Graf Zeppelin on the other hand had them raised, so if I am not mistaken the German installation was a matter of choice rather than pure military necessity.
Am I wrong?
Aquila and its catapults
Aquila and its catapults
Looking at some pictures of Aquila I noticed something that threw me off a bit, the catapults seem to be installed flush with the deck, the only element somehow protruding were the semi-circular covers that protected the catapult when not in use, if that.
Graf Zeppelin on the other hand had them raised, so if I am not mistaken the German installation was a matter of choice rather than pure military necessity.
Am I wrong?
Graf Zeppelin on the other hand had them raised, so if I am not mistaken the German installation was a matter of choice rather than pure military necessity.
Am I wrong?
Re: Aquila and its catapults
If i am reminding right the German catapults were sent to Italy to be employed in Aquila. But i am not sure there have been ever a test on the ship, or even if they finished the installation.
What do you mean by semi circular covers?
Edit: the whole thing was very fuzzy and i am not sure if there was a clear idea of how to use catapults. I'll have to check the aircraft Reggianne RE2001 history if it was ever tested in a catapult.
Edit2: i checked my sources and only arresting gear was tested in land near Perugia. Initially the hook was too much near the aircraft front and it made the propeler hit the ground. But the revised instalation was satisfactoy - obviously on land without sea movement -and made possible to slow the aircraft in 15-20m from the landing speed of 120-150kmh.
It was to have 2 12.7 SAFAT machine guns, a central point for 600kg silluroto(short torpedo) or bomb or drop tank and 2 wing racks for 100kg bomb weight.
There is a report from a German pilot from March 43 that states the Re2001 had handling qualities superior to Me109T and that after the arrest problems would be fixed it could be a good fighter since it was a well behaved machine.
But no catapult launch was made, and i am almost sure if the war turned not so fast in Axis disfavor the Aquila would went operational first without catapults.
What do you mean by semi circular covers?
Edit: the whole thing was very fuzzy and i am not sure if there was a clear idea of how to use catapults. I'll have to check the aircraft Reggianne RE2001 history if it was ever tested in a catapult.
Edit2: i checked my sources and only arresting gear was tested in land near Perugia. Initially the hook was too much near the aircraft front and it made the propeler hit the ground. But the revised instalation was satisfactoy - obviously on land without sea movement -and made possible to slow the aircraft in 15-20m from the landing speed of 120-150kmh.
It was to have 2 12.7 SAFAT machine guns, a central point for 600kg silluroto(short torpedo) or bomb or drop tank and 2 wing racks for 100kg bomb weight.
There is a report from a German pilot from March 43 that states the Re2001 had handling qualities superior to Me109T and that after the arrest problems would be fixed it could be a good fighter since it was a well behaved machine.
But no catapult launch was made, and i am almost sure if the war turned not so fast in Axis disfavor the Aquila would went operational first without catapults.
Re: Aquila and its catapults
The Germans did make launches from them... mounted on a barge, they seemed to be happy with them and were similar to other models used on their catapult ships.
From what Ive seen on GZ photos the catapults appear to have covers in that shape, those of course would be removed before use.
The Italian installation seemed more logical than the German one, they appear to be flush with the deck and moved to the edge of the deck to ensure minimal interference with flight operations.
From what Ive seen on GZ photos the catapults appear to have covers in that shape, those of course would be removed before use.
The Italian installation seemed more logical than the German one, they appear to be flush with the deck and moved to the edge of the deck to ensure minimal interference with flight operations.