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Biplane behemothThe biggest plane of World War I was the Zeppelin-Staaken R.VI. Made of wood, each plane required a ground crew of 50.

 

Boat with wingsAnother German giant was the Dornier Do X, a flying boat powered by 12 engines which could carry up to 100 passengers. It weighed a massive 56 tonnes.

 

Super-sized SovietTupolev’s ANT-20 was a propaganda tool, an airliner with a radio station, cinema and photo lab – and a huge engine above the fuselage to help it fly

 

Iconic bomberWorld War II’s biggest aircraft. Boeing’s B-29 Superfortress dropped the atomic bombs on Japan and ushered in a new age of giant, long-ranged bombers.

 

Millionaire’s follyEccentric industrialist Howard Hughes’ H-4 Hercules has the largest wingspan of any plane; but the giant ‘Spruce Goose’ flew only a handful of times.

 

Cold War giantThe Convair B-36 Peacemaker was the world’s first intercontinental bomber, and needed a mix of propellers and jet engines to get its vast bulk airborne.

 

Jet veteranBoeing’s enormous B-52 Stratofortress remains one of the biggest jet aircraft ever made, only getting into the air thanks to eight powerful engines

 

Russian record-breakerThe world’s heaviest combat aircraft, Tupolev’s Tu-160 has a maximum take-off weight of some 275 tonnes; it’s the biggest swing-wing plane ever made.

 

Outsized airlinerWhile the Boeing 747 was the first to be referred to as a Jumbo Jet, Airbus’ A380 is even bigger – it can carry 850 people. Can airliners get any bigger?

 

source::::bbc.com..future

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