A celebration of one of the most popular and successful aircrafts every built The publishers have scoured archives all over the world and have created in Constellation: Unseen Images from the Archives a breathtaking set of more than 150 rare and unseen images. Complementing the images, acclaimed aviation author and journalist Bruce Hales-Dutton has written an authoritative and eye-opening text that tells the history of this great aircraft. Designed and developed amid utmost secrecy the Lockheed Constellation became one of the most popular and successful aircraft ever built, flying with virtually every major airline around the world and many air forces in a bewildering range of roles from troop transport to airborne command and control. It was the irresistible combination of Lockheed's design expertise and Howard Hughes' money that drove the Constellation project. As majority owner of TWA, Hughes saw the Constellation as a way to grab and maintain market share over his rival airlines. Lockheed, however, wanted something even bigger and more grand than Hughes' vision. What appeared for its first flight in 1942 was nothing less than an iconic aeroplane that would never be equalled in its style and grace. Not willing to rest on their creation the Super Constellation appeared just a few years later adding more seats along with unheard of refinements such as air conditioning and reclining seats.For 30 years after World War II the Constellation ruled the international commercial skies, first as the airliner of choice until the first jet airliners arrived, and then as a charter aircraft and freighter.