BLUEBIRD: Vought's VE-7 Was The US Navy's First Carrier Fighter

Описание: An extra video this week. The next instalments in the series on Cold War Navy jet fighters are coming soon. I therefore thought it might be interesting to go back to where US carrier aviation began, with the pioneering Vought VE-7.

The VE-7 was the first aircraft to deploy on a US carrier and the first to take off from one. It was also Vought's first aircraft under his own name, marking the start of a long and fruitful partnership with the US Navy. Before I started getting deeply into early carrier aviation it was not an aircraft I'd encountered, so I hope it fills in a gap for others too.

Normal (jet) service will resume on Friday!

This wasn't the easiest subject to research, main sources:
United States Navy Aircraft Since 1911 by Swanborough and Bowers offers a good primer in the VE-7
The Corsair And Other Aeroplanes Vought 1917-1977 was useful for context on the early years of the firm