Private venture designed to meet RAF specification F.7/30. The engine is a Rolls Royce Goshawk installed behind the pilot. Also known as the PV.4. In the end, specification F.7/30 was cancelled. The RAF did have a preference for one of the contenders, the Gloster Gladiator, and a new specification written around it. Photo from: Imperial War Museums

The first Rota I for the RAF. Struck off charge in 1939. It had been used for deck landing trials and operated by 2 Squadron. Photo from: Imperial War Museums

Large, two- or three seat glider for meteorological observations, designed by Alexander Lippisch and first flown in 1932. It was to be towed to 16,000 to 20,000 ft. Photo said to be taken in 'Munich' in 1934, perhaps at Oberwiessenfeld. The glider was 'on view at a meteorological conference in Munich in 1934'. Photo from: Life

G-ACYV was Vickers' contender for the Fleet Air Arm's TSR contract that was won by the Fairey Swordfish. The one-off conversion was scrapped in 1938. Photo from: Air Force Museum of New Zealand

Date 'circa 1934'. Aircraft to SCADTA of Colombia in 1935. Photo from: SFO Museum

Original slide carries date 'About 1934'. First registered 11 March 1932 to Westland Aircraft, then on -5 April 1932 to Portsmouth, Southsea & Isle of Wight Aviation and depicted here operating their service from Portsmouth to Ryde, Isle of Wight, which it had inaugurated on 27 June 1932 and became widely known as 'The Spithead Ferry'. On -8 June 1936, it stalled on approach to Ryde and went through the boundary fence, which removed the undercarriage. It was DBR in the ensuing ground slide but of the six occupants, only the pilot sustained minor injuries. Cancelled August 1936.

The Kl 31 was a four-seat touring aircraft of mixed construction, something of a novelty for Klemm. Thus development took some time and the wooden three-seat Kl 32 was built for the 1932 Challenge International de Tourisme instead. A series of thirty-six Kl 31s was produced between September 1933 and September 1934. D-IDUM was apparently a Kl 31a XIV model, with XIV referring to the Sh 14 radial engine, but became HA-NAB in Hungary and was then designated as a Kl 31B. HA-NAB impressed as I.814. Photo from: Klemm

75 Morane-Saulnier MS 225 were built for French-air force which used them as fighters until 1935 and later as training fighters . Photo from A.Littolff family album and published with her permission.

Two-seat racer designed for the October 1934 London - Melbourne race, to be flown by Francis Lombardi and Vittori Suster. Registered I-TALY in September 1934 with race number 69, it apparently still had not flown by then, and failed to make it to the start at Mildenhall. Reportedly the PL.3 was scrapped after some test flights by the military. CAB stood for Cantieri Aeronautici Bergamaschi. From 1929, this manufacturer from Bergamo was a subsidiary of Caproni and from 1938, the abbreviation stood for Caproni Aeronautica Bergamasca. Photo from: Dan Shumaker collection

The Valentia prototype, probably when new in 1934. 28 new Valentias were produced and another 54 converted from Victorias. K3599 was one of the last survivors, still in service at RAF Habbaniya, Iraq in early 1942. Photo from: Vickers

The Vickers 264 Valentia Mk.I was a transport aircraft for the RAF and flew for the first time in 1934. Vickers (Aviation) Limited photo

Multirole aircraft for reconnaissance, bombing, torpedo bombing and casualty evacuation. Pilot's cockpit slightly offset to port to allow medical attendant to move to forward casualty cabin which doubled as station for navigator or bombardier. Sole prototype first flown 29 March 1934. By late June it was in the depicted Mk 2 bomber form with Tiger engine, lengthened fuselage and wheel spats. Wears Fairey test reg F-1. A Russian website seems to confirm c/n F.1926 on tail. Number 12 probably for Hendon display. RAF serial K3905 allocated. Specification won by Vickers 253 biplane, but Wellesley developed instead.

Motto on the side is "Emperor Haile Salassi I King of Kings". West Indian-born pilot Hubert Julian planned to fly it to Ethiopia where he was in the air force. NC782W originally had a Packard diesel but was replaced by a Wright as seen in the photo. The flight never took place and NR782W was sold to the Portuguese Monteverde brothers. Registered CS-AAK it crashed on take off from Roosevelt Field and was destroyed. Photo by: Rudy Arnold / Smithsonian Institution

The Courier was one of the first British aircraft with retractable landing gear and one example was delivered to the RAF for trials in February 1934. It is probably seen here back at Airspeed's factory at Portsmouth for modifications later in the year. Later used as a communications aircraft, it was written off after a bad landing at Farnborough on 14 July 1943.

IWM have some interesting photos from the Focke-Wulf company archives, presumably appropriated in 1945. Arado Ar 64E fighters D-IBUZ and I-IBAP (c/n 0128) are known to have been built by Fw and the location is assumed to be their factory at Bremen - Neuenland airport. The nearest aircraft is almost certainly D-IDAM (c/n 0130), not confirmed as Fw-built. The radial-engined Ar 64 and inline-engined Ar 65 were produced in limited numbers. Photo from: Imperial War Museums

Photo from: Air Force Museum of New Zealand

The Austrian Phönix D.III fighter and Phönix C.I scout were purchased by Sweden following demonstrations in Stockholm in 1919. The C.I was manufactured at the air force workshops as the E1/E2 'escort fighter', gaining the telling nickname Dront (dodo). The designations were changed to Ö4 (advanced trainer) and A1 (attack aircraft) in 1926. This airframe, originally delivered with serial 626, was not retired until 1935. After several changes, it then wore serial 693 with a prefix for F1 wing at Västerås - Hässlö. Photo from: Flygvapenmuseum

Jimmy Doolittle, centre, was manager of Shell's aviation department in the 1930s and convinced the company to invest in 100-octane fuel. He had retired from air racing, saying 'I have yet to hear of anyone engaged in this work dying of old age.' Photo by: Charles Trefts / State Historical Society of Missouri

F-AKEK was the prototype of the 'Penhoët Wibault' 280T series, first flown in 1930 as F-ADEK. It was operated by CIDNA, then by Air France and modified a few times. Here it is to the final 283T standard with main landing gear pants and modified tail surfaces with auxiliary fins. Photo from: Air France

Nice prop blur and a nice catch for Mr Hahn, although he left the unique Fokker F.XX unidentified in the German archive. Note the removal of the aircraft's wheel doors in comparison with our earlier photo. Photo by: Walter Hahn / SLUB / Deutsche Fotothek