Komet Plane

Flying Warbirds

Features some of the most iconic aircraft surviving today, including the North American P-51 Mustang, Supermarine Spitfire, Messerschmitt Bf 109, and more. Do you want to get an up-close look at some of the rarest airplanes in the world? Are you curious about combat aircraft from World War II? Flying Warbirds brings US, British, German, Russian and Japanese fighting planes from the 1930s and 1940s together, complete with detailed photographs to delight every aeronautics connoisseur. The airplanes at the Flying Heritage Collection were created at a time when aeronautical discovery had evolved to aviation mastery. Finely crafted by distinguished design bureaus with the leading technologies of the 1930s and 1940s, the main emphasis of the collection includes combat aircraft from World War II. In 1998, Paul G. Allen began acquiring and preserving these iconic warriors and workhorses, many of which are the last of their kind. Allen's passion for aviation and history, and his awareness of the increasing rarity of original WWII aircraft, motivated him to restore these artifacts to the highest standard of authenticity. Periodically, one or more of the exhibits are temporarily absent to participate in an event, for maintenance, or for continuing restoration. Experience one of the world's top airplane collections any time you like through Flying Warbirds. Photographs include cockpit shots, exterior museum shots, historic photographs, and breathtaking contemporary flying shots from photographers like award-winning John Dibbs. Flying Warbirds is the definitive guide to everything you want to know about this fascinating period in aeronautics and military history.

All the World's Aircraft

Rocketing Into the Future

This book describes the technology, history, and future of rocket planes. Michel van Pelt journies into this exciting world, examining the exotic concepts and actual flying vehicles that have been devised over the last hundred years. He recounts the history of rocket airplanes, from the early pioneers who attached simple rockets onto their wooden glider airplanes to the modern world of high-tech research vehicles. The author visits museums where rare examples of early rocket planes are kept and modern laboratories where future spaceplanes are being developed. He explains the technology in an easily understandable way, describing the various types of rocket airplanes and looking at the possibilities for the future. Michel van Pelt considers future spaceplanes, presenting various modern concepts and developments. He describes the development from cutting edge research via demonstrator vehicles to operational use. He also evaluates the replacement of the Space Shuttle with a seemingly old-fashioned capsule system, the parallel developments in suborbital spaceplanes such as SpaceShipOne and SpaceShipTwo, piloted versus automatic flight, and related developments in airliners and military aircraft.