Best Commercial Aviation Covers Of All Time
March 15, 2016
Inside Leap's Certification
Two versions of CFM's Leap engine—the Leap 1A for the Airbus A320neo (foreground) and the -1B for Boeing's 737 MAX—fly beneath the wings of two Boeing 747 flying testbeds over the Mojave Desert, California.
McDonnell 119 Turbojet Utility Aircraft
Turbojet engine pods on the McDonnell 119 utility jet transport will be somewhat smaller on the production model, which will be powered by P&W JT12 engines. The prototype 119, in the flight-test phase,was powered by four Westinghouse J34s. The aircraft was a contender in the U.S. Air Force UCX competition.
President Coolidge Decorating Col. Lindbergh With the Distinguished Flying Cross
In an editorial in this issue, Aviation Week wrote about Col. Charles Lindbergh's flight from New York to Paris, calling it the "greatest stimulus that aviation has received since the War."
Lindbergh said he "only blazed the trail." He showed the world it could be done but much hard work and experimentation would be needed before regular transatlantic air service could become an actuality.
TWA Super G Constellation
The Trans World Airlines Super G Constellation flies over the tip of Manhattan Island on the first leg of an overseas flight.
Boeing Adapts Production 707 to Jet Age
The first production Boeing 707-120 jet transport was designed to carry 124 first-class or 150 tourist-class passengers. The maximum payload was 42,700 lb.
Jet Race Tightens With DC-8 Rollout
The target date for the first flight of the Douglas DC-8 turbojet transport was May 15, 1958. This issue includes the first of a two-part series on the economics, performance and design of the aircraft.
Convair 880 Turbojet Transport
The flight and ground testing of Convair 880 turbojet transport was well underway in 1959; the aircraft attained a speed of Mach 0.8 at 30,000 ft. on its fourth flight.
GE's Aft-Fan-Powered Caravelle Makes First Flight
General Electric's Sud Aviation Caravelle made its first flight in January 1961, powered by two GE CJ-805-23C aft-fan engines rated at 16,100 lb. each, which would power the production Caravelle VII.
Pratt & Whitney JT8D-1 Turbofan Engine
The first development JT8D-1 turbofan is pictured positioned in a test cell at the Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Div. of the United Aircraft plant in East Hartford, Connecticut.
Boeing 727 Rollout
The first Boeing 727 was rolled out at the company's Renton, Washington, facility in late 1962.
First Boeing 737 Jet Transport
The first Boeing 737 short-medium-haul jet was being readied for its first flight, which took place early in 1967.
U.S. air hostesses posed beside the Anglo-French Concorde supersonic transport mockup at the Paris Air Show in 1967.
Rolls-Royce RB-211 Turbofan
The first of 12 Rolls-Royce RB.211 advanced technology bypass turbofan engines for the Lockheed L-1011 airbus started test runs on a stand at Derby, England, in September 1968.
First Boeing 747 Giant Jet Transport
On rollout day in October 1968, a crowd surged around the No.1 Boeing 747 giant jet—freshly decorated in red, white and blue livery that replaced the company's traditional yellow and brown—after it emerged from the final assembly facility in Seattle, Washington.
First Concorde Takeoff
Spectators lined the fence to watch the Anglo-French Concorde supersonic transport prototype 001 take off from Toulouse-Blagnac Airport on its first flight, March 2, 1969.
McDonnell Douglas DC-10
Lockheed L-1011 First Flight
The Lockheed Aircraft Corp. L-1011 TriStar flies near Palmdale, California, during its first flight in November 1970.
Pan American's 'Going Great Girls' Promote Its 747 Service
A Pan American World Airways Boeing 747 takes off from Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport.
Airbus A-300B First Flight
European Airbus Industries A-300B pictured in slow-speed flight over southern France during its first flight.
Pan American Boeing 747SP
The third Boeing 747SP off the production line was the second airplane delivered to Pan American World Airways.
Gulf Air Crew With Lockheed L-1011
Gulf Air cabin crew—a mix of Arabic and European crew members—stand in front of Gulf Air's first Lockheed L-1011-100 TriStar.
Braniff Boeing 747SP
The first of four Boeing 747SPs ordered by Branniff International Airways flies over central Washington.
First Flight of No.1 Boeing 767
The No.1 Boeing 767 medium-range aircraft flies over Puget Sound during its first flight.
