One Hundred Years of British Naval Aviation

Nighthawk Publishing, November 2008, ISBN 1-84280-118-X

The British Government has selected 2009 as the Official Centenary of the Fleet Air Arm. This is an arbitrary date that can be justified on the basis that the Naval Estimates for 1909 included funds for the construction of the ill-fated HM Airship No 1 “Mayfly”.

The real story of British naval aviation starts with papers written by the colourful Admiral Cochrane while still a Napoleonic War frigate captain. Later, RN observers during the American Civil War experienced balloon flight. By the close of the Nineteenth Century naval gunnery officers were regularly using Army balloons as observation platforms, spotting for naval guns landed in South Africa.

From 1903 to 1908, the Admiralty held extensive trials of the Cody man-carrying kite, using a range of craft, from whalers to battleships, to tow the volunteers aloft.

By 1909, British sailors already had a background of one hundred years of considering and experimenting with aerial vehicles.

From 1908, a battle for control of British naval aviation assets began and continues to the present day. Initially, control was passed to the Army, to be regained by the RN in 1914, then lost to the RAF, before once more being regained in 1938.

2009 could have marked not only the centenary of the funding commitment to “Mayfly”, but also the start of the process of transferring Royal Navy personnel and assets to a French-led European Navy. The economic crisis of 2008 now makes the grand European plans for a Federal super power look significantly less likely.

“One Hundred Years of British Naval Aviation” includes related elements of American naval history and the book is illustrated with more than 200 images, some of which appear in public for the first time.

This new electronic book is available as a set of .PDF files delivered by email.

First deliveries start on 5th December 2008.

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