Creating a private airfield

[BackPacker]

...became a lot easier today. If you have the cash to spare and a place to moor it.

Disposal Services Authority

Just In Time For The Holidays! - Swampland - TIME.com

I wonder if there's any take-off data for your average spancan for that warped deck though.

[potkettleblack]

Anchor the bow, fit a thruster on each side of the stern controlled from your C172 cockpit and never worry again about an out of limits cross wind landing or takeoff!

[Pace]

Backpacker

I can feel a business plan coming on Buy that plus a few Harrier jump jets which are bound to come onto E bay soon then rent out your services to the UK as they are getting a bit short on the defense side.

To fill in available time you could always motor on down to east Africa and clear a few pirates as an extra earner? and get a winter sunshine break too

Pace

[S-Works]

Did you know that if you have less than 100,000 troops you are no longer an army but a militia.....

It won't be long before we just have one service with a few part timers in it.

[Pace]

Bose

Or do what the Swiss do and train up civilians in case they ever need to be dragged in from the day job! Quite fancy a bit of low level stuff in a Hawk

Pace

[BackPacker]

you could always motor on down to east Africa

Actually I read some more articles and this particular vessel has been cannibalized to keep other ships in the same class (Ark Royal?) operational. So it comes without serviceable engines, pumps and whatnot.

Not an irrecoverable situation of course, but something to consider for your business plan.

Mooring it somewhere should not be a problem though, if you rent a big enough tug to get it there. Heck, you could probably even anchor it out to sea somewhere. Maybe halfway between Calais and Dover, so that nobody needs to be out of gliding distance from a suitable landing spot anymore while crossing the Channel. Who knows, you might even be able to sell tax-free fuel that way.

Obviously restaurant and sleeping facilities are all on board as well. I feel a GA magnet starting to appear here.

[jxc]

just use it to offer round the world cruises and bring your plane with you ! must be plenty of room for spam cans great money earner and on board maintenance

[172driver]

Ah, I can already see myself roaring up that sloped runway in my 172 !!

[Genghis the Engineer]

Do you think, before they flog it off, that we could all club together and rent it for an afternoon? I've always wanted a ship landing in my logbook!

G

[jxc]

It may be better to go the other way down the slope as going up you would have to do the caa factor X12 for takeoff

[IO540]

I feel a GA magnet starting to appear here.

You might have some fun doing a compass swing on it

Could one have an ILS on it (a serious question)? The GS should be doable but a VHF LOC might get "bent" somewhat... might have to be a MLS.

[IanPZ]

Hey, but how would you know what runway to land on? 26 left....no wait a minute, thats 27 left, oops, no, now 28 left. Damn thing wont keep still....

[AdamFrisch]

I say, park it where the Belfast is today in London and open up the airspace around it. That way we could all commute in in our small aircraft!

[BackPacker]

Could one have an ILS on it (a serious question)?

No idea. I only know the carrier that's in one of the challenges in FS2004 (or FSX) has an ILS.

You'd have a tough time certifying an ILS to civilian standards though, with the deck (and thus the antennae) bobbing up and down. Gyroscopic stabilizers come to mind...

[LH2]

Surprised how little draught she's got. I wonder what's the design reason behind that.

[Pace]

Interesting point on the runway heading? I know nothing about carrier ops but would imagine the Carrier would turn into wind so there was no drift and then give the runway heading to the aircraft?
Would the Carrier offset for current drift?
Anyone know???

Pace

[Genghis the Engineer]

The carrier will try to give a small crosswind towards the island, so as to avoid massive rotor over the deck. However, that is determined by operational expediency.

When I was young and not overly bright (as opposed to now, where I'm older) I worked for a short while on a carrier - it took me a week of sitting through Harrier pre-flight briefings before I finally worked out why they never briefed QFE !

I don't recall an ILS, I think that they used some form of TACAN approach, but could be wrong - that wasn't my thing to worry about at the time.

G

[bingofuel]

So it comes without serviceable engines,

Not a problem, line up all the aircraft on board, tie them down to the deck and full throttle.......now what speed would a couple of dozen O-320's or rotax's develop...........answers on a postcard to...............

Okay I wil leave now!

[astir 8]

How many outboards could you mount across the back?

[ninja-lewis]

Originally Posted by LH2

Surprised how little draught she's got. I wonder what's the design reason behind that.

Is it not just because she's empty of engines, fuel, aircraft, people and consumables. Wikipedia lists a draught of 8.8m but presumably the tender is stating her current draught for a bidder to tow her away in her current state.