In a previous life as military Loadmaster, the most interesting tasking we had was aerial delivery of various cargoes, platforms and vehicles. The amount of plotting and calculations that went into getting vehicles cleared for air drop was intensive, and the flight testing was a tense affair, to say the least. It all had to with CG shift, and the possibility of a load getting lodged at a new position during delivery.
You only need a heavy vehicle to move a few yards and get stuck there, to ensure an unflyable aircraft.
During actual aerial delivery you could not help but be amazed when you saw how much pitch change took place in the second or two it took for a load to run across the floor and over the ramp on extraction.
If something ended up getting lodged beyond a certain point on the floor, with heavier vehicles and boats - you were dead. No questions.
Last edited by I.R.PIRATE; 5th May 2013 at 09:12.