HONOPLANE With the crossing of the English Channel by Louis bleriot in his monoplane on 25 July 1909, the aeroplane can be said to have 'arrived'. Recognition of its significance, both for peace and war, was immediate and widespread; maritime isolation was now a thing of the past. The 23½ mile night, from Calais to Dover, won for Bleriot the Daily Mail �1000 prize offered for this crossing. Bleirot monoplanes immediately achieved enviable fame, and were built in large numbers (Bleriot himself received orders for over a hundred). The cross-Channel Bleriot XI was powered by a 25 hp 8-cylinder Anzani engine, and fully loaded, weighed only 661 lb.
	08 SIKORSKI BOLSHOI AIRLINER The Sikorsky airliner of 1913-called the Bolshoi (Great) because of its size - broke new ground in a number of ways. It was the first four-engined aeroplane ever to fly, the largest at the time, and the first to have a large enclosed passenger cabin. The 92ft biplane took about nine months to build, and numerous technical problems arising from its unequalled sire had to be solved. It new for the first time on 13 May 1913, piloted by Igor Sikorsky. On August 2 of that year it made a flight of 1hr 54min, with eight people on board. Altogether this famous aeroplane made 53 flights. The Bolshoi was powered by four 100 hp engines and weighed 9,000lb.
	09 AVRO 5W The Avro 504 biplane first flew in 1913, and became notable successively as a light reconnaissance bomber, a trainer, and a joyride mount. Its fame as a bomber rests on the remarkable long-range raid made by three 504s on the Zeppelin hangers at Friedrichshafen on the shore of Lake Con- stance, on 21 November 1914. As a trainer it was associated with the famous School of Special Flying (formed at Gosport, Hampshire, in July 1917 by Major R R Smith-Barry), one of the world's earliest flying training establishments. As a joyrider, it was still flying at the outbreak of the Second World War, long after its early contemporaries had disappeared.
	10 FOKKER DVII The Fokker DVII is generally conceded to have been the best fighter, Allied or German, to have taken part in the First World War. It was the winner of a competition held in January 1918, and by April of that year was in service on the Western Front, where its superiority over the Allied aircraft was immediately apparent. One of the first units to receive the type was Geschwader 1, whose commander, the legendary Baron Manfred von Richtofen, had been shot down and killed on 21 April 1918 in a Fokker Triplane. Though not so streamlined as its famous contemporary the Albatros DIII, the DVII could achieve 125 mph with its 160 hp Mercedes engine, but its fame derived chiefly from its extreme manoeuvrability.
	11 FHANDLEY PACE 0/400 The twin-engined Handley-Page 0/400 was developed from the earlier 01100 and became the most famous heavy bomber of the First World War. It entered service in September 1918 and immediately began to supplement the 01100 in the offensive against Germany. Adding to its effectiveness was a new 1,6501b bomb, particularly destructive against railways. One 01400 was used by Col. Lawrence and Gen. Allenby in their Palestine campaign. Over 700 0/400s were built, against fewer than 50 0!100s, and several were converted after the war to carry passengers.
	12 JUNKERS F-13 The Junkers F-13, which first flew in 1919, was one of the most significant aeroplanes ever built, incorporating as it did no less than three outstanding innovations. It was the first practicable cantilever, low-wing, all-metal multi-passengbr machine, and as such, had a greater effect upon the course of aviation than any aeroplane of its time. Developed through an earlier series of such aircraft, all incorporating the Junkers patented cantilever wing, it was also the first multi-seat all-metal aeroplane to enter commercial passenger service, carrying four passengers over about 400 miles. Production continued until 1932, by which time 322 had been built. The prototype was still flying in 1939.
	13 CIERVA AUTOGIRO The autogyro was the first rotary-winged aircraft to find wide application. In 1923, after three years research into the various problems involved, Dan Juan de la Cierva's Autogiro C4 became the first such practicable aircraft. Since the rotors were not directly driven, but needed a wind blowing through them, these autogyros could not take-off or land vertically. They represented nevertheless a significant advance in aeronautics and were to find quite extensive use before being supplemented by the helicopter. Some of the early Cierva machines used Avro 504 fuselages, engines and tailplanes, with a pylon and four-bladed rotor in place of the upper wing.
