This year Aviation Week & Space Technology celebrates its 100th birthday. To mark the occasion, the weekly magazine is giving us a fantastic gift: the 100-year digital archive of their 4,500 issues for free.
The new online Aviation Week archive includes nearly 500,000 pages of aerospace industry articles, stunning photos, illustrations and advertising. If you just keep browsing through the covers, you can get a colorful picture of aerospace history, highlighting the most prominent events, cutting edge innovations, craziest concepts, lively prospects, and dead ends of the aviation industry. We’ve collected below our favorite Aviation Week covers to create up a fascinating timeline of technological progress and graphic design. Enjoy!
Vol. 1, No. 1 – Aviation and Aeronautical Engineering, August 1, 1916.
Source: Aviation Week
The deBothezat helicopter. Aviation, January 22, 1923.
Source: Aviation Week
Capt. Charles A. Lindbergh and his plane, the Spirit of St. Louis. Aviation, May 30, 1927.
Source: Aviation Week
The first color cover. Aviation, April 6, 1929.
Source: Aviation Week
Statistical number. Aviation, October 5, 1929.
Source: Aviation Week
The New York show. Aviation, May 3, 1930.
Source: Aviation Week
Aviation, October 1, 1930.
Source: Aviation Week
Gee Bee Super Sportster. Aviation, October 1, 1932.
Source: Aviation Week
The first transoceanic delivery flight! Aviation, July 1, 1938.
Source: Aviation Week
Navy’s largest order. Aviation, February 1, 1940.
Source: Aviation Week
Bolt from the blue. Aviation, February 1, 1943.
Source: Aviation Week
Lockheed Constellation. Aviation, November 1, 1945.
Source: Aviation Week
Boeing 377 Stratocruiser. Aviation Week, November 24, 1947.
Source: Aviation Week
Northrop YB-49. Aviation Week, February 12, 1951.
Source: Aviation Week
Whither now space man? Aviation Week, November 9, 1953.
Source: Aviation Week
En garde! Aviation Week, February 14, 1955.
Source: Aviation Week
Freedom has a new sound! Aviation Week, May 9, 1955.
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Paraballoon: new and radical radar antenna. Aviation Week, October 22, 1956.
Source: Aviation Week
25th annual inventory of airpower. Aviation Week, March 3, 1958.
Source: Aviation Week
Mercury man-in-space capsule mockup. Aviation Week Including Space Technology, April 13, 1959.
Source: Aviation Week
Saturn eight-engine rocket cluster. Aviation Week and Space Technology, May 9, 1960.
Source: Aviation Week
NASA Apollo mockup. Aviation Week & Space Technology, May 7, 1962.
Source: Aviation Week
Telstar 2 during environmental test. Aviation Week & Space Technology, November 19, 1962.
Source: Aviation Week
Apollo suit prototype with life support pack. Aviation Week & Space Technology, October 28, 1963.
Source: Aviation Week
North American Gemini paraglider full scale tow test vehicle. Aviation Week & Space Technology, January 27, 1964.
Source: Aviation Week
USAF/North American XB-70A first flight. Aviation Week & Space Technology, October 5, 1964.
Source: Aviation Week
Gemini 7 seen from Gemini 6 in rendezvous. Aviation Week & Space Technology, December 27, 1965.
Source: Aviation Week
Mockup of Lockheed’s L-2000 design for SST. Aviation Week & Space Technology, June 27, 1966.
Source: Aviation Week
Extra-vehicular jet shoes. Aviation Week & Space Technology, August 15, 1966.
Source: Aviation Week
General Electric circular circuit. Aviation Week & Space Technology, December 19, 1966.
Source: Aviation Week
Russian EVA suits. Aviation Week & Space Technology, November 6, 1967.
Source: Aviation Week
Aircraft-turbine-powered Howmet racing car. Aviation Week & Space Technology, July 29, 1968.
Source: Aviation Week
First Concorde takeoff. Aviation Week & Space Technology, March 17, 1969.
