The Curtiss JN-4 "Jenny" carried the first United States airmail and proved a favorite airplane for barnstormers throughout the 1920s.
During World War I alone, the Curtiss Jenny was used to train nearly 9,000 American pilots--95 percent of the flyers in the United States in 1919.
Many pilots who learned to fly in a Curtiss Jenny went on to pioneer transcontinental airline service and the modern aviation industry.

The Fokker FVII was, in its various versions, the most successful European airliner of the decade between 1925 and 1935, and had also considerable success in the USA. The three-engined Fokker FVIIa/3m appeared soon after, this first Fokker trimotor was, actually, the second FVIIa built. The FVIIa/3m was mainly sold in America after winning the Ford Reliability Tour of 1925. The most produced version was the FVIIb/3m, which had a larger wing and could carry a larger payload. The first four FVIIb/3m’s were delivered in 1928.

Nicknamed the "Tin Goose," the Ford 4-AT Tri-Motor pioneered early airline and air transport routes.
In 1925, the Ford Motor Company bought the Stout Metal Plane Company to gain rights to the Tri-Motor design. In all, 198 Ford Tri-Motors were built. During its years of regular service in the late 1920s and early 1930s, the Ford Tri-Motor helped popularize commercial flight and promote the safety of flying to travelers.

In the hands of pilots such as Amelia Earhart and Wiley Post, the Vega set many flying records during the 1930s.
Wiley Post flew his Vega "Winnie Mae" around the world in 1931. In 1932 Amelia Earhart, piloting a Vega, became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
The Vega's power and speed also made it a top choice for early commercial airline operations.

The Douglas DC-3 revolutionized air transportation and airline service during the 1930s and 1940s.
It was a luxury airliner that boasted cabin heat and running water in its on-board lavatory.
With the right balance of efficiency, range, speed, and payload, the DC-3 was the first aircraft to earn a profit for its owners just by carrying passengers. The hero of early airlines, a handful of DC-3s are still at work today.

The simple, inexpensive Piper J-3 Cub lifted a generation of pilots into the skies for the first time.
Introduced in 1938, the Piper Cub made learning to fly accessible to many more people.
One estimate states that 75 percent of American aviators in World War II learned to fly in the Cub. Flying low and slow with its doors open, the Piper Cub revives the roots of aviation.

With its modern, mid-thirties amphibious design, the Grumman Goose could land on either a runway or on water - and do it in style. Expressly built for the civilian market, the twin-engine Goose represented a departure, of sorts, for the Grumman aircraft company, which had established itself as a specialist in naval aviation for the U.S. Navy. In fact, the Goose was the company's first commercial design - and on every count was considered a success.

This aircraft was the ultimate in comfort in the skies.
It even had a bar where passengers could have their drinks in a lounge accessed by a spiral staircase down to the lower deck.It had luxurious furnishings and was used on Altair's first class flights.

This is the first Constellation from the series of models that were to follow, like the L649, the L749, the L1049G Super Constellation and the 1649.

The Britannia was designed on request by the British Overseas Airways Corporation, which needed a long range airliner for the transatlantic route and to South Africa. Powered by 4 Proteus 755 turbo props producing over 16,000 wps/ehp giving the Britannia her raw power and long range capabilities. Only one Britannia remains, currently being restored in GB.

The DC-6B was generally considered to possess the best operating economics of any piston airliner built.
Passengers also appreciated their smooth, quiet ride.

The Lockheed Super Constellation L1049 first flew in October 1950 and was a refinement of previous Constellation designs and was the first true international prop liner of the era. Power was provided by 4x Wright R3350 compound radials developing 3250 hp. The "Connie" was used worldwide by various airlines until the introduction of the Boeing 707 ushered in the jet age and spelt the end of the intercontinental prop liners.

From its inception, the four-engine DC-8 embodied advanced aerodynamic and structural concepts, as well as internal systems designed for maximum service reliability.Four basic models were produced: the Series 10 through 50, in passenger, freighter and convertible freighter versions; and the Super 60 Series 61, 62 and 63, with freighter models of each. The last of 556 aircraft was delivered on May 13, 1972, marking the end of 15 years of production, at which time there were 48 operators in 28 nations.

The DC-7C was a complete redesign abandoning the wing of the DC-4 allowing a further substantial increase in fuel and oil capacity.
Updated engines gave slightly more power for take off and climb, but since the DC-7C was heavier than the DC-7B performance was significantly reduced.

Probably the most well-worn of all aviation cliché’s is the one which declares that, if an aircraft looks right, then it is right. There will be few - and not one of them a Frenchman - who will deny that it applies well and truly to the Sud-Aviation Caravelle, one of the most aesthetically appealing aircraft ever to leave a drawing board. Moreover, this aircraft looks are matched by an equally happy choice of name, for the Caravells of the 15th and 16th centuries were among tile most attractive and successful merchant vessels of their time.

The DC-9 was designed specifically to operate from short runways and on short to medium range routes so that the speed, comfort and reliability of jet transportation could be extended to hundreds of communities previously served only by propeller-driven airliners. There are five basic DC-9 versions, designated Series 10, Series 20, Series 30, Series 40 and Series 50. Several models in each series provide operators maximum efficiency for diverse combinations of traffic density, cargo volume and route distances to more than 2,000 miles (3,218 km).