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The Epic of Flight
The Jet Age
Traces the development of aircraft from the earliest jets to the present day jumbo jets and surveys the history of the commercial airlines
176 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 1982
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 18, 2025
I was a bit surprised that THE JET AGE didn't really mention military aircraft unless it was to briefly state that a certain airliner was also the basis for an in-air refueler. Still, I wasn't disappointed in the least. In fact, it was quite interesting to read about the development of the various airliners by the competing aircraft companies.
In some ways this reminded me of the production of warplanes. The decision would be made on what type of plane to build and for what kind of mission. Prop jobs aside, would the plane's engines be turbojet, turboprop, or turbofan, and how many? I read the book but still don't remember the difference, but I will explain the choice in more detail later. As for the mission, would it be used for intercontinental flight or short hops between cities?
While a military aircraft that is capable of carrying the most ordinance for the mission possible is desired, an airliner that can carry enough passengers to make the flight profitable determines if it will be bought by an airline or not. At this point let me point out that I sort of thought that the airlines built their own planes. In a way this was true when it came to Britain and France joining together to build the supersonic Concorde, but not for the rest of the world. While I am talking about the Concorde, I will digress for a moment.
The cost of a seat on the Concorde was quite prohibitive for most but the very rich. Most passengers were traveling for business so their companies paid the fare, being as time is money in the business world. The person with the most trips on the Concorde was not, as I would have suspected, the CEO of a defense industry, or financial kingpin, but the vice president of a Tennessee pencil-manufacturing firm! He made 63 supersonic crossings of the Atlantic. Of course in those days a good pencil was the equivalent of a computer keyboard for most of us. The Russians astronauts used pencils on their missions while the US spent about $10 million to develop an ink pen that worked in space!
Anyway, to get back to my review, an aircraft manufacturer had to think ahead as to what kind of plane an airline may need in the future. Millions of dollars and man hours would be spent on the design and testing of air frames and engines. At some point the sales pitch would be made to the various airlines in the hope of them committing to purchase the future finished product. In a sense this was like an arms race between countries. Although it was not mentioned, I am sure industrial espionage was involved.
When designing an airliner, what is a deciding factor is the cost of passenger air miles. The more passengers at a lower cost equals profits. What drives up the operating cost is maintenance and fuel consumption. The more fuel that is needed on takeoff can cut down on the range. Cruising at altitude uses less fuel. Getting back to those engines mentioned earlier, some are better at altitude while they are unprofitable for short hops between cities. The turboprop, which is sort of like a jet engine that turns a propeller, is ideal for short hops or even from, say, a grass runway.
A few tragic accidents were mentioned. The British, who had a jump ahead with jets due to military developments during World War II, had one of the first successful jet airliners. The Comet was a wonder plane which the crew and passengers loved, until tragedy struck. Planes were exploding in mid air until they figured out that they were developing splits in the skin of the fuselage and violently decompressing. The Americans had warned about square windows being weak points and tears would be countered by the use of titanium brace points. Other accidents happened, but most were one of a kind.
In the beginning of the book is a short picture essay on the pre-jet airliners. If I magically had a choice, I would rather take a flight on a propeller driven airliner in 1946 than a 747 jet today. In 1930 it could take 10 to 12 hours to fly the Atlantic. The propellers were noisy and produced vibrations, but the crossing would be close to the equivalent of an elegant ocean liner. Seven course meals were offered, along with champagne and gifts of orchids and perfume for the ladies. Sleeping berths were available. Like the great zeppelins that traveled the world in the 30's, lounges were provided where gentlemen and ladies could socialize. In those days the required, but the norm, was for the men to wear suits and the ladies dresses, often formal wear. No offensive t-shirts and flip flops in those days. Clothing was hung up in a cloakroom instead of stuffed into an overhead compartment. But all those amenities went away with the wide-bodied jets that could carry several hundred passengers. And with the changing of times, and the lower airfare, you now could have the likes of the woman who might overhang her dreadlocks onto the passenger's folding tray behind her, or the man who might slip off his sandals and put his bare feet on the edge of the armrest of the passenger in front of him. Such rudeness was unheard or tolerated in 1946. The book was published in 1982 but they failed to mention, even briefly, the hijackings to Cuba or Entebbe. Nowadays passengers must undergo the sometimes humiliating searches by TSA officials lest somebody tries to fly the plane into a tall building. There have also been instances when off course jets have been shot down when they were mistakenly thought to be military threats.
Getting back to the here and now, plenty of illustrations were provided, and the story of the development of the planes that made it possible for folks to travel the world quickly is pretty well documented. If you read this book you will appreciate and have a better understanding of what all went into making your flight as enjoyable and quick as possible.
In some ways this reminded me of the production of warplanes. The decision would be made on what type of plane to build and for what kind of mission. Prop jobs aside, would the plane's engines be turbojet, turboprop, or turbofan, and how many? I read the book but still don't remember the difference, but I will explain the choice in more detail later. As for the mission, would it be used for intercontinental flight or short hops between cities?
