Today In History:  18 October  [1940]   --  First flight of the Airspeed Fleet Shadower

The Airspeed AS.39 Fleet Shadower was a British long-range carrier-based maritime reconnaissance and patrol aircraft design that did not go beyond the prototype stage.
A similar aircraft, the General Aircraft Fleet Shadower, was also built to the extent of prototypes. While the concept of a fleet shadower had some promise, the resulting designs were soon overtaken by wartime developments in airborne radar.

PHOTO:  Fleet Shadower Prototype

See the Historical Aviation Film Unit website at http://www.aviationfilm.com to get a new history tidbit every day.


Photo Attribution:  Public Domain via Wikimedia.