Where was the first night deck landing made?

Short answer

Aboard the aircraft carrier HMS Furious: on 6 May 1926, Air Commodore G. H. Boyce became the first pilot to make a night deck landing, bringing his Blackburn Dart down there. The flight deck was lit with floodlights for the attempt.

Published: November 5, 2026 · Updated: November 5, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

Where was the first night deck landing made?

¿Dónde se hizo el primer apontaje nocturno?

The Fleet Air Arm's standard torpedo bomber

The Dart was the standard single-seat torpedo bomber of the Fleet Air Arm between 1923 and 1933. The Dart T.2 entered service with the Fleet Air Arm during 1923. The first units to receive the type were 460 Flight, embarked on HMS Eagle and deployed in the Mediterranean, and 461 and 462 Flights of HMS Furious, based in home waters. Dart production ended in 1928, by which time 117 aircraft had been built for the Fleet Air Arm.

The night of 6 May 1926

Perhaps the most notable episode in the Dart's career occurred on 6 May 1926, when Air Commodore G. H. Boyce became the first pilot to make a night deck landing, bringing his Dart down aboard the Furious. The flight deck was lit with floodlights for the attempt, but, according to accounts, the docile Dart took to the task with ease.