Re: FT-Fighters and launch bays

On Wed, 6 Jun 2001 07:50:48 -0700 (PDT) David Griffin 
<carbon_dragon@yahoo.com> wrote:

> --- Roger Books <books@mail.state.fl.us> wrote:
>> ... In Battlestar Galactica they seem to have cataputs so you may 
have a delay. <<
 
> It kind of looks like every squadon has their own set of launch 
tubes. This always looked to me like just a way to rapid transit from 
the parking area to the outside world rather than a catapult that gets 
them to some safe flying speed (of course there isn't any such thing in 
space). More of a visual effect. They always seemed to launch their 
fighters pretty fast. There was never a delay I can remember. <

The Galactica had 16 tubes arranged along the side of each bay, which 
meant that they could launch something like half a squadron at once (if 
you accept my idea that the Big G's complement was 5 squadrons of about 
30 fighters each) from either side. Loading the tubes seemed to be 
pretty fast, although we never actually saw it on screen. I always 
assumed that launching the fighters was something like a sub 
firing a torpedo: each Viper moved forwards into a tube from iis 
boarding position in the main bay; then, after the tube doors were 
closed and, presumably, the tube depressurised, the pilot hit the 
turbos and launched.

This is debatable, I admit. The red lighting that ran along the bay may 
also have been some sort of catapult -- electromagnetic? -- and there 
is "evidence" that the Colonials may have had some kind of pressure 
curtain force field which would obviate the need for depressurisation. 
(Of course, the _real_ reason is that the producers didn't think about 
the practicalities of a hangar bay on a starship.) Certainly, there 
would be no difficulty in launching an entire squadron per FT game-turn 
from either bay.

Phil
--------------------------------------------------------------
"If you let a smile be your umbrella... you'll get wet teeth!"
   -- a forgotten comedian, quoted by me: Phil Atcliffe
				(Phillip.Atcliffe@uwe.ac.uk)