Vintage Aviation

Discover the beauty of vintage aviation with SuperStock's gallery of stock images. Our collection of vintage aviation photos captures the spirit and grandeur of a bygone era. From classic propeller planes to iconic airliners, our selection of vintage aircraft images will take you back in time. Whether you're looking for a nostal...Read more

Army Medical Helicopter Sport & General Press Agency Limited. July 15, 1953. (Photo by Public Relations H.Q. BCFK Rankin).

The Wright Flyer was the first successful heavier-than-air powered aircraft. It was designed and built by the Wright brothers. They flew it four times on December 17, 1903, near Kill Devil Hills, about four miles (6.4 km) south of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

Photograph of a pilot of the Food and Agricultural Organisation checking his plane. Dated 20th Century

Photograph taken within the assembly plant at Boeing in Wichita. A Trent 800 development engine is mounted to its Boeing 777 strut before being flight cycle and endurance testing at Rolls-Royce. Dated 20th Century

Photograph of the Northrop YB-49, a prototype jet-powered heavy bomber aircraft. Dated 20th Century

Engraving depicting Henry Bell's design for an aerial machine, which had a rudder and two screw propellers. Henry Bell (1767-1830) a Scottish engineer. Dated 19th Century

Photograph of Zeppelin Airships in a Hanger, named after the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin (1838-1917) a German general and later aircraft manufacturer. Dated 20th Century

Photograph of Thomas Sopwith (1888-1989) an English aviation pioneer and yachtsman, in the cockpit of a plane. Dated 20th Century

Scientific American illustration of the Flying Bedstead (W Ayers flying machine), which was pedal assisted. 1885

Photograph of a Vought V-173, also known as, a Flying Pancake, an American experimental test aircraft built during the Second World War. Dated 20th Century

Engraving depicting David Schwarz's aluminium airship, the first metal airship. David Schwarz (1850-1897) an Austro-Hungarian-Croatian aviation pioneer of Jewish descent. Dated 19th Century

Photograph of the first airship (R34) to cross the Atlantic Ocean. Dated 20th Century

Photograph of Maurice Farman's biplane. Maurice Farman (1877-1964) an Anglo-French Grand Prix motor racing champion, an aviator, and an aircraft manufacturer and designer. Dated 20th Century

Photograph of a Messerschmitt Me 323, a German military transport aircraft of World War II. Dated 20th Century

Photograph taken of the de Havilland Comet, the world's first commercial jetliner, leaving Heathrow. Dated 20th Century

Photograph taken of a MD Helicopter. MD Helicopters, Inc. is an American aerospace manufacturer that produces helicopters for primarily commercial use. Dated 20th Century

Engraving depicting Victor Goddard's designed for a petrol engine helicopter. Victor Goddard (1897-1987) an Air Marshal of the Royal Air Force. Dated 20th Century

Photograph of Thomas Sopwith (1888-1989) an English aviation pioneer and yachtsman, during the Schinder Trophy Race. Dated 20th Century

Photograph of Harriet Quimby (1875-1912) an American aviator and movie screenwriter. Dated 20th Century

Engraving depicting Hervé's method of suspending the basket of a balloon. Dated 20th Century

Engraving depicting Gaston and Albert Tissandier in the gondola of their hot-air balloon. Dated 19th Century

Photograph taken within the assembly plant at Boeing in Wichita. Dated 20th Century

Photograph taken within the assembly plant at Boeing in Wichita. Dated 20th Century

Photograph of Alliott Verdon Roe (1877-1958) a pioneer English pilot and aircraft manufacturer, with his triplane. Dated 20th Century

Illustration depicting the interior of an aeroplane liner. Dated 20th Century

Photograph of the first airship (R34) to cross the Atlantic Ocean. Dated 20th Century

Engraving depicting a pedal driven helicopter. Dated 20th Century

Photograph taken of a MD 530 MG Defender with two missiles. MD Helicopters, Inc. is an American aerospace manufacturer that produces helicopters for primarily commercial use. Dated 20th Century

Engraving depicting Charles Renard and A. C. Krebs in the electric powered air-ship 'La France' flying between Calais to Meudon and Villacoublay, in 23 minutes 9th August 1884. Dated 19th Century

Photograph taken during the first flight of the Wright Brothers. Dated 20th Century

Colour photograph taken of the Convair XFY Pogo, an experimental turboprop powered tail-sitting fighter. Dated 20th Century

Photograph taken of a MD Helicopter. MD Helicopters, Inc. is an American aerospace manufacturer that produces helicopters for primarily commercial use. Dated 20th Century

Photograph of Georges Sablier demonstrating his latest invention, a portable helicopter for which he won a special award at the international helicopter competition and show at Saint Etienne, Central France. Dated 20th Century

Engraving depicting a flying machine designed by Firmin Bousson. Dated 20th Century

Engraving depicting Jakob Degen's Ornithopter. Two flaps were fastened to his back by a yoke, and these he moved up and down with levers worked by his hands and feet. Jakob Degen (1760-1848) a Swiss-Austrian inventor and aviation pioneer. Dated 19th century

Henry de La Vaulx (1870-1930), balloonist, author, and cofounder of major French and international aeronautical associations. In 1905 he cofounded and became a director of the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI).

