Vickers Vimy		Vickers Valentia

Bristol Bombay	Armstrong Whitworth Whitley	Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle

Handley Page Halifax	Short Stirling	Douglas DC3, C-47, Dakota

Lockheed Hudson	Vickers-Armstrong Valetta	Handley-Page Hastings

Blackburn Beverley	Armstrong Whitworth Argosy	Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer

Hawker Siddeley Andover	Lockheed C-130 Hercules	Short Skyvan

Gliders

During the early days of the Airborne forces in World War II, there was no facility for dropping vehicles, tanks or other heavy loads. Also there was need for dropping some bodies of troops much closer together and closer to their equipment than was normally possible by parachuting.
To fill these two requirements, the troop- and tank-carrying glider was developed, as an essentially one-way but expensive delivery system.
Pilots came from the infantry, with a few from the Royal Air Force, and were trained sufficiently to be able to control a glider during take-off, flight under tow, and then, when over the landing zone, to be able to select a landing site and to set their glider with its load of men and equipment, down safely and in fighting order. Then after landing, the pilot would revert to his original role as an infantryman.
Training of glider pilots and glider-borne troops was carried out in the General Aircraft Hotspur, pictured above, left. Some initial training of glider pilots was also carried out in powered aircraft like the Miles Magister, (above centre) and the de Havilland Tiger Moth (above right). After training, they then graduated to the three gliders pictured below.
From the top, they are the Airspeed AS 51 Horsa, the American Waco CG-4A, known in the British forces as the Hadrian, and the General Aircraft GA49 Hamilcar.

Helicopters and Balloons

Although the ability of a helicopter to land and take off from confined spaces reduced the need for parachute troops, the Westland Whirlwind shown above, was used for parachute training in the 1960s in much the same way as the barrage balloons shown below were used from the 1940s to the 1980s, and the Short Skyvan (above) in and after the 1990s.

Thanks to Andy Douglas for these balloon photos.