Aircraft Carrier Launchers

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Since the beginning of the 20th century, the United States has been launching planes off the top of aircraft carriers. At first the planes would take off simply from their own power, but as time passed and the loads of the aircraft got heavier, a more complex and powerful system was needed. The solution was a system of pulleys and weights, also known as a catapult. The design and workings behind the catapult have been changed and improved since its introduction, but the main idea still holds the same: to launch aircraft off a carrier with a limited space. Today, engineers and mechanics experts are currently working on a new system to be used in the Navy that will allow for even more efficiency of aircraft takeoff. In order to launch fixed wing aircraft off aircraft carriers, the Navy uses catapults. The first recorded attempt at launching an aircraft off of a deck was in 1903 by Samuel Langley. Langley used a spring-operated catapult to launch his models and his, what would be failed attempt at a full scaled launch. In the following year, 1904, the Wright brothers had begun creating their own style of catapult to launch planes in a short distance. Their catapult was more of a derrick style, which was a pulley, cable, and weight. The weight would drop, which would in turn pull the cable attached to the launching gear of the plane. This system allowed for shorter launching areas, and more successful and longer flights (Track & Derrick). Almost a decade later, LT Ellyson became the first person to successfully launch from the Navy’s new catapult system. The system used compressed air, which could be monitored safely to ensure that the right amount of pressure was being applied to the launching system. No more than thre... ... middle of paper ... ...ence.howstuffworks.com/aircraft-carrier3.htm>. Skerrett, Robert G. "Our Navy Has the Best Seaplane Catapult." The New York Times 2 Apr. 1916: n. pag. Our Navy Has the Best Seaplane Catapult - New Invention of Captain Washington I. Chambers Makes It Possible to Launch Aircraft from a Warship's Deck at Sea - View Article - NYTimes.com. Web. 09 Nov. 2013. . "Track & Derrick." WW1 Aero - The Journal of the Early Aeroplane Nov.182 (2003): 5-21. 1904 - TRACK & DERRICK. Web. 09 Nov. 2013. . Wright, Tim. "How Things Work: Electromagnetic Catapults." Editorial. Air & Space Magazine Jan. 2007: n. pag. Airspacemag.com. Air & Space Smithsonian. Web. 10 Nov. 2013. .

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