A treasury of the odd, the absurd, the ingenious in heavier-than-air craft. Bowers describes these planes and their history, advantages and failings. Fact-filled guide covers everything from the Wright Flyer and the Taylor Aerocar to the Ryan Vertijet and the Lockheed Sr-71 Blackbird. Grouped in categories by their most prominent feature, you'll find hundreds of unusual and fascinating flying machines. Canard aircraft; Tandem-Wing aircraft; Tailless aircraft; Delta wings; Rotary wings; other wing shapes; where to put the engine? twin fuselages; monoplane-biplane conversions, Convertaplanes; Flying automobiles etc. This is a pictorial account of over 75 years of "far-out" flying machines. Illustrated with over 300 photos, many of which are rare. Chapter titles include: Where to put the Engine Minor markings on end pages.?; Monoplane-Biplane Convertibles; Flying Automobiles; Slightly Unorthodox and more.