Source: Aviation Week
The pinnacle of aerospace history: the summer of 1969.
Source: Aviation Week
Grumman shuttle configuration. Aviation Week & Space Technology, May 4, 1970.
Source: Aviation Week
YF-12 flies NASA research mission with F-104 chase aircraft. Aviation Week & Space Technology, August 3, 1970.
Source: Aviation Week
Itek panoramic camera folded lens. Aviation Week & Space Technology, December 20, 1971.
Source: Aviation Week
Marketing the wide-body jets. Aviation Week & Space Technology, October 23, 1972.
Source: Aviation Week
ARTS 3 traffic control display at Dallas/Ft. Worth. Aviation Week & Space Technology, November 25, 1974.
Source: Aviation Week
Soyuz view from Apollo. Aviation Week & Space Technology, September 8, 1975.
Source: Aviation Week
Gulf Air crew with Lockheed L-1011. Aviation Week & Space Technology, February 23, 1976.
Source: Aviation Week
First space shuttle orbiter. Aviation Week & Space Technology, March 22, 1976.
Source: Aviation Week
Firebrand target drone in tunnel test. Aviation Week & Space Technology, May 15, 1978.
Source: Aviation Week
Very Large Array radio telescope. Aviation Week & Space Technology, December 29, 1980.
Source: Aviation Week
Space Shuttle first launch. Aviation Week & Space Technology, April 20, 1981.
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Engine acoustic test stand at Edwards AFB, Calif. Aviation Week & Space Technology, June 28, 1982.
Source: Aviation Week
USAF MX missile reentry vehicles over Kwajalein atoll South Pacific. Aviation Week & Space Technology, March 18, 1985.
Source: Aviation Week
Computer generates microburst image in Boeing wind shear research. Aviation Week & Space Technology, August 12, 1985.
Source: Aviation Week
Crescent of Uranus imaged by Voyager 2. Aviation Week & Space Technology, March 3, 1986.
Source: Aviation Week
NASA explores new space suit concepts. Aviation Week & Space Technology, January 11, 1988.
Source: Aviation Week
Soviet Space Shuttle. Aviation Week & Space Technology, January 16, 1989.
Source: Aviation Week
Unveiling the stealth fighter. Aviation Week & Space Technology, May 1 1989.
Source: Aviation Week
Nuclear propulsion for space travel. Aviation Week & Space Technology, December 2, 1991.
Source: Aviation Week
1927–1991. Aviation Week & Space Technology, December 16/23, 1991.
Source: Aviation Week
777 final assembly to test digital design approach. Aviation Week & Space Technology, October 12, 1992.
Source: Aviation Week
Missions to Mir: prelude to station era. Aviation Week & Space Technology, November 27, 1995.
Source: Aviation Week
Mars: exploration in a new era. Aviation Week & Space Technology, July 14, 1997.
Source: Aviation Week
Global Hawk first flight. Aviation Week & Space Technology, March 9, 1998.
Source: Aviation Week
Station era begins. Aviation Week & Space Technology, January 4, 1999.
Source: Aviation Week
www.avationnow.com Aviation Week & Space Technology, February 7, 2000.
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‘An act of war’ September 11, 2001. Aviation Week & Space Technology, September 17, 2001.
Source: Aviation Week
Return to flight. Aviation Week & Space Technology, April 11, 2005.
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The legacy: going beyond shuttle. Aviation Week & Space Technology, July 4, 2011.
Source: Aviation Week
Trailblazer: SpaceX’s Dragon at International Space Station. Aviation Week & Space Technology, June 4, 2012.
Source: Aviation Week
The path ahead: Curiosity’s trek. Aviation Week & Space Technology, August 20, 2012.
Source: Aviation Week
China in space. Aviation Week & Space Technology, November 25 2013.
Source: Aviation Week
Closing in on Pluto. Aviation Week & Space Technology, July 6-19, 2015.
Source: Aviation Week
Happy 100th Birthday, Aviation Week!