Suspended Runway

Interesting. Thank you for the link.
I wonder if this was actually ever used.

Thanks for sharing ... a lot of heavy gear for an aircraft that was virtually STOL anyway ... I'd just clear a hedgerow

John

Uhm.....yeah.

For taking off, how do you start the engine ?

Great old comedy with Joel MccRea from 1936(?) The Palm Beach Story played with the idea of a civilian version

digger doug said:

Uhm.....yeah.

For taking off, how do you start the engine ?

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Before you are hauled up.... I think I saw the prop turning for that.

JST said:

Before you are hauled up.... I think I saw the prop turning for that.

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Along with your run up and mag check.

Looks to me that by the time you made the parts, got them all onsite, and assembled & tested the thing, the war would be over. Interesting idea, nevertheless. Reminded me of Langen's Schwebebahn in Wuppertal.

-Marty-

Man, what keeps the plane from turning in the wind like a weathervane?

allan

The rudder, prop wash down the fuselage and over the rudder, maybe a little aileron too ... basics of flying.

John

Marty Feldman said:

Looks to me that by the time you made the parts, got them all onsite, and assembled & tested the thing, the war would be over......

-Marty-

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Well, consider the alternative of having to fell trees, pull the stumps, and then at least roughly level the runway. Seems like LOT less work to put up the cable, but, of course, less utility also.

Marty Feldman said:

Looks to me that by the time you made the parts, got them all onsite, and assembled & tested the thing, the war would be over. Interesting idea, nevertheless. Reminded me of Langen's Schwebebahn in Wuppertal.

-Marty-

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Marty -

As JST said, compared to the time to put in even a crude dirt strip this would not be that bad. Not to mention the issue of getting equipment such as dozers to the site. I found it interesting that the film was put out by OSS (Office of Strategic Services, forerunner of the CIA). They did a lot of crazy stuff - I'm sure some of it never was used operationally.

I don't recall ever reading that this system was used operationally by the OSS, but it may well have been. It was used successfully, however, by the Navy to support the Army. They used LSTs to 'host' the L-4 and L-5 close in shore during invasions. Okinawa was one place it was used -
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/rec.aviation.military/NeYTied2rZw
is a link to one guy telling how he was trained as a pilot to use it. String is almost 20 years old now.

As the one guy said in that link - pilots (and anyone flying with them) are trained to avoid wires at all costs and the concept of flying into one to land is nuts. Plus the helicopter put an end to this type of endeavor.

Dale