Carrier Ops.

[Just a Plane Dude]

This could be a fun show/challenge. It's 1944. you're returning from a strafing run in your corsair and you're low on fuel. The carrier is is about 10 miles ahead but you may not have enough fuel if you don't catch the arresting cable on the first try. Can you keep from going into the drink?
Make an 'aircraft carrier" out of two sheets of plywood to create a 16 x 4 foot deck elevated about two feet off of the ground. Stretch rubber bands across the back of it for arresting cables. Try landing on it with mighty mini corsairs modified with landing gear and an arresting hook. For even more excitement try it FPV
Also you had to get into the air somehow. Create a catapult system in the front of the "carrier" to launch your corsairs from the deck.

Just a Plane Dude

 

[FoamyDM]

I have in my head, plans for a Vought OS2U Kingfisher. Located on the back of the USS North Carolina (BB-55) is a catapult with one as with many other WWII battleships. So building a Kingfisher, means I will need to build a catapult and a scale battleship (of Course) at 1:40th it would be 18.2'x3' (783x108) with the plane being a 10.5" wing plane.

anyway all that to tell you Heck Yes that's a great idea!

 

[Ray K]

Just a side note, guys. Carriers in WWII didn't have catapults that I know of. Those came with the jets.

 

[Just a Plane Dude]

Ray,

I just watched a training film on YouTube about catapult ops on carriers. The aircraft used were wildcats. Apparently they were used on the smaller, newer carriers to a greater degree than the larger and older carriers. The system used was hydraulic vs the later steam versions still in use today. I am by far not a naval historian. This only what I have been able to quickly gather up to shed some light on your question.

Thanks, I learned something new.

Just a Plane Dude

 

[Ray K]

From what I've read and been told, you're right. There were some experiments toward the end of the war, and it would have been on the lesser used carriers. The main fleet was still heavily engaged in the war. The jet engine was actually invented and run before the war, so at least the brass knew it was the future. History is fun.

BTW, if memory serves, we took the idea for the steam cats from the Brits. That's an old memory, though, and may be incorrect.

 

[Tench745]

For those who haven't seen it, Rapid Nation did some carrier fun a few years ago:
Takeoffs:

Landings, 2 years later:

 

[Just a Plane Dude]

Foamy, a kingfisher is a cool idea. sounds like a big project.

Ray, you are spot on. According to wikipedia, the idea of using steam powered catapults was developed by the Brits. Trials were conducted from the HMS Perseus in 1950.

Tench745, That carrier is a whole lot more than what I had in mind. It looks great. However, they cheated by using VTOL aircraft to land on the carrier. I'm talking about being real pilots and catching arresting cables or... really rubber bands or string. Thanks for the videos.

Just a Plane Dude.

 

[Tench745]

It looks great. However, they cheated by using VTOL aircraft to land on the carrier. I'm talking about being real pilots and catching arresting cables or... really rubber bands or string.

Yeah, they copped out a bit there. I want to see some real RC carrier takeoff and landing competitions too. I know they do Carrier (landing) competitions in Control Line competitions, but RC would be cooler.

 

[Ray K]

I once escorted a battle damaged F-4 back to his carrier in the Gulf of Tonkin and flew with him down to about 500 ft. AGL. He made it okay, but I was truly glad it was him landing on that postage stamp in the water and not me. Hats off to the Navy and Marine pilots who conduct carrier ops.

 

[Crazy Goats]

This would be fun to try! Maybe you could do a rocket assisted takeoff instead of using a catapult.

 

[Just a Plane Dude]

Crazy Goats, Tench745, It would be a lot of fun. I think it would be fun to see how FT would put it together. I believe they could make a fun episode/competition out of it..
There is a very interesting interview with Bobby Younkin on YouTube. In it he states that RC flying directly translates to full size and credits RC flying for improving his aerobatic skills. Taking a little from Ray K, I think it would give us some appreciation for what the Navy and Marine pilots go through landing their planes on "postage stamps". Carrier landings are the ultimate spot landing challenge.
Ray K, Please continue with your story. Give us the details. I would take it that you were in the Air Force. Yes? Were you driving an F4 as well?. How damaged was the Navy F4? The Mic is yours.

Just a Plane Dude

 

[Ray K]

There's not much more to tell, really. We were coming off target, headed back to Takhli in an F-111. The AWACS watching the target put out a call that an F-4 had taken ground fire and lost primary hydraulics. I had plenty of fuel, so advised the AWACS we were available. They vectored us to the F-4 and I took up a standard tight formation. The 111 was not really that good a fighter, being so big, but didn't worry about MiGs too much because of the AWACS. I followed the 4 out to his carrier and he initiated landing procedures. I flew with him down to around 500 feet, then watched him land. When I saw he was down okay, I set out for home base. On my own, again I didn't worry about MiGs since I could outrun anything they put in the air. The most interesting part of the story was watching the 4 put his wounded bird on that carrier. To an Air Force pilot used to 12,000 foot runways, that was amazing!

 

[PsyBorg]

hehe try standing on the deck as they do where you can really see the skills as the carrier pitches and rolls with the waves. It isn't much movement but enough to mean if that pilot doesn't hit and time a perfect glide slope he could over shoot and have to wave off or worse yet face plant into the fantail. That's not big brass that is flat out stainless steel clackers to do things like that. Then top it off with night ops or in stormy weather. Carrier pilots are truly some of the best in the world.

 

[Ketchup]

You don’t even need a real carrier, just put painted sheets of foam board on the ground for the deck, then, for the stopping force, use ropes tied to sandbags that stretch across the “deck” so the plane catches it and the sandbags stop the plane. The only issue is takeoff but with a 10 foot runway, a mini can take off (they have SERIOUS power)

 

[Ketchup]

Like this but without the rings holding the lines at the edges

 

[Ray K]

hehe try standing on the deck as they do where you can really see the skills as the carrier pitches and rolls with the waves. It isn't much movement but enough to mean if that pilot doesn't hit and time a perfect glide slope he could over shoot and have to wave off or worse yet face plant into the fantail. That's not big brass that is flat out stainless steel clackers to do things like that. Then top it off with night ops or in stormy weather. Carrier pilots are truly some of the best in the world.

Not me, brother. I was good, but not THAT good!!!

 

[Just a Plane Dude]

Thanks Ray K, I was not in the military so I have to learn through other's stories. Thanks for putting your life on the line for all of us. You too PsyBorg.

Ketchup, That would be it, only with RC.

Guys, I made a slight mistake when I wrote about Bobby Younkin. I really meant to say the interview was with Matt Younkin, Bobby's Son. It's an interesting story. Here is the video:

Just a Plane Dude

 

[FoamyDM]

CATAPULTS:
Attached please see the USS North Carolina photos my comment was in regards to.


It's different then you think. This was off the back end of a Battleship. While this plane is a slow and soft flyer, the battleship doesn't have room for any type of take off. Solution: A powder actuated catapult was how you got from 0 to 70 mph in 68 ft.

I have the plane designed... I will start a thread in a jiffy.

 

[sprzout]

On that note, there will be a show coming out either late this year or early next year on Science and Discovery Wings, I think it is? It talks about the USS Midway, and how it was the first carrier to allow both simultaneous takeoffs and landings with a split runway and catapult.

I bring this up because several guys in my club were involved with the filming of a simulation for a carrier on the runway. We're choosing to leave names out of it because, if you watch it, it's not exactly the safest for the runway; we have planes taking off that were headed towards the pilot's box and pit areas, but that was a representation of how the carriers were laid out for takeoff/landing, so...we'd prefer to be known as a safer club than that.