This title is all about the men, machines, and landmark technology behind the most iconic aircraft from the Supermarine Spitfire to the Concorde. Featuring over 1000 of the greatest military and commercial aircraft in the world, this is an amazing visual guide tracing their evolution over the past 10 decades

• Introduction: The Magic of Flight
• Before 1920 Pioneers began with gliders made of little more than wood and canvas and risked their lives to further our knowledge of flight. World War I forced a fast rate of development
• The 1920s Spectacular air shows drew huge crowds, single-seater monoplanes travelled faster than ever before, and aviation captured the attention of a worldwide audience
• The 1930s The "golden age" of aviation brought aircraft that were safer and more reliable than ever before. But the glamour of air travel remained the province of the wealthy, who could afford the high ticket prices of the time
• The 1940s The outbreak of world War II drove the innovations of the time, which included high-speed long range bombers that changed the face of modern warfare, After the war large numbers of piston-engined aircraft were used for commercial transport until superseded by jet power
• The 1950s The jet age came into its own with the setting of new speed records and the first jet airliner, Electronic control systems made flying much safer than ever befors
• The 1960s The Cold war years gave rise to ever-faster jets, sleek spy planes, and sophisticated helicopters. Airliners such as the Boeing 707 came into use on the long-haul routes
• The 1970s The Boeing 747 revolutionized commercial air transport. Fighter planes were Routinely fiying faster than the speed of sound, and concorde brought the same performance to the civilian market. Vertical takeoff allowed powerful combat jets to be launched form ocean-going carriers
• The 1980s Flying became a standard mode of travel, creating a fiercely competitive market. Jets became increasingly powerful, and the military revealed stealth planes
• The 1990s Airliners became bigger than ever before, and the executive-jet market expanded. Military planes took a leap forwerds with the B-2 Spirit flying wing bomber
• After 2000 After more than 100 years of fight there are still new frontiers to explore. Private entrepreneurs are pushing the Boundaries of flight for journeying to the edge of space
• Glossary
• Index/Acknowledgments