Published to coincide with the centennial celebration of U.S. Navy Aviation, this book chronicles Navy aviation from its earliest days before the Navy's first aircraft carrier joined the fleet, through to the modern jet era marked by the introduction of the F-18 Hornet. It tells how naval aviation got its start, profiles its pioneers, and explains the early bureaucracy that fostered and sometimes inhibited its growth. The book also explores the refinement of carrier aviation doctrine and tactics and the rapid development of aircraft and carriers, highlighting the transition from propeller-driven aircraft to swept wing jets in the period after WW II. Land-based Navy aircraft, rotary-wing aircraft and rigid airships and balloons are also considered in this sweeping tribute. About the Author Douglas V. Smith is Professor of Strategy and Policy and Head of the Strategy and Policy Division, Naval War College in Newport, RI. A 1970 graduate of the Naval Academy, he also is the author of Carrier Battles: Command Decisions in Harm's Way.