Download or read book The Golden Era of Naval Aviation written by Lieutenant Commander A.M. Granat United States Navy and published by Trafford Publishing. This book was released on 2007-02-26 with total page 171 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Golden Era of Naval Aviation: An Aviator's Journey, 1939-1959 is a personalized account of an aviator's journey through twenty years of Naval Aviation. Author Lieutenant Commander A.M. "Mike" Granat, United States Navy (Retired) takes you into a world little-known or experienced by the average individual. Those early days of flight training will carry you along on apprehensive days of reaching for those coveted "Wings of Gold". Laced with humor, suspense and a bit of romance, the years span oceans and continents, East and West, North and South. From the vast expanse of the South Pacific flying Patrol Bombers during World War II, to the Far East in Military Transports; Alaska operations as an Air/Sea Rescue pilot, to carrier duty in a Fighter Squadron. Duties as a Flight Deck Officer will have you shivering on icy decks off the coast of Greenland while sweltering in the steamy Mediterranean and Caribbean. Reliving the days as a Flight Instructor leaves one with the taste of the interaction between student aviator and the instructor. The author depicts an age in Naval History that will never be repeated - the story of the early propellor aircraft to the coming of the jets. A transition, fueled by WWII that was remarkable. No time in Naval Aviation saw such extraordinary changes in so short a period. He relives it all in his own words and shares with the reader a saga of progress and achievement unmatched in aviation history.
Download or read book The Golden Age Remembered written by E. T. Wooldridge and published by US Naval Institute Press. This book was released on 1998 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents the reminiscences of legendary pilots, engineers, and innovators including Vice Admiral Alfred M. Pride, Captain Tommy Tomlinson, and Admirals Jimmy Thach and Thomas Moorer. These luminaries and others recount, in their own words, the naval aviation tactics and technological improvements that helped secure victory in World War II.
Download or read book Wings of the Fleet written by Peter Freeman and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2012-07-01 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book covers the relatively little-documented period in US Navy and Marine Corps aviation 'between the wars' from 1919-1941', which is widely regarded as the 'Golden Era', when US Navy and Marine Corps aircraft carried some of the most striking schemes and markings ever seen. Over 550 different aircraft model designations appeared during this period, many numbering only a handful of aircraft, but of those which went in to full scale production, many were significant aircraft which contributed to the development of naval aviation worldwide. With scores of full color profile and 4-view illustrations, and some well selected representative contemporary photos, the book covers aircraft development, color schemes and markings, in a chronological format, presenting each aircraft type from its first entry into service until obsolescence, with a cutoff date of 7 December 1941 - the date that the United States of America entered World War Two - allowing the reader to appreciate the gradual evolution of the many color schemes and markings, both service and unit applied.
Download or read book Wings of Gold written by Gerald Astor and published by Random House. This book was released on 2004 with total page 452 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The distinguished military historian and author of The Greatest War integrates compelling eyewitness accounts into a dramatic study of the air combat missions that led to American victory in the Pacific theater of Warld War II.
Download or read book One Hundred Years of U S Navy Air Power written by Douglas V Smith and published by Naval Institute Press. This book was released on 2010-10-15 with total page 394 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Published to coincide with the centennial celebration of U.S. Navy Aviation, this book chronicles Navy aviation from its earliest days, before the Navy’s first aircraft carrier joined the fleet, through the modern jet era marked by the introduction of the F-18 Hornet. It tells how naval aviation got its start, profiles its pioneers, and explains the early bureaucracy that fostered and sometimes inhibited its growth. The book then turns to the refinement of carrier aviation doctrine and tactics and the rapid development of aircraft and carriers, highlighting the transition from propeller-driven aircraft to swept wing jets in the period after WW II. Land-based Navy aircraft, rotary-wing aircraft and rigid airships, and balloons are also considered in this sweeping tribute.
