Wouldn’t a benefit of a tail dragger be that no rear ramp is needed? Though the below dragger still has a ramp.You also need aircraft to move away from "tail dragger" landing gear.
Yes!Wouldn’t a benefit of a tail dragger be that no rear ramp is needed? Though the below dragger still has a ramp.
The German Gotha 24
Gotha’s pod and twin boom design was copied in several NATO Cold War transports, most notably the Fairchild C-119 Flying Box Car and French-German Nordatlas.
—————————Did Fairchild’s C-82 copy the pod and boom layout of the Gotha 244 or are the two aircraft examples of convergent evolution?
Love your choice of words...I think for WWII, we're stuck with the "big" glider as the only real way to get significant items into the combat drop zone. What was needed was post WWII style "weapons system" thinking...design and settle on the glider, then design stuff that fits inside and fits the bill for the job at hand.Why not go with Canadian swingtail technology? It’s super cool even if makes airdrops challenging.
Admit it: you’d love to see a rear airdrop capable swingtail.Love your choice of words...I think for WWII, we're stuck with the "big" glider as the only real way to get significant items into the combat drop zone. What was needed was post WWII style "weapons system" thinking...design and settle on the glider, then design stuff that fits inside and fits the bill for the job at hand.
Mixed emotions...almost be afraid to watch...but fascinated at the same time.Admit it: you’d love to see a rear airdrop capable swingtail.
Well, that must have been a... noteworthy day.Yes!
Eliminating the ramp eliminates a whole series of balance problems. If the cargo floor ends near the trailing edge of the wing, it becomes difficult to load cargo too far aft.
You would still need a “pogo stick” or jack while loading, but reduce a whole series of balance problems in flight.
Note that I said “reduce” not “eliminate” balance problems. We found out the hard way that if all 20 skydivers crowd the ramp, it is possible to stall and spin a Shorts Skyvan!
Guess how I know......
Vincent Burnelli was there firstDid Fairchild’s C-82 copy the pod and boom layout of the Gotha 244 or are the two aircraft examples of convergent evolution?