Worlds Greatest Warplanes
From the very beginning, aviation's pioneers believed that the aircraft's future lay in its military uses. That was where the money lay and so that was where the pioneers pitched their products. The problem was that their designs could barely carry a man more than a few yards and so many military commanders were sceptical about aviation's real potential as a weapon of war. But, the First World War changed all that and by the end of the war in 1918, aviation had proved itself and all countries has burgeoning air forces. Since then, there have been many great combat aircraft either because they were brilliant in their role or they just happened to be the right aircraft in the right place at the right time. In this programme we profile some of the greatest. It is by no means the complete guide as there simply is not enough room in one programme to include them all. But, we hope you will agree that those we have featured would appear on anyone's top twenty list of all-time greats.