Westland Wasp - the smallest aircraft to carry a nuclear payload

[Hobbes]

The Historigraph channel has an interesting video on the Wasp:

Kit might want to check out 1:55, where a Wasp is seen landing on a moving platform that's simulating a pitching ship deck.

[PR19_Kit]

Kit might want to check out 1:55, where a Wasp is seen landing on a moving platform that's simulating a pitching ship deck.

Oh yeah, just like one of MTS' Earthquake Simulator Platforms. They have three vertical actuators underneath, two on one side to twist the platform, and one at right angles to them to shove the whole caboodle sideways. And LOTS of hydraulic power of course.

It'd be interesting to know who made that one, but I expect Westland were fully capable of doing it themselves. We never managed to sell them a single test rig, they always said 'We can do that ourselves' with a smug smile. 

[Later] Re-watching that bit of the vid it looks like Westland dispensed with the lateral actuators completely and just used the vertical ones to generate some sort of a heave effect. That works fine, but they'd have needed some very long stroke actuators.

Ye gods, even at my advanced age I still can't stop thinking how I'd have done something like that for work! I really should stick to modelling.