Amazon.com
Landing a fighter plane on the pitching deck of an aircraft carrier sailing at cruising speed in the ocean is considered the most difficult task in all of aviation, and this documentary from
U.S. News underlines that point by noting that only a few thousand men and women have ever qualified to do it. The elite role of naval aviators--fliers who require exceptional skills beyond those needed by land-based fliers--is explored in this video, which features profiles of specific fliers who have played important roles in the development of their rarefied craft. Incidents featured in this video include one of the earliest validations of naval aviation, the role played by British carrier-based biplanes against the massive German battleship
Bismarck, as well as the exploits of legendary Japanese Saburo Sakai. The American ace "Pappy" Boyington, of Black Sheep Squadron fame, is chronicled, as are American pilots who braved intense air defenses over Vietnam. The traditions of naval aviation, the development of strategy, and the benefits of being able to deploy air power virtually anywhere at any time are discussed through archival footage, interviews, and the reminiscences of fliers themselves. This is both an entertaining and informative look at a critical component of a modern military.
--Robert J. McNamara
