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.

ought¿s A-7 Corsair II served the U.S. Navy for over over two decades, and flew with distinction during the Vietnam conflict. The subsonic A-7 was based on Chance Vought¿s supersonic F-8 Crusader. It boasted a heads-up display, an inertial navigation system, and other innovations. The plane entered service in 1966, and served in Vietnam in late 1967. Its performance was impressive. The USS Ranger¿s VA-147 flew over 1,400 sorties with the loss of only one aircraft. The Air Force purchased an advanced version, the A-7D, equipped with a more powerful engine. The plane later flew missions over Lebanon, Libya, Grenada, Panama, and Iraq. The last planes in U.S inventory were retired in 1991. Originally printed by the U.S. Navy and Vought, this handbook for the A-7 provides a fascinating glimpse inside the cockpit of this famous aircraft. Originally classified ¿restricted¿, the manual was recently declassified and is here reprinted in book form.