Catapult Aircraft: Seaplanes that Flew from Ships Without Flight Decks by Leo Marriott

Catapult Aircraft: Seaplanes that Flew from Ships Without Flight Decks by Leo Marriott

During World War I, the navies of the opposing forces discovered the value of aerial reconnaissance and many experiments were made to allow larger warships to carry one or sometimes two aircraft aboard. In the early days these were float planes that were lowered by crane into the sea and then lifted back aboard upon their return. This was a lengthy affair and when a speedy departure was necessary, time was of the essence. A new system was devised so that a powerful catapult system and a short ramp could, with the added speed of the ship, get an aircraft airborne in a fraction of the time previously required. Thus was born a highly specialised type of aircraft. This book includes all the major designs that went to war in the First and Second World Wars and includes aircraft used by all the combatants. It looks at how the aircraft evolved and how the warships were modified to accommodate the aircraft and the catapult system. The use of these fixed-wing aircraft was abandoned when the invention of the helicopter was made in the early post WW II years.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781844154197
ISBN 10	184415419X
Title	Catapult Aircraft: Seaplanes that Flew from Ships Without Flight Decks
Author	Leo Marriott
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Pen & Sword Books Ltd
Year published	2006-02-09
Number of pages	224
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.