Word: catapulting
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Dates: during 1950-1959
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When aircraft carriers of the U.S. Navy make ready to launch their planes, they turn into the wind and steam at high speed. But even with a stiff breeze whipping across the flight deck, attack bombers and jet fighters often need a large and cumbersome catapult to boost them up to flying speed. And on a hot, calm day, the thrust of this giant slingshot is barely enough to toss them aloft...
Last June the N.C.A.A. TV experiment caused the University of Pennsylvania to catapult itself into the collegiate dog-house when it tried to go alone and ignore the N.C.A.A. ruling...
...driven Corsairs and Skyraiders with special radar equipment for night flying. It was supposed to be a routine operation. At 3:30 a.m., under a tomb-black sky, the flight deck throbbed and shuddered as pilots warmed up their engines. From the bull horns came the command: "White flag. Catapult planes." A lighted wand in the catapult officer's hand described a series of red circles in the darkness (the signal to the pilot to turn up his engine), then swooped down. With the roar of two colliding freight trains, the starboard catapult hurled its plane forward. It thundered...
...plane on the port catapult was ready. Once more the glowing wand circled in the darkness and plunged down. The catapult exploded into action, sent the second plane roaring off. Then, a dreadful sight: the plane was going down, not up. A second later it plunged into the sea and exploded in a great sheet of jagged white fire. Flaming debris smoked and crackled on the black water. While the emergency team went to work, the carrier continued on its course. There was no confusion. From amidships, men threw float lights overboard as the still-blazing crust of the crashed...
Flying Arrowhead. The Navy allowed Douglas Aircraft Co. to release a picture of its XF4D, an experimental jet interceptor of daring, tailless design. Intended for launching by catapult from a carrier deck, it has been test-flown successfully, but nothing has been made public about its performance...