The history of human aviation spans over a hundred years, from the first manned flight of the Wright Flyer in 1903, which flew a groundbreaking 260 metres, to the futuristic spacecraft of today that shuttle astronauts and payloads to the International Space Station. Today’s aircraft are constantly evolving and being upgraded; would the Wright brothers even recognise a Eurofighter Typhoon as a descendant of their Flyer? In the How It Works Book of Aircraft, we will bring to life a plethora of modern flying machines. Find out what it takes to become a pilot for the Red Arrows and how the Supermarine Spitfire became such a successful aircraft in the Military section. Discover how commercial airliners are becoming more and more efficient and what the next evolution of Concorde may look like in the Commercial section. In the Spacecraft section we transport you to the outer reaches of space to search for life on distant planets and investigate how we may soon send humans to Mars. Enjoy the book!