Airbus Jetliners

As an introduction to the Airbus product line, this book serves its purpose. It covers the major airliners, the A300, A310, A319/320/321, A330, and A340, as well as the Beluga Super Transporter, itself a derivative of the A300-600R. The pictures are of excellent quality and most fit on a single page, eliminating the dreaded "gutter effect" that plagued earlier titles in the Motorbooks line. The chapter on the A300 could have been in slightly greater depth; after all, it was this classic airliner that not only established Airbus as a major airliner manufacturer, but also heralded the twin-engine widebody so common today but a first back in 1973. There are no pictures of earlier proposed "paper airplanes" or the first two prototypes, the latter deserving at least some mention, especially since both were unceremoniously consigned to the scrap man. For the A330 and A340, the series -200 and -300 versions of both types are presented, but the A340-500 and -600, common nowadays, were but dreams ten years ago, when the book was published. Likewise, the A380 and A318 are presented as drawings (the former still as the A3XX), though there is a very nice cutaway drawing of Airbus's huge double-deck widebody. In addition, there were the military versions of each airliner did not exist in 1999, but they are somewhat beyond the scope of a book on airliners anyway. Guy Norris and Mark Wagner are noted for their superb photography, and here they deliver, which along with their informative text, makes this book worth having. Readers looking for greater detail on a specific aircraft type can always refer to the AirlinerTech, Airline Colour Enthusiast Series, and Crowwood for greater detail.

Great book with a nice overview of Airbus Industries, from the company's origins to the present, as well as a look ahead. As the world's only true competitor to the USA's Boeing, Airbus has solidified their ground in the world marketplace as a premier commercial aircraft designer and builder. A must for any enthusiast.

Recommended for everyone who is interested in the aviation industry. Rich and proffessionally presented.

This is a great book about Airbus. The pictures are great. I would highly recommend for any airliner fanatics out there.

I enjoyed this book. Its very informative and very nice pictures. I reccommend this book to anyone who is an airbus enthusiate.