TWA Tin Goose at Mills Field, now San Francisco International. Photo from: SFO Museum

Aircraft reportedly given in 1930 by roller bearing manufactuer Henry Tinken to his son, who was trained to fly it by Lt Ralph Wickford. Apparently this Tri-Motor won a race for 'transport ships' at the National Air Races in 1931. By July 1933, it was the largest plane owned by Shell and flown on a tour around New England that summer by Maj Ervin and Wickford again, taking Shell distributors, dealers and friends on pleasure flights. It was furnished with six leather and wicker chairs and a large green leather divan. Sold to Colombian air force in 1935. To AN-AAD in Nicaragua, XH-TAI in Honduras. Photo by: Leslie Jones / Boston Public Library

This aircraft was attached to the Naval Reserve Aviation Base at Floyd Bennett Field. The O2C-1 was out of service by 1936. Photo by: Rudy Arnold / Smithsonian Institution

Jimmy Woods set out in VH-UPD hoping to break Jim Mollison's record from Australia to the UK of six days. Woods took six weeks to get there due to bad luck and bad weather. UPD was impressed into the RAAF as A7-104 in July 1940 and there its story ended. Photo from: State Library of Western Australia

Assigned to VF-5B on the USS Lexington in 1933. By late 1935 the F4B-2's were retired from the Fleet and assigned for training duty at Pensacola. The "E" indicates a Battle Effectiveness Award. Photo taken by Don McCash.

This was built as a 4-AT-B in 1928 but modified in February 1930 by Maddox to 4-AT-E standards with J-6 engines. Photographer unknown.

Crashed into the surf on landing at Big Bay, Fiordland, West Coast on December 30, 1936. Photo from: Air Force Museum of New Zealand

Crashed at Bronte, Lake Ontario, December 10, 1933. Photo from: Library and Archives Canada

Used for joyflights across NSW and Queensland. Arthur Butler received a fee for the underwing advertisement. Destroyed in a Japanese air raid on Darwin (Parap) aerodrome on February 10, 1942. Photo from: David Caughey Collection

Broken up in 1945 and parts used in the rebuild of CF-AQW. Photo from: Library and Archives Canada

Finally cancelled from the register in 1962. Photo from: Library and Archives Canada

Written off after nosing over while taxiing on the slipway at Calshot on January 8, 1937. Photo from: National Library of Australia

Dropping you off right next to the Ras el-Tin Palace in Alexandria. Imperial Airways journeys were not particularly fast, but certainly scenic. As a member of the British upper class you were not supposed to be in a hurry, anyway. Dating uncertain. Photo by: Ernst Ackermann / SLUB / Deutsche Fotothek

Dutch engineer Laurens Walraven designed this unique PW-1 after an idea from Captain Pattist. It was first flown on 23 November 1933 but on 9 December 1934 it made an emergency landing near Bandung, resulting in its write-off. Photo from: Walraven family album

Developed from the Fairey IIIF and very similar to the Fairey Gordon, the Seal was a naval spotter and reconnaissance aircraft that could be operated from carriers and also as a floatplane, like the Swordfish which would replace it. This is probably a factory photo of K3481 when new. It was also photographed while serving with No 821 Sqn of the FAA in 1934. Apparently it was with a Royal Air Force training unit when it crashed at RAF Usworth in 1939. Postcard.

The first Koolhoven aircraft to reach the Union of South Africa was a model FK.41, modified by Desoutter in the UK to a Desoutter Dolphin. It was the second production aircraft built by the Koolhoven factory in Holland and was purchased by Marcel Desoutter and registered G-AAGC. It was sold to the Air Taxi Company (Pty) Ltd. of Wingfield in Cape Town and was registered ZS-ADX. The aircraft featured prominently in the search for the famous Swiss pilot Carl Nauer, who went missing along the West coast of Africa in August 1933.

'Mailplane' of the undercover Hungarian air force. Photo from: Fortepan

Somewhere in Africa. This was not the first AW.15 but the 'lead ship' name Atalanta was transferred to this aircraft following a mishap involving G-ABPI.

The HP.42 certainly made an impression on the imperial airways. Dating uncertain. Photo by: Ernst Ackermann / SLUB / Deutsche Fotothek

The famous Southern Cross taking off from what was then Mascot Aerodrome.