When the Soviet Union fell in December 1991, there were close to 3,500 assorted Soviet-built airliners that could be deemed operational - more than there had ever been before. The vast majority of these Antonovs, Ilyushins, Tupolevs, and Yaks flew for Aeroflot, and were scattered far and wide at bases across the Soviet Union. Thirty years later, they have almost all disappeared. Now dominated by state-of-the-art Airbuses and Boeings, the world's airports and airways will never be the same again without the noise, smoke and charisma of these iconic designs from Soviet times.This book follows the fortunes of the great Soviet airliners over the last three decades and looks at what happened to this immense fleet: the fragmentation of Aeroflot into a myriad of new operators in the 1990s, the bankruptcies and consolidation of so many airlines that followed, and then the slow, inevitable disappearance of these aircraft from our skies. Illustrated with 220 photographs, most of which have never been published before, and supported by many anecdotes, facts and figures, this book conveys the nostalgia and wonder of this special, tumultuous time in aviation history. 220 illustrations

Over the years, de Havilland Canada has manufactured a number of remarkable commercial aircraft: the Beaver (considered the ultimate bush plane, against which every other bush plane is measured), Otter, Twin Otter, Dash 7 and Dash 8. It also developed the unique Buffalo and Caribou military transports, some of which ended up in airline operations. From floatplane operations in Canada, Alaska and the Pacific and up-country flying in Twin Otters in Africa and elsewhere, to glacier operations with the Turbo Otter, Dash 7s in Greenland and operations with major airlines worldwide, these aircraft have been used all around the world in a variety of different roles. By combining history, facts and figures with anecdotes, commentary and quotes, this book, which is illustrated with over 200 stunning photographs, celebrates these legendary aircraft.