If an aircraft carrier is traveling backwards at typical airplane take off speed

[Red Squirrel]

And a plane tries to take off from it, will it take off?

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Hell no. The plane will be airborne briefly once it clears the deck and will smack the ocean very shortly afterward.

 

[William Gaatjes]

No, the wind will be coming from behind the airplane. The way a wing is designed is to reduce airpressure above the wing and keep the same or more airpressure below the wing. And the airflow must come from a source in front of the wing. This will cause "lift".

 

[Crono]

I smell a thinly veiled treadmill question.

 

[Ken g6]

What kind of plane?

 

[sdifox]

And a plane tries to take off from it, will it take off?

Of course it will take off, that is what the slingshot is for. Carriers don't reversebat any sort of significant speed. Plus it has more to do with wind. They tend to do headwind for takeoffs.

 

[sandorski]

Only if the plane takes off in the direction the carrier is traveling.

 

[William Gaatjes]

Of course it will take off, that is what the slingshot is for. Carriers don't reversebat any sort of significant speed. Plus it has more to do with wind. They tend to do headwind for takeoffs.

The slingshot increases the forward movement of the airplane, increasing the lift effect from the wing.

 

[pete6032]

It might take off if you used some kind of pulley system. Maybe Zeze can provide some insight.

 

[Darwin333]

Of course it will take off, that is what the slingshot is for. Carriers don't reversebat any sort of significant speed. Plus it has more to do with wind. They tend to do headwind for takeoffs.

It's a hypothetical, if the carrier was going in reverse at the airplanes takeoff speed. Another way to ask the question was if there was a storm and the wind was moving over the deck towards the rear of the plane would it take off. The answer is no, if the carrier turned around they wouldn't need a catapult to launch the planes, they could damn near do a vtol.

 

[sdifox]

The catapault alone can get a plane to 165 mi/h by the end of the runway.

 

[Zeze]

Applause.

In a seriousness I saw a vid of a ski-legged plane being dragged on a float by a truck on the ground and the and took off.

I gotta find that vid. It was just few days ago.

 

[Darwin333]

The catapault alone can get a plane to 165 mi/h by the end of the runway.

But if you have wind going over the back of the wings at 100mph the plane is effectively only going 65mph as far as flight is concerned.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

But if you have wind going over the back of the wings at 100mph the plane is effectively only going 65mph as far as flight is concerned.

Correct. Any backward speed of the carrier is subtracted from the catapult speed , so even a small backward velocity is enough to kill the equation. To get off a fully loaded plane carriers go to full speed and turn into the wind so they're getting another 25-50mph of lift. Even then some planes will be launched with little fuel to save enough weight to get airborne. They need to launch and get refueled in the air.

 

[Darwin333]

Correct. Any backward speed of the carrier is subtracted from the catapult speed , so even a small backward velocity is enough to kill the equation. To get off a fully loaded plane carriers go to full speed and turn into the wind so they're getting another 25-50mph of lift. Even then some planes will be launched with little fuel to save enough weight to get airborne. They need to launch and get refueled in the air.

Yup, and they turn the opposite way, wind at their backs, to recover the aircraft. If you could somehow get enough wind going over the deck in that configuration the plane could basically perform a vtol landing, at least from the perspective of everyone on the carrier, no arresting wires necessary.

 

[MtnMan]

So science and physics were not your best courses we can assume?

 

[SKORPI0]

 

[momeNt]

Before even attempting to take off the plane will have rolled off the deck. Assuming high friction tires with frictionless bearings.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Yup, and they turn the opposite way, wind at their backs, to recover the aircraft.

No. Carrier turns into the wind to recover planes too. Same principle, you're looking for maximum lift for minimum closing speed. The more wind that's coming directly down the flight deck the lower the trap speed and the safer the landing.

 

[Number1]

Carrier air speed = -160
Airplane airspeed when it reaches the end of the carrier = 0

Let's go for a swim.... LOL

 

[Darwin333]

No. Carrier turns into the wind to recover planes too. Same principle, you're looking for maximum lift for minimum closing speed. The more wind that's coming directly down the flight deck the lower the trap speed and the safer the landing.

You are correct, sorry I had a temporary brain fart.

 

[Red Squirrel]

So science and physics were not your best courses we can assume?

It was just to start conversation. I would figure it does not take off, personally. (well there's a bunch of other issues that would occur if a ship was going that fast)

But I just had another interesting one that I may have to make a separate thread about...

As for science in school, all we really did is blow stuff up. At least that's the parts I remember the most.