Before the advent of radar and other electronic devices aboard warships, the jobs of seeking out the enemy and spotting naval gunfire fell to the floatplane scouts. These small 1- and 2-seat catapult-launched aircraft served aboard US Navy ships as the eyes of the fleet until mid-1949. Most battleships carried up to 4 floatplanes; cruisers with aircraft hangars could accommodate as many as 8 aircraft; destroyers, when applicable, were limited to only 1 floatplane. Curtiss-Wright was the designer of 3 of the 4 types of scout planes that served aboard US warships in WWII, a tribute to the American aviation pioneer and father of the US floatplane, Glenn Curtiss. Chance-Vought and the Naval Aircraft Factory also produced floatplanes that served the US Navy in WWII. All get detailed coverage in this volume.

By Al Adcock