The letters painted on an aircraft's tail are equivalent to its number plate. They reveal their aircraft's stories and fates, and the vastly different roles they had across their lives.

Inspired by this new way of looking at aviation history, Guy Halford-McLeod follows the chequered, multi-faceted careers of a number of post-war aircraft to present a compelling insight into the wider story of British aviation: government policy, unwilling buyers, a bit of coercion, financial losses, politics, U-turns, holiday charter flights, small independent airlines going bust: the story of Britain's airlines in a nutshell. This colourful, heavily illustrated book delves into the tales of a fascinating selection of aircraft, including many of Britain's finest airliners now preserved at museums around the country, to present the development of Britain's airline industry.