For all of us living in the 21st century, the age-old dream of flight was realized long ago. It is probably only those men and women who find themselves sitting in the cockpit of a fighter who are still able to experience any sense of aviation as a great adventure. Their elegant, dynamic fighters are worlds apart from the stolid airliners we are all so familiar with. They have the power to captivate even the most peace-loving individuals. This fascination is timeless and just as true of the eccentric-looking "flying crates" of 1914, constructed of wire, wood and fabric, as of the technological marvels bristling with weapons of today.

Come with us on a journey into a world of brilliant designers and daring pilots-the world of the fighter past and present.

Over 100 years have elapsed since brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright completed the first manned, controlled,powered flight on December 17, 1903. Since then, flying machines have progressed rapidly and triumphantly from short hops of just a few seconds' duration to supersonic speeds maintained over vast distances. Never before had such rapid technological progress been seen;never before had so many pioneering developments been accomplished in such a short space of time.

From the very outset, aircraft served more than merely the peaceful purposes envisaged by the early pioneers: they were doomed to become weapons of unimaginable destructive power. Whether we like it or not, the ancient Greek adage "war is the mother of all things" was to prove no less true with relation to the history of aviation. Within the space of a few short years, the airplane had developed into a weapon of war and the much-admired sportsman-aviator,conqueror of the skies, into a flying soldier.

This highly informative and beautifully illustrated volume presents the reader not only with an overview of a century of powered flight and the key technical developments but also with an explanation of fundamental aerodynamic principles.Setting events in their proper historical context, it examines each of the most important fighters in turn and tells of the individuals whose ingenuity and courage gave military aviation its extraordinary momentum. This book is dedicated to all these aviation pioneers--pilots and designers alike.

Introduction

THE FIRST WORLD WAR

　SPAD

　Morane-Saulnier

　Bristol Scout

　Fokker EI

　Sopwith-Pup, Triplane, Camel

　Albatros D I/DII

　Pfalz D III and D XII

　Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.s

　Fokker Dr I

　Airoc D.H.2

　Nieuport 17

BETWEEN THE WARS

　Gloster Gladiator

　Brewster F2A Buffalo

　Polikarpov 1-16

　Messerschmitt Bf 190

　Nakajima Ki-27

　Curtiss P-4o

　Heinkel He 51

　Hawker-Demon Fury, Hurricane

　Grumman F4F Wildcat

　Mitsubishi AsM

　Fokker D XXI

　Supermarine Spitfire

　Macchi C.200 Saetta

　Dewoitine D.520

　Boeing F4B/P-12

　Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa

　Junkers Ju 88

　Lockheed P-38 Lightning

　Mitsubishi A6M Rei-Sen (Zero Fighter)

THE SECOND WORLD WAR

POSTWAR FIGHTERS