Already mentioned, but the B25 Mitchells were a famous early use of non-carrier aircraft 👍


Then there are just about every helicopter pressed into carrier ops through until the late 50s, and many beyond that. No ‘carrier’ design needed!

All the early P1127 and Harrier carrier landings were non-carrier design, which proves the concept ‘better to stop then land than to land, then stop’ 🤔😇

There is an apocryphal tale of a Neptune on patrol, spots a US carrier and decides to fly a circuit to it.

On final, pilots see a bulldozer pushing a jet off the deck to allow the Neptune, obviously in a dire emergency, to land.

Power up, gear up, get the heck out of Dodge...

Eric 'Winkle' Brown made the first pure jet carrier arrest in a SEA Vampire with a hook - designed for such evolutions. The C-130 was 'specially modified to make the unarrested deck landings with painted on the stbd side under cockpit window so FLYCO could see it: LOOK MA NO HOOK.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....76d0ef47f3.gif

Yes, they had sandbags in the tail to allow full braking on landing - I think these were the first monoplane fighters landed on a carrier without a hook.
Also Gladiators came aboard
Shortly after Glorious was sunk by Scharnhorst and Gneisenau - sinking and lack of rescue for many survivors was a SNAFU

From Jan 1940 to the Aug 1942, some 670 Hurricanes and Spitfires flew off carriers in the Mediterranean en-route to Malta.
There were also some trials carried out after WW2 regarding the operation of small gliders on carriers but these were tethered.

There was at least one Spitfire flown off a carrier bound for Malta who found his drop tank wouldn't feed, landed back on successfully.Yes.


https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....16c09b7da7.jpg

Link here to a float equiped Swordfish landing on a carrier deck:

https://navywings.org.uk/portfolio/f...-on-a-carrier/

Yes and his boss hadn't expected to see him again, so was surprised when he returned.

Don't forget the not so mighty Jag, though it was envisaged to use it as a carrier borne aircraft.

Does the Sea Vampire minus the U/C count?

https://www.reddit.com/r/aviation/co...ds_without_an/

https://www.raf.mod.uk/sites/raf-bet...5-0181-064.jpg

GIF: https://www.history.navy.mil/researc...1940/1949.html

de Havilland F.20 Sea Vampire Flexible Rubber Deck Arrest Test

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....c10e8b76e7.gif

A P-47 Thunderbolt is pushed into position for take-off from the USS Manila Bay, Saipan, Marianas Islands, June 23, 1944 : WWIIplanes (reddit.com)

Photos of them on the flight deck.

On 23 June, Manila Bay came under enemy air attack during refueling operations east of Saipan. Four Aichi D3A Val dive bombers attacked her from dead ahead, dropping their bombs which exploded wide to port. As a precautionary and rather unusual move which Raymond A. Spruance later characterized as "commendable initiative", Manila Bay launched four of the P-47 thunderbolts she was ferrying to fly protective CAP until radar screens were clear of contacts. The Army fighters then flew to Saipan, their intended destination.

I seem to recall seeing footage of a Walrus or Sea Otter with wheels operating from a deck.

https://www.faaaa.asn.au/wp-content/...-SEPT-2017.pdf ". A Sea Otter landing on the flight deck of HMAS Sydney in the Jervis Bay Area early 1950"
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....666a72bcd1.jpg

Reminds me, the USN did fly Neptunes from carriers

https://www.scramble.nl/military-new...clear-neptunes


https://fireaviation.com/wp-content/...aunch_1949.jpg

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....c885c6795d.jpg

The tower at Soest gave landing instructions to a passing Lightning who obliged by doing a wheels down approach to the 800m grass strip.
Then poured on the power and disappeared into the wide blue yonder. Circa 1975.

I remember a nice story in a book by a Beaver pilot.
Flying the local General back from Ethiopia to Aden a carrier appeared below.
The General apparently knew the Admiral and invited himself on board for tea.
Unfortunately our author forgot to tell ATC resulting in panic over a missing Beaver.

The concrete foundation for the rubber landing deck is still in situ at Farnborough right outside the control tower and next to the DME installation..

Reckon that was Think Like a Bird by Alex Kimball.

Absolutely wonderful book. :-)