Media day at the Parachute Training School at Ringway. Paras left the Whitley through a hole cut in the floor below the tail turret. Photo from: Flight

B-32 production - a huge effort which turned out to be unneeded. Photo from: Lockheed Martin

The first L-188 to be delivered, on 3 January 1959. Photo from: Lockheed

Wearing 'Lockheed Constellation' titles for publicity pictures before delivery to TWA in June 1948. Photo from: Lockheed Martin

The first Electra for Chicago & Southern Air Lines, pictured in front of the Union Air Terminal by Lockheed but the company flew on the AM-8 route between Chicago and New Orleans. NC16021 was reportedly named City of New Orleans. Ended up in British military service as AX766. Photo from: Lockheed Martin

The first Wallace I production aircraft. It was back at Martlesham in May 1933, converted to Wallace II for test flights conducted by Duncan Menzies. Photo from: Imperial War Museums

This aircraft was originally the sole DL-2, a Sirius with a metal fuselage built in Detroit. By April 1931 it was converted to DL-2A Altair with retractable gear, and delivered to the US Army as the Y1C-23, a fast VIP transport often flown by Ira Eaker. Initially it still wore civil reg NR8494. Here it is seen wearing Bolling Field insignia and simplified designation C-23 just behind the cowling, which should date the photo between 1933 and 1935. On some photos the Secretary of War's flag is painted on the other side. Following a gear-up landing it was rebuilt and repainted in light blue in 1935. Condemned to ground instructional airframe following another belly landing with jammed gear in April 1938. Photo from: US Air Force

This is the first B-36, first flown on 8 August 1946. The beast had unprecedented wheel pressure and the XB-36 is seen here fitted with tracked landing gear units which should allow the Peacemaker to bomb Russia from forward polar airfields. The XB-36 did make one flight with this gear before the idea was abandoned. Later the aircraft was used for research into a nuclear-powered B-36 variant. Photo from: US Air Force

The Atlantic Fokker F.14 was a different aircraft from the Dutch Fokker F.XIV, having a parasol wing and cockpit aft of the cabin. The US Army placed a large order for 20 examples in 1931. These Y1C-14 aircraft were distributed over various airfields. The Y1 prefix, dropped in 1933, indicated 'funding from outside normal fiscal year procurement'. This airframe, 31-400, was fitted with the latest R-1820 Cyclone engine for evaluation at Wright Field, designated (Y1)C-14A. Dutch sources give construction number 1820. Photo from: US Air Force

Rollout of the 727 prototype which first flew on 9 February 1963. The airframe saw no less than 27 years of airline service with United. It was given back to Boeing for display at the Museum of Flight. Photo from: Boeing

Ex 43-17192, this early civil Skymaster was NX90423 for a while and is seen flying near Floyd Bennett Field here, with the bridge to the Rockaway Peninsula at the top of the photo. In updated AA paint scheme as N90423 by 1954. Later served with Flying Tiger Line and with Taxader in Colombia as HK-1027. Wrecked in a ground fire at Cartagena (SKCG) in 1973. Photo from: San Diego Air & Space Museum

Built in 1944 as C-54B, 42-72404, but to US Navy as BuNo 39117. To Eastern Air Lines in 1946. Back to the Navy in 1951. Seen in service in 1962. To MASDC in 1965. Photo from: Eastern Air Lines

Seen here in the Galapagos Islands, this 727, delivered to TAME in 1984, fatally crashed in 2002. The name Rumiñahui was not worn early on, and the nice classic livery was not changed until 1999 it seems. Photo from: SFO Museum

The photo highlights the large size of the Vickers Vildebeest and Vincent. The Vincent was a an army cooperation and light bomber variant for 'Imperial policing', with an external fuel tank carried in place of the Vildebeest's torpedo. Photo taken at Brooklands with the banked racing circuit on the right. Photo from: Vickers

A very interesting photo of a CNAC S-43 at the Kai Tak seaplane pier. Airline service to Hong Kong had barely started in 1937, but a control tower, built in 1935, seems to be visible, checkered, to the right of the tailfin. The CNAC logo, the character 中, seems to be painted on the rudder. Two S-43s were transferred to CNAC by Pan Am. NC16930 reportedly named Chekiang. Reg cancelled as 'exported to China' on 8 August 1937, but the aircraft crashed on that very day while en route from Hong Kong to Shanghai. The seven passengers survived but three of the four crew were killed. Photo from: SFO Museum

Santiago de Cuba is Cuba's second city. As this old postcard shows, Pan Am Clippers docked right at the main railway station. Pan Am also used the city's airfield. NC15066 lost in an accident at Fort-de-France, Martinique in August 1945. Photo from: Mateos

The Ford C-3 photographed during parachute testing 'while assigned to the Fairfield Air Depot (1931-1932).' The depot was adjacent to Wright Field. The fuselage says 'F.A.D. Ford C-3', probably for Fairchild Air Depot. Photo from: US Air Force

The US Army bought two Vegas, both DL-1 aircraft with metal fuselages, built in Detroit. 31-405 was assigned to NACA at Langley and scrapped in 1935. The other one was 31-408, a DL-1B Special, designated Y1C-17. The fastest aircraft in the Army, it was used for an attempt at America's west to east transcontinental speed record, but crashed in Kentucky. Also, one L-5C Vega was impressed during WWII as 42-94148. Photo from: US Air Force

The first Boeing 720 for American Airlines, though not the first to be delivered. Ended up with the Israeli air force as an electronic intelligence aircraft. Photo from: Boeing

Mystery ship! N7560V is not listed by the FAA or anyone else. There are numerous photos from this shoot, so the reg has not been retouched. The assumption is that this plane was testing modifications incorporated in the 737-200/Adv. Photo is thus assumed taken between 1968 and 1971. Photo from: SFO Museum