Carrier Islands

Are there aviation-related reasons why the starboard side is favored
for the island, or is it a purely naval issue? If the latter, did the
practice come about because the first pioneering carriers were
arbitrarily drawn up that way and the configuration simply stuck as a
matter of tradition, or were there more significant reasons for the
convention?

--
Thomas Winston Ping

AFAIK it's mainly because landing approaches (both land & sea) include a
final left turn. If the islands were on the port side of the ship the LSO
would loose sight of the plane (blocked by the island) and the pilote would
loose sight of the deck for a second or two, and that's enough to have a
major screw-up.
Any other explanation??
--
_________________________________________
Pierre-Henri BARAS

Co-webmaster de French Fleet Air Arm
http://www.ffaa.net
Encyclopédie de l'Aviation sur le web
http://www.aviation-fr.info


"Thomas W Ping" a écrit dans le message de news:
...
Are there aviation-related reasons why the starboard side is favored
for the island, or is it a purely naval issue? If the latter, did the
practice come about because the first pioneering carriers were
arbitrarily drawn up that way and the configuration simply stuck as a
matter of tradition, or were there more significant reasons for the
convention?

--
Thomas Winston Ping

On Sun, 16 Nov 2003 15:17:32 +0100, in rec.aviation.military "Pierre-Henri
Baras" wrote:
On 16 Nov 2003 07:15:07 GMT, in rec.aviation.military Thomas W Ping wrote:

Are there aviation-related reasons why the starboard side is favored
for the island, or is it a purely naval issue? If the latter, did the
practice come about because the first pioneering carriers were
arbitrarily drawn up that way and the configuration simply stuck as a
matter of tradition, or were there more significant reasons for the
convention?

AFAIK it's mainly because landing approaches (both land & sea) include a
final left turn. If the islands were on the port side of the ship the LSO
would loose sight of the plane (blocked by the island) and the pilote would
loose sight of the deck for a second or two, and that's enough to have a
major screw-up.
Any other explanation??

Remember, the LSO was stationed behind the island, so losing sight of the
aircraft was not a problem.

Early piston aircraft had a lot of torque generated by the engine. In a wave-off
situation, the sharp increase in power would roll the aircraft slightly to port.
Combined with pulling back on the stick to gain altitude, this would result in a
climbing left turn. Having an island in the way when doing this could ruin your
whole day. Hence, the island was placed on the other side of the filght deck.

Early piston aircraft had a lot of torque generated by the engine. In a wave-off
situation, the sharp increase in power would roll the aircraft slightly to port.
Combined with pulling back on the stick to gain altitude, this would result in a
climbing left turn. Having an island in the way when doing this could ruin your

If so, then British carriers would have the island to port. Do they?

all the best -- Dan Ford
email: (put CUB in subject line)

see the Warbird's Forum at www.warbirdforum.com
and the Piper Cub Forum at www.pipercubforum.com

On Sun, 16 Nov 2003 16:37:15 -0500, in rec.aviation.military Cub Driver
wrote:


Early piston aircraft had a lot of torque generated by the engine. In a wave-off
situation, the sharp increase in power would roll the aircraft slightly to port.
Combined with pulling back on the stick to gain altitude, this would result in a
climbing left turn. Having an island in the way when doing this could ruin your

If so, then British carriers would have the island to port. Do they?

Why would they? Their aircraft engines rotated in the same direction as the
American's, thus generating the same port-biased torque.

Why would they? Their aircraft engines rotated in the same direction as the
American's, thus generating the same port-biased torque.

No, British aircraft engines turned the other way. Still do, I
believe.

They famously emasculated the Lightning by burdening it with two
left-turning engines.


all the best -- Dan Ford
email: (put CUB in subject line)

see the Warbird's Forum at www.warbirdforum.com
and the Piper Cub Forum at www.pipercubforum.com

William Hughes wrote:


Early piston aircraft had a lot of torque generated by the engine. In a wave-off
situation, the sharp increase in power would roll the aircraft slightly to port.
Combined with pulling back on the stick to gain altitude, this would result in a
climbing left turn. Having an island in the way when doing this could ruin your
whole day. Hence, the island was placed on the other side of the filght deck.

So what does one do in an a/c which has an engine turning the
opposite way?...
--

-Gord.

On Mon, 17 Nov 2003 03:22:34 GMT, in rec.aviation.military "Gord Beaman"
) wrote:
William Hughes wrote:

Early piston aircraft had a lot of torque generated by the engine. In a wave-off
situation, the sharp increase in power would roll the aircraft slightly to port.
Combined with pulling back on the stick to gain altitude, this would result in a
climbing left turn. Having an island in the way when doing this could ruin your
whole day. Hence, the island was placed on the other side of the filght deck.

So what does one do in an a/c which has an engine turning the
opposite way?...

And which aircraft would that be? AFAIK, all aircraft engines rotated the same
way - clockwise from the pilot's point-of-view. At least on single-engine birds;
some twins may have had counter-rotating props, but I don't think they operated
from carrier decks all that much.

"William Hughes" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 17 Nov 2003 03:22:34 GMT, in rec.aviation.military "Gord Beaman"
) wrote:
William Hughes wrote:

Early piston aircraft had a lot of torque generated by the engine. In a
wave-off
situation, the sharp increase in power would roll the aircraft slightly
to port.
Combined with pulling back on the stick to gain altitude, this would
result in a
climbing left turn. Having an island in the way when doing this could
ruin your
whole day. Hence, the island was placed on the other side of the filght
deck.

So what does one do in an a/c which has an engine turning the
opposite way?...

And which aircraft would that be? AFAIK, all aircraft engines rotated the
same
way - clockwise from the pilot's point-of-view. At least on single-engine
birds;
some twins may have had counter-rotating props, but I don't think they
operated
from carrier decks all that much.

What, like a P-3?

William Hughes wrote:


So what does one do in an a/c which has an engine turning the
opposite way?...

And which aircraft would that be? AFAIK, all aircraft engines rotated the same
way - clockwise from the pilot's point-of-view.

You think so?...amazing indeed...you sound most assured...I'd
have felt damned uneasy if it had been me making that big bald
statement to the whole world. WooHoo.
--

-Gord.