Am 16.08.2013 um 16:46 schrieb David Scheidt <[email protected]>: > > > On Aug 16, 2013, at 2:49, Thomas Thrien <[email protected]> wrote: > >>> Eric replied to me: >>>>> This one is a bit smaller than the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier. It is >>>>> marginally thinkable to move it on the ground, so I went that way. >>>> >>>> huge tires or huge ground pressure? >>> >>> 100,000 lbs. per sf. Extremely high. >>> >>>> you'll always want this thing moving at high speed? >>> >>> Yes, fast enough that there is significant aerodynamic lift >>> and three quarters of the fans can shut down. >>> >>>> yes, but perhaps restrained at a few tons' capacity (for crates of >>>> supplies, and for villains, nefarious cargo) >>> >>> Multirole VTOL gunship/transports. >>> >>>> this is part of my theme -- where will you land this? >>> >>> On special airports. A reinforced concrete landing pads and >>> ramps to the oversized maintenance hangars. Other than that, >>> the only reason to land is bulk resupply of jet fuel and >>> ordnance, which might be on improvised forward bases. Then >>> the fans must keep turning to take most of the weight. >> >> THIS scenario calls for cranes for the crates - if possible at all … >> >> When the carrier is hovering close above ground, the wind speed on ground, >> caused by the fans, must be enormous. I doubt that someone could walk close >> to it - or stand nearby. >> >> Perhaps the carrier should have that thing that hovercrafts have (sorry, >> can't remember the correct term; that thing that keeps the air under the >> hovercraft), just for this manoeuvre. > > A skirt. They also increase the efficiency, meaning less thrust required. > > A crane is better and mor likely
Thank you for updating me on the terminology! Seriously! And sorry for the inaccurate wording in general! The skirt would not be a replacement for a crane; I think, such a skirt is required if someone wants to come close to a hovering sky carrier without being blown away. This coming close would be a requirement to load/unload anything to or from the carrier - using cranes … When standing on a prepared airport, the loading gear could be provided by the ground staff, but on an improvised landing ground, this is probably not available. So a lifting apparatus - called it crane or winch - should be build into the vehicle. To use that winch or crane while in flight operation (like you would do at helicopters) sounds in fact insane … but might be fun for an adventure ... -- Thomas Thrien Allemagne Geo 51° 28' 12" N 7° 32' 17" E Es heißt, der Klügere gibt nach. Doch wenn die Klügeren immer nachgeben, dann passiert nur noch, was die Dummen wollen … Of course it has a meaning when a black cat crosses your way from left to right … It means, that the cat, coming from your left, wants to go somewhere right from you ... _______________________________________________ GurpsNet-L mailing list <[email protected]> http://mail.sjgames.com/mailman/listinfo/gurpsnet-l
