Clik here to view.
A Brief History of U.S.Navy Jet Speed Brakes
One of the early discoveries of the differences between prop-pulled and jet-propelled airplanes was that the latter benefited a great deal from the availability of speed brakes. When the pilot pulled...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Smokin' Tigers by Michael Grove and Angelo Romano
Smokin' Tigers is the latest book from noted U.S. naval aviation historian Angelo Romano, coauthored with Michael Grove. It is available in both soft and hard-bound editions. To see more of Angelo's...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Definitive Blue Angels’ History - Volume 1
I have been remiss in not publicizing this series before, literally a labor of love by Mat Garretson. Volume One covers the years 1946 to 1955 (Volume Two is in work). It is comprehensive in scope...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Flight Deck Uniform Colors
The picture above was taken of the flight deck crew aboard Shangri-La probably in 1955. Note the colorful combinations of jerseys and "helmets". These identified the specific duties of each man,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Douglas A3D Skywarrrior and B-66 Destroyer Differences
The U.S. Navy's A3D Skywarrior and USAF B-66 Destroyer are very similar airplanes from the same manufacturer, Douglas, initially with very similar missions, medium-range bomber. They look very much...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Naval Fighters Number 113: Douglas F4D-1/F-6A Skyray by Nicholas M. Williams
This is a long needed update of Naval Fighters 13 by the same author published in 1984. "Greatly expanded" doesn't do it justice. Forget page count or number of illustrations: this soft-cover...
View ArticleClik here to view.
North American PBJ-1H Carrier Suitability Evaluation
In November 1944, the recently commissioned Shangri-La was used to conduct carrier evaluations of three aircraft, a Grumman F7F-1 Tigercat, North American a P-51 Mustang, and a North American PBJ-1H...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Barricade and Barriers Example
Every once in a while, someone posts a picture of a barricade engagement on an angle-deck carrier and refers to it as the barrier. Sometimes I comment that it is properly known as the barricade, not...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Brief History of USN Helicopter Minesweeping
I had intended to post this here but inadvertently created it in my modeling blog. See http://tailspintopics.blogspot.com/2022/12/a-brief-history-of-usn-helicopter.html One comment there so far from...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Comparing U.S. Navy Swept-Wing Fighter Service Careers
Every once in a while on the internet, with respect to U.S. Navy swept-wing fighters before the introduction of the F8U Crusader and the F4H Phantom II, I read something like "X did not have a very...
View ArticleClik here to view.
JATO vs. RATO
Every once in a while, someone wonders why rocket-assisted takeoff is called JATO (Jet Assisted Takeoff) instead. According to Captain Robert C. Truax, who was literally the Navy's rocket scientist...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Clik here to view.
Naval Fighters Number 116: Boeing F4B and Export Variants by CAPT Richard Dann
There aren't too many meticulously researched, in-depth books about U.S. Navy airplanes that served before World War II. Dana Bell's Painting the Fleet is one. Steve Ginter has published some in his...
View ArticleClik here to view.
TBD Devastator in Action by Dana Bell
An excellent monograph by an actual historian who does his research in archives (not on line or using books by authors who rely on Wikipedia), high-resolution scans on high-quality paper,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Carrier Landings - Canopy open or closed?
Navy pilots landed the early jets on carriers as they always had, with the canopy open. It facilitated rapid egress from the cockpit if they had to ditch.If the engine quit, below about 1,000 feet,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Operation Eldorado Canyon
In case you’re wondering why I reviewing a book with a USAF F-111 profile on the cover in a Naval Aviation blog: 1. I’ve spent almost three decades, with limited success, trying to establish that its...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Chance Vought F7U-3 Cutlass
Now available to order from:Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Vought-F7U-3-Cutlass-Tommy-Thomason/dp/1800352948Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vought-F7U-3-Cutlass-Tommy-Thomason/dp/1800352948
View ArticleClik here to view.
Kaman Synchropter History
Hot off the press:81 pages: A detailed and well-illustrated history (if I do say so myself) of Kaman's development of the synchropter and successful marketing of it for U.S. Navy, USMC, and USAF...
View ArticleGinter Books
Steve Ginter no longer has his own website but he is still creating and publishing books. You can contact him directly for availability and pricing (nfbooks@sbcglobal.net ) or look for them here:...
View Article