Download or read book Wings for the Fleet written by George van Deurs and published by Naval Institute Press. This book was released on 2016-08-15 with total page 191 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The men who ventured into the air in the Navy’s first frail aircraft were not only daring—they had vision, persistence, and a nearly unlimited determination to convince the skeptics that their frail kite-like structures could someday possess military value. This is the story of their trials, tragedies, and triumphs. They patched cooling systems with chewing gum, they lived by “crash, repair, and fly again,” but they succeeded in developing this new service into an effective arm of the fleet. Wings for the Fleet, first published in 1966, covers the fascinating details of those pioneering days from 1910 to the entry of the United States into World War I. All of the heroic “early birds” are here with full accounts of their exploits. Admiral van Deurs, himself a naval aviator since the early 1920s, has rendered a significant service by his careful preparation of this well-balanced, thoroughly illustrated historical account, which comes complete with appendixes listing early naval aviators and the planes they flew. Over one hundred photographs were selected from official and private sources to illustrate this book.
Download or read book United States Naval Aviation 1910 1918 written by Noel C. Shirley and published by Schiffer Publishing. This book was released on 2000 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: United States Naval Aviation 1910-1918 for the first time provides a comprehensive study of the formation and initial deployment of naval aviation in a world war. The late eminent naval historian R.D. Layman wrote that the subject of naval aviation has, never been adequately explored, had been often underestimated, ignored, or unrealized. The author of this book, based upon over thirty years of research into the subject of World War I aviation, and based upon both primary and secondary reference sources, has compiled into one source a complete history of the early development of naval aviation in the United States. He then discusses the manner and role that the naval aviation service applied to the war effort during 1917-1918. The book covers not only the subject of naval aircraft, but also describes the activities of the Navy in the field of lighter-than-air craft. Specific information is provided on each of the Naval Air Stations constructed and operated, both domestically as well as in Foreign Service during the War. Detailed discussion is also provided regarding the role of Marine Corps aviation during this time period.
Download or read book Wings of Gold written by Gerald Astor and published by Presidio Press. This book was released on 2005-05-31 with total page 466 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From critically acclaimed military historian Gerald Astor comes Wings of Gold, the first account of how the airplane transformed the U.S. Navy and paved the way to victory in the Pacific in World War II. Astor tracks that fateful journey from its humble beginnings in 1910 when Eugene Ely flew the very first plane off the deck of a U.S. Navy ship to the unprecedented air combat missions that helped defeat the Japanese. Few naval aviators in World War II realized that when they earned their wings of gold they were about to become test pilots for a whole new kind of combat. In their own words, these courageous fliers describe the life-and-death air battles that defined the revolution in naval strategy that rose from the ashes of Pearl Harbor, when fighter pilots watched in horror as Japanese carrier-launched aircraft bombed their planes and airfields into smoking rubble. While following the pilots’ firsthand reports of air strikes and blazing dogfights across the islands and atolls of the Pacific, Astor explores the ways the U.S. Navy began its momentous transformation before the war. Later, the critical role of aircraft carriers in the stunning U.S. victory at Midway sounded the death knell for conventional naval warfare, yet the public, the press, the Army, and even the president’s advisors refused to recognize the new reality. In fact, only a few in the Navy understood that a new era had begun that would change the face of war forever. The young Americans who fought the deadly duels against Imperial Japanese forces high over the Pacific gave everything they had to the war effort, and many made the supreme sacrifice. Wings of Gold pays tribute to their courage, daring, and selfless dedication. Vividly told, thoroughly researched, and filled with stirring accounts of the Pacific War’s greatest air battles, Wings of Gold is an important addition to the annals of World War II aerial combat.
