Century of Flight

At the end of this month, Microsoft will be releasing a new title in the popular Flight Simulator series. Titled Century of Flight, it commemorates the centennial of the Wright brothers' historic flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Never being ones to shirk the communities beyond the world of gaming, Microsoft has also partnered with the Experimental Aircraft Association's festival later this December.

The new game not only gives you the chance to fly the Wright Flyer, but also gives you the opportunity to try out lots of other vintage planes as well. Loads of historical information on each of the planes will be included in the game but we thought we'd go ahead and give you a sneak peek at what you can expect.

Today we're looking at the last four classic planes on a list that includes everything from Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis Ryan NYP to the deHavilland Comet. You can check out the other classic planes in the first and second features. (The new title will also include 15 modern planes as well.) So sit back and take a gander at the Trimotor, Vega, Comet, and DC-3.

Ford 4-AT-E Tri-Motor

In the late 1920s, the most luxurious way to travel was in the belly of a "Tin Goose," Ford's 4-AT-E Tri-Motor. The "Tin Goose" was Ford's answer to the growing demand for passenger travel and released at a time when other aircraft designers were neglecting the general population. Made completely out of metal, the noise from the aircraft's three engines reverberated throughout the enclosed cabin as the plane lumbered through the skies.

Nonetheless, traveling in the "Tin Goose" was far more comfortable than anything the average traveler was used to. Until Ford released this passenger airliner, people traveling via air were relegated to open-air passenger compartments or floor seats in cargo hulls. Ford's foray into public air travel marked the first consideration of passenger travel in the design of aircraft and the beginning of a new era in aviation.

Model 5B & 5C Vega

Despite its cramped cockpit and now antique control panel, the Vega was truly ahead of its time when released in the late 1920s. Known among pilots as being both reliable and sturdy, the Vega was the plane of choice for some of history's most revered aviators. Amelia Earhart, for instance, piloted the first non-stop trans-Atlantic flight by a woman behind the controls of the same 1928 Vega she used in her record-breaking flight across the United States not long before. Wiley Post, in his Vega nicknamed "Winnie Mae," found glory in the form of two record-breaking flights around the globe.

Designed for up to six passengers, the Vega was known for its speed, whisking Post around the world in eight days and 15 hours, 167 days faster than the first flight around the world which took 175 days to complete. With its unmatched speed and dependability, the Vega connected the farthest reaches of the world like never before.

deHavilland DH-88 "Comet"

Flying at up to 250 miles per hour, the "deHavilland DH-88 Comet" smashed speed records set in the early years of aviation. Designed specifically for the longest and most grueling air race in history, the 1934 MacRobertson Maidenhall to Melbourne race, the "Comet" was built almost entirely of wood and shaped like a bullet. Two thin wings held the plane in the air, and sleek compartments on the underside of each wing held the plane's engines.

After three days in the sky, "Grosvenor House," one of three "Comets" entered in the 11,300-mile race, won the title and the 10,000 pounds in prize money. Though few "Comets" were built after the contest, the "Comet succeeded in attracting attention and generating excitement for the aviation world during a time when flying such long distances was still considered a daredevil act.

Douglas DC-3

In 1934, the Douglas Aircraft Company introduced its DC-3 model, giving birth to the commercial airline industry as we know it today. Designed with profitable passenger air transportation in mind, the DC-3 featured an insulated and heated cabin, as well as the unprecedented luxury of running water during flights thousands of feet above the earth. The DC-3's speed allowed for transcontinental flights to be completed in the span of a single day and its size accommodated up to 21 passengers at a time. Sleeper versions of the airliner provided travelers with personal berths for overnight cross-country journeys.

For the first time in history, these new innovations meant airline companies could charge reasonable fees for passenger travel and actually turn a profit by hauling people rather than cargo. By the close of the 1930s, roughly 95% of all commercial airliners were DC-3s. Though passenger airliners have evolved and grown since the heyday of the DC-3, Douglas' impressive aircraft is still in use today as a cargo transport plane.

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