"David E. Powell" wrote in message
...

Make a designated VTOL area and add shuttle style tiles there.

Try simple things first! I really doubt that the problem is severe enough to
require a high-tech approach. First, a simple change in procedures to reduce
time with the engines in the vertical position will greatly reduce the problem.
A designated landing pad made of metal that will stand the heat with an
underlayment to prevent heat transfer to the underlying deck will solve the
problem. Yes, the resulting uneven deck would be a PITA for the deck crew, but
the pad would not need to be more than an inch or two thick with tapering edges
for the transition. After the plane departs, a quick hosedown would likely be a
good idea for crew safety & to prevent melted tires.

This issue could hardly be a "surprise" or even a "muddle". The potential
problem of deck heating from VTOL aircraft has been well known for decades.
When I first reported aboard the Guam (LPH-9) the crew were talking about the
deck tests they had done with the (then new & revolutionary) Harrier just weeks
before.

Vaughn