Download or read book Winged Brothers written by Ernest M Snowden and published by Naval Institute Press. This book was released on 2018-11-15 with total page 285 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Winged Brothers recounts the service exploits of two brothers over more than forty years of naval aviation history in both peace and war. They were deeply committed to each other and to advancing their chosen profession, but due to the vast difference in their ages and the fourteen years between their respective graduations from the U.S. Naval Academy, they experienced carrier aviation from very different perspectives. The older brother, Ernest, entered naval aviation in an era of open-cockpit biplanes when the Navy’s operations from aircraft carriers were still taking form when Fleet Problems were still the primary means of determining aviation’s warfighting utility and proving its merits to the fleet. Macon’s story guides the reader through the Navy’s transition from piston-engine aircraft to jets. For the entirety of their time in uniform, the one constant was a close fraternal bond that saw Ernest as mentor and Macon as devoted admirer and protégé, only to see those roles recede as the younger brother’s achievements transcended those of the older brother. Through personal letters, official reports, first-hand accounts, and first-person interviews, their symbiotic relationship is revealed to the reader.
Download or read book Destined for Glory written by Thomas Wildenberg and published by Naval Institute Press. This book was released on 2012-03-15 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On 4 June 1942, three squadrons of U.S. Navy Dauntless dive bombers destroyed Japan's carrier force sent to neutralize Midway, changing the course of the war in the Pacific. As Thomas Wildenberg convincingly demonstrates in this book, the key ingredient to the navy's success at Midway was the planning and training devoted to the tactic of dive bombing over the previous seventeen years. Examining how political, economic, technical, and operational factors influenced the development of carrier airpower between 1925 and 1942, he shows why dive bombing became the navy's weapon of choice—why it was emphasized over all other methods of aerial warfare and finally brought to bear to stop the Japanese advance. He also pays tribute to the select group of naval aviators and senior leaders whose insights and determination drove the evolution of carrier tactics in this formative period. The title reflects the essence of the story: the development of carrier air power in the U.S. Navy was driven by an unwritten understanding that the years spent on experimentation, training, and innovations were ""destined"" to bring success in a future battle. As part of this work, the author introduces newly discovered information showing that the outcome at Midway was actually predicted by naval aviators years before the battle took place. The book sheds new light on the navy's preparations for war, demonstrating beyond a shadow of a doubt the effectiveness of U.S. naval planning before Pearl Harbor. Destined for Glory is the first book to thoroughly document the development of carrier air power in the United States Navy during the interwar years. Aviation enthusiasts and naval historians alike will find a wealth of previously unpublished data on the development of carrier aircraft and their tactical doctrine. Readers will discover new material related to the evolution of the fighters, torpedo bombers, and scout planes that made up the carrier air groups in World War II. Although several excellent books have been written about the Battle of Midway, none has focused on how the U.S. Navy came to develop the one aerial weapon “dive bombing” which proved to be the decisive instrument of victory. For it was dive bombing, and only dive bombing, that turned the tide of Japanese expansion in the Pacific. Introduced and developed in the interwar years, dive bombing became the corner stone in the navy's efforts to secure command of the air. Although the development of the dive bomber played an extremely important role in the advance of naval aviation during the interwar period, it is only part of a much broader story that illustrates an important lesson for historians: what comes before the battle is as important as the battle itself. It will become evident from reading the text that the aerial successes of 1942 were unequivocally rooted in the tactics and equipment developed during the previous seventeen years.
Download or read book Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons written by Roy A. Grossnick and published by . This book was released on 1995 with total page 588 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book A Heritage of Wings written by Richard C. Knott and published by US Naval Institute Press. This book was released on 1997 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Based on years of research by a Navy pilot and respected author, this is the most complete history of Navy airpower ever written. Unmatched in scope and detail and packed with rare, memorable photos, "A Heritage of Wings" captures the spirit of an age that moved from primitive cloth-covered biplanes to space shuttles. 194 photos, 9 maps.
