Modern Air Transport: Worldwide Air Transport 1945 to the Present (Putnam History of Aircraft)

Before the Second World War, Air travel had been restricted to the rich and the privileged. Generally aircraft were much smaller and certainly slower then we are used to today. In the UK, the lack of hardened runways made flying boats popular, witness the great "Empire" flying boats of the immediate pre-war years.

The Second World War changed all that. The rapid technological development of the war years enabled transports to be developed that flew higher and faster then ever before, while carrying many more passengers. In addition, many more hardened runways were built to facilitate the use of heavy bombers during wartime. These would form the nucleus of future airports.

In the immediate postwar period, many of the airliners were merely civil versions of wartime designs. But soon a new wave of Jet engined designs would revolutionise air travel, massively increasing the number of travellers and making air travel available to the masses. At the same time, Airport design and facilities had to be improved. For example, Britains London Heathrow Airport facilities grew from a few sheds in the immediate postwar period, to the huge multi-terminal facilities seen today.

"Modern Air Transport" edited by Philip Jarrett tells the story of this exiting era in the development of Air Transport. Each Chapter is written by a Specialist contributor who is an expert in the subject.

The first chapter gives an interesting overview of new Airliner types of the immediate postwar period, with further chapters covering Jet Airliners from the De Havilland Comet of 1949, to the modern Airbus designs. Along with information about Airliners, detailed coverage is given to Airliner propulsion, Structures and materials, and Airliner aerodynamics.

"Modern Air Transport" is divided into 12 chapters:

1. Airliner Evolution in the postwar era
2. Airline Markets and Regulation
3. Airliner Propulsion
4. Structures and Materials
5. Airliner Aerodynamics
6. The Business of Air Transport
7. Ground Support for Air Transport
8. The Modern Jet Airliner - the Trailblazers
9. The Modern Jet Airliner - the Trrendsetters
10. The Propeller-Turbine Airliner
11. Business Aviation
12. Special Operations

The obvious expertise of the authors, together with the wide range of subjects covered in fascinating detail made this an unexpectedly enjoyable read. If you have even a passing interest in the development of modern Air Transport, then this is probably the most enjoyable way to find out all about it. Recomended!