In 500 years, the twentieth century will be recalled as the age of mobility. Travel by America's airlines played a leading role in this age of shrinking the world. Classic American Airlines traces the airline story from its fragile, heroic beginnings to the dawn of the jumbo jets that transformed air travel from a thrilling and dangerous experience to the modern marvel of safe global travel.
Follow the aerial conquest of the continent with the air-train services of Transcontinental Air Transport's Ford Trimotors. Relive the battle between Boeing and Douglas to create the first modern airliner. Experience the business battles among the airlines to carve out market share. Learn about the U.S. Post Office's leading role in creating America's airline industry during the 1930s and the formation of the Big Four: American, United, TWA, and Eastern. See Pan American conquer the oceans with its romantic flying boats.
Central to the story are the aircraft that took the industry to ever new horizons, and the airlines that were behind their creation. Read about TWA's role in the development of the DC-2, the Boeing Stratoliner (the first pressurized four-engined airliner that rarely gets the credit it deserves), and the queen of the piston skies, the Lockheed Constellation. Find out how American Airlines cajoled Douglas into creating the DC-3, perhaps the most significant aircraft in airliner history. Follow Pan American's role in ushering in the jet age and bringing the Boeing 747 into the world. Retrace the stories of Delta, Continental, Northwest, and of National, Braniff, and Western, household names in their time but now long gone. The book also contains the stories of the landmark airline types, including Fokker, Ford, Curtiss, Boeing Douglas, Lockheed, Convair, and Vickers.
Classic American Airlines presents these stories not only in words but also with a stunning collection of period colour and black and white photographs, memorabilia, period advertising, and breathtaking contemporary images of restored historic airliners.