This was originally the third SO.6020, intended as a photo reconnaissance aircraft, but it was completed as the experimental mixed-power SO.6025 with its Nene jet engine augmented by a SEPR 25 booster rocket in the rear of the underbelly fairing. It first flew on 28 December 1949 but the rocket motor, running on highly toxic fluorine and nitric acid, was not ignited in flight until June 1952. The SO.6025 became the first European aircraft to break the sound barrier in horizontal flight in December 1953, piloted by André Turcat. It was later dumped at the Suippes shooting range, but its remains are now on display at Ailes Anciennes Toulouse. Photo from: Sud-Ouest

The Languedoc first flew as the Bloch MB.161 on 15 December 1939, then quite a modern medium-range airliner. Moved to Sud-Ouest (SNCASE) in Toulouse, production did not get under way until after the war. No 9 is listed as the first airframe completed in 1946. Early Languedocs entered service with Air France powered by Gnome-Rhône 14N engines on the Paris to Algiers route from 28 May 1946, but were withdrawn within a few months to be re-engined with R-1830 Twin Wasps. This registration was cancelled in October 1951. Photo from: Sud-Ouest

The second Aero A.200 seen during the 1934 Challenge International de Tourisme. It wears a depiction of a frog leaping over a barrier. Indeed the two light green A.200s excelled in the short take-off trial of the Challenge, with OK-AMA / 51 achieving the shortest take-off run in 74.5 metres, and AMB coming in third place. Flown by Jan Ambruš, AMB ended fourth in the final classification. Photo from: Narodowe Archiwum Cyfrowe

PS stood for Pallavicino Sportivo - the PS.1 was created for the 1934 Challenge International de Tourisme by Cesare Pallavicino at Caproni's CAB works in Bergamo. The landing gear was retractable. Two airframes were built. I-MELO was damaged during the Challenge's fuel consumption trial. I-FRAN (c/n 2) ended 18th in the final classification. Also allocated military mark MM257, I-MELO was rebuilt in 1938 as the Caproni Ca.166, I-ALGU. Photo from: Narodowe Archiwum Cyfrowe

Two-seat jet bomber powered by two RR Nene engines. Rolled out on 5 March 1950. The landing gear collapsed during taxiing tests on 23 April and, after repairs, again on landing after the aircraft's first and only flight on 15 March 1951. The French defence ministry had already cancelled the type in May 1950. The sole SO.4000 ended up as a target at a shooting range near Bourges. According to some sources the type was named Vautour I. Photo from: Sud-Ouest

The Ariel III was the first fully jet-powered helicopter to fly. The first of two prototypes, F-WFUY first flew on 18 April 1951 and is seen here on an early test flight. Replacing the piston engine and compressor of the earlier Ariels, a Turbomeca Arrius turbine-compressor fed compressed air to burners at the rotor tips. There was now room for a third seat. The Ariel III resulted in the SO.1221 Djinn. The location seems to be Villacoublay which apparently hosted the Ariel programme, Sud-Ouest (SNCASO) having taken over the Bloch facilities here. Photo from: Sud-Ouest

The beautiful Bretagne. Photo taken at the 1949 Paris Air Show - on the far right is a C-74 Globemaster I, 42-65408. F-WAYK wears show number 21 on the other side of the nose in another picture. Sister aicraft F-WAYJ (c/n 8) flew from Paris to Bordeaux and back on one engine during the show. Photo from: Sud-Ouest

Russell Boardman intended to depart on a transatlantic flight with this aircraft in the weekend of 5 September 1930 but it was severely damaged when catching fire during refuelling at Boston on 4 September (not 2 September). NR761W was rebuilt at a cost of some $25,000 and flew all the way from New York to Istanbul non-stop in July 1931, no longer promoting the 1930 American Legion Convention in Boston. Photo by: Leslie Jones / Boston Public Library

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

U-334 and U-333 seen during testing or delivery. Delivery date for these given as 6 October 1949. 40 Harvards refurbished by Aviolanda in Holland were supplied to Switzerland and another 17 to Israel. Thanks to Ad Vercruijsse for his information. U-334 is ex 42-12476 and FE989. Photograph taken by chance when a Catholic missionary was welcomed back from Tanzania. Photo from: Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum

The first Jodel in the Netherlands, built and imported in 1959. In 1961, Mr Thuring, the owner of a school furniture factory in Oosterhout, became the fourth owner already, intending to use the aircraft mainly for business purposes. To D-EFYG in 1980. Crashed in 1981. Photo by: Jan Sturm / West-Brabants Archief

'First passenger plane to run between Boston and NYC.' Colonial Air Transport was slow to upgrade from Fairchild FC-2 mailplanes to true airliners on the CAM-1 route. Juan Trippe had ordered Fokker Trimotors for Colonial as early as 1925, but he was fired by the conservative board. This Ford first flew on 20 March 1929. The aircraft name worn here was changed just before or after the naming ceremony - see other photos of NC9675. Photo by: Leslie Jones / Boston Public Library

Photo dated July 1929 and Colonial's new Trimotor now wears a smart logo on the tailfin and wingtips. As illustrated by the other photos of N9475, the aircraft name has been changed from Nokomis to Nagomos, or Nacomos according to the only reference we found, but at close inspection the third letter looks like a G here. We have no idea what Nagomos or Nacomos is. NC9675 crashed into Boston Harbor immediately after take-off on 5 June 1930. One passenger was killed. Photo by: Leslie Jones / Boston Public Library

One of the planes of the second Alaskan Aerial Survey, wearing an insignia of a winged seal with a smoking volcano. US Navy photographer Joseph 'Bunny' Haase was a member of the expedition. Photo by: Joseph Haase / San Diego Air & Space Museum

Photographed with a cruiser at the North Island seaplane ramp. Dating is approximate but VP-9 was established in 1930. The full designation was consecutively VP-9S, VP-9B and VP-9F until 1937, but the sufffix letters are fairly irrelevant. Photo by: Joseph Haase / San Diego Air & Space Museum

A painter in a Curtiss overall is changing the name of this new Tri-Motor from Nokomis to Nagomos or perhaps Nacomos - see other photos of NC9675. The press reported the plane was christened Nakomis (sic) on Sunday 14 April 1929. The name change was done that very day or the next day. The photo is dated 15 April, but it seems likely that the ladies and the press photographer were present at the naming ceremony. Nokomis is a female Native American name. We have no clue what Nagomos or Nagomos is, but as we see here a name was chosen that required minimal changes. Photo by: Leslie Jones / Boston Public Library

Welcoming the Douglas World Cruisers to Boston. DH-4M-2 aircraft were remanufactured with steel tube fuselage frames by Atlantic Fokker. The autogenous welding technique of Fokker - or rather, his master welder, Reinhold Platz - was still advanced in the early 1920s, and the DH-4 work put the American Fokker factory into business. The badge worn seems to be a winged 1- see photo 649971. Photo by: Leslie Jones / Boston Public Library

Colonial Western Airways operated the Sikorsky S-38 between Albany and Cleveland. In 1928 it became a division of the Colonial Airways Corporation holding, together with Colonial Air Transport and Canadian Colonial Airways, but all three airlines continued to operate under their own names. Colonial Western was fully merged into American Airways in March 1931. That same month this amphibian was used for rescue work following the sinking of an old sealing ship, SS Viking, off the Horse Islands, Newfoundland, during a movie shoot. The famous Bernt Balchen piloted the aircraft after speeding to Boston by train. Photo by: Leslie Jones / Boston Public Library

For The Detroit News, operating an L-5 Vega, NC32M, was not a whim. In 1934 they bought this new L-9 Orion. A radio reporter could broadcast from the plane - WWJ, on the tailfin, was the call sign of the Detroit News Radiophone. There was even a photo camera installed in the fairing on the left wing. NC799W was worn earlier by the newspaper's Pitcairn autogyro. The Orion was requisitioned as 42-62601 in 1942. Scrapped after an accident in 1947. Photo from: The Henry Ford

The US Navy acquired five COA-1 amphibians from the US Army. Receiving the OL-2 designation, they were intended for the 1925 MacMillan Arctic Expedition, with Richard Byrd leading an aviation element of three Loenings: NA-1, NA-2 and NA-3. NA-3 arrived at Squantum on 11 June 1925 and the photo is assumed taken that day. The pilot was Floyd Bennett. Byrd liked Bennett and put him in NA-1. The following year they headed for the North Pole together in a civilian Fokker F.VIIa-3m, Josephine Ford, which Byrd had coded BA-1. Photo by: Leslie Jones / Boston Public Library