DOUGLAS DC-3/C-47
Graceful yet highly practical, the Douglas DC-3 was the most successful passenger aircraft of the 1930s and was hugely popular even during the early days of jet airliners in the 1960s. By 1939, three out of every four American airline passengers traveled in a DC-3. It was adapted for military service during World War II as the C-47 transport — nicknamed the "Gooney Bird" — and during the war the more than 9,000 C-47s in service carried gliders, cargo and paratroopers and performed numerous other tasks. Many are still maintained and flown today.
BOEING 314 CLIPPER
The Boeing Model 314 Clipper, designed and built in the 1930s, was a huge flying boat that set a new standard for luxury and passenger flight. Made famous by Pan Am's China Clipper airliner, the 314 featured four passenger cabins, flush toilets and in some cases even accommodated a bridal suite. In 1943 President Franklin D. Roosevelt made the first flight by a President in office aboard a Model 314, and the Clipper ferried men and material during World War II. The 314 represented the largest commercial aircraft ever built for nearly 30 years after its introduction.
CONCORDE
While only 16 production aircraft were built, the Concorde is world-famous as the first passenger airliner to cruise at twice the speed of sound. The jet was produced through a partnership between the French and British governments. Air France and British Airways put the aircraft into service in 1976, but environmental pressures and the rising cost of jet fuel deterred many prospective buyers, and the aircraft is scheduled to be retired in late 2003. Despite the lack of mass service, supersonic passenger flight via Concorde will always be a hallmark of luxury and technological progress.
Wingspan: 83 ft. 10 in., Length: 202 ft. 4 in., Top speed: Mach 2.04 (1,350 mph)
BOMBARDIER LEARJET
Grown out of the Swiss American Aviation Corporation's projected P-16 fighter-bomber, William Powell Lear's Learjet ushered in the era of private jet as status symbol. The Learjet demonstrated advanced performance for a private aircraft during its first flight in 1964. A Learjet flew from Los Angeles to New York and back in under 11 hours in 1965 and in the 1970s was cleared to fly at up to 51,000 ft., higher than jet airliners of the time. The Learjet has undergone many design changes over the years and today remains part of the Montréal-based Bombardier aircraft empire.
Wingspan: 47 ft. 10 in., Length: 52 ft. 8 in., Cruising speed: 538 mph
BOEING 747
The world's largest, heaviest and most powerful airliner grew out of an ambitious partnership between Boeing and Pan Am in the 1960s. Designed to carry twice the load of any existing jetliner at the time, the 747 "Jumbo Jet" entered commercial service in 1970 and remains in production as the 747-400 today. It typically carries 409 passengers in a unique three-class seating arrangement. Perhaps the world's most famous 747 is Air Force One, the specially modified model 747-200B used by the President of the United States.
Wingspan: 211 ft. 5 in., Length: 231 ft. 10 in., Cruising speed: 575 mph
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