Jetting toward a smaller world: Early commercial aviation

Before the jet Before­examining­ the­birth­of­ the­Jet­Age,­ it­ is­useful­ to­consider­how­far­ the­ airborne­ world­ had­ traveled­ on­ airliners­ powered­ by­ piston­ engines­ and­ how­ strongly­that­earlier­period­in­aviation­history­influenced­what­followed.