P-51 question.

JStONGE123 wrote:

Why was the P-51 not used on aircraft carriers during WWII? Beside the obvious
no tail hook.....ect.

From "Duels in the Sky," by Eric Brown:

"Landing the Mustang required concentration, for at an approach speed of 105 mph
the view was bad, and high-rebound-ratio landing gear made a three-point landing
tricky. This state of affairs was exacerbated by the aircraft's lack of
directional stability on the landing run. The U.S. Navy abandoned the Mustang's
deck-landing trials on an aircraft carrier for this reason."

BTW, all USAAF fighters were fitted with catapult spools for at least a while in
the late war years, to allow them to be delivered to bases by flying them off
escort carriers, instead of having to crane them off.

Guy