A gaggle of AA planes. The DC-3 was built in 1940. Bob Garrard photographed this aircraft as N25672 of Lake Central Airlines in 1967, shortly before she was sold to Indonesia as PK-ZDA. Note coin binoculars already installed on LGA's observation deck in 1946. Photo by: Herbert Gehr / Life

Northwest obtained a number of C-53 Skytroopers in 1944 and 1945. Previously operated for the military by Pan Am, 41-20089 became NC33325 in April 1944 already. 42-15560 (c/n 7355) to NC33332 in 1945. What does the slogan on their rear fuselages read? Photo by: Herbert Gehr / Life

Two demobbed C-54B Skymasters and a Pan Am Constellation. NC30064, ex 44-9010, was reportedly named Cargoliner Chesapeake Bay, but seems to be in the passenger business here. The Northwest Airlines example appears to be NC95416, ex 44-9018. Pan Am took delivery of 22 L-049s in the first five months of 1946. Photo by: Herbert Gehr / Life

Ex C-47A 42-92307. To RCAF as FZ558. Registered to TCA shortly before this photo was taken, on 28 September 1946. To Matane Air Services, Quebec, in 1961. Became N7709 in 1966. Derelict at Nassau, Bahamas in 1971. Photo by: Herbert Gehr / Life

Note travel bag and open luggage compartment in nose. Miles sold 170 Geminis but still went bankrupt in 1947. This airframe sold to the Fournier-Ferrier company as F-BENP in February 1948. To users in Algeria from 1950. F-BENP stricken in 1965. Photo from: Bibliothèque nationale de France - Gallica

While the French industry was struggling to recover, the British could show state-of-the-art war machines at the 1946 Salon. VB857 was a Sea Fury prototype begun by Boulton-Paul, but with the end of the war in sight, Sea Fury production at Boulton-Paul was cancelled and VB857 was completed by Hawker. Of the two Gloster Meteor F.4s, the rear one with the long-span wing is EE549, then holder of the official absolute world speed record at 991 km/h (616 mph). Photo from: Bibliothèque nationale de France - Gallica

The MS.560 was a single-seat aerobatic trainer first flown on 1 September 1945. This prototype had a 75-hp Train engine and a retractable tricycle undercarriage. Also F-WBBB. On the right, F-BBGB is an MS.571, developed from the MS.560 through the two-seat MS.570 and having room for a third seat or bench in the back. Only prototypes of these aircraft plus a few more MS.571s were built. On the left is an early MS.472 Vanneau. Photo from: Bibliothèque nationale de France - Gallica

A very early DC-6, and one of American's first of this type. It briefly flew as NX90703 in November 1946, shortly before delivery to the airline as NC90703 later that same month. Photo by Harold G. Martin.

AE-1 ambulance plane with the top portion of the fuselage up to demonstrate loading of a stretcher.

This is most probably taken at Vickers' Wisely facility around delivery to Central African Airways in November 1946. She was later named Zambezi after the majestic river and used on the Zambezi service linking the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland with London.

Swissair's first DC-4 - identifiable by the '66' on its nosewheel door - being the 66th postwar-built DC-4-1009. HB-ILA was delivered to SR on 26 November 1946, and named "Genève". Transferred to Balair in 1959 and crashed in Sudan on 15 June 1960. From Swissair 60 years ago.