Top 10: Amazing Propellor-airliners

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31 October 2025

The age of piston-engine air travel still exists today, but its golden era was the 1920s to 1950s.

A vast, exciting world opened to air tourists in this stylish, dashing age of glamour and more than a little danger. The airliners that made this possible were often machines of incredible beauty; here are just 10 of them:

10: Breda-Zappata BZ.308

The Breda-Zappata BZ.308, a sleek Italian four-engine airliner, first flew in 1948. Designed by Filippo Zappata, it blended Italian airframe elegance with powerful foreign (in this case British) engines - echoing Italy’s wartime design strategy - in a bold post-war bid to compete on the global stage of long-range commercial aviation.

The aircraft featured a sleek, streamlined design with a spacious pressurised cabin capable of carrying around 50 passengers, offering improved comfort for longer flights. Powered by four powerful Bristol Centaurus radial engines, the BZ.308 aimed to provide reliable performance with a decent cruising speed and range for transcontinental routes.

10: Breda-Zappata BZ.308

It was a promising design, the BZ.308 faced stiff competition from more established manufacturers and the rapid rise of jet-powered aircraft, which soon made piston-engine airliners like the BZ.308 obsolete. Only one aircraft was completed and flown, and the project was eventually abandoned due to financial and market pressures.

Notably, it was Italy’s first transatlantic aircraft. It made a brief appearance in the 1953 Audrey Hepburn film Roman Holiday. The prototype was passed to the Italian Air Force, who used it to serve the Rome-Mogadishu route until 1954, when the sole example of this beautiful aircraft collided with a cement truck, and was abandoned in a field in Somalia.

9: Bristol Britannia

The Bristol Britannia, a masterpiece of British aviation, first took to the skies in 1952. Designed as a long-range turboprop airliner, it embodied an elegance and engineering finesse worthy of admiration. Its graceful lines and powerful Proteus engines made it a symbol of post-war aeronautical ambition.

Her entry into commercial service with BOAC in 1957 heralded a new standard of passenger comfort and reliability. Despite delays caused by engine development difficulties, the Britannia proved herself a sturdy and efficient airliner, winning praise for her quiet, smooth flight. Travellers and crew alike regarded her as a beautiful and dignified queen of the sky.

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9: Bristol Britannia

The Bristol Britannia, though graceful in form, suffered from significant developmental delays that undermined its commercial success. Issues with the Proteus engines postponed its entry into service, allowing the jet age to overtake it. By the time it launched, faster pure-jet airliners such as the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8 had already captured the market.

Despite its quietness and performance, the Britannia’s turboprop design was seen as outdated almost immediately. Maintenance complexities, coupled with limited production numbers, further restricted its viability. Ultimately, the Britannia, though beautiful, was an anachronism in an era that was rapidly racing toward high-speed jet propulsion. 85 Britannias were built.

8: Short Mayo Composite

Throughout the 1930s, airlines were fascinated by the Atlantic, seen as a potentially rich market. Although crossing was proven in 1919 and again by Charles Lindbergh in 1927, practical operations were elusive until the eve of the Second World War. Fuel demands made passenger or cargo flights impossible, so creative alternatives emerged.

Imperial Airways explored in-flight refuelling and parasitic aircraft. Meanwhile, lighter-than-air travel had seen commercial crossings on the Graf Zeppelin and Hindenburg, but the latter’s disaster turned attention to conventional aircraft. Robert Mayo proposed a piggyback system: a small, long-range seaplane launched from a larger flying boat, which would carry air mail across the ocean.

8: Short Mayo Composite

The resulting Short Mayo Composite combined the flying boat Maia with the Mercury seaplane. Ingeniously linked, the Mercury could separate safely once airborne, using combined lift to conserve fuel. Their first separation came in 1938, with the Mercury making a commercial transatlantic air mail flight soon after. It later broke distance records flying from Scotland to South Africa.

Although spectacular, the Mayo Composite was complex and quickly outdated. New long-range aircraft, such as the Short S.26, soon made it redundant. The war ended the experiment; the Maia was bombed in 1941, and the Mercury was scrapped that same year — a brief but remarkable chapter in aviation history.

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7: Boeing 314 Clipper

The golden age of flying boat travel was exciting and glamorous, and one of the most handsome flying boats was the Boeing 314 Clipper. That it succeeded was despite Boeing’s initial reluctance to create the aircraft. In 1935, Pan Am representatives considered whether Boeing might be interested in building a flying boat with sufficient range for the North Atlantic route.

