Greasy Rider© @invalid.com wrote in message
...
On Thu, 17 Feb 2005 19:03:10 +0100, Rob van Riel
postulated :

As I recal that was a publicity stunt to demonstrate the raw power of the
catapults. A model T Ford that spent all of a mile in the air, wasn't it?

When I was in a Navy airgroup (CVG-6 in the Fifties), it was standard
procedure to launch a concrete filled "wagon" off the cats after a
carrier left Portsmouth , VA yards to test the cats. The weight was
supposed to simulate an aircraft of the time. Difficult to plot the
trajectory from the flight deck but they went "way" out before arcing
down to the water. I would think that a Model T would disintegrate
with the forces applied from a steam catapult.

In the UK there is a programme called Top Gear which launched an old Jaguar
off the Ski Jump of one of the RN Carriers, I forget which. I'll Have a look
and find out though.

--

Richard Battle

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