wmartin@STL-06SIMA.ARMY.MIL (Will Martin) (08/21/90)
From: Will Martin <wmartin@STL-06SIMA.ARMY.MIL> Having recently caught up on the back issues of the sci.military digest, and having seen a repeat on the local PBS station just yesterday of a program about D-Day survivors recalling the battles on the 50th anniversary, I have this query about gliders, which were discussed here a while back: What is the effect on the towplane's internal load capacity when it tows a glider on takeoff? The examples shown in the PBS program were Halifax bombers towing troop gliders, and it wasn't mentioned (that I heard) if those bombers also carried a bomb load in addition to pulling the gliders. At first, one tends to think that the glider takes the place of the towplane's own load of stores, but then one realizes that the gliders provide their own lift, and support their own weight. So the towplane just has to provide forward momentum. But then one thinks about takeoff -- pulling the loaded glider from a dead start would have to take the towplane's entire capacity, so it couldn't also be carrying its usual load. So then this one, at least, gets confused. Do glider-towing bombers or cargo planes fly empty, carry a reduced load of ordnance or cargo, or can they carry their full usual load in addition to towing the glider? (If the latter, it certainly adds to the arguments in favor of gliders! But it sure sounds like a free lunch... :-) Regards, Will wmartin@st-louis-emh2.army.mil OR wmartin@stl-06sima.army.mil *** "Fire and Forget" means never having to say you're sorry... ***