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Climb Into the Cockpits of History's Greatest Warplanes, From WWI to Today

See the pilot's view of everything from the Bristol F.2B to the B-17 to the long-awaited F-35.
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Dan Patterson
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It's not as well known as the Sopwith Camel, but Britain's Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 may have been the better fighter, despite an unreliable engine. More than 5,000 copies of the plane saw service in World War I, at the command of British and American pilots on the western front.

Anyone with even the faintest love of airplanes invariably pauses while boarding to peer into the cockpit. This small ritual invariably frustrates the impatient passengers waiting to board, but such people simply cannot resist glimpsing that mesmerizing sea of dials, switches, and levers.

You'd better hope you never share a flight with Donald Nijboer, because he's obsessed with cockpits. After reading his amazing book, Fighting Cockpits: In the Pilot's Seat of Great Military Aircraft from World War I to Today, you will be too. It's packed with wonderful photos by Dan Patterson, amazing details, and insightful comments from pilots who've flown everything from the Sopwith Camel to the B-17 to the long-awaited F-35.

These photos let you peek into the cockpit without worrying about ticking off everyone behind you.