Boeing 757 and 767 in Flight
A Boeing 757 and a 767 fly in formation.
No.1 Boeing 737-300 First Flight
The No.1 Boeing 737-300 pictured on its first flight.
Airbus A320 First Flight
The Airbus Industrie A320-100 opened its first flight-test program with a 3-hr., 23-min. test flight from the company's facilities in Toulouse.
McDonnell Douglas UHB Demonstrator Tests GE Prototype Unducted Fan Engine
A McDonnell Douglas UHB demonstrator aircraft undergoes flight testing at Edwards AFB, California. The demonstrator aircraft is an MD-80 transport.
Boeing 777 First Flight
The first Boeing 777 and Northrop T-38 chase plane fly in formation midway through the 777's 3-hr., 48-min. first flight.
Supersonics and Hypersonics: The Road Ahead
A technical configuration high-speed civil transport is taking shape in the NASA-industry High-Speed Research program.
GE90: Raising the Bar for ETOPS
Boeing's first 777-300ER flight-test aircraft and GE's 747 propulsion testbed fly in formation over Washington state.
Flying the Embraer 170
Brazilia's Embraer is nearing certification of its family of regional jets. Editor-in-Chief David M. North performed an evaluation flight of the Embraer 170.
A380 Takes Flight
The AIrbus A380 flies near the Pryenees with its 22-wheel landing gear extended.
Pilot-Report: Flying The High-Tech Twin
The Boeing 787 flies past Mount Rainier in Washington state.
C Series Flies—Now Bombardier Must Deliver
Bombardier's C Series test aircraft FTV1 makes its first flight from Mirabel, near Montreal.
Fixing Global Flight Tracking After MH370
In the wake of the vanishing of a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777, aviation is working to make global flight tracking a reality.
Rolling Out the Mitsubishi Regional Jet
The first MRJ flight test aircraft pictured during its unveiling in Nagoya, Japan.
Inside Leap's Certification
Two versions of CFM's Leap engine—the Leap 1A for the Airbus A320neo (foreground) and the -1B for Boeing's 737 MAX—fly beneath the wings of two Boeing 747 flying testbeds over the Mojave Desert, California.
McDonnell 119 Turbojet Utility Aircraft
Turbojet engine pods on the McDonnell 119 utility jet transport will be somewhat smaller on the production model, which will be powered by P&W JT12 engines. The prototype 119, in the flight-test phase,was powered by four Westinghouse J34s. The aircraft was a contender in the U.S. Air Force UCX competition.
President Coolidge Decorating Col. Lindbergh With the Distinguished Flying Cross
In an editorial in this issue, Aviation Week wrote about Col. Charles Lindbergh's flight from New York to Paris, calling it the "greatest stimulus that aviation has received since the War."
Lindbergh said he "only blazed the trail." He showed the world it could be done but much hard work and experimentation would be needed before regular transatlantic air service could become an actuality.
TWA Super G Constellation
The Trans World Airlines Super G Constellation flies over the tip of Manhattan Island on the first leg of an overseas flight.
Boeing Adapts Production 707 to Jet Age
The first production Boeing 707-120 jet transport was designed to carry 124 first-class or 150 tourist-class passengers. The maximum payload was 42,700 lb.
Jet Race Tightens With DC-8 Rollout
The target date for the first flight of the Douglas DC-8 turbojet transport was May 15, 1958. This issue includes the first of a two-part series on the economics, performance and design of the aircraft.
Convair 880 Turbojet Transport
The flight and ground testing of Convair 880 turbojet transport was well underway in 1959; the aircraft attained a speed of Mach 0.8 at 30,000 ft. on its fourth flight.
GE's Aft-Fan-Powered Caravelle Makes First Flight
General Electric's Sud Aviation Caravelle made its first flight in January 1961, powered by two GE CJ-805-23C aft-fan engines rated at 16,100 lb. each, which would power the production Caravelle VII.
Pratt & Whitney JT8D-1 Turbofan Engine
The first development JT8D-1 turbofan is pictured positioned in a test cell at the Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Div. of the United Aircraft plant in East Hartford, Connecticut.
Boeing 727 Rollout
The first Boeing 727 was rolled out at the company's Renton, Washington, facility in late 1962.
