The third volume in the “History of Aircraft” series, this comic book presents the first commercial flights and the aircraft used.
February 18, 1911. The French aviator Henri Péquet – who would serve as a pilot-mechanic in 1914-1918 and would later become a resistance fighter in 1939-1945 – is in India, in the state of Uttar Pradesh. He is in the north of the country as part of an exhibition, right as a Hindu pilgrimage begins. On board a Sommer biplane, and with the help of the British Army, Henri Péquet sets out from the town of Allahabad for Naini.
Covering a distance of just ten kilometers, above the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers, this 27-minute flight makes it possible to deliver 6,000 letters and postcards – weighing in at 15 kilograms. This seemingly ordinary journey is a major event. And for good reason: This is the first air mail flight in history!
What happens next? Find out for yourself through the illustrations of Jean Bellis, “naval illustrator” as he likes to define himself, and the writings of Franck Coste and Pascale Orlhac. The comic book “Commercial and Military Transport Aircraft – Vol. 1*” presents the first passenger and cargo flights, beginning in the 1910s. The first volume of four comic books on the same topic, the book is part of the “History of Aircraft” series. The latter, published in landscape format, was released in 2014. It featured fighter jets from World War I, then those from World War II. A must-read (or re-read), as the case may be!
Comic book: “Avions de transports commerciaux civils et militaires – Tome 3, Volume 1.” Script by Franck Coste and Pascale Orlhac. Illustrations and colors by Jean Bellis. Editions Idées Plus. ISBN: 978-2-374-70040-3
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