Flight Through the Ages' was the title of the first annual exhibition of the Guild of Aviation Artists in 1971. This book celebrates 50 years of exhibitions and includes paintings by some one hundred Guild artists, past and present, depicting aircraft from the earliest airborne activities through to the present day. There are balloons and airships, fighters and bombers from both world wars, including Spitfires and Lancasters, airliners from the early years of air travel through Concorde and on to the present day. There are also gliders and helicopters and the current generation of advanced aircraft among some 200 illustrations, most in full colour.

Artists include some of the most well-known British artists of their day and the works display imagination and creativity in a variety of different styles and treatments that bring flying machines to life. There are historical scenes and aircraft in their natural environment, showing action and some of the aviators and others from the world of aviation. There is a short history of the Guild and a step-by-step guide to one artist's approach to the subject.