The Valentia prototype, probably when new in 1934. 28 new Valentias were produced and another 54 converted from Victorias. K3599 was one of the last survivors, still in service at RAF Habbaniya, Iraq in early 1942. Photo from: Vickers

The Vickers 264 Valentia Mk.I was a transport aircraft for the RAF and flew for the first time in 1934. Vickers (Aviation) Limited photo

Multirole aircraft for reconnaissance, bombing, torpedo bombing and casualty evacuation. Pilot's cockpit slightly offset to port to allow medical attendant to move to forward casualty cabin which doubled as station for navigator or bombardier. Sole prototype first flown 29 March 1934. By late June it was in the depicted Mk 2 bomber form with Tiger engine, lengthened fuselage and wheel spats. Wears Fairey test reg F-1. A Russian website seems to confirm c/n F.1926 on tail. Number 12 probably for Hendon display. RAF serial K3905 allocated. Specification won by Vickers 253 biplane, but Wellesley developed instead.

Motto on the side is "Emperor Haile Salassi I King of Kings". West Indian-born pilot Hubert Julian planned to fly it to Ethiopia where he was in the air force. NC782W originally had a Packard diesel but was replaced by a Wright as seen in the photo. The flight never took place and NR782W was sold to the Portuguese Monteverde brothers. Registered CS-AAK it crashed on take off from Roosevelt Field and was destroyed. Photo by: Rudy Arnold / Smithsonian Institution

The Courier was one of the first British aircraft with retractable landing gear and one example was delivered to the RAF for trials in February 1934. It is probably seen here back at Airspeed's factory at Portsmouth for modifications later in the year. Later used as a communications aircraft, it was written off after a bad landing at Farnborough on 14 July 1943.

IWM have some interesting photos from the Focke-Wulf company archives, presumably appropriated in 1945. Arado Ar 64E fighters D-IBUZ and I-IBAP (c/n 0128) are known to have been built by Fw and the location is assumed to be their factory at Bremen - Neuenland airport. The nearest aircraft is almost certainly D-IDAM (c/n 0130), not confirmed as Fw-built. The radial-engined Ar 64 and inline-engined Ar 65 were produced in limited numbers. Photo from: Imperial War Museums

Photo from: Air Force Museum of New Zealand

The Austrian Phönix D.III fighter and Phönix C.I scout were purchased by Sweden following demonstrations in Stockholm in 1919. The C.I was manufactured at the air force workshops as the E1/E2 'escort fighter', gaining the telling nickname Dront (dodo). The designations were changed to Ö4 (advanced trainer) and A1 (attack aircraft) in 1926. This airframe, originally delivered with serial 626, was not retired until 1935. After several changes, it then wore serial 693 with a prefix for F1 wing at Västerås - Hässlö. Photo from: Flygvapenmuseum

Jimmy Doolittle, centre, was manager of Shell's aviation department in the 1930s and convinced the company to invest in 100-octane fuel. He had retired from air racing, saying 'I have yet to hear of anyone engaged in this work dying of old age.' Photo by: Charles Trefts / State Historical Society of Missouri

F-AKEK was the prototype of the 'Penhoët Wibault' 280T series, first flown in 1930 as F-ADEK. It was operated by CIDNA, then by Air France and modified a few times. Here it is to the final 283T standard with main landing gear pants and modified tail surfaces with auxiliary fins. Photo from: Air France

Nice prop blur and a nice catch for Mr Hahn, although he left the unique Fokker F.XX unidentified in the German archive. Note the removal of the aircraft's wheel doors in comparison with our earlier photo. Photo by: Walter Hahn / SLUB / Deutsche Fotothek

The Plage i Laśkiewicz company, manufacturer of the Lublin aircraft, built eleven F.VIIb/3ms for the Polish national airline. This was the last one, replacing the first SP-ABC (c/n 3) which was sold to Sabena. Photo by: Walter Hahn / SLUB / Deutsche Fotothek

A twin-engine bomber that used features from the single-engine Bellanca Aircruiser. The USAAC was not interested but four were sold to Colombia including one on floats. Photo from: The personal collection of Paul Bert 1906-1981

Ex NC15V. Owned by Francis 'Frank' Francis, heir to the Standard Oil fortune, olympic athlete, pilot, night club owner and co-inventor of the ejection seat. Arrived in the UK in 1932 and re-registered G-ABYS in August. Based at estate in Gland on Lake Geneva. To F-AOUC in 1936, registered to the Chargeurs Réunis company. Photo from: Amsterdam City Archives

Joao Novella Collection image. PP-CAX sold in Argentina as LV-ZBD in 1949. Photo from: Civil Aviation Historical Society, Melbourne, Australia

Crashed Santa Quiteria on August 11, 1945. Cruzeiro de Sud photo. Photo from: Civil Aviation Historical Society, Melbourne, Australia

Three Stinson Os were delivered to China. This photo is from the album of Chun-Fu Chang. Photo from: Civil Aviation Historical Society, Melbourne, Australia

Impressed into RAF as L9166 in 1940. Avro photo, possibly taken at Woodford. Photo from: Civil Aviation Historical Society, Melbourne, Australia

Ex ZK-ABW. VH-UPB was used by Matthews Aviation between Melbourne and Launceston via King Island, where it made a water landing. It would be wrecked at King Island when dashed against the rocks on May 13, 1936. It is not known if the photo was taken at King Island, Tasmania, or at Victorian Bay. Photo from: National Library of Australia

The Hon Brian Lewis took delivery of this very smart three-seat "executive plane" in early 1934. It was impressed by the RAF as BD169 in August 1940 and crashed at RAF Halfpenny Green near Wolverhampton on 17 August 1941. From DH 60 years ago.