Designed during WWII as a long-range fighter, the Hornet
represented an evolution of the de Havilland Mosquito and was the
fastest piston-powered fighter in Royal Air Force service. Like the
Mosquito, the Hornet had a fuselage built largely of balsa and
plywood, but boasted laminar flow wings and massive Rolls-Royce V12
engines with 12-foot diameter, four-bladed props. It could achieve
a speed of 472 mph at 22,000 feet, had a range of 3,000 miles, and
was intended to operate from bases on land and aircraft carriers.
It was normally equipped to carry two 1,000 lb. bombs, eight
rockets, and fitted with four 20mm nose-mounted cannon. Although it
first flew in 1944, the Hornet did not achieve operational status
until WWII was over. The plane's real worth was revealed during the
Malayan Emergency, when Hornet squadrons flew in the ground attack
role against Communist insurgents. During five years in combat,
Hornets achieved 4,500 operational sorties. The aircraft was
withdrawn from RAF service by mid-1956. The Sea Hornet version
served with the fleet from 1947 to 1954, and planes continued to
fly with secondary units until 1957. These pilot's notes were
standard issue for R.A.F. pilots circa 1947. They contain
information about aircraft operation, controls, handling, and
emergencies. This reproduction features all of the original text
and photos in black and white, and full color covers.
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