Religion and Ethics Forum

General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Nearly Sane on October 11, 2023, 10:22:37 AM

Title: World War Two experimental catapult unearthed by archaeologists
Post by: Nearly Sane on October 11, 2023, 10:22:37 AM: 'I told you it wasn't going to work'

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-67052782
Title: Re: World War Two experimental catapult unearthed by archaeologists
Post by: SqueakyVoice on October 11, 2023, 07:29:41 PM: Don't the Navy aircraft's use the same theory? To reduce the length of their airstrips and increase the speed of the aircraft?
Title: Re: World War Two experimental catapult unearthed by archaeologists
Post by: jeremyp on October 12, 2023, 08:29:44 AM: Quote from: SqueakyVoice on October 11, 2023, 07:29:41 PM
Don't the Navy aircraft's use the same theory? To reduce the length of their airstrips and increase the speed of the aircraft?
Famously, not our Navy, although we could retrofit catapults to our aircraft carriers.

Anyway, yes, but the aircraft have to be designed to stand the stresses of catapult launch. And there were no catapults on WW2 aircraft carriers.
Title: Re: World War Two experimental catapult unearthed by archaeologists
Post by: SqueakyVoice on October 12, 2023, 01:07:28 PM: Quote from: jeremyp on October 12, 2023, 08:29:44 AM
Famously, not our Navy, although we could retrofit catapults to our aircraft carriers.

Anyway, yes, but the aircraft have to be designed to stand the stresses of catapult launch. And there were no catapults on WW2 aircraft carriers.
Strangely enough that reminded me that in the Falkland war, the navy used Harrier Jump jets, could be for the same reasons.
Title: Re: World War Two experimental catapult unearthed by archaeologists
Post by: jeremyp on October 12, 2023, 04:25:52 PM: Quote from: SqueakyVoice on October 12, 2023, 01:07:28 PM
Strangely enough that reminded me that in the Falkland war, the navy used Harrier Jump jets, could be for the same reasons.

The last carrier we had with a catapult was HMS Ark Royal (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Ark_Royal_(R09)), decommissioned three years before the Falklands War. You are 100% right. That's exactly the reason we only used Harriers in the war.