Aircraft such as this S.I.A.I. S.55A (Italy) represent the desire of the world powers in the 1930s to showcase their political, economic, and technological prowess with transoceanic airline service. Much like the capability to launch satellites today, successful demonstrations of overseas airline service provided nations with considerable domestic and international prestige.
Caption:
From the mid-1920s to the mid-1930s, the Italian-built twin-hulled S.55 was one of the most common crossers of the Atlantic.
Type: Photograph
Image Date: December 1, 1930
Credit: National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Origin: National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
