Airship Aircraft Carriers

[pyro-manic]

Pandora.

[KJ_Lesnick]

pyro-manic

That's the most realistic of the two and all the other designs.

[pyro-manic]

Yep, fairly restrained. Superb game, too (Crimson Skies). Though it did feature bulletproof zeps with broadside cannons, among other things. But then that was dealt with in the most excellent style. The moment you hear the phrase "...they've got aerial torpedoes!" over the radio you go into a blind panic. Further heightened once you realise the first salvo is already on the way.

The game also featured cargo zeps, with big panniers full of wooden crates slung underneath. Almost plausible, as long as the cargo was fairly light.



And stunt-flying through Hollywood movie sets was epic, if bloody difficult. Did I mention the flying wings and .70cal machine guns?

[KJ_Lesnick]

I've done some looking into a wikipedia article... interestingly the the USN started using diagonal riders in sail-frigates back in 1794 and the USS Constitution also used that set-up as well.  The ship was repaired in 1927 -- was the construction of the ship (it's insides) made public back then and was anybody in the military outside the Navy aware of this?

[Rheged]

I must admit to a slight feeling of surprise that no one has yet brought up the late, great Gerry Anderson's CLOUDBASE  from the Captain Scarlet animation

[ericr]

Airship carriers?

well, 2 things jump to mind when thinking of that, first is the Halicarrier from the Avengers movie 

very impressive!

I have a modest contribution to the topic, for which plausibility might be only relative : is is mixup of a B24 (1/72) and the Franklin carrier (1/700)

[Mossie]

I must admit to a slight feeling of surprise that no one has yet brought up the late, great Gerry Anderson's CLOUDBASE  from the Captain Scarlet animation

I did, but under the 'aerial carriers' thread.  I think this thread was originally created to specifically discuss airships, but it's become a little muddied recentley.
http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,16547.msg270679/highlight,valiant.html#msg270679

[Rheged]

I must admit to a slight feeling of surprise that no one has yet brought up the late, great Gerry Anderson's CLOUDBASE  from the Captain Scarlet animation

I did, but under the 'aerial carriers' thread.  I think this thread was originally created to specifically discuss airships, but it's become a little muddied recentley.
http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,16547.msg270679/highlight,valiant.html#msg270679

Sorry, missed that one!   Thanks for the  link.  Isn't thread drift  wonderful.

[KJ_Lesnick]

Rheged

http://blog.modernmechanix.com/mags/qf/c/ModernMechanix/10-1934/xlg_aerial_landing_field.jpg

This was the idea I was talking about -- the runway up top.  Now again I'm not sure what it's tendency to flip would be but that's the idea

[ericr]

This was the idea I was talking about -- the runway up top.  Now again I'm not sure what it's tendency to flip would be but that's the idea

this configuration was illustrated in this other topic of the forum :

http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,36281.msg582733.html#msg582733

[KJ_Lesnick]

ericr

this configuration was illustrated in this other topic of the forum :

http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,36281.msg582733.html#msg582733
Actually there are several aircraft-carrier airships on this page.


This one appears by in large to be the most realistic in terms of it's basic layout with the exception of the hangar-bay aft due to the flight-deck being relatively small compared to the overall diameter of the blimp.  I don't think it would have been possible to have produced a solar powered airship in those days though (could be wrong though)


What I like about this design is the fact that the blimp, rather than being exceedingly plump, is flattened which maintains a more aerodynamic shape.  It also looks like it could carry quite a good number of aircraft especially if the lifting capacity is good enough and the planes had foldable wings.

What do you think?

[pyro-manic]

Technical point: the above illustrated concepts are not blimps. A blimp is basically a balloon, with only internal pressure to hold it's shape. A rigid airship is very different, with a superstructure within which the gasbags are contained. There are also semi-rigid airships, which have a structural keel, but the envelope's shape is maintained by pressure.

[KJ_Lesnick]

Technical point: the above illustrated concepts are not blimps. A blimp is basically a balloon, with only internal pressure to hold it's shape. A rigid airship is very different, with a superstructure within which the gasbags are contained.

I'm sorry -- I meant airship.

[MadJack76]

@KJ_Lesnick

I've done some looking into a wikipedia article... interestingly the the USN started using diagonal riders in sail-frigates back in 1794 and the USS Constitution also used that set-up as well.  The ship was repaired in 1927 -- was the construction of the ship (it's insides) made public back then and was anybody in the military outside the Navy aware of this?

There would be no need for this.  The basic concepts behind geodetic construction were already known by the 1920's.

It is more aerodynamic and it's also not too flat, so geodetic construction would work.

This design might still have problems with top-heaviness.

[KJ_Lesnick]

MadJack76

There would be no need for this.  The basic concepts behind geodetic construction were already known by the 1920's.

Sounds good

It is more aerodynamic and it's also not too flat, so geodetic construction would work.

That's good to know