	14 de HAVILLAND MOth The de Havilland Moth biplane was the world's first really practicable light aeroplane. It was cheap (originally only 0885), reliable, light(only 775lb empty), easy to fly and could be operated from small airfields. First flown by Captain Geoffrey de Havilland in February 1925, it was widely adopted by clubs and private owners. Despite its low power and frail construction, a number of notable long-distance flights were achieved. The most famous Moth was Amy Johnson's Jason, which flew her in 1930 from England to Australia in 19t days. In 1931 Francis Chichester flew in his Gipsy Moth from England to Japan.
	15 HAWKU HADT The Hawker Hart was one of the most adaptable biplanes ever to join the RAF. It first flew in June 1828, and was in operational service only 18 months later. The Hart was the standard light day-bomber, but its performance was such that other versions were built for more specialised purposes. Thus the Demon was a two-seat fighter, the Audax an Army co-operation aircraft, the Hardy was designed for general-purpose duties, and the Hind was a more powerful version of the Hart. The latter was powered by a 525 hp Rolls-Roycs Kestrel engine and could achieve 184 mph.
	16 KRONFELD'S WIEN SAILPLANE Robert Kronfeld's Wien was the archetype of the modern soaring sailplane. Around 1928 the concept of thermals - rising currents of warm air - was developed in Germany, and a German newspaper offered �250 for the first motorless flight to exceed 100km (62½ miles). The Wien, built for the competition, proved its superiority over existing gliders during early 1829 with a number of good nights, and on May 15 won the coveted prize. In June of the following year Kronfeld brought his glider to England and made the first long-distance soaring night there, from Itford Hill (north of Brighton) to Portsmouth.
	17 HANDLEY PACE HP 2. The advent of the Handley page HP.42 signalled the beginnings of luxurious air travel. Imperial Airways, to whose order the HP.42s were built, introduced the type on both its European and Far Eastern routes, commencing in June 1931. During a decade of operation, the world's first real airliner (as it was described by its makers) set a standard of service, comfort and safety hardly to be equalled, though its speed was considerably less than that of the more modern American types. Only eight were built, and most were transferred to the RAF in 1939. Flagship of the fleet was Hannibal, which survived until March 1940.
	18 SUPERMARINE S6B Competition for the Schneider ended in 1931 when Britain, already victorious in two previous events, won the trophy (put up by the Frenchman Jacques Schneider in 1913) outright. The Supermarine S6B and its 1.350 hp Rolls-Royce R engine were specially designed for this prestigious seaplane race, the E100,000 cost being borne by Lady Houston. It was derived from three earlier aircraft, the S4, S5 and S6, the latter two respectively winners of the 1927 and 1929 events. The S6B clocked 340.8 mph, though it was 'held back' slightly due to lack of competition. A fortnight later it gained the world air speed record at 407½ mph.
	19 DOUGLAS DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 was by far the most famous of all transport aeroplanes. Designed as a successor to the slightly smaller DC-2, the new P1-passenger airliner was exactly sized for the growing commercial market of the 1930s. First flown in December 1935, it achieved success so rapidly that three years later it was carrying the bulk of America's internal air traffic. During the war, as the C-47 or Dakota, it carried allied armies into battle throughout the world. Thousands were released from military service after the war to be bought up cheaply by airlines, and many of these are still flying today.
	20 HINDENBURC AIRSHIP On May 3, 1937, Count Zeppelin's luxury airship Hindenburg suddenly exploded in a ball of fire as it was coming in to land at Lakenheath, New Jersey. In a few seconds it crashed alongside its mooring mast, killing 36 of the 97 people aboard and bringing to a tragic close a significant era of aviation. Hindenburg's buoyancy was derived from inflammable hydrogen, and it is thought that a spark of static electricity may have ignited some hydrogen from a leaky gas-bag. The ship was on its Ilth flight between Germany and the US. It cruised at 78 mph, and was 804ft long.
