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Rocket launching of gliders ? Anyone know if it's been done before ?
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September 7th 03, 06:05 PM
Ralph Jones
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On 7 Sep 2003 06:23:06 -0700,
(Jason Armistead)
wrote:
An unusual historical question for the combined genius of the list ...
While visiting Ray Ash at Gulgong on Saturday (to scan some great old
photos of the early days of Southern Cross Gliding Club for our Back
To Camden Week starting 20th September), we were looking through Ray's
early log book.
It's a British Gliding Association one, marked as 3rd Reprint 1949.
On the inside front cover, it lists the Types of Launch as:
C = Catapult
W = Winch
M = Motor car-tow
A = Aero-tow
and
R = Rocket assisted
OK, while I can accept that catapult might be another word for Bungy
launching, I was a bit taken aback by the notion of launching a glider
with a ROCKET ! Ray mentioned he'd never really noticed that before
either.
I wonder if anyone can point me to any solid evidence of rocket
assisted launching of gliders by the British or others.
It sounds like a novel, if somewhat dangerous, way to get airborne in
a sailplane !
Cheers
Jason Armistead
Southern Cross Gliding Club
Camden NSW
Visit
http://www.gliding.com.au/
!
The Messerschmitt Me-323 Gigant troop transport was developed from the
Me-3231 troop glider, and the powered version used JATO for
takeoff...perhaps that would count.
rj
Ralph Jones