Alphonse Pénaud's helicopter, driven by twisted rubber bands. Alphonse Pénaud (1850-1880) a French aviation designer and engineer. Dated 19th Century

Illustration depicting Hiram Maxim's steam-powered plane. Hiram Maxim (1840-1916) an British inventor. Dated 19th Century

The Flying Fish, an idea for air travel in America, 1880. Attributed to Thomas Edison.

Futuristic drawing showing a hotel landing platform to board an air taxi. From Robida, Le Vingtieme Siecle, Paris 1883;

Gustave Trouvé's flying machine, which he presented to the Academie des sciences. Gustave Trouvé (1839-1902) a French electrical engineer and inventor. Dated 19th Century

Aerial Steamer of 1875, by Thomas William Moy (1823-1910) was an English engineer and patent agent

Cyrano de Bergerac, flying by means of bottles of dew evaporated by sunlight, thus lifting him. From Oeuvres de Cyrano de Bergerac, Paris 1850. Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac (1619 - 1655) was a French novelist, playwright, epistolarian and duellist. A bold and innovative author, his work was part of the libertine literature of the first half of the seventeenth century.

Reuben Jasper Spalding's (1889) method of quick, direct transport; an electrically driven ornithoper. From Der Stein der Weisen, (ca 1895).

Hiram Maxim's water tube boiler of his flying machine. Hiram Maxim (1840-1916) an British inventor. Dated 19th Century

Illustration depicting Hiram Maxim's flying machine. Hiram Maxim (1840-1916) an British inventor. Dated 19th Century

Alphonse Pénaud's airplane, driven by twisted rubber bands. Alphonse Pénaud (1850-1880) a French aviation designer and engineer. Dated 19th Century

Flying machine proposed by the Brazilian priest Fr. Bartolommeo Laurenço de Gusmo; 1709. This had sails, and bellows to create a wind during calm conditions.

Photograph of female workers of the El Segundo Plant of the Douglas Aircraft Company. Dated 1940

Photograph shows General Eisenhower meeting with generals Patton, Bradley, and Hodges on an airfield somewhere in Germany. Dated 1945

Photograph of a Handley Page Type O biplane bomber. This particular bomber plane was used by the British during the First World War. Dated 1918

Air traffic controller in the 1940s. An officer in the airport control tower is monitoring the runway with binoculars.

Airplane engineers.Three mechanics are performing the important last minute check of engine details before start. The airplane is a swedish single propeller engine light bomb and survaillance unit model B5. The swedish company Saab Svenska Aeroplan AB produced this airplane on license from American Northrop and their model 8A-1. Picture taken in the 1940s during the second world war.

The flight that is referred to as the start of the swedish aviation history. On september 18 1910, baron Carl Cederström made his first flight after having finished a french flying school. He was the first airplane aviator in Sweden with certificate number 1. Pictured the start moment on a grass airfield in Stockholm.

1950s vacation. A group of elderly people are standing on the stairs to an aircraft waving goodbye. Bromma airport Stockholm 1958. ref 3752

Barrage Balloon, Parris Island, South Carolina, USA, Alfred T. Palmer, Office of War Information, May 1942

Woman of the 1950s. A young woman with a new Monark moped in front of a passenger plane. 1957

Three-quarter Left Rear View of Glider in Flight, Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, USA, 1911

Pilot in the 1950s. A swedish pilot beside his aircraft a winter day. Sweden 1950s

Pilots in the 1950s. Two pilots are walking past fighter aircraft a winter day. Sweden 1950s

Army Sentry Guarding new B-17F (Flying Fortress) Bombers at Airfield of Boeing Plant, Seattle, Washington, USA, Andreas Feininger for Office of War Information, December 1942

Three Female Workers Inspecting Tappet Rollers for Airplane Motors at Manufacturing Plant, Pratt & Whitney, East Hartford, Connecticut, USA, Andreas Feininger for Office of War Information, June 1942

Army Sentry Guarding new B-17F (Flying Fortress) Bombers at Airfield of Boeing Plant, Seattle, Washington, USA, Andreas Feininger for Office of War Information, December 1942

Worker Inspecting and Etching Cylinder Barrels for Airplane Engines at Manufacturing Plant, Pratt & Whitney, East Hartford, Connecticut, USA, Andreas Feininger for Office of War Information, June 1942

Worker Carefully Checking an Airplane Propeller Shaft for Concentricity at Manufacturing Plant, Pratt & Whitney, East Hartford, Connecticut, USA, Andreas Feininger for Office of War Information, June 1942

Female Worker Polishing Screws for Valve Rocker Arms of Airplane Engines on Gardner Machine at Manufacturing Plant, Pratt & Whitney, East Hartford, Connecticut, USA, Andreas Feininger for Office of War Information, June 1942

Airplane Motor is Loaded on Freight Car from Platform of Manufacturing Plant, Pratt & Whitney, East Hartford, Connecticut, USA, Andreas Feininger for Office of War Information, June 1942