	21 SHORT EMPIRE FLYING BOAT Long air traver range reached a new level of comfort and elegance when Imperial Airways introduced its C-class flying boats in 1937. Twenty-eight had been ordered in 1935 to carry all the mail for the British Empire, at a cost of �50,000 each. Operating from their new base at Hythe, near Southampton, the Empire flying boats (as they were alternatively called) established new services to Egypt, Africa, India and Australia. Three G-class 'boats, with longer range, were built for North Atlantic routes. One C-class aircraft was adapted to carry a smaller, four-engined seaplane pick-a-back style, in an effort to increase the payload over longer ranges.
	22 BOEING StrATOLINER An important advance in aviation was the development of cabin pressurisation, first used commercially in the Boeing 307 Stratoliner. It could cruise at 23,000ft, largely above the turbulent weather fou nd nearer the ground, but the air pressure inside the fuselage was maintained at a value corresponding to a much lower altitude, enabling the passengers and crew to breathe comfortably. It was based on the Boeing 8-17 bomber, using the same wings, tailplane, engines and undercarriage, but employing a specially designed fuselage. The Model 307 first flew in December 1938, and, although only ten were built, one or two examples are still flying.
	23 HEINKEL 178 The world's first jet-propelled aeroplane was the Heinkel 178, which made its initial flight on AuOust 27, 1839, at Marienehe in north Germany It was built to gain flight experience with the 1,1001b-thrust He53B turbojet engine, designed by Dr. Hans Pabst von Ohain, also of Heinkel. It was strikingly similar to Britain's Gloster-Whittle E28139 which new 21 months later. The aircraft and its engine were built privately, and the German Government took little interest in the project. Although the He 178 made only a few nights, it was accounted a success.
	24 CLOSTER-WHIITLE E21/39 Britain's very first jet-propelled aeroplane was the Gloster Whittle E28/39, which made its initial flight at Cranwell, on 15 May, 1941. It was built to verify the performance of Gp.Capt. Frank Whittle's series of turboiet engines, the first of which ran in 1937. A second E28 flew in March 1943, but was destroyed in the following July. Meanwhile the first prototype continued its test programme (powered by successively more advanced turbine engines) into 1945 before being retired and presented to the Science Museum. With the first, W1, engine giving 860lb thrust, it could attain 350 mph in level flight.
	25 de HAVILLAND MOSQUITO Revolutionary in concept and brilliantly engineered, the Mosquito was built almost entirely of wood (a precautionary measure in case of possible shortages of aluminium) and was fast enough - over 400 mph - to be able to dispense with defensive guns. Conceived as a private- venture day-bomber in 1938,it first flew in November l940, and was so successful that it was also developed as a day and night fighter; virtually no task was beyond it. Most famous was, perhaps, the attack on the Gestapo headquarters in Oslo in 194P. As Pathfinders, Mosquitos marked targets in Germany for the RAF's night bombers. A few of the 7,781 built still fly as museum pieces.
	26 SUPERMARINE SPITFIRE More than any other aeroplane, the Spitfire epitomised the struggle for freedom 30 years ago. It first flew in March 1936 and was operational in June 1938. Blooded in the Battle of Britain, it went on to serve in fighter, bomber, intercepter and reconnaissance roles in every theatre of the war, flying from both land bases and aircraft carriers. In 1942, Malta, key to the Mediterranean, was saved by Spitfires from invasion during an epic battle. Over 22,000 Spitfires and Seafires, of very many versions, were built. Today less than a handful of these legendary aeroplanes remain in flying condition.
	27 SIKORSKY R-4 HELICOPTER While Igor Sikorsky's first helicopter flew in Russia as long ago as 1909, his first practicable helicopter, the two-seat VS-316A, was first tested in January 1942. Two years later, as the R-4, it became the world's first helicopter to enter production, 130 being built. Its 180 hp piston engine enabled it to attain a speed of 82 mph at a weight of 2,5301b. It was adopted by the American Armed Services and also by the RAF. From it was developed the four-seat Sikorsky S-51 which, built under licence by Westland as the Dragonfly, became Britain's first helicopter.