Boeing initially declined. They were overloaded with work on the B-17, Model 307, and XB-15, among many other projects, and they did not feel financially confident enough to take on a new, ambitious project of this sort. However, it soon became apparent that recycling the XB-15's wing and tail (the latter would later need modification) and combining them with the 14-cylinder Wright GR-2600 could provide a realistic solution.

7: Boeing 314 Clipper

It was first delivered in January 1939, and in May of the same year, Pan Am began the first North Atlantic mail service. Passenger service followed five weeks later. As with most of the aircraft on this list, the exciting world of early air travel would be rudely interrupted by the drums of war.

During the second world war, the Boeing 314 Clipper served as a crucial military transport flying boat. It carried troops, mail, and high-priority cargo across vast ocean distances. Its long range and ability to land on water made it extremely useful for transoceanic missions, supporting Allied communication and logistics until newer aircraft replaced it. 12 Clippers were built in total.

6: De Havilland D.H.89 Dragon Rapide

As well as larger, statelier airliners, there are some truly gorgeous aircraft of much smaller dimensions, among them the much-loved Dragon Rapide. Conceived in the early 1930s, the Dragon Rapide was smaller twin-engine sister to the DH.86 Express, sharing tapered wings, sleek fairings, and Gipsy Six engines.

Introduced in 1934, it swiftly gained favour among domestic and foreign civil and airline operators. The Dragon Rapide is the epitome of elegance, with sleek, tapered biplane wings and a graceful fuselage, which in flight gives it the appearance of a darting dragonfly. Its art deco styling and vintage charm evoke the golden age of aviation.

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6: De Havilland D.H.89 Dragon Rapide

The de Havilland Dragon Rapide served widely with both civilian and military operators. Airlines across Britain, Europe, and the Commonwealth used it for passenger and mail transport. During the second world war, many were impressed into service by the RAF for communication, training, and transport duties across various theatres.

The Dragon Rapide is cherished for its elegant design, reliability, and historical significance. Its graceful lines and dependable performance made it a favourite among pilots and passengers. Serving both civil and military roles, it offered comfort and versatility, earning a lasting legacy as one of aviation’s most iconic classic aircraft. An impressive 727 Rapides were built in total.

5: de Havilland D.H.91 Albatross

In the mid-1930s, the British airliner business was threatened by a new breed of fast US airliners, such as the DC-2, which could fly faster than 200 mph. After securing funding from the Air Ministry, the British manufacturer de Havilland’s response was the sublime de Havilland D.H.91 Albatross.

Slim, silver and sleek, the Albatross wholeheartedly embraced the latest de Havilland thinking in aerodynamics and construction. It used a wooden stressed skin made with laminations of cedar ply with a sizable layer of balsa wood. It included lessons learnt from the DH.88 Comet racer (such as a stress-bearing box spar with diagonal spruce planking applied in two layers).

5: de Havilland D.H.91 Albatross

This four-engine dream machine first flew in 1937. It was powered by four 525 horsepower de Havilland Gypsy Twelve engines and could reach 225mph. It could carry 22 passengers 1040 miles. It soon broke speed records, including that for the Croydon-Brussels route, which it covered in 48 minutes. It was also a fast and impressive long-distance mail plane.

The Second World War was looming, and priorities shifted to military aircraft. De Havilland would find fame with another fast, sleek wooden aeroplane, the Mosquito. Only seven examples of the glamorous Albatross were built. They were pressed into various wartime roles, including courier work and shuttling to Iceland, Lisbon and Shannon.

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4: Heinkel He 70

Fearing US dominance in civil aviation, particularly the fast Lockheed Model 9 Orion, Heinkel created the He 70, which embodied the latest thinking in aerodynamics, resulting in a seductively curvaceous aircraft. When it first flew in 1932, it was extremely fast, even faster than most fighters of the time. The He 70, named Blitz (Lightning), snatched a gaggle of world records.

One of the prototypes set eight records for speed over distances of 100-2000 km (62-1243 miles) loaded. With loads of 500-1000 kg, the aircraft achieved an average speed of 357 km/h (222 mph) over a 100 km (62-mile) course. Its top speed was 377 km/h (234mph), faster than the RAF’s Hawker Fury biplane fighter.

4: Heinkel He 70

With its gorgeously smooth form, monoplane wing and retractable undercarriage, it was positively futuristic in 1932. It was a far cry from the clumsy blockiness of many other German designs and indeed a great beauty. It was not the first German aircraft to feature an elliptical wing; the Bäumer Sausewind (like the He 70 designed by the Günter twins) had one in 1925.

