Dave in San Diego wrote:
--cut--

Why has the speed anything to do with it Dave?...there's no
'lift' so it would fall just as fast no matter how fast it was
moving forward...it should hit the water just as quick whether
you shoved it off the side or accelerated it to a thousand MPH
(disregarding the curvature of the earth - and assuming that the
carrier deck is level fore and aft)

I agree - horizontal motion and vertical motion are independent. It's a
classic physics demo in HS and college. The height above the water
determines the fall time. The cat end speed determines how far the car
will travel horizontally in that time.

100 feet off the water gives a fall time of 2.5 sec. 130 kt = 219
ft/sec. 2.5 times 219 gives you 460 feet.

Dave in San Diego

Of course...you're right...I wasn't thinking, sorry.
--

-Gord.
(use gordon in email)