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More model informationThis detailed 3D model was created by archaeologists during their excavation of the remains of the catapult. The Mark III catapult was originally developed to literally catapult bomber planes into the air. There are several reasons why you’d need a ‘plane catapult’, including being able to launch planes loaded with more fuel. More fuel would let planes fly longer and reach targets further away. This prototype was built 1938-1940 at Harwell, Oxfordshire and consisted of a large rotating turntable which directed aircraft towards one of the two concrete track runways. To launch, the aircraft would be attached to an underground pneumatic ram using a towing hook. 12 Rolls-Royce Kestrel aero engines, sitting underneath the turntable, compressed air to 2,000 psi to drive the ram. This high-pressured air was then forced into the pneumatic ram, which rapidly expanded to the length of the guided track - literally catapulting the large bomber planes into the sky.
Aug 9th 2023
1 comment
This was an experiment, hence it is no surprise that the two catapults are different. The south catapult looks like that it would allow the airplane to accelerate on its own power, like in a short-field takeoff as we would use still today, until the catapult kicks in. Different directions are common for runways so that the airplane is launched into the wind. Many airfields from this time had a triangle of three runways. An airplane launched into a tailwind, needs faster groundspeed to take off, and a crosswind is probably undesired with a a catapult as it would need to permit the airplane to crab into the wind right after it is let lose, without rolling over, when it is released. The entry was probably from the turntable. Airplane of this time had a tail wheel which makes them less maneuverable on the ground, While an airplane could be turned by manpower, a turntable would allow for a faster launch sequence, possibly allowing airplanes to queue up in an angle away from the propeller wash.