Aircraft Carriers

[McColm]

An overhead gantry part from a Lima Ho/oo freight set. You can get the crane craddle (hook) part seperate on eBay. (No, you're not having mine!!)

[Hobbes]

On a Dutch modeling forum, a gent is working on a 1:24 scale heavy truck crane, like this:







The plan is to release a kit of the crane...

[Mossie]

The Skyhook plan is becoming more and more attractive in my mind. I think a diorama with a SHAR or SHAR2 suspended in mid-air is becoming quite a good idea. Mind you, what I use to build the 'hook' bit would be a bit of a problem.........

Ah, just what I was coming to, if slightly off topic!  There was a land based version proposed, you could do a version mounted on a truck?

The Revell MAN 10 tonner (the British army took them, realtively recentley) or Faun Elefant come to mind.

BW Models have several options if you're willing to work with (and pay for) white metal.

[PR19_Kit]

That'd be a bit big Harro, I was thinking of doing it in 1/72. Most of the drawings I've seen have the 'crane' part as a Warren girder too, rather than a box section arm.

[Sauragnmon]

The only part that has me mildly confused about the theory is why do you need the hook to land a Harrier?  Vertical landing without the hook is possible, and wave action would affect the deck on a Sub less than a Carrier owing to the height difference relative to the wave action.

[rickshaw]

The only part that has me mildly confused about the theory is why do you need the hook to land a Harrier?  Vertical landing without the hook is possible, and wave action would affect the deck on a Sub less than a Carrier owing to the height difference relative to the wave action.

The hook can haul the aircraft in and place it on the deck in a smaller area than would be allowed if the aircraft came in and hovered.  The hook, also takes the guess work out of the landing, particularly in heavy seas.  Basically the aircraft comes in, hovers and "slides" sideways/forwards/backwards under the hook, which then engages with its dorsal fittings and it then turns its engine off and is hauled in and placed on the deck.

[McColm]

A bit like the TV programme the Golden Shot, had to look this up on YouTube as I'm not old enough to remember it!!

[PR19_Kit]

At the time they were thinking about the Skyhook they could 'read' the vertical component of the wave action and feed that into the hook in reverse phase so that the pilot had a static 'hook' to fly under. Then they did as described above.

I've recommended John Farley's 'A View from the HOVER' till I'm blue in the face, but if you guys don't read it.....

[Caveman]

hover*

[PR19_Kit]

hover*

OK, OK, I'm just SO tired if typing it. 

It's THE book you just have to read before you even think about writing anything about Harriers or their offspring.

[Rheged]

hover*

OK, OK, I'm just SO tired if typing it. 

It's THE book you just have to read before you even think about writing anything about Harriers or their offspring.

Agreed wholeheartedly!  It is utterly fascinating...............but I'm a cheapskate and  borrowed it from the local library, cos I can't afford to  buy every  book I'd like in my library.

[KJ_Lesnick]

PR19_Kit

Why does that submersible carrier require a hook -- couldn't you just land and takeoff vertical

[PR19_Kit]

KJL,

If you're talking about what I think you're talking about, that is the piccies of the BIG submarine carrier with a couple of SHARs operating from an enclosed deck aft of the island, they are landing vertically. BUT the 'hook' they are using is the Skyhook crane that's operating from the port-aft corner of the island.

The idea of the Skyhook system was that it removed much of the workload in landing aboard ship, and maybe take-off too, from the pilot. Instead the 'hook' bit compensated for the roll, pitch, heave and yaw of the flight deck to which it was fixed enabling the pilot to fly his aircraft, in almost VSTOL mode, into a particular spot in his own airspace and from there on the Skyhook takes over and lowers the aircraft to the deck.

If that's not what you're talking about, my apologies, but can you give me the reference posting please?

[Gondor]

At the time they were thinking about the Skyhook they could 'read' the vertical component of the wave action and feed that into the hook in reverse phase so that the pilot had a static 'hook' to fly under. Then they did as described above.

I've recommended John Farley's 'A View from the HOVER' till I'm blue in the face, but if you guys don't read it.....

I will put that book on my "To Buy" list although the discussion about the Sky Hook, for me at least, relies on other material I have read or seen. For once being "older" and remembering "Berney The Bolt" is an advantage.   

Gondor

[McColm]

Whilst browsing through Argos I came across Chad Valley toys. They call it a battle ship, what you really get is a 28 inch long aircraft carrier. It looks to me as if it is in 1/144 scale judging by the toy helicopters and aircraft you get with it. I know it's just a toy, but if could be turned into a Whiff with clever painting and aftermarket kits!!