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What is an aircraft carrier?

  • They are called many things - cities at sea, floating islands, floating airfields. That's because they carry up to 5,000 people and up to 90 aircraft!
  • The largest U.S. aircraft carrier is three football fields long. 
  • They are important because they bring our military and aircraft closer to where they may be needed. 

Explore aircraft carriers past and present through the activities below. 

Learn More About 

Naval Aviation

Carriers Past

 

Watch this video about the history of aircraft carriers and then talk with your family about the following questions:

  • What important role did aircraft carriers play during wartime?
  • What differences did you notice between the first ship aircraft flew onto compared to the ones built later?
  • An old photograph of a biplane taking off a boat.
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    The first airplane takeoff from a warship happened on November 14, 1910 at Hampton Roads, Virginia. Eugene Ely was the pilot.

  • Khaki and orange colored biplane craft suspended in air against a black background.
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    Eugene Ely flew in a biplane made mostly of wood and fabric, called the Curtiss D-III Headless Pusher.

    He wasn't able to land back on the warship because of damage to his plane.

  • A ramp over water with a biplane approaching it.
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    Eugene Ely successfully landed his Curtiss Model D biplane on the USS Pennsylvania in San Francisco on January 18, 1911. Naval aviation was born!

  • An old photograph of a long oval boat on the water.
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    USS Langley became the first American aircraft carrier in 1922 The Navy used a coal carrier and changed it so aircraft could land and take off from its platform.

  • Several individuals lean over a railing watching an airplane land.
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    Lt. Cmdr. Godfrey Chevalier makes the first landing on the Langley on October 26, 1922, in an Aeromarine 39-B.

  • A model of an aircraft carrier inside clear case.
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    This model of the USS Langley shows what it looked like in 1927.

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  • An old photograph of a biplane taking off a boat.
  • Khaki and orange colored biplane craft suspended in air against a black background.
  • A ramp over water with a biplane approaching it.
  • An old photograph of a long oval boat on the water.
  • Several individuals lean over a railing watching an airplane land.
  • A model of an aircraft carrier inside clear case.

Carriers Present

 

Ever wonder what life is like on a "floating city"?

Follow the STEM in 30 crew along as they spend time on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, a nuclear powered aircraft carrier.

Talk about it!

  • What jobs did you see in this video?
  • During the tour of different spaces of the aircraft carrier, did you notice anything that resembled places you can find in your neighborhood?
 The Flight Deck: Chaotic or Coordinated?

Watch and listen as Curator of Modern Military Aircraft at NASM, Mike Hankins, describes what's happening during this timelapse video of a snapshot of the flight deck in action.

Talk about it!

  • Was there anything that surprised you about the flight deck?
  • How many different sizes of planes did you see on the flight deck?

An aircraft carrier is like a floating city, with about 3000 to 5000 people living and working to keep it running. So who are the people in the aircraft carrier community?

Do you know what a Landing Signal Officer does on an aircraft carrier? They play a vital role in landing airplanes on an aircraft carrier. Learn about their job in this video produced by STEM in 30.

Commander Ray Stromberger talks about the path that led him to becoming the navigator aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.

See a 360 degree view from inside the cockpit of an F-18 Hornet as the pilot catapults and traps on the deck of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Talk about it! If you worked on an aircraft carrier, what job would you be interested in doing?

Try This At Home

 

Which paper airplane design allows you to land on an aircraft carrier?

Can you get your plane to land on the aircraft carrier? Or will your plane fall into the ocean? Give it a try!

Gather the materials you'll need:

  • paper
  • a pretend aircraft carrier - this could be an ironing board or you could mark something out on the floor with tape. 

Follow the instructions on the video.

Try landing a paper airplane at home with some tips from our Explainers. It's not as easy as it looks!

Here are instructions on how to fold a paper airplane called the Dart. 

Think about it!

  • What changes did you make so your airplane would land on your aircraft carrier?
  • Did you make changes to the design of the airplane or did you change the way you threw it?
Celebrating the Past and Looking Towards the Future

Watch this video to learn more about the aircraft carrier, USS Enterprise, and the model that will be featured in one of our new galleries at the museum.

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