Holden's operated VH-UHW in Papua New Guinea until it crashed at Kaiapit on November 2, 1934. Photo from: State Library of Queensland

Armstrong Whitworth private fighter project. Small number sold to the Kwangsi Air Force in China. Early B class registration. Photo from: Civil Aviation Historical Society, Melbourne, Australia

Flown from the UK to Australia by Sir Charles Kingsford Smith. Later flown to New Zealand by Guy Menzies. Returned to Australia and crashed at Sydney airport on April 21, 1931. Briefly fitted with floats. Photo from: State Library of Queensland

Built by Qantas as G-AUHE in 1928 and flew with the airline until it crashed near Winton, Queensland, on October 3, 1934. Photo from: State Library of Queensland

Schiphol was quite a throbbing hub by 1930. Seen here are three of KLM's 15-passenger Fokker F.VIIIs, PH-AEF, -AED and -AEI. Also present are three foreign Junkers, including G24s D-901 and D-1092 of Lufthansa, and Farman F.60 Goliath F-AEAU of Lignes Aériennes Farman. Photo from: Amsterdam City Archives

A great passenger view is maybe not so great if you suspect your pilot can't see a thing! The Farman F.120 family included aircraft with one, two, three and four engines and if you think the quadrimoteur is ugly, check out the trimotor F.120. Lignes Aériennes Farman, officially named Société Générale des Transports Aériens (SGTA) operated a Paris-Brussels-Amsterdam service. Of interest in the background is the size of the twin-engined Fokker F.VIII, on the right, compared to the famous F.VII. Photo from: Amsterdam City Archives

Tenth anniversary of Schiphol as an airport. The original military airfield had six wooden hangars which stood near the eastern edge of the current general aviation platform. Hangar VI was used by KLM as its first passenger terminal. Photo from: Amsterdam City Archives

Became VH-UJP in 1931 when Australia adopted the VH- prefix. -UJP was to have a long life by the standards of the day and in 1936 was sold in Papua New Guinea where it was destroyed at Salamaua by a Japanese air raid in February, 1942. In PNG it had been used as a freighter and at one stage flew dismantled trucks to the gold mines. What parts did not fit inside were strapped to the outside.

VH-UNJ was withdrawn from use in 1940. By then Queensland Air Navigation was long gone, having closed in January 1931 following a fatal accident.

An aerial view of Manchester's new airport at Barton taken shortly after opening on 1 January 1930. The large hangar is still in use in 2018. Farm buildings lower centre, since demolished, had been converted to a small terminal and offices. The control tower, still in use in 2018, was not built until early 1933. From Manchester Airport Archive.

Image taken as the propellor is about to be swung by hand. At this date it was normal to mark the country of operation on aircraft fins. The aircraft was still airworthy in 2012. Photo obtained 40 years ago.

The Monomail (two built) was designed as a technology demonstrator for all-metal low winged commercial aircraft. Initially intended for mail operations, but here modified with an enlarged cabin for eight passengers. Lessons from this design led to the twin-engined Model 247 in 1933. Obtained from Boeing 60 years ago.

Ferranti's Gipsy Moth was the first aircraft to crash at Barton after the airfield's opening on 1 January 1930. The Moth hit the boundary fence as seen in the photo. It was repaired and continued to fly until a more serious crash in 1936. Obtained from Manchester Airport archive 50 years ago.

The Model 40 was Boeing's first passenger aircraft. Two pax sat in the forward cabin and up to 2500 lbs of U.S. Mail was carried. C.A.M.18 was from San Francisco to Chicago - as marked on the "Arrow" insignia. This aircraft was built as a 40A with a 420 hp P&W Wasp, but was converted to a 40B by replacing the engine with a 525 hp P&W Hornet. This gave the 40B a cruise of 110 mph over 550 miles. Obtained from UAL 60 years ago.

The DH.77 was built to an RAF requirement for a lightweight interceptor fighter. It first flew from Stag Lane on 11 July 1929. Tested by rhe RAF at Martlesham Heath, it was then used by DH and Napier for testing the latter's Rapier engine until retirement in June 1934. From DH 60 years ago.

One of two Monomails built as technology demonstrators for latge monoplane commercial aircraft. Initially Model 200, here modified to eight-seat 221A standard and test flown by United Airlines. The future site of Boeing's Renton factory lies beyond the Monomail's right wheel. From UAL 60 years ago.