This astonishing book, which contains detailed texts, photographs and ten magnificent self - assembly models with full instructions, is about the golden age of aviation.

In aviation design, the years between the 1914 - 1918 and 1939 - 1945 wars were an extraordinary period, not only for the development of aircraft in general, but also for the wide variety of fascinating designs produced, from the lightest of aeroplanes with tiny engines of very little horsepower, to huge multi - engined heavy bombers. Alongside this multiplicity of designs grew a generation of great individual pilots. The vast choice of interesting aircraft would fill at least three books, so the decision as to what should appear in this volume was a difficult one. We started with a list of interesting aircraft that would not only be adaptable to paper construction techniques, but which would also be suitable as flying models. Plan forms, general proportions, wing areas, etc... were all taken into consideration. In the final choice all models are as near to scale as possible ( within the limits of paper construction ).

Michael Johnson was born in Yorkshire ( England, Great Britain ) and graduated from York College of Art. He worked in a major London design studio before becoming freelance in 1960, and has illustrated and designed for publishing and advertising companies throughout Europe and the U.S.A. He is the author of FANTASTIC PAPER GLIDERS ( Penguin ) and illustrated ANGELA’S RAINBOW ( Dragon’s World ).
Alan Austin trained as an industrial designer at Birmingham College of Art. He spent a large part of his professional life as an advertising Art Director and Creative Director in South Africa and Norway. He returned to England ( Great Britain ) in 1971, and has been freelancing as an illustrator and graphic designer since 1973. He has published two previous illustrated books : GREAT CLASSIC CARS and GREAT FIGHTING PLANES ( Octopus ).
( source : PAPER PLANES )