American Projects of Giant Airships 1947-1957 from Mechanics Illustrated

concorde muck said:
Five projects of American giant - atomic and non-atomic - airship designs from Mechanics Illustrated 1948-1957.

Artist-designer Frank Tinsley.

1. The most famous project of a peaceful atomic passenger airship. Mechanics Illustrated 1956 03. The helicopter lands at the top of the gondola. The idea of the project is Dwight D. Eisenhower.

2. The first American project of a colossal passenger airship. Goodyear company. An airy hotel for the bourgeoisie. Mechanics Illustrated 1948 05. I don’t understand if it is nuclear or not. A similar project - Popular Science, also 1948.

3. The coolest passenger airship is a cruise catamaran. Mechanics Illustrated 1957 12. Passengers live in the bridge between the nuclear gondolas. This miracle lands on the water in the ocean to receive passengers.

4. Flying airship-aircraft carrier Shangri-la. Mechanics Illustrated 1954 03. Planes are stored in the middle of the gondola. I don’t understand why Frank Tinsley named the project Shangri-la. Shangri-la is an ashram for the world.

5. Project number one. The airship is a launch pad - cosmodrome. Launching carrier rockets from inside the airship gondola. The rocket stands in the bow of the gondola - and flies from there into space. Mechanics Illustrated 1948 10. I raise a glass of champagne to the great visionary Frank Tinsley.





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Rockets, from inside the airship??? What could possibly go wrong.....
 
The last really huge concept was called "Aerotechture" out of Chicago.
 
Yes, the concept of these turbines is beautiful but I have not read about its functionality, it looks a bit bulky



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I work for The Home Security Superstore selling pretty useful stuff
 
While I am well aware that dirigibles had their issues, that is great coolness! Are those B-57s it is launching?

Also immediately brings to mind, and it is way down toward bottom of webpage,
mikesresearch.com

US Liaison Planes WWII

Liaison planes are small lightweight, usually unarmed aircraft used for artillery observation or transporting commanders and messages. The concept was developed before WWII and also included battle…
mikesresearch.com mikesresearch.com

Brodie Landing System​




The Brodie landing system was a method of landing light airplane devised by USAAF Captain James H. Brodie. This method of landing involved catching a hook attached to the plane with a sling which itself was attached to a cable. This system proved useful in landing aircraft in normally unsuitable terrain, such as the jungle or in mountains, and also afforded good camouflage.


A similar launching and landing apparatus was previously used by the US Navy in the 1930s. The US Navy airships USS Akron (ZRS-4) and USS Macon (ZRS-5) successfully launched and recovered Curtiss F9C-2 Sparrowhawk biplanes with hooks and retractable trapezes. However, both of the airships crashed. The USS Akron crashed on 3 April 1933 killing 73 crewmen and passengers and the USS Macon crashed on 12 February 1935.


The Brodie system differed in that the system was based on a wire capture with a larger (longer) target to hit by the pilot. Even though it could be mounted to moving objects, it was also suitable for fixed installations on the ground.


A hoist and sling device lifted the plane and its crew onto the trolley, then a special winch pulled the aircraft back to the ship’s stern-side end. The pilot gunned the engine, and a clutch released the trolley. The plane rolled along the cable, picking up speed. As the aircraft accelerated, the pilot pulled on a lanyard. This detached the plane from the sling, causing it to soar into the air. To land the aircraft, the pilot simply lined the aircraft up with the cable, and snagged the sling with a hook. The machine’s winch worked like a fishing reel, and slowed the plane to a stop. Both takeoffs and landings needed only 600 feet (183 m) of cable and often less with strong headwinds.
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A fictional later version of the Brodie system would have incorporated powered cables to accelerate launch speeds and cable brakes to arrest landings.
We can only speculate what would have happened when jets landed on faster, more sophisticated versions of the. Roxie System.
Would it have been more successful than the “Skyhook” system that a British Harrier test-landed on?
 

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