In the history of aviation there have been many attempts to produce aircraft of extraordinary proportions to expand the limits of technology and create new performance standards. With few exceptions, the early attempts did not become the successes envisaged until post-World War II when such aircraft as the Boeing B-52, and and the Boeing 747 'Jumbo Jet' airliner changed the face of aviation in both the military and civil roles. Big Wings is a well-researched, highly informative look at the sixteen most significant giants of the air. Each aircraft is introduced and its raison d'etre explained, followed by an in-depth review of the successful and failed technical aspects of the design, its operational history, first-hand accounts from those that had flown the aircraft plus some startling facts and statistics. The aircraft selected are as follows: Military - Douglas B-19, Boeing B-29, Consolidated B-36, Northrop B-49 and Boeing B-52 Airliners - Bristol Brabazon, Boeing 747 and Airbus A380 Heavy Lifters - Messerschmitt Me323, Consolidated XC-99, Lockheed C5 and Antonov AN-225 Flying Boats - Dornier Do-X, Martin JRM Mars, Hughes HK-1 and Saunders Roe Princess.REVIEWS very approachable, precisely because it stays away from the engineering minutia, and deftly describes the contexts in which these machines were hatched, the expectations for them, and how they delivered...This is about as ideal a book to give as a gift to pretty much anyone with an interest in the world around them if you can bring yourself to part with it.Speed Readers info"