Finding the carrier in WW2.

[Nark]

Splitting off from another thread.
Something I’ve often thought about. There was no way thousands of pilots knew where the hell they were in order to get back to the boat. Let alone land on the right boat (it happens often enough they landed on the wrong boat…:) )

[digits]

It needed to have a range of 275 miles? How bad were those navigators?

[mcrit]

Nifty

[Slick Goodlin]

Well that’s just neat. I always wondered why the sea wasn’t full of carrier planes that couldn’t find the boat.

I’m sure Naval aviation predates radio navigation though. How did they find the carrier before that?

[Colonel]

I guess just head in the general direction, and if the Wx is good, climb up.

From 20,000 feet you could probably see a carrier group - and it's wake, pointing like a giant arrow at it - a loooong way away!

Finding a carrier in 2 miles vis under a 500 foot ceiling would be hard, but I don't think they launched in that wx?

Kids today with their enormous glass panels and sophisticated autopilots in their 172''s don't believe me, but my Dad flew all over Europe, North Africa and North America in a T-33 with only an ADF for radio nav. The kids don't even know what an ADF is. Only icing equipment the T-33 had was a heated pitot, but that didn't matter. Keep the speed up over 300 knots in the descent and the ice doesn't accumulate. Adiabatic compression is your friend.

I know, I know, Not Good Canadians™. Got that.