German rigid-airship development prompted the Royal Navy to investigate an aerial scout of its own. The terminology distinguished uncertain reconnaissance reports from positive recognizance, in which observers could identify the enemy force with confidence. Better observation promised commanders more reliable information about enemy composition and movement. Reginald Bacon is a possible source of Mayfly's name because its joke resembles the humour in his writing. This is explicitly a guess, with Fisher considered a less likely candidate. Before 1914, finding the enemy and spotting the fall of shot were the principal motives behind British naval aviation.
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HMA No. 1 Mayfly and reconnaissance
The Royal Navy's 1908 Mayfly order shows that early naval aviation began as an attempt to extend reconnaissance and gunnery spotting.