J3/L4 Question...

[Cvairwerks]

I was looking through the Type Certificates for the J3/L4 series this afternoon and ran across a reference to an arresting gear installation. Has anyone ever seen the installation or seen the drawings referenced for it? It was interesting in that any use of the arresting gear required a very specific airframe inspection prior to a return to flight per the TC.

I like the oddball and weird stuff, so this is right up my alley.

[John Dupre]

Sounds like it might be the Brody gear. This was a set up that allowed the L type aircraft to take off and land using a cable strung above the ground or water. The arresting portion on the aircraft was mounted above the cabin so the aircraft never touched land or water before it was airborne. I am sure there are some references to it in these pages and Google as always is your friend. Seem to have been particularly effective launching and arresting from LSTs.

[airnutz]

True, probably Brodie but I think All American also had a device variant of its inertia reel for short field landings in light aircraft. Somewhere I have a pamplet I downloaded illustrating some of their light aircraft gear.

Edit

[airnutz]

Cvair, I think I found you something. Dug up the book, Airway To Everywhere: A History of All American Aviation, 1937-1953. Where I googled from info referred to as Model 20 Arresting Gear(Brodie) which led to me to a Sensenich pdf of Piper type certificates that highlighted Arresting Gear Model UN-11(intalled in accordance with All American Aviation Dwg. 3250.
Scroll down about 2/3'rds for Miscellaneous *601....Note, UNOLYN line box and FIRING TUBE...
http://www.sensenich.com/files/document ... 111298.pdf
If I remember correctly it fired a small harpoon or hook which then payed out to stop the A/C.

The Brodie is listed further below as *619 Brodie Suspending Gear. Also mentioned in the book, that the early Brodie was having trouble with their decelerator trolley breaking cables until All American spent some time with it to get it functioning optimally. Hope this helps.

EDIT

[Cvairwerks]

I know about the Broadie system. I've got some video somewhere of the test with the L-5 operating off an LST in the Mississippi River during the war. I'd love to put the system on my L-5 and set things up and do demo's at a couple of the bigger air shows with it....maybe someday.

I got real curious about this arresting system as I've never seen any other reference to it, or even any pictures of it in use or installed. I'm planning on building an L-4 replica for my boys, so I thought that I would see if I could find enough data on the system to replicate a non-functional installation.

It's actually listed in a couple of the J/L series TC's out on the FAA website.

[airnutz]

I'd love to put the system on my L-5 and set things up and do demo's at a couple of the bigger air shows with it....maybe someday.

I got real curious about this arresting system as I've never seen any other reference to it, or even any pictures of it in use or installed.

I haven't seen any photos of it either. The book on the history of All American was a bit of a disappointment for the technically minded. No drawings or especially detailed photos. A lot of stuff on the mail business and the evolution into Allegheny Airlines onward to USAir. The "Snatch" development during the war got a chapter and little more than a mention of their post war thru Vietnam of satellite recovery and rescue equipment, etc paralleling some equipment Fulton seems to get full credit for these days. The engineering arm of the company was absorbed into International Controls Corp. as a partially owned subsidiary as All American Industries, Inc. in 1970.

The pamphlet or small booklet I mentioned earlier, was found on the DreamFlight website and it had some illustrations that were useful. DreamFlight was the CG-4A project that was supposed to be ready for the 65th anniversary of D-Day in 2009. The plan was to return a CG-4A to the air complete with working snatch apparatus...apparently stillborn as the economy tanked. The upshot is the website is defunct but I did hardcopy the booklet...I just I have to find out where it is.. I'll let you know when I do.

[Redtracer]

cvairwerks, you might like this;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZpTm5LgHQA