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Post by Deleted on May 31, 2023 10:15:58 GMT -5
Several months ago I came across of an astonishing report in "Popular Mechanics" magazine of 1934. It's dedicated to floating seadromes imaginated by an aviation engineer named Edward E. Armstrong in the 1930's. Then more than 400,000 passengers were traveling the world by air. While many saw a great potential for rapid air transportation of mail, cargo, and passengers, the reality was that no airplane was able to fly economically beyond a 500-mile range at that time. Although Charles Lindbergh had crossed the Atlantic, doing so with a load of passengers and cargo was still in the distant future. Armstrong’s solution to the problem: a seadrome that would be a “floating landing deck” – an anchored airport and refueling station. It would ride high above the waves, moored at one end so as to trail the wind and be big enough to permit the landing and takeoff of most planes. Supported by tubular columns 70 feet or more above the surface, waves would pass through underneath, with the columns themselves terminating in ballast tanks 100 feet below the surface. The planned seadrome looked like this: R.E. Wyman released in 2010 an seadrome version based on a simple Afcad. Interested by this attempt and by Armstrong's crazy project as well as by partially pure fun and partially historical challenge, I tried to create basically such a fictional seadrome too and placed it in my vintage context. There are several different variants of seadromes in the web. Bernard
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Post by Dan on May 31, 2023 10:39:21 GMT -5
Didn't knew this. Bernard, thank you for this interesting piece of a history!
Regards, Dan
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Post by Tom/CalClassic on May 31, 2023 11:36:33 GMT -5
Interesting indeed.
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Post by Al on May 31, 2023 17:31:00 GMT -5
Interesting design Bernard. When you think about it it’s just an elongated deep sea oil rig. Is this assembled with various standard objects or custom objects. You should make this one available as it looks like great fun to land and takeoff from.
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Post by nmlw on May 31, 2023 18:37:11 GMT -5
While very forward looking for that time it appears to be a very expensive project. In order to positively affect intercontinental air travel quite a number of these would have to be built even if funding could be made available. In the time it would take for them to be constructed longer range passenger aircraft would be designed and built to more cheaply solve the problem.
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Post by zswobbie1 on Jun 3, 2023 3:33:18 GMT -5
This is the kind of stuff is similar to what the late Garry Smith would have done in his Ford Tri-Motor Project. His philosophy was that simming is all about Fun, Facts & Fiction. Perfect indeed!
Any chance that this could be available?
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Post by Jorge on Jun 3, 2023 9:27:48 GMT -5
This reminds me of something I saw on the History Channel about "ice" aircraft carriers. They would be basically controlled "ice bergs" with an airfield plowed on top!
Looks awesome, Bernard!
Jorge Miami, FL
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Post by Deleted on Jun 3, 2023 13:57:18 GMT -5
Robin, I eventually will make it available sometime. But I still have to modify and improve it. Seen from far away the seadrome looks acceptable! Some details aren't perfect.
You mention a kind of a seadrome included in one of Ford-Tri-Motor Projects. I can't remember to have seen it or at least red about such a particular scenery part. Do you still know where this could be? I wen through all featured sceneries on their website.
Bernard
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Post by Deleted on Jun 9, 2023 17:21:40 GMT -5
Meanwhile I did some modifications of the seadrome. It's an amalgam of objects, and not a one-piece building. Therefore it can't be duplicated and placed elsewhere as it should be. At least it would require about eight to ten aditional seadromes to ensure a suitable atlantic crossing. The traffic file included some stronger powered vintage aircraft. One just does pattern flights, and is used for testing take offs and landings. The three other remain static. Of course, these could be replaced by any other aircraft. This small scenery could be downloaded here: www.mediafire.com/file/mc1ugb3164u88ca/Seadrome.zip/fileNeedless to say that any improvements, modifications and additions are highly welcome! BTW, in 1932 the Germans produced a movie called "F.P.1 antwortet nicht mehr" (in english "F.P.1 doesn't answer anymore"). It relates a story involving a seadrome in Mid Atlantic. Bernard
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Post by Dan on Jun 9, 2023 23:11:36 GMT -5
Thank you Bernard! It will be very interesting to try this scenery!
Regards, Dan
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Post by Al on Jun 10, 2023 13:48:42 GMT -5
Will definitely download this and fire up my GW install and give it whirl. Thanks for coming up with something new to try.
Al
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Post by zswobbie1 on Jun 19, 2023 2:33:27 GMT -5
Hi Bernard.. I'll have a look for you. I was a beta tester for Garry, & I have a feeling that it was in a scenery that I tested, & I'll check out within my 'library'. Is there a chance that you could release the download again? Mediafire tells me that it is not there.
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Post by Jorge on Jun 19, 2023 5:39:30 GMT -5
Hi Bernard.. I'll have a look for you. I was a beta tester for Garry, & I have a feeling that it was in a scenery that I tested, & I'll check out within my 'library'. Is there a chance that you could release the download again? Mediafire tells me that it is not there. Same here. The pics are also gone from the first post. Strange. Jorge Miami, FL
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Post by zswobbie1 on Jun 29, 2023 4:09:27 GMT -5
Hi Bernard.. I'll have a look for you. I was a beta tester for Garry, & I have a feeling that it was in a scenery that I tested, & I'll check out within my 'library'. Is there a chance that you could release the download again? Mediafire tells me that it is not there.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2023 6:46:21 GMT -5
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