Flying the Flyer
Jishnu Basu (9 years)
In 2010, I had a chance to visit the “Intrepid Museum” in New York City with my parents. U.S.S. Intrepid was
an aircraft carrier with the US Navy, now decommissioned & parked in New York as a museum. When we
were taking a guided tour, the guide explained us the science behind the launching of the jet fighters from the
aircraft carrier using the ‘catapult’. To explain it further, the guide took out a sling shot and showed us how a
stone could be thrown to a great distance at a great speed by pulling the stone backwards creating tension at
first and then releasing the tension. My father who was with me told me that they used to play the same game
back in India terming the sling shot as ‘gulti’ (Bengali for sling shot).
In 2012, as a part of my science project I did extensive research on the usage of catapult theory in launching a
jet fighter. I would like to share my learning & knowledge with my fellow friends here. I have named the article
as ‘Flying the Flyer to demonstrate the fact that by using catapult, we are flying (flinging) the flyer (pilot).
A catapult is a device used to throw or hurl an object in a “projectile” path to a great distance without the use
of any explosives. Projectile path means the flight path of an object when thrown in the air, similar to a rainbow
as shown in the below diagram. Initially, the object travels vertically and then it takes a horizontal path.
Ultimately, it lands on the floor due to the gravity.
Fig. – Parabolic trajectory showing vertical path, horizontal path & object coming down due to gravity
In the Greek & Roman period, the concept was used to increase the penetrating power & distance travelled of
the arrows. In the medieval period, heavy stones were thrown at the enemy inside the high walls of the fort.
During World War I, grenades & other explosives were thrown to the enemies using a catapult.
Now the question is: Why and how the catapult is used on an aircraft carrier to launch a fighter plane?
In an airport, the runway is long enough running into miles for a plane to run and attain the much needed speed
to take off. But in an aircraft carrier, the deck is too small in length for the fighter plane to take off as it cannot
run for long. To solve this problem, scientists used the catapult theory aided by steam power to fling the plane
into the air.
We know that if more force is exerted on an object by creating more tension while launching an object using
the catapult, then the object will travel at a greater velocity and to a greater distance. Using the same principle,
when the jet moves forward on the deck and reaches the edge working against the enormous force of the
catapult, the catapult suddenly releases the tension. As a result the jet flings into the air similar to a stone
thrown out of a sling shot.