I’ve seen the Pearl Harbor movie where they make a big deal of taking weight off the planes because the ship’s runway is just too short. Why can’t they just be longer? Or was just that because they lacked the time during ww2?
It seems like the problem still exists today and i just don’t get how a massive ship would be affected by a longer runway. Maybe make it telescoping like a firetruck’s ladder so it can be retracted during bad weather.
What’s the limiting factor here?
In: Engineering
Carriers are already absolutely massive, and expensive.
Anything mechanical (like a telescoping mechanism) is more expensive (to build AND to maintain) and subject to breaking, especially at sea.
WW2 planes also had a lower power to weight ratio than modern jets just because of technological and metallurgical advancements.
Latest Answers