A prequel to the successful Aviation Disasters, covering crashes prior to 1950160;Using the same format as its predecessor,160;this160;book160;examines major aviation catastrophes that occurred in the early days of commercial flight, prior to 1950. Long before the days of wide-bodied jets and supersonic travel, two, three, and four-engine airplanes; flying boats; and airships made their way over land and sea, connecting cities, countries, and continents in what was a160;then revolutionary mode of transport. Some of these flights ended in tragedy, and these catastrophes are thoroughly reviewed in this illustrated book. The book recounts the Hindenburg disaster in 1937, the disastrous mid-air collision between an airliner and a fighter aircraft over Washington DC in 1949, and the loss of the British Star Tiger and Star Ariel transports, less than one year apart. Many other less well-known and even forgotten disasters are also covered in this fascinating new volume.