British Naval Aviation in WWI – RNAS
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The potential of military aviation had been recognized from the days of early experiments with kites and balloons which allowed observers to see beyond the horizon, detecting enemy positions and spotting the accuracy of gunfire.
Once the Wright brothers demonstrated that powered heavier-than-air flight was a reality, progress advanced at an astonishing rate leading to a spotter planes, then fighters and bombers which operated from land and sea.
In Britain the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was constituted by Royal Warrant on 13 April 1912. It consisted of two wings: the Military Wing making up the Army element and a separate Naval Wing. These eventually became two separate organizations the RNAS (later the Fleet Air Arm) and the RAF.
Both organizations had an impact on the Firth of Forth from the early 20th century.
Here is a short introduction to the evolution of Naval Aviation from its genesis to the end of WWI
Naval Aviation 1 – A Brief History
Naval Aviation 2 – Aviation Pioneers
Naval Aviation 3 – The Birth of British Naval Aviation
Naval Aviation 4 – East Coast Air Stations – Naval Aviation comes to North Queensferry
Naval Aviation 5 – 1914, Formation of the Royal Naval Air Service
Naval Aviation 6 – 28 July 1914 – World War I
Naval Aviation 7 – Royal Naval Air Service in WWI
Naval Aviation 8 – RNAS in the Dardanelles
Naval Aviation 9 – Aircraft Carriers