First Boeing 737 Jet Transport
The first Boeing 737 short-medium-haul jet was being readied for its first flight, which took place early in 1967.
U.S. air hostesses posed beside the Anglo-French Concorde supersonic transport mockup at the Paris Air Show in 1967.
Rolls-Royce RB-211 Turbofan
The first of 12 Rolls-Royce RB.211 advanced technology bypass turbofan engines for the Lockheed L-1011 airbus started test runs on a stand at Derby, England, in September 1968.
First Boeing 747 Giant Jet Transport
On rollout day in October 1968, a crowd surged around the No.1 Boeing 747 giant jet—freshly decorated in red, white and blue livery that replaced the company's traditional yellow and brown—after it emerged from the final assembly facility in Seattle, Washington.
First Concorde Takeoff
Spectators lined the fence to watch the Anglo-French Concorde supersonic transport prototype 001 take off from Toulouse-Blagnac Airport on its first flight, March 2, 1969.
McDonnell Douglas DC-10
Lockheed L-1011 First Flight
The Lockheed Aircraft Corp. L-1011 TriStar flies near Palmdale, California, during its first flight in November 1970.
Pan American's 'Going Great Girls' Promote Its 747 Service
A Pan American World Airways Boeing 747 takes off from Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport.
Airbus A-300B First Flight
European Airbus Industries A-300B pictured in slow-speed flight over southern France during its first flight.
Pan American Boeing 747SP
The third Boeing 747SP off the production line was the second airplane delivered to Pan American World Airways.
Gulf Air Crew With Lockheed L-1011
Gulf Air cabin crew—a mix of Arabic and European crew members—stand in front of Gulf Air's first Lockheed L-1011-100 TriStar.
Braniff Boeing 747SP
The first of four Boeing 747SPs ordered by Branniff International Airways flies over central Washington.
First Flight of No.1 Boeing 767
The No.1 Boeing 767 medium-range aircraft flies over Puget Sound during its first flight.
Boeing 757 and 767 in Flight
A Boeing 757 and a 767 fly in formation.
No.1 Boeing 737-300 First Flight
The No.1 Boeing 737-300 pictured on its first flight.
Airbus A320 First Flight
The Airbus Industrie A320-100 opened its first flight-test program with a 3-hr., 23-min. test flight from the company's facilities in Toulouse.
McDonnell Douglas UHB Demonstrator Tests GE Prototype Unducted Fan Engine
A McDonnell Douglas UHB demonstrator aircraft undergoes flight testing at Edwards AFB, California. The demonstrator aircraft is an MD-80 transport.
Boeing 777 First Flight
The first Boeing 777 and Northrop T-38 chase plane fly in formation midway through the 777's 3-hr., 48-min. first flight.
Supersonics and Hypersonics: The Road Ahead
A technical configuration high-speed civil transport is taking shape in the NASA-industry High-Speed Research program.
GE90: Raising the Bar for ETOPS
Boeing's first 777-300ER flight-test aircraft and GE's 747 propulsion testbed fly in formation over Washington state.
Flying the Embraer 170
Brazilia's Embraer is nearing certification of its family of regional jets. Editor-in-Chief David M. North performed an evaluation flight of the Embraer 170.
A380 Takes Flight
The AIrbus A380 flies near the Pryenees with its 22-wheel landing gear extended.
Pilot-Report: Flying The High-Tech Twin
The Boeing 787 flies past Mount Rainier in Washington state.
C Series Flies—Now Bombardier Must Deliver
Bombardier's C Series test aircraft FTV1 makes its first flight from Mirabel, near Montreal.
Fixing Global Flight Tracking After MH370
In the wake of the vanishing of a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777, aviation is working to make global flight tracking a reality.
Rolling Out the Mitsubishi Regional Jet
The first MRJ flight test aircraft pictured during its unveiling in Nagoya, Japan.
Inside Leap's Certification
Two versions of CFM's Leap engine—the Leap 1A for the Airbus A320neo (foreground) and the -1B for Boeing's 737 MAX—fly beneath the wings of two Boeing 747 flying testbeds over the Mojave Desert, California.
From the entirety of Aviation Week's 100-year archive, our editors have selected the covers featured in this gallery as among the most striking depicting events in Commercial Aviation. See what makes each cover 'memorable' and click here to vote for your favorite.