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Shower thought: Is anyone working on ground-assisted takeoff of aircraft using something like an aircraft catapult? It seems like it would be fairly straightf

Shower thought: Is anyone working on ground-assisted takeoff of aircraft using something like an aircraft catapult? It seems like it would be fairly straightforward to provide the initial momentum of an aircraft and save a bit of fuel & weight. Sure, you're not gaining much just getting the aircraft up to takeoff speed, but it seems like an easy way to make commercial flights more efficient.

drexlspivey 4y ago
I think I am going to stick with the commercial flights without the catapult if this ever happens
blktiger 4y ago
The short answer is that catapult systems are expensive and require a lot of maintenance. Even many Navies don’t use catapult assisted launches for that very reason. Additionally, commercial aircraft aren’t designed for that kind of force applied to their main gear. They’d most likely have to be modified.
- 01100011 4y ago
  I wonder what sort of force you could generate with a series of electric coils in the ground? It lacks moving parts, so it should be low maintenance. You'd need magnets on the gear of the plane, offsetting the weight savings though. Yeah, you'd definitely need to reinforce the landing gear, but I think that's doable.
- chipsa 4y ago
  Naval catapults don't apply force to the main gear either. Mostly is to the nose gear now, but it used to through the use of bridles to points on the wing (and wing spar). The bridles were a pain though, so they transitioned everything to the nose gear attachment. You can tell when a carrier transitioned, because they took the bridle catchers off the bow (the little narrow ramps at the front).
pilot7378535 4y ago
Yes, for gliders: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glider_(sailplane)#Launch_and_flight https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glider_(sailplane)#Launch_and_... Also related: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground_carriage https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground_carriage
- yosito 4y ago
  Last summer, I rode in a Rubik R-26 Góbé glider, invented by the father of the man who invented the Rubik's cube. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubik_R-26_Góbé https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubik_R-26_Góbé Pretty fun experience. And if commercial airplanes ever start using this sort of launching technology, I imagine the takeoff would feel a lot smoother.
carabiner 4y ago
https://www.talyn.com/ https://www.talyn.com/

drexlspivey 4y ago

I think I am going to stick with the commercial flights without the catapult if this ever happens

blktiger 4y ago

The short answer is that catapult systems are expensive and require a lot of maintenance. Even many Navies don’t use catapult assisted launches for that very reason. Additionally, commercial aircraft aren’t designed for that kind of force applied to their main gear. They’d most likely have to be modified.

01100011 4y ago
I wonder what sort of force you could generate with a series of electric coils in the ground? It lacks moving parts, so it should be low maintenance. You'd need magnets on the gear of the plane, offsetting the weight savings though. Yeah, you'd definitely need to reinforce the landing gear, but I think that's doable.
chipsa 4y ago
Naval catapults don't apply force to the main gear either. Mostly is to the nose gear now, but it used to through the use of bridles to points on the wing (and wing spar). The bridles were a pain though, so they transitioned everything to the nose gear attachment. You can tell when a carrier transitioned, because they took the bridle catchers off the bow (the little narrow ramps at the front).

pilot7378535 4y ago

Yes, for gliders: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glider_(sailplane)#Launch_and_flight https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glider_(sailplane)#Launch_and_... Also related: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground_carriage https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground_carriage

yosito 4y ago
Last summer, I rode in a Rubik R-26 Góbé glider, invented by the father of the man who invented the Rubik's cube. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubik_R-26_Góbé https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubik_R-26_Góbé Pretty fun experience. And if commercial airplanes ever start using this sort of launching technology, I imagine the takeoff would feel a lot smoother.

carabiner 4y ago

https://www.talyn.com/ https://www.talyn.com/