When a long serving trainer becomes one of the most potent warplanes of its size. The Cessna T-37 is only just leaving USAF service while its more warlike sibling enjoys continued usage in Latin America, as a Warbird having first made its name in Vietnam.

This is the story of British naval flying from aircraft carriers, from its conception in World War One to the present day. It includes the types of aircraft and the men who flew them, the carriers and the evolution of their designs, the theatres of war in which they served and their notable achievements and tragedies. It traces navy flying from the early days of the biplane, through the rapid developments during World War Two to the post-war introduction of jet-powered flight. The British inventions of the angled flight deck and later vertical landing jets revolutionised sea warfare and allowed the carrier to play a vital part in many recent land wars when naval aircraft flew in support of Allied land forces. Although the British carriers have always been smaller than their American counterparts, the Royal Navy and its aircraft have always been in the van of the development of ships and aircraft. This is the proud history of British Naval flying and ships such as HMS Eagle, HMS Hermes, HMS Glorious, HMS Ark Royal and many more.

The English Electric Lightning was the only British built fighter capable of Mach 2 to enter RAF service. Although frustrated by British officialdom the Lightning did serve with the RSAF and Kuwait. The only flying examples are now at Thunder City in South Africa.

The Avro Vulcan, backbone of the RAF strike force during the Cold War. This book is not only for the historian it also includes much useful to the modeller. Part 2 will include individual aircraft histories while Part 3 will be the Vulcan scrapbook.