It has been claimed that the Spitfire’s elliptical wing shape was influenced by the superficially similar wing of the He 70, but the far thinner Spitfire is a different concept. The He 70 did, however, influence the Spitfire, with the Supermarine team using it as the criterion for aerodynamic smoothness in the design of the Spitfire.

3: Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor

Germany produced three outstanding modern airliners during the interwar period: the Junkers Ju 52, the Junkers Ju 86, and the Focke-Wulf Fw 200. The Ju 52 was boxy and corrugated, lacking elegance; the Ju 86 (at least in its airliner form, and not its military variants) was rather lovely, but most sublime aesthetically was likely the Fw 200.

The Condor was designed to replace the Ju 52 and counter the commercial threat of US aircraft, especially the Douglas DC-3. The Fw 200 was an elegant aircraft with a low-wing design, featuring four engines and constructed entirely of metal. It first flew in 1937.

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3: Focke-Wulf Fw 200

Its range was impressive; the prototype, dubbed ‘Brandenburg’, flew directly from Berlin to New York, a distance of 4000 miles (6437 kilometres). The journey took 55 minutes more than a day at an average speed of 164 mph (264km/h). This mastery of the Atlantic would later be used for far less civil reasons.

It would take a much darker role in the Second World War, being described by Churchill (perhaps apocryphally) as the ‘scourge of the Atlantic’, it did much to disrupt vital supplies to the Allies. In what was essentially a hastily converted airliner, the Germans sank over 300,000 tons of shipping in less than a year. This modern yet fragile machine proved alarmingly effective, thanks to its excellent range. It also served as a VIP transport aircraft for senior German leaders, including Adolf Hitler. 276 Condors were built in total.

2: Lockheed Model 10 Electra

The Lockheed Model 10 Electra was a twin-engine, all-metal monoplane designed for passenger transport. It first flew in 1934, marking a significant advancement in commercial aviation. It was a fast and modern design, built to serve airlines that needed efficient and reliable aircraft for short- to medium-range routes.

The Electra featured innovative technology for its time, including retractable landing gear and variable-pitch propellers, which enhanced performance and fuel efficiency. Its all-metal construction offered durability and safety. The plane’s aerodynamic design allowed faster speeds and smoother flights compared to many contemporaries, making it a favourite among airlines and pilots alike.

2: Lockheed Model 10 Electra

The Lockheed Model 10 Electra played a crucial role in advancing commercial air travel in the 1930s. It helped popularise twin-engine passenger planes and set new standards for speed and comfort. Its reliability made it a workhorse for airlines worldwide, contributing to the growth of regional air transportation.

Amelia Earhart (pictured) famously flew a modified Lockheed Electra in her 1937 attempt to circumnavigate the globe. This association imbued the aircraft with mystery and allure. Its polished aluminium body and graceful lines give it timeless beauty, symbolising the daring spirit of early aviation pioneers like Earhart, who disappeared with navigator Fred Noonan flying her Electra in July 1937 in the Pacific. 149 examples of the aircraft were produced.

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1: Lockheed Constellation/ Super Constellation

This wonderfully graceful machine first appeared in the Second World War, taking its first flight on 9 January 1943. Its 1939 origins were as a long-range airliner for TWA, but with a pressing need for military aircraft, the project was in the hands of the USAAF by the time of its maiden flight.

The Lockheed Constellation, or "Connie," featured a distinctive triple-tail design and sleek fuselage. It had a low-wing configuration with four powerful radial engines. The aircraft's pressurised cabin and aerodynamic shape enabled high-altitude, long-range flight, making it a revolutionary airliner and military transport in its era. It also, unusually for the time, used a tricycle landing gear.

1: Lockheed Constellation/ Super Constellation

The Lockheed Constellation served from the 1940s to the 1960s in both civilian and military roles. Four Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone radial engines powered it. Airlines and air forces worldwide used it for transcontinental and transatlantic flights, valuing its range, speed, and pressurised cabin during the golden age of aviation.

The Super Constellation (pictured) was a virtual redesign. The addition of sleek wingtip fuel tanks further enhanced the Connie’s already great looks, and this advanced version of the Lockheed Constellation embodied the glamour of 1950s aviation. Elegant, powerful, and graceful, it remains one of the most beautiful airliners ever built. 856 Constellations were built, along with 579 Super Constellations.

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