50 Airliners that Changed Flying

Book excerpt: The invention of the aeroplane was the dawn of a new way of travelling. Its potential was quickly realised, and aircraft were developed to carry first mail and then passengers, over distances that would have previously taken many hours or even days. Successive aircraft changed how we experience flight and how far we could go, introducing new standards of on-board service. Flying became an experience like no other; modern airliners offer unparalleled levels of comfort and economic benefits for their operators with levels of automation hitherto unimagined. 50 Airliners that Changed Flying presents the exciting airliners which can genuinely claim to have changed air travel, from the early mail planes and piston liners through the emergence of the jet age, to the sleek and ultra-modern airliners of today.