	28 AVRO LAICASTER Paradoxically born of the failure of the twin-engined Manchester, the four-Merlin Laneaster became the finest RAF heavy bomber of the 1939-1415 war. It first flew in January 1941 and its superiority over the Stirling and Halifax - it was less vulnerable and carried heavier bomb loads - soon became evident. Legendary among its many famous operations was the raid by 19 'Lancs' of the specially formed 617 Sqn. on the Ruhr darns in May 1943 using special 'skip' bombs. Others were modified to carry the 22,0001b 'Grand Slam', heaviest bomb ever built, and was carried only by the Lancaster.
	29 MESSERSCHMITT 262 The Messerschmitt 262 was the world's first operational swept-wing jet fighter. First flight was in April 1941, but its service career did not get under way till mid-1944. With its four heavy cannon and speed of 540 mph, the twin-engined Me 262s were truly formidable opponents. Initial German Government disinterest resulted in slow development and production. Also, Hitler's personal directive that they were to be used only as bombers, greatly softened the impact which even the few aeroplanes in service would otherwise have had on the allied bomber offensive. Less than 1500 were built.
	30 AIRSPEED HORSA Designed for the airborne assault role, the Horsa was the first military glider to be used operationally by the RAF. It carried a crew of two, and 25 fully equipped troops. In November 1942, two Horsas, towed by Halifaxes, flew from Scotland to destroy a heavy-water plant in Southern Norway. Their large-scale use, however, began with the Allied invasion of Sicily in July 1943. Horsas played a prominent part in the invasion of Europe in June 1944, at the battle of Arnhem the following September, and finally at the crossing of the Rhine in March 1945.
	31 MESSERSCHMITT 163 KOMET The revolutionary Me 163 was the world's first operational rocket-propelled fighter. It had a speed of 596 mph, could climb to 30,000ft in 2.6 min., and would have posed a grave th reat to the daylight bombing of Germany had production begun earlier. The type first flew in August 1941 and entered service, as an intercepter, in the summer of 1944. It carried fuel for only 8 minutes powered flying. The pilot had to glide it back to base, but the landing impact often caused the residual fuel to explode, destroying the aircraft. Only about 470 Komets were built before the war ended.
	32 GRUMMAN AVENGER The Avenger, designed for the US Navy, was perhaps the most celebrated Allied carrier-borne torpedo-bomber of the Second World War. It entered service at the battle of Midway (an island in the Pacific) in June 1942. Apart from being instrumental in the destruction of the Japanese neat by torpedo and mine, the Avenger was widely employed against land targets such as the enemy strongholds at Truk and Rabaul. The type was also used In both Atlantic and Pacific from carriers of the Fleet Air Arm and, after the war's end, by the Canadian Navy and (ironically) its former enemy, the Japanese Navy.
	33 MIG-15 The appearance of the Russian MigG-15 jet fighter came as an unpleasant surprise to American pilots flying over South Korea during the 1950 war. Owing its swept wing to German aerodynamics and its powerplant to Rolls-Royce technology, this single-seat fighter completely outclassed its main adversary, the Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star. Even against the later North American Sabre it remained a formidable opponent, with its single 37mm and two 23mm cannon and high manoeuvrability. Over 15,000 were built, many of which went to equip the air forces of Soviet satellite countries, and large numbers are still in service.
	34 VICKERS VISCONT The world's first turbine-powered airliner, the 'prop-jet' Viscount was a milestone in air transport, a worthy follow-on to the famous DC-3. It first flew in July 1968, and entered service with British European Airways in January 1953. Early doubts about turbine engines were swept away with orders from over BO operators in 48 countries. Over three-quarters of the 445 built were sold abroad, a significant customer being Capital Airlines of the USA with an order for BO. The Viscount's four Rolls-Royce Darts enabled it to carry 65 people at 330 mph over 1800 miles.
	35 AVRO VULCAN Chronologically the third of the RAF's V-bombers, the Vulcan was the first and largest aircraft of its type to employ a delta wing. It was ordered in quantity to replace the piston-engined Lincolns and Washing- tons of Bomber Command and became operational in 1957, some 4t years after its first night. This strategic four-jet bomber at one time carried Britain's nuclear deterrent, the thermonuclear-warheaded Blue Steel stand-off missile. It can travel over 4,000 miles at nearly the speed of sound at high altitude. Most are modified for low-altitude bombing where they are less susceptible to missile attack.
