| From: | Jonathan Hurley <jhurley1@************.EDU> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Re: Eurowars |
| Date: | Fri, 1 May 1998 03:32:16 -0400 |
> We've discovered a heller of an idea. It could be termed a "Stealth =
Carrier",
> just take out the "Carrier". Get a ship big enough to load/unload the
> plane(s) involved. Then have the runway on the water. Literally.
>
> We've managed to create a Barrier Spell within the "D6" drain limit =
that can
> be cast upon the surface of the water (large body preferred) that is =
MORE than
> long enough to handle/serve as a runway. Use buoy's to serve as =
runway
> lights, make them "Low Wattage Ultraviolet", and they won't show up on =
lower
> end sensors, and place them along the subsurface of the "Barrier =
Runway".
You don't even need magic. During WWII, the Allies operated various =
'floating areodromes' in the channel in support of the invasion of =
normandy. Literally floating. They found a way to lay out a (cloth IIRC) =
surface on the water that could support aircraft. Now, I'll admit that =
spitfires and hurricanes are lighter than a jet fighter-bomber carrying =
max weapons load. But all that you would need to operate the =
NightWraiths would be a material that could distribute load as evenly as =
possible across it's area, enough of this material to support the number =
of nightwraiths you want/need to launch simultaneously, and it becomes a =
simple matter of engineering (good thing my fiance isn't on this list, =
she'd hit me for that...).
As for the material, think on the properties of kevlar... Perhaps a =
silk/kevlar weave backed up by plastic support members and flotation =
cells. You pull a freighter or two up to a handy flat peice of ocean, =
unroll your areodrome, crane your aircraft over the side, and away they =
go. For maximum deniability, collect the pilots after they land, and =
just sink the thing afterwards. (Safer than ditching for the pilots, and =
the evidence *still* ends up at the bottom of the ocean).
In case you haven't thought of this yet, smugglers would simply LOVE =
something like this. Instant portable runway? Sign them up in droves.
(I don't have the sources for this lovely bit of trivial anymore, I lost =
the book in a move. It was a book about a wacky war gadgets lab (tm) =
that the brits ran during WWII; they developed such interesting things =
as steam-fired mortars, anitsubmarine mortars, the 'mulberry' =
breakwaters used to make temporary harbors off the normandy beaches =
(including a floating road similar to the concept above), and a lot of =
other nifty wierd stuff that I don't recall anymore. =
ObEvenMoreUselessTrivia, Nevile Schute (SP?), the guy who wrote _On the =
Beach_, was a member of this lab)
--
Quicksilver rides again
--------------
Those who would give up a little freedom for security
deserve neither freedom nor security
-Benjamin Franklin
Yeah, I have Attention Deficit Dis - Hey, look at that butterfly!
Jonathan Hurley (mailto:jhurley1@************.edu)
