In article ,
Rob van Riel writes:
On Wed, 16 Feb 2005 23:12:05 +1030, Dave Kearton wrote:
I have a picture of a Neptune on the Coral Sea but it doesn't show markings

Ulp! I think I'm going to have to expand my display cabinet. The Herc,
Neptune and U-2 aren't exactly small aircraft. And here I was thinking the
A-3 was going to be the biggest of the bunch..

The Neptunes were P2V-3s from VC-5. They were an expedient way of the
Navy having the ability to deploy early Atomic Bombs (Mk I and Mk III)
from Carriers. (Thus simultaneously deterring the Soviets and the
Dreaded USAF) They wre replaced with the somewhat more
Carrier-compatible AJ Savage. According to Holly Hills, (Is he still
around? I hope so! If not, Clear Skies!) a VC-5 pilot at the time,
they also had hooks, and had successfully done a lot of FLCPs. They
wnated to try landing then on a Midway Class ship, but they couldn't
find a Ship's Captain who'd agree to it.

(Holly is/was Real Aviation History. After qualifying as a Naval
Aviator adn flying F2A Buffaloes, he joined the RCAF and flew Mustang
Is. He's credited with the first Mustang kill - an FW 190 over
Dieppe. He retirned to teh Navy, and did a whole pile of pioneering
stuff.)


At the same time that teh Navy was running Carrier Trials on the P-51,
late 1944, early 1945, they were also conducting trials on a
hook-equipped PBJ (B-25) Don't forget that one.

And oh, yah - it didn't quite make it on deck, but one proposal for a
high-volume COD airplane in the late '50s (According to a detailed
article in a mid '56 "Aviation Week") was a hook-equipped, folding wing
flavor of the C-123. I don't know if it folded up enough to be struck
below decks, but it's an interesting idea.
(Which sort of puts the kibosh on the contention that nobory thought
that Carriers couldn't be resupplied with stuff at sea.)

--
Pete Stickney

Without data, all you have are opinions