Almost fifty years ago, for a humorous steampunk project, I invented a means for launching gliders from dirigible balloons using catapults. I should have realized that someone would have come up with it earlier, and it would be the British military engineers. Whereas I launched my gliders with a giant rubber band, like a Brobdignagian child's slingshot, the Royal Navy launched their seaplanes from ships using explosive charges! I don't know how many times the narrator had to go through his speech to be able to say it without either breaking out into laughter or giving up in disgust.
I write this not to denigrate British military engineering, but their devices have an air of impromptu devising from old bits and bobs that make lesser mortals go "What made you think of that? And how did you make it work?" and retire, whimpering, to our beds.
Here's a film detailing the launching and recovery of one of these plane from a catapult launch, full of technical language and many people involved in getting the launch ready, and detailing the recovery of a plane. It does not detail everyone getting drunk, which they must have, either before attempting this operation, or afterwards.
Still, it doesn't begin to approach the way jets land on American aircraft carriers. They have to decelerate from hypersonic speeds to nothing, and aim the plane so it catches a wire, which brings it to a halt. If the wire break, or they miss, the plane goes into the water, and everyone on board drowns.
I write this not to denigrate British military engineering, but their devices have an air of impromptu devising from old bits and bobs that make lesser mortals go "What made you think of that? And how did you make it work?" and retire, whimpering, to our beds.
Here's a film detailing the launching and recovery of one of these plane from a catapult launch, full of technical language and many people involved in getting the launch ready, and detailing the recovery of a plane. It does not detail everyone getting drunk, which they must have, either before attempting this operation, or afterwards.
Still, it doesn't begin to approach the way jets land on American aircraft carriers. They have to decelerate from hypersonic speeds to nothing, and aim the plane so it catches a wire, which brings it to a halt. If the wire break, or they miss, the plane goes into the water, and everyone on board drowns.