Download or read book Naval Air written by Philip Kaplan and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2013-07-03 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Naval aviation arrived early in the last century in the form of balloons and airships employed by the British Royal Navy for reconnaissance, and interest was stirring in naval circles in a greater aeronautical capacity for the service. Britain's tradition of projecting a global reach through her sea power would, in the view of many, be greatly enhanced by such a capability. Among the first advocates of military aircraft development was British naval minister, Winston Churchill.??Over the course of the last century since this point of inception, huge leaps have been made in the design, development, and performance of naval aircraft. This comprehensive account, brought to us by eminent aviation historian Philip Kaplan, details the journey from origin through early development into wartime deployment. This is carried forward through post-war innovations and into modern conflicts such as the Falklands campaign. Attention is paid to the key landmarks of aviation history, such as Taranto, Pearl Harbour, The Doolittle Raid, the Battle of Midway and the Korean campaign. Reference is also paid throughout to the flying aces; the high points in the combat careers of the greatest naval and marine aviators of the past century. ??Kaplan weaves multiple threads in an effort to produce a comprehensive and detailed history. One of these is the part played by women in the history of flight, detailing a journey characterised by ever-closer involvement at the vanguard of aviation development, showing how societal changes have impacted upon this area in tune with others. Bringing the history up to date, there is a section dedicated to the Helicopter, its varying uses, current disposition and status of the various types in the U.S and British navies. ??Complemented by a collection of interesting photographs, this is sure to appeal to aviation enthusiasts as well as social historians of the past one hundred years; this isn't just a history of the various aircraft but of the people who got them off the ground and flew them into a new century.
Download or read book Harnessing the Sky written by Frederick Trapnell and published by Naval Institute Press. This book was released on 2015-07-15 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Harnessing the Sky is one of the last untold stories in 100 years of naval aviation. Th is biography of Vice Adm. Frederick M. Trapnell explores the legacy of the man who has been called “the godfather of current naval aviation.” A pilot of calculated courage, “Trap” entered the Navy when test pilots were more like stuntmen than engineers. Airplanes had not yet come into their own as weapons of war, and they had an undeveloped role in the fleet. His vision and leadership shaped the evolution of naval aviation through its formative years and beyond. When the threat of war in 1940 raised an alarm over the Navy’s deficiency in aircraft—especially fighters—Trap was appointed to lead the Flight Test Section to direct the development of all new Navy airplanes. He played a key role in expediting the evolution of the two superb fighters that came to dominate the air war against Japan—the Corsair and Hellcat. After World War II, Trap returned as commander of the Naval Air Test Center to lead the Navy through the challenges of transitioning to jets. Trap was not only the first U.S. Navy pilot to fly a jet, but is also recognized for defining the operating requirements for carrier-based jet propelled aircraft. Over the course of two decades, Trap tested virtually every naval aircraft prototype and pioneered the philosophy and the methods of the engineering test pilot. He demanded comprehensive testing of each airplane in conditions and maneuvers it would face in wartime fleet operations. These innovations kept the Navy at the forefront of modern aviation, and stand as an enduring legacy to the man who is regarded as the foremost test pilot in a century of naval aviation.
Download or read book American Flying Boats and Amphibious Aircraft written by E.R. Johnson and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2016-03-29 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This work is a comprehensive, heavily illustrated history of the many flying boats and amphibious aircraft designed and built in the United States. It is divided into three chronological sections: the early era (1912–1928), the golden era (1928–1945), and the post-war era (1945–present), with historical overviews of each period. Within each section, individual aircraft types are listed in alphabetical order by manufacturer or builder, with historical background, technical specifications, drawings, and one or more photographs. Appendices cover lesser known flying boat and amphibian types as well as various design concepts that never achieved the flying stage.
Download or read book Naval Aviation News written by and published by . This book was released on 1971 with total page 544 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book United States Naval Aviation 1919 1941 written by E.R. Johnson and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2014-01-10 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Within six months of the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. Navy had checked the Japanese military advance in the Pacific to the extent that the United States could return to its original "Defeat Germany First" strategy. That the Navy was able to accomplish this feat with only six fleet aircraft carriers and little more than 1,000 combat aircraft was not sheer luck but the culmination of more than two decades of determined preparation. This thorough study, with detailed drawings and photographs, explains and illustrates the trial and error process which went into developing the aircraft, airships and ships of the interwar period. The critical factors that shaped Naval Aviation after World War I--naval treaties, fleet tactics, government programs, leadership and organization, as well as the emergence of Marine Corps and Coast Guard aviation--are discussed in depth.
