Why aircraft carriers have angled decks.

[Tom]

A training film to educate Navy pilots.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/military/navy-ships/a28881/aircraft-carriers-angle-runway/?src=nl&mag=pop&list=nl_pnl_news&date=110417

[ScepticalScotty]

Much appreciated 👍

[chuck peterson]

Wow. My dad left the USN as Ltg jg flying corsairs, when they angled the deck,....half the squadron crashed landed trying to learn how to land in a crosswind...no more pointing into the wind for the landing on the deck. Carrier was, landing weren't...

Didn't read anything about that in the first article

VC4 Nightfighter Squadron Black Cats

[Sasquatch Jim]

  The Admirals were tired of airplanes crashing into their conning towers.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bh1vYh-3VFE

[Steph]

  The Admirals were tired of airplanes crashing into their conning towers.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bh1vYh-3VFE

And pilots were tired of having to swim out of the way to avoid getting run over after ditching

[Sasquatch Jim]

 It is considered ,by pilots, bad form to get run over by an aircraft carrier.
 I might add, bad luck too.  When your plane drops over the front and the carrier is coming on at
34 knots, you don't have much time to get out and swim away.
 considering that the centerline is more than 45 feet from the edge of the hull, You have to get out of the plane and swim encumbered by all your flight gear you are wearing , the ship is coming on at 34 knots,  that's 57 feet per second.  If you flew the length of a football field before hitting the water,  You wouldn't have the time to even exit the craft.
I don't know of any that made it.

[wheaties]

Thanks for the video.

Question:  Why is there a number painted on the end of the carrier runway? 

[KiwiKev]

Thanks for the video.

Question:  Why is there a number painted on the end of the carrier runway?

So they land on the right carrier maybe

[cloudbase]

If you land on the wrong one, you'll probably have some explaining to do.
You'll no doubt get a new nickname that will stay with you throughout your career.

Edit to add that this has actually happened.
https://tacairnet.com/2014/01/09/wrong-ship-sherlock/

[roadscum]

  The Admirals were tired of airplanes crashing into their conning towers.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bh1vYh-3VFE

Many pilots returned with personal injuries and in planes that were damaged.. The Admirals were very happy to have them back alive, even when they were unable to make a text book landing.

Paul

[wheaties]

If you land on the wrong one, you'll probably have some explaining to do.
You'll no doubt get a new nickname that will stay with you throughout your career.

Edit to add that this has actually happened.
https://tacairnet.com/2014/01/09/wrong-ship-sherlock/

So the number on the runway was the number of the ship!?  That would make sense. 

Forgive my ignorance, but land based runways are numbered according to the compass heading they parallel.  Since a carrier can head in any direction....

[thomas]

A few carrier pilots have overshot, ditched and successfully ejected with the aircraft already in or under the water.

[Tom]

So the number on the runway was the number of the ship!?  That would make sense. 

Forgive my ignorance, but land based runways are numbered according to the compass heading they parallel.  Since a carrier can head in any direction....

2 sets of numbers separated by a slash.  That way the runway can be used in both directions.  The tower will give the runway designation to the pilot for landing or take-off. 

[wheaties]

2 sets of numbers separated by a slash.  That way the runway can be used in both directions.  The tower will give the runway designation to the pilot for landing or take-off.

Yes Tom, there are always(?*) two numbers for the runway with regard to an airport listing.  These two numbers are always opposite compass directions, for example a runway running perfectly East/West would be designated "9/27" for 90deg and 270deg.   I should clarify that they only paint one of those numbers at each end of the runway



* I can think of a couple runways that can't be landed but one direction, but these are rare

[Sasquatch Jim]

 Kodiak Alaska is one of those you can only use in one direction.  Their is a steep mountain at the end of the runway.
 For takeoffs there is a raisable shield to protect road traffic from jet blast on takeoffs.  The roadies around the end of the runway between the mountain and the end of the runway.

[wheaties]

Here is another that I had in mind:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDfI4tbMUvs

[Tom]

Any more?

[KiwiKev]

Here is another that I had in mind:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDfI4tbMUvs

Holey smokes, not much room for a missed approach there.

[wheaties]

Any more?

I think my Dad told me about flying a C-124 into an airbase in Greenland.  I don't know where specifically.  The base was at the end of a narrow valley; one way in, one way out.  Requisite mountain at the end of the runway.  The only way to turn around was to land. 

[Tom]

Looks like DASH 7's being used for that airport in Nepal.  Anymore "civilian" airports? 

[Bill]

In Kodiak the main runway is 25/7. Pillar Mountain is at the end of Rwy 25. It makes for an interesting landing with strong tail winds and a slick runway. For take offs Rwy 7 is used and points to the open water. For smaller aircraft cross  runways are available. For big airplanes rwy 35 can have some very interesting crosswind challenges, magnified when slick with ice. While challenging I have deep respect for carrier pilots, especially nigh ops.
Bill

[keuka4884]

I was in the Navy from 70-73 on a sub tender on Guam. At that time the Navy estimated that a carrier would last 10 minutes if we ever went to war. That is now down to 5 minutes. They are decent diplomatic ships (to intimidate small countries) but total sitting ducks on the sea. Russia now has a missle that travels at mach 8. In two years they will have a missile that will travel at mach 20! China will soon have a missile that travels at mach 10. Russia can place one of their subs 500 km or more from the carrier and take it out quickly. The thinking is that they will send a swarm of missiles to each carrier. In reality, they are as outdated as a battleship. The single greatest hole in the water you pour money into. About as useless as a dreadnought. But they sure do look cool. Yeah  right.

[Tom]

Yeah, outdated but not totally useless.  Regional and smaller conflicts are influenced by an American airbase floating nearby.  China and Russia are trying to have their own aircraft carriers for projection of power.