During Ark Royal's exercise off the United States east coast, an American air-defence pilot intercepted a Fairey Gannet. The Gannet's contra-rotating propellers and smoky appearance made the British carrier aircraft look strikingly unfamiliar. The observer then found its pilot apparently relaxed with a pipe and a book, turning a routine identification sortie into a vivid aircraft-recognition story. The account is anecdotal, but it gives viewers a memorable visual introduction to one component of Ark Royal's air group before the Belize case.
Notable Point · 1:17:43-1:18:59
A Fairey Gannet confused American air defence
A Fairey Gannet looked so unfamiliar to an American interceptor that a routine identification sortie became a memorable aircraft-recognition story.