Aviator's Recognition Manual; Field Manual No. 1-402

Washington DC: Department of the Army, Headquarters, 1984. Presumed First Edition, First printing thus. This Manual Supersedes FM 1-88, 7 July 1980. Wraps. Various paginations (approximately 400 pages). Illustrations. Appendixes on training information, a conversion chart, and tactical vehicle identification gaming device. Glossary. References. Index. When issues the distribution was restricted for official Government use only. Given the passage of time and the introduction of information into the public domain, this restriction is understood to no longer apply. Book has small creases to a few text pages. Cover is somewhat worn and soiled. The purpose of this manual is to familiarize aircrews with modern combat equipment, provide a reference for aircrew field use, and provide a guide for commanders conducting unit training in equipment recognition. The equipment shown in this manual is grouped by type: rotary-wing aircraft, fixed-wing aircraft, antiaircraft guns, surface-to-air missiles, armor, artillery, light armored vehicles, and miscellaneous equipment. This manual provides information on current operational combat vehicle, guns, and aircraft of the United States, allied western powers, and threat countries which reasonable can be expected to be observed from the air during hostilities. Included in this manual are the best photographs available at writing time. The tactical vehicle identification gaming device depicted in Appendix C can be used as an instructional tool for increasing knowledge of combat equipment and for proficiency testing. The device also may be effectively used in class instruction or for self-testing. Aircraft recognition is a visual skill taught to military personnel and civilian auxiliaries since the introduction of military aircraft in World War I. It is important for air defense and military intelligence gathering. Aircraft recognition generally depends on learning the external appearance of the aircraft, both friendly and hostile, most likely to be encountered. Techniques used to teach this information have included scale models, printed silhouette charts, slide projectors, computer aided instruction and even specially-printed playing cards. In the United Kingdom, The Royal Observer Corps (ROC) was formed as a defence warning organization with civilians trained in aircraft recognition and operated primarily as such between 1925 and 1957. Aircraft recognition was first developed between the First and Second World wars when aerial warfare was first recognized as a future threat, after 208 Zeppelin and 435 aircraft raids over London during the First World War. In 1917 Germany had started using fixed-wing bombers, and the number of airship raids diminished rapidly. To answer this new threat, Major General Edward Bailey Ashmore, a First World War pilot who had later been in command of an artillery division in Belgium, was appointed to devise improved systems of detection, communication and control. The Metropolitan Observation Service was created, covering the London area, known as the London Air Defence Area, and was soon extended to the coasts of Kent and Essex. This led to the establishment of the Observer Corps in 1925. In September 1942 the government recognized the usefulness and effectiveness of the systems developed by volunteer observers and first published Aircraft Recognition The Inter-services Recognition Journal. With official recognition by HQ Royal Observer Corps and the Air Ministry that accurate recognition of aircraft was achievable, the systems developed by the volunteers were adopted as official training. In the US during World War II, civilians were enlisted into a Ground Observer Corps to support air defense operations, receiving training in aircraft identification. The US military continues to use "WEFT" as a mnemonic for the major features of an aircraft: Wings or rotors to provide lift, Engines to provide power, a Fuselage to carry the payload and pilot, and a Tail assembly which controls the direction of flight. These elements differ in shape, size, number, and position. The differences distinguish one aircraft type from another. The individual components can be taught as separate recognition and identification features, but it is the composite of these features that must be learned to recognize and identify an aircraft. Condition: Good.

Keywords: Rotary-Wing Aircraft, Army Aviation, Light Armored Vehicles, Military Manual. Recognition Guide, Reference Works, Aircraft Identification

[Book #78997]

Price: $50.00