Aeroplanes, airships, the "flying trapeze" etc.
Here’s the FOURTH time I’ve written this out. Pardon me if I’m repeating information given by someone else already, but I haven’t had time to read all the new posts. (Yes, this site/program has eaten what I’ve written three times, claiming I wasn’t logged in; I *had* been logged in. My INT must be running low, because it took me that long to figure out that I should just write it in Word, and then paste it into the reply space. At least this time I can just copy it and try again if it gets eaten!)
So—the main things that I think haven’t been covered are a few specific items from the big US rigid airships.
Firstly, has anyone mentioned yet that they were aircraft carriers? Five Curtis C-9 Sparrowhawks could fit inside the hangar in the envelope. To drop an aeroplane, the ’plane was picked up from it’s hangar berth with a crane. There was a metal loop on top of the ’planes and the crane had a hook-like structure. It was then swung into position over the hangar opening, lowered to just below the ship, the plane engine was started up, and then the ’plane was released from the hook. To retrieve a ’plane, the “flying trapeze†(as the apparatus was known) was lowered. The ’plane matched speed and direction with the ship, and maneuvered its loop onto the hook. When it was caught properly, the ’plane cut its engine, and the trapeze raised it back into the hangar, and replaced it in its proper location. Truly ingenious, and according to what I’ve read, much safer and easier than ground landings and takeoffs.
Secondly, the basic setup of the internal compartments from bow to stern was: Control car (below & outside the envelope); Officer’s cabins (sleeping 1-4 men each, I believe); Group areas (galley, I’m not sure what else); hangar; Crew quarters (bunkrooms for at least 8 men each, possibly greater). There were two gangways (one each side) on the lower portion of the ship, and one running along to top of the ship for access and maintenance. The ships had a capacity for roughly 100 crew. In both the crashes, they were actually carrying around 75-80 men. Following the Akron crash (73 lives lost) flotation devices were kept on the Macon, and when she went down, only 3 lives were lost.
Thirdly, they held 12 gasbags, one behind another, in the upper half or 2/3 of the envelope. These ships were designed so that roughly half the gasbags could be compromised and the ships could still maintain lift. If they lost as few as three from the same front or rear section, however, the ship was in trouble, due to the natural effect of the still buoyant end rising, and the non-buoyant end dropping. This is apparently what did in the Akron. The Macon had rings (the round, body shaping sections of the frame) which were insufficiently attached to the fins to survive a storm. As you can see, structure and engineering can be made to play as necessary for your gaming needs. Say, a critical hit on a structural element might cause all kinds of damage, as bad or worse than simply hitting a single gasbag!
Finally, there was a secondary control car located in the lower fin at the rear of the ship. Decide beforehand if you use this whether or not that car can override the main control car, or vice versa. Could be handy for PC’s trying to take over the ship. After the R101 (I think) this was probably a consideration in the event of the breakup of the ship.
Oh yeah, two significant events in the annals of the US airship program. Before (and causal of) the better “low mooring†techniques, a sudden tailwind tipped the Los Angeles vertically. It literally “stood on its head†as it was moored only by the nose of the ship. One man died, others were injured, I believe. Of course, while lots of stuff was literally “bolted down†many smaller items weren’t, and they made darn certain THAT didn’t happen again! Of course, your baddie (or your PCs if they gain control) might not know about that. Great special effects potential. The other event was one that became famous in our own game, (only we turned it into full year long cliff-hanger). One of the ships was being grounded by a ground crew—lots of men holding on to many, many ropes. Another unexpected wind-shift, and higher than ideal amount of buoyancy caused the ship to suddenly rise into the air—three men didn’t let go immediately, and were hauled into the sky along with the ship. Two fell more than a hundred feet to their deaths. The third managed to hold on for over an hour (might’ve been two), until he could be winched up. (That rope was not designed to be winched, so they had to do a little on the spot engineering.) Flying from NY to LA is nothing; man were HIS arms tired!
I love to talk airships, particularly the US rigid airship program. So many people are entirely unaware of its existence. I can recommend the books “Sky Ship†or “Up Ship!â€, as well as the websites that I have seen in a quick scan of the messages. I am on a messaging list for fans of LTA (lighter than air) craft, and if you have any questions that you can’t find answered elsewhere, I can recommend connecting to a group like that.
Thanks so much,
Laura B. (who is tired of people assuming I’m nothing *more* than the token female of our group and who is also married to Mr. Monster who frequents this board)