U.S. Major John Chennault and Curtis P-40 "Warhawk" Fighter Plane, "Flying Tiger", Ready for Take-Off, Alaska, Office of War Information, 1940's

Leo Diana and George O'Meara working Assembling Propeller Blade for Military Aircraft at Manufacturing Plant, Hartford, Connecticut, USA, Andreas Feininger for Office of War Information, June 1942

U.S. Army Douglas A-20 (Havoc) Light Dive Bombers, In-Flight, Office of War Information, 1942

Two P-40 Single-Engine Fighter Planes, Office of War Information, March 1943

1950s vacation. A group of people are walking in the pouring rain towards the waiting plane bound for Spain. Sweden 1951. ref 385

Waiting to Load Baggage onto Airplane, Municipal Airport, Washington DC, USA, Jack Delano, Farm Security Administration, July 1941

Air Traffic Controller in Control Tower, Municipal Airport, Washington DC, USA, Jack Delano, Farm Security Administration, July 1941

Main Waiting Room, Municipal Airport, Washington DC, USA, Jack Delano, Farm Security Administration, July 1941

1970s BOEING 747 SP JET AIRPLANE IN FLIGHT

1940s TWO US NAVY PILOTS WEARING LEATHER FLYING HELMETS AND PARACHUTES STANDING READY BY PROPELLER BIPLANE

1910s EARLY WALSH BROTHERS WORLD WAR ONE BIPLANE SEAPLANE PILOT TRAINING FLYING BOAT OVER THE OCEAN OUTDOOR NEW ZEALAND

1930s BOEING XB-17 PROTOTYPE AT SEATTLE HANGAR IT CRASHED IN 1935 BUT WAS THE DESIGN FOR 1940s WARTIME FLYING FORTRESS BOMBER

C-46 Transport Plane with P-40 Single-Engine Fighter Plane in Background, Office of War Information, March 1943

Damaged Hangar No. 11 after Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service Attack, Hickam Field, Pearl Harbor Hawaii, Office of Emergency Management, December 7, 1941

Newark, New Jersey: 1934 Pilot Eddie Rickenbacker flew this DC-2 airplane from Los Angeles to Newark setting a new record time of 12 hours and 4 minutes.

Mountain View, California, 1933 A U.S. Navy dirigible is at rest at Moffett Field. while Hangar One can be seeing under construction in the background.

Honolulu, Hawaii: December 27, 1934 A closeup of the country's most outstanding woman flyer, Amelia Earhart Putnam as she arrives on her first visit to the Territory of Hawaii and is greeted by her admirers with floral leis.

Group of Men and Women Working inside Fuselage of Liberator Bomber, Consolidated Aircraft Corp., Fort Worth, Texas, USA, Howard R. Hollem for Office of War Information, October 1942

Worker in Machine Shop Finishing Aircraft Part on Huge Turret Lathe, North American Aviation, Inc., Inglewood, California, USA, Alfred T. Palmer for Office of War Information, October 1942

Workers Assembling B-25 Bombers, North American Aviation, Kansas City, Kansas, USA, Alfred T. Palmer for Office of War Information, October 1942

P-51 Mustang Fighter during WWII Training Flight, North American Aviation, Inc., California, USA, Mark Sherwood for Office of War Information, October 1942

Female Aircraft Worker Checking Electrical Assemblies, Vega Aircraft Corporation, Burbank, California, USA, David Bransby for Office of War Information, June 1942

B-25 Medium Bomber during WWII Training Flight, North American Aviation, Inc., California, USA, Mark Sherwood for Office of War Information, October 1942

U.S. Marine Units in Training with Big Barrage Balloon, Parris Island, South Carolina, USA, Alfred T. Palmer for Office of War Information, May 1942

Young Woman Working on Landing Gear Mechanism of P-51 Fighter Plane, North American Aviation, Inc., Inglewood, California, USA, Alfred T. Palmer for Office of War Information, October 1942

F.W. Hunter, Army Test Pilot, Douglas Aircraft Company, Long Beach, California, USA, Alfred T. Palmer for Office of War Information, October 1942

Two Aviation Cadets at Naval Air Base, Corpus Christi, Texas, USA, Howard R. Hollem for Office of War Information, August 1942

Charles Lindbergh, Harris & Ewing, 1928

1940S FOUR U.S. NAVY PILOTS WALKING TOGETHER ON TARMAC RETURNING FROM AIR MANEUVERS AT THE PHILADELPHIA NAVY YARD PA USA

1940s B-26 MARAUDERS SUPPORTING GROUND TROOPS

1940s NEW AVIATION OFFICERS GET LAST MINUTE PARACHUTE INSTRUCTION BEFORE TRAINING FLIGHT

1950s CONSOLIDATED VULTEE B-36 STRATEGIC BOMBER PEACEMAKER AIRCRAFT OF UNITED STATES AIR FORCE SAC FLYING IN FORMATION 1949-1959

1950s TWO AMERICAN AIRLINE PROPELLER AIRPLANES ON TARMAC WITH PASSENGERS CLIMBING ABOARD LAGUARDIA AIRPORT NEW YORK USA

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