	36 de HAVILLAND COMET I The Comet was the world's first jet-propelled airliner. It first flew on July 27 1949, and started to carry passengers for BOAC on May 2, 1952. Its prestige was marred, however, by a number of crashes, two of which were due to metal fatigue in the fuselage. The early Comets were withdrawn from commercial service while the most exhaustive investigations ever made in aviation were made. As a result the aeroplane was re-designed and entered service again, as the larger Comet 4, in 1958. The Comet 1 was a small airliner by modern standards, carrying between 36 and 44 passengers. It could cruise at 490 mph.
	37 SHORT SC 1 The Short SC.1 was the first true vertical take-off and landing fixed-wing aircraft to fly in Britain, on April 2, 1957. Two of these experimental aeroplanes were built to assess the feasibility of VTOL Right. Each had four Rolls-Royce RB.10B jet engines, generating 8,6001b thrust, mounted vertically in the fuselage, while a fifth gave thrust for propulsion, The SC.ls measured only 23ft over their diminutive delta wings. Having verified the basic principles of this method of Right, they went on to test the special control systems and instruments which are needed to make this class of aircraft safe.
	38 de HAVILLAND CANADA OTTER The sturdy ten-seat Otter is one of a class of utility aeroplanes to which floats may be fitted, enabling it to operate from lakes or rivers. Canada, Alaska, South America and the polar regions are largely inaccessible to land-based aircraft because of natural obstacles such as forest and swamp. But their intricate systems of waterways are suitable, for float-planes, which are therefore the best way of serving isolated communi- ties, or supporting exploration or mining and other commercial operations. The floats can accommodate retractable wheels, so converting the aeroplane into an amphibian. The Otter, which first flew in 1951, weighs 8,0001b and has a range of 950 miles.
	39 McDOWIELL DOUCUS F-4 PHANTOM Developed in the mid-1950s as a carrier-borne intercepter for the US Navy, the 1,450 mph Phantom has become the outstanding combat aeroplane of the decade. Operating from ships, and also flown from bases in South Vietnam by the US Air Force, it was extensively used to bomb North Vietnam. Several European countries have ordered Phantoms, and about 170 are in service with the RAF and Royal Navy. The two-seat twin-engined F-4 carries Sparrow and Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, and can also lift some seven tons of bombs. One version carries a six-barrel cannon.
	40 HAWKER SIDDELEY 125 The HS.125 is a sophisticated 500 mph business jet designed to provide personal transport for up to six company executives. It is an airliner in miniature, with a crew of two, a range of about 1,500 miles, end radio and bad-weather aids which enable it to operate in virtually all weather conditions throughout the world. It first new in 1962 and about 250 have been built, many of them for North America. They cost about f450,000 each, but buyers consider that their ability to travel almost anywhere at short notice is well worth the price.
	41 BOEING CHINOOK Designed in 1959 as a heavy assault troopship for the US Army, the CH-47 Chlnook is the largest twin-rotor helicopter in service outside Russia. Weighing 46,000 lb, it can carry into battle (at nearly 200 mph) 44 fully armed troops or a 10-ton Ipad. In Vietnam it has been largely used for rescue and salvage tasks. It has lifted no less than 10,000 crashed aircraft, mainly helicopters, out of the hills of South-East Asia, thus saving billions of dollars. Most bulky loads are carried externally on a sling for convenience and ease of loading.
	42 NORth AMERICA X-15 In order to investigate the problems of hypersonic flight, America's National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics in 1955 ordered three rocket-propelled research vehicles, known as X-15s. To conserve fuel they were carried to 45,000ft under the wing of a converted 8-52 bomber. After release, their engines were ignited to thrust them to speeds and altitudes unequalled by any other wing-borne aircraft. In July 1962 the No. 3 X-15 reached a height of 67 miles, while in October 1967 the second aircraft attained a speed of Mach 6.72, or 4,534 mph. The programme ended in 1967, after 199 nights had been made.
	43 WalLIS WA-120 AUTOGIRO In recent years the autogyro for long eclipsed by the helicopter, has emerged as the smallest of all general purpose/fly for fun aeroplanes. One type, the experimental Wallis WA-120, has a 20ft diameter rotor and weighs about 450lb. Powered by a 130 hp piston engine, it can take off in a few yards, and can fly at about 150 mph. Because of its small size and weight, it is easily stored and can be towed behind a car; and its near-helicopter performance makes it an excellent personal transport. Other uses could be aerial photography, road traffic control and pipeline patrol.
	44 CANADAIR CL-84 The Canadair CL-84 belongs to a class of V/STOL aircraft, known as convertiplanes, which combine the vertical take-off performance of helicopters with the high forward speed of conventional fixed-wing aircraft. At take-off the wing and the two engines mounted on it are rotated through 90°, so that the twin propellers can act as rotor blades to lift the aircraft vertically. At a convenient height the wing is gradually rotated to its normal position. At the same time the propellers begin to thrust the aircraft forward until eventually its weight is borne entirely by the wings.
	45 BAC/BREGUET JAGUAR The Jaguar is a collabrative project between France and Britain to satisfy a common need for a supersonic single-seat ground-attack fighter and two-seat advanced trainer. Each country will buy 200, and deliveries to the French Air Force and the RAF have already begun. Heart of the twin-engined Jaguar is a computer-controlled navigation system which can automatically fly the aircraft several hundred miles to the target, deliver up to 10,0001b of bombs, and return it to base. Together with the V/STOL Harrier, the Jaguar will replace the Hunter and Canberra which have been the mainstay of the RAF's tactical strike force since the mid-1950s.
	46 BAC/AEROSPATIalE CONCORDE The Angle-French Concorde is the fastest and most advanced airliner flying in the Western World. When it comes into service in 1974 after six years of flight testing, it will be able to carry 128 passengers from Landon to New York in just over 3hr., or to Sydney, Australia, in' 13hr. Cruising at up to Mach 2.2, 1400 mph, at 60,000ft it will be over twice as fast as current airliners such as the Boeing 707. To fly at such speeds efficiently a special wing shape, known as an ogive delta, is employed. Each aeroplane will cost about f13 million.
	47 HAWKER SIDDELEY MARRIER Developed through three generations of vertical-take-off aeroplanes, the Harrier is the world's first operational V/STOL aircraft. It is a single-seat fighter with a highly automatic navigation and weapon-aimming system, designed to attack ground targets in support of local army units. The Harrier can be flown from virtually any small piece of land quite close to the fighting, so that little time is lost flying back to base to re-arm. Also it has no need of costly and vulnerable runways. Several squad- rons are in service with the RAF, and Harriers are also operated by the US Marine Corps.
	48 GENERal DYNAMICS F-lll The F-lll is the first operational aeroplane to employ a variable-geometry wing, or'swing-wing'. In about 1960 the US Air Force and Navy both formulated requirements for new combat aircraft, though for widely different purposes. To save money the American Government directed that a single type of aircraft be built for both services. Despite the advantages of the swing-wing, the compromises resulted in such poor performance that the US Navy cancelled its order, as did the RAF which was to have bought 50 F-llls for long-range bombing. Later versions with the USAF have, however, been more successful.
	49 LOCKHEED trISTAR The L-1011 TriStar belongs to a new family of airliners known as wide-body jets or airbuses. The large-diameter fuselage, built to carry 300-350 passengers, allows a much more spacious layout than is possible with the more tubular structures of earlier Boei n g 707-type aeroplanes. The L-1011 is designed to fly short-to-medium ranges (up to 2,800 miles) at about 525 mph. It weighs 180 tons and i s powered by three Rolls-Royce RB.21 1 turbofans which generate a combined thrust of over 50 tons, though they are significantly quieter than previous engines of much lower power.
	50 RORthrOP HL-IO The Northrop HL-10 is one of a class of experimental aircraft, known as lifting bodies because they have no orthodox wings. They were built for America's National Aeronautics and Space Administration to provide information on the type of craft which will eventually fly men between Earth and space. These space shuttles will have blunt shapes to reduce the severe heating which takes place during re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere at 18,000 mph. Such shapes do not fly very well as aeroplanes however, and much research is needed to make them safe. The HL-IO is lifted to 45,000ft by a 8-52, then released for its glide back to base.
*Source material provided by DVLC - Dave's Vertiable Loft Centre*

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