While a military aircraft that is capable of carrying the most ordinance for the mission possible is desired, an airliner that can carry enough passengers to make the flight profitable determines if it will be bought by an airline or not. At this point let me point out that I sort of thought that the airlines built their own planes. In a way this was true when it came to Britain and France joining together to build the supersonic Concorde, but not for the rest of the world. While I am talking about the Concorde, I will digress for a moment.
The cost of a seat on the Concorde was quite prohibitive for most but the very rich. Most passengers were traveling for business so their companies paid the fare, being as time is money in the business world. The person with the most trips on the Concorde was not, as I would have suspected, the CEO of a defense industry, or financial kingpin, but the vice president of a Tennessee pencil-manufacturing firm! He made 63 supersonic crossings of the Atlantic. Of course in those days a good pencil was the equivalent of a computer keyboard for most of us. The Russians astronauts used pencils on their missions while the US spent about $10 million to develop an ink pen that worked in space!
Anyway, to get back to my review, an aircraft manufacturer had to think ahead as to what kind of plane an airline may need in the future. Millions of dollars and man hours would be spent on the design and testing of air frames and engines. At some point the sales pitch would be made to the various airlines in the hope of them committing to purchase the future finished product. In a sense this was like an arms race between countries. Although it was not mentioned, I am sure industrial espionage was involved.
When designing an airliner, what is a deciding factor is the cost of passenger air miles. The more passengers at a lower cost equals profits. What drives up the operating cost is maintenance and fuel consumption. The more fuel that is needed on takeoff can cut down on the range. Cruising at altitude uses less fuel. Getting back to those engines mentioned earlier, some are better at altitude while they are unprofitable for short hops between cities. The turboprop, which is sort of like a jet engine that turns a propeller, is ideal for short hops or even from, say, a grass runway.
A few tragic accidents were mentioned. The British, who had a jump ahead with jets due to military developments during World War II, had one of the first successful jet airliners. The Comet was a wonder plane which the crew and passengers loved, until tragedy struck. Planes were exploding in mid air until they figured out that they were developing splits in the skin of the fuselage and violently decompressing. The Americans had warned about square windows being weak points and tears would be countered by the use of titanium brace points. Other accidents happened, but most were one of a kind.
In the beginning of the book is a short picture essay on the pre-jet airliners. If I magically had a choice, I would rather take a flight on a propeller driven airliner in 1946 than a 747 jet today. In 1930 it could take 10 to 12 hours to fly the Atlantic. The propellers were noisy and produced vibrations, but the crossing would be close to the equivalent of an elegant ocean liner. Seven course meals were offered, along with champagne and gifts of orchids and perfume for the ladies. Sleeping berths were available. Like the great zeppelins that traveled the world in the 30's, lounges were provided where gentlemen and ladies could socialize. In those days the required, but the norm, was for the men to wear suits and the ladies dresses, often formal wear. No offensive t-shirts and flip flops in those days. Clothing was hung up in a cloakroom instead of stuffed into an overhead compartment. But all those amenities went away with the wide-bodied jets that could carry several hundred passengers. And with the changing of times, and the lower airfare, you now could have the likes of the woman who might overhang her dreadlocks onto the passenger's folding tray behind her, or the man who might slip off his sandals and put his bare feet on the edge of the armrest of the passenger in front of him. Such rudeness was unheard or tolerated in 1946. The book was published in 1982 but they failed to mention, even briefly, the hijackings to Cuba or Entebbe. Nowadays passengers must undergo the sometimes humiliating searches by TSA officials lest somebody tries to fly the plane into a tall building. There have also been instances when off course jets have been shot down when they were mistakenly thought to be military threats.
Getting back to the here and now, plenty of illustrations were provided, and the story of the development of the planes that made it possible for folks to travel the world quickly is pretty well documented. If you read this book you will appreciate and have a better understanding of what all went into making your flight as enjoyable and quick as possible.
December 1, 2020
This book examines commercial aircraft, beginning with the planes that were the precursors of the jets. The May 1952 debut of the de Havilland Comet signaled a change in commercial air travel; however, inevitably, it became necessary for an investigation into that aircraft’s fatal flaw. What followed were America’s first steps into the jet age, leading to Pan American World Airways’ “Clipper America.” As the planes became bigger and faster, the supersonic Concorde began service in 1976.
As commercial air travel continued to expand, the various corporations struggled for supremacy in the airline industry. Aircraft developments continued, ultimately leading to the debut of the wide-body jets.
Lavishly illustrated with photographs and drawings, “The Jet Age” takes an uncompromising look at the development of commercial aircraft. Part of The Epic of Flight series, here are the triumphs and the tragedies that are part of the aviation industry.
Recommended for readers interested in commercial aviation or in aircraft design and development.
As commercial air travel continued to expand, the various corporations struggled for supremacy in the airline industry. Aircraft developments continued, ultimately leading to the debut of the wide-body jets.
Lavishly illustrated with photographs and drawings, “The Jet Age” takes an uncompromising look at the development of commercial aircraft. Part of The Epic of Flight series, here are the triumphs and the tragedies that are part of the aviation industry.
Recommended for readers interested in commercial aviation or in aircraft design and development.
May 14, 2024
Very interesting examination of the early to middle age of the commercial jet. Everything from the Comet to the Concorde to the 747. Excellent pictures of these relics from a bygone era, it’s